AUSTRALIAN LITERATURE. 



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And thou, fair Science, pure ethereal Hght, i>»i;) ' ^ ' O 



Beam on her hills and chase her mental night. t I II R 



Direct her sons to seek the perfect way 



Where Bacon traced and Newton led the way ; 



But mid the future treasures of their lore, 



Still foremost rank the Greek and Latin ore. 



.»' 



Towards the end of the poem he prays that Poesy 

 find a dwelling-place on these southern shores, and concludes 

 with lines that are now well known— 



And Australasia float with flag unfurled 

 A new Britannia in another world. 



It is a curious comment on the value of such literary com- 

 petitions that the prize was won by Praed, in a poem which 

 must move the ordinary reader to laughter by the absurdity 

 of its description. The Australian aboriginal woman is, accord- 

 ing to Praed, clad in glittering trinkets and in gorgeous vest, 

 and in general the Australian black is a being compounded 

 of many vague imaginary qualities which form the ordinary 

 stock savage of romance. Nor does Praed's poem gain any- 

 thing on a comparison of poetic styles, the smoothness of its 

 heroics being much more tiresome than the less polished but 

 more virile rliythm of Wentworth. 



The second of the pioneers of our literature is that stout old 

 partisan, Dr. Lang. Though not of Australian birth he came 

 to our shores while still young, and his life's work was done 

 for us, and among us. He has nothing that we can greatly 

 admire in regard to literary style. His English is shpshod 

 and disfigured by a feeble disgressiveness, which deprives it 

 of all dignity ; and the egoism which is for ever coming up 

 to the surface is not that pleasing form of self-revelation 

 which at every turn interests the reader by showing the in- 

 ward workings of a strong mind. It rather irritates than 

 amuses; and when, to this egoistic vein, there is added a 

 violent polemic tone which is both intolerant and aggi'essive, 

 it scarcely remains to l)e said that Dr. Lang's work is not 

 high-class literature. 



Yet it has influenced the fortunes of Australia to no slight 

 extent; for Dr. Lang was one of those who, like Wentworth, 

 saw that the future greatness of this country would depend 

 on the influx of free emigrants; and his earliest writings 

 were devoted to the promotion of that object with most sub- 

 stantial effect. Subsequently he threw himself into the 

 movement for dividing Australia up into portions suitable for 

 convenient management. He saw that the legislation which 



