CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



The colonies of Australasia constitute one of 

 the most important possessions of Great Britain. 

 For the past thirty years, they have been outlets 

 for no small amount of British capital and enter- 

 prise. Of immense area, having extensive regions 



with a temperate climate, affording illimitable 

 scope both for agricultural and pastoral pursuits ; 

 rich in minerals, particularly in gold ; they have 

 attracted a very large share of the attention of 

 emigrants. The initial difficulties of early settle- 



RNHEM LAND .^ GULF OP >C 



ment have been already overcome throughout 

 nearly the .whole of Australasia. Connected 

 with the great centres of civilisation by electric 

 telegraph, Australasia has several main lines of ship 

 communication with Great Britain one through 

 the Suez Canal by way of India ; another by San 

 Francisco, in special favour in New Zealand ; a 

 third by the Cape of Good Hope, returning in 

 general by Cape Horn. Vessels also ply between 

 the Australasian colonies and the Mauritius, Cape 

 of Good Hope, India, China, South America, and 

 the surrounding islands. Within the colonies, not 

 only are there the advantages of law and order, 

 but also of education and religion, which have 

 kept pace with the rapid material advancement. 

 The responsible system of government obtains 

 throughout all these colonies, with the single 

 exception of Western Australia. 



298 



New South Wales. 



New South Wales, discovered by Captain Cook 

 in 1770, was colonised by convicts in 1788, 

 when a convict establishment was formed by the 

 British government at Sydney Cove, near Botany 

 Bay. Originally, New South Wales comprised 

 the territories which are now included in Vic- 

 toria, South Australia, and Queensland. The 

 present colony of New South Wales is situated 

 within the parallels of 28 and 37 south lat. and 

 141 and 154 east long. ; its greatest length is 

 900 miles ; its greatest breadth, 850 miles ; and 

 it contains an area of 323,437 square miles. 

 It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east, 

 by Victoria on the south, by South Australia on 

 the west, and by Queensland on the north. 





