WALES, NEW SOUTH. 



WALES, NEW SOUTH. 



1056 



high rank 



our colonies, if iU population U taken 



irgo quantities of wool, tallow, hidm, 



and ihatp at ins alrrady noticed, Great Britain imported from New 

 Sooth Wura, in 1868, the following, and various other article* : 847 

 loot of boow of animals and fih ; 67 toua of copper-ore ; 137 cwtii. 

 of nndmaed flax ; 998 cwts. rough mother-of-pearl sheila ; 8331 cwU. 

 cocoa-nut oil ; 425 tun* spermaceti oil ; 6933 Ibs. quicksilver ; 

 1886 Ibs. tortoise-i-hell, or turtle-iheU ; 601 gallons wine, the produce 

 of Brituh settlements in Australia; and 11 70 loads of wood. The 

 declared value of the exports of British produce find manufactures 

 from Great Britain to New South Wales, amounted to 4,527,775*. in 

 1858 including apparel, slops, and haberdashery to the amount of 

 1,202,6781; cottons, 447,1941 ; woollens, 606,1781.; linens, 124,825*, ; 

 ilk manufactures 176,2091. ; hardware and cutlery, 189,8711: iron, 

 wrought and unwrought, 141,0881.; leather, saddlery, and harness, 

 334, SOI/. ; machinery, 23,3151. ; musical instruments, 29,8041. ; plate, 

 jewellery, watches, Ac., 90,334*,; stationery, 75,364/, ; soap and 

 candle*, 33,943*. ; pickles and sauces, 69,9261. ; beer and ale, 179,9072. ; 

 British spirits, 31,782*.. ; printed books, 60,225*. ; and a variety of 

 other articles, besides a Urge amount of foreign and colonial produce 

 and manufactures. The number and tonnage of ships registered as 

 tielmigins; to the colony on December 31st, 1854, were as follows : Of 

 and under 60 tons, 161 vessels of 4107 tons burden; above 50 tons, 

 180 icasols of 82,082 tons ; with 123 steam-vessels of 3050 tons. 



Dtrtnmt of Ike Country. The more closely-settled portion of the 

 colony is divided into 37 districts, 21 of which were added in 1847. 

 Out of these are formed 40 counties, of which the 6rst settled 21 are 

 conterminous with the districts. The other counties do not occupy 

 the whole of the districts, nor do the districts occupy the whole of 

 the territory, but it is a regulation of government that no land can 

 be sold beyond their limits. The extreme boundaries of county lands 

 have come therefore to be called the boundaries of location, and 

 according as lands lie within or beyond these boundaries, a different 

 system is followed in the management and civil government of them. 



Within the boundaries the whole country is divided into police 

 districts, each having a bench of petty sessions and a magistrate ; and 

 of then* districts, which are of unequal size, there are at present 

 about 40. Beyond the boundaries the country is also roughly divided 

 into districts, in each of which there is a commissioner of crown 

 lands, who is the chief magistrate of it, and has under his command 

 a small force of mounted constables, who are called the Border 

 Police. Within the limits of location, land is either sold or let on 

 lease; beyond the limits it is neither sold nor let, but licences are 

 granted, at the discretion of the crown commissioner, for the occu- 

 pation of such portions of land as may be desired by proprietors of 

 stock, on each of which licences a fee of 102. is payable annually, and 

 an assessment is levied on the stock depastured there. Each allot- 

 ment of land for which a licence is thus given is called a station, and 

 the stations may vary in extent from 5000 to 30,000 acres. The 

 amount received for licences in 1852 was 36,925*., and laud was sold 

 to the amount of 41,273*. 



New South Wales is divided into two bishoprics, Sydney and 

 Newcastle, the Bishop of Sydney being the metropolitan of Australia; 

 the other biihops are those of Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmania, New 

 Zealand, and Christchurch, which forms a second bishopric iu New 

 Zealand. There is an archdeacon in New South Wales who is 

 styled Archdeacon of Cumberland, one of the districts. In 1853 the 

 number of clergymen in the colony was 163, of whom 47 were sup- 

 ported wholly by voluntary contributions. Of the whole number, 78 

 belonged to the Church of Kngland, 32 were Presbyterians, 32 Roman 

 Catholics, 1 6 Wesley ans, 4 Independents, and one was of the Jewish 

 persuasion. The amounts paid by government to religious teachers 

 were as follows : Church of England 18,344*., Roman Catholics 

 12,837*., Presbyterians 6998*,, and Wesley an Methodists 1013*, 



There U a considerable number of roads within the boundary of 

 location. Various lines of roads, which have been made at consider- 

 able expense, traverse these districts, and various others have been 

 made or are making in consequence of the gold discoveries, to facili- 

 tate transport to and from the commercial towns and ports. A 

 regular post is established, and all letters not exceeding half an ounce 

 in weight are delivered at a uniform rato of twopence. In 1852 the 

 income of the post-office was 18,174*. li. lid.; the expenditure was 

 25,304*. . Newspapers arc exempted from postage. 



Education. Sydney University, incorporated and endowed by the 

 Act of Council, 14 Victoria, No. 81, and inaugurated on October llth 

 1862, bad 38 students in 1852. Its expenses for that year amounted 

 to 3860*. 11*. 7<*. There are three colleges or Grammar schools two 

 at Sydney, called Sydney College and Australian College, and King's 

 School at Paramatta. These high schools are supported by the pay- 

 ments of Uie students. The elementary schools are mostly maintained 

 by government In 1852 there were at school 11,387 male and 9678 

 frmale children ; of these one half were at Church of England schools. 



Hilton/. The history of a colony so recently established may be 

 soon told. New South Wales was discovered by Captain Cook in 

 1770, though the western and northern coasts of the island bad been 

 previously visited by Dutch navigators. In 1787 the British govern- 

 ment decided to form a convict establishment in Australia, "to empty 

 the jails and houses of correction " of the mother-country, and eleven 



ships were therefore sent, which arrived at Botany Bay, where it was 

 intended to form the settlement, on January 20th 1788. Botany Bay 

 was found inconvenient, and the establishment was removed to Sydney 

 by the governor, Ca.pt. A. Philip, who had been sent out with the fleet. 

 The early progress of the colony, owing to the circumstance that the 

 first settlers were only convicts, was so slow that it# population in 

 1810 did not exceed 10,000 individuals. About that time one of tho 

 landed proprietors ascertained that the climate and soil of the colony 

 were favourable to the rearing of sheep, and many persons consequently 

 went to the colony to settle; but they soon found themselves embar- 

 rassed for want of room, and it appeared impossible to extend the 

 settlements farther westward, as several attempts to pass over the 

 liluo Mountains had been frustrated by the nature of the range, 

 which consists of sandstone masses, furrowed by numerous ravines, 

 whose sides are so steep that it is in i > ascend them. In IMS 



three enterprising individuals, lilaxland, Wentworth, and Lawson, 

 succeeded in passing over the mountains ; and in the same year fol- 

 lowed the discovery of that fine pastoral country the Downs of 

 Bathurst In the following year a practicable line of road waa con- 

 structed over the mountain ranges by convict labour. Mr. Oxley, in 

 1817, began the task of exploring tho interior. Since thi.i period 

 some portion of the country has been nearly every year discovered 

 and explored. Among tho discoverers may be particularly mentioned 

 Allan Cunningham, Lieut. Sturt, Count Streletzki (who first asserted 

 that gold was to be found in the mountains), Mr. Eyre, Mr. Windsor 

 Earle, Messrs. Landor and Lefray, and Dr. Leichardt, who, leaving 

 New South Wales, reached the Gulf of Carpentaria, and who, on a 

 second journey, lost his life iu the interior. The results of their 

 discoveries have been given in the geographical notices of Australia 

 and of the several colonies. 



The system of transportation has been discontinued of late years. 

 Towns. The capital is SYDNEY. Bathurtt is a thriving town, 198 

 miles W.N.W. from Sydney, on the west of the Blue Mountains, 

 situated on the upper part of the Macquaric. It derived its import- 

 ance at first from being the chief place of trade of the rich pasturage, 

 Bathurst Plains, which surround it. It has since become of still 

 greater importance from its vicinity to the gold diggings of Oj.hir, 

 which lie from 20 to 28 miles west from it oyd, or East Boyd, as 

 it is sometimes called, is a small but rising port-town, near the southern 

 border of the colony, on the mouth of the river Towamba, which here 

 falls into Twofold Bay. Brisbane is at the northern extremity of the 

 colony, situated on the river Brisbane, about 10 miles from its mouth. 

 It is a flourishing town, in an agricultural district. Tobacco and wine 

 are produced. Campbcllton is on the coast, about 20 miles S. from 

 Sydney, and has considerable trade and manufactures, particularly of 

 leather. Liverpool is about 16 miles W. from Sydney, on the left 

 bank of George's River. It is an inland town, surrounded by a rich 

 and well cultivated country, which secures it much retail busiiie.-s. 

 Macquarie, or Port Macquarie, is a small but increasing town, at the 

 mouth of the river Hastings, which a little higher up receives the 

 Wilson and Maria rivers, and forms a tolerably safe bay. It is about 

 120 miles N. from Hunter River. Maitland is on the right bank and 

 about 40 miles from the junction of Hunter Hiver, at the junction of 

 the Wallis creek. The river here first becomes navigable for sloops. 

 The coal-mines in the neighbourhood have greatly contributed to the 

 prosperity and increase of this place, which is properly two towns, 

 East Maitland and West Maitland. In East Maitland are a court- 

 house and jail, and in West Maitlaud are numerous stores and some 

 good hotels. A steamer runs regularly from Maitlaud to Sydney. 

 Newcastle, about 70 miles N. by E. from Sydney in a direct line, is 

 built at the mouth of the Hunter River, which forms a harbour deep 

 enough for merchant vessels, but the entrance is narrow and crooked. 

 The town owes its importance chiefly to the collieries in its neighbour- 

 hood, which are extensively worked. It gives title to a bishop. Para- 

 matta is situated at the mouth of the small river Paramatta, and at 

 the head of the harbour of Port Jackson. It is 18 miles by water 

 and 15 miles by land from Sydney. The principal street is a mile 

 long ; at the end farthest from the harbour is the country residence 

 of the governor of the colony. Daily communication is kept up with 

 Sydney by means of stage-coaches and steam-boats. The observatory 

 at Paramatta (founded in 1821) was the private property of Lieut. - 

 General Sir Thomas Brisbane, an active and well-informed astronomer, 

 during his residence in the colony as governor. At his return to 

 England, the government adopted it as a public establishment, and it 

 is now under the superintendence of an observer appointed by the 

 Admiralty. At Paramatta are two lunatic asylum?, one of which is 

 for convict lunatics and invalids. Windsor, about 30 miles N.W. 

 from Sydney, stands on tho right bank of the Hawkcsbury, which is 

 navigable for a few miles above the town for coasting vessels. This 

 circumstance and the fertility of the country which extends along 

 both sides of the river above the town have raised it to some commer- 

 cial importance. There are at Windsor mills for grinding grain, 

 breweries, and tanneries. 



The Qovernment. This consists of a goveruor-iu-chief, with a secre- 

 tary, treasurer, and auditor-general, with the necessary subordinates, 

 and an executive council, all appointed by the imperial government 

 at home. By the 18 and 19 Viet, cap. 54, passed iu August, 1855, 

 there are to be a legislative council, consisting of such number (not 



