24-i 



AUSTRALIA. 



that a route was discovered through them, which 

 has since been made completely patent. 



Of the discovery of Australia, and other matters 

 connected with its history and physical geography, 

 the reader is referred to the articles mentioned 

 above, to which this forms a supplement. We 

 here confine ourselves to the British settlements in 

 the inland, which, as points of emigration, have, of 

 latej excited unusual interest throughout the em- 

 These sett lements at present consist of New 

 South Wales or Eastern Australia Southern Aus- 

 tralia and Western Australia, or Swan River set- 

 tlement. 



New South Wales extends about 1500 miles along 

 the eastern coast of Australia, and two or three 

 hundred mill s inland. Its boundaries are but im- 

 perfectly, if at all defined. It lies at the distance 

 of 1GOOO miles from Great Britain, and being on 

 the opposite side of the globe from us, its seasons 

 are reversed in relation to ours ; its summer being 

 in November, December, and January, and its win- 

 ter in May, June, and July. It has now been di- 

 vided into counties, certain districts being called, 

 respectively, Cumberland, Camden, and St Vin- 

 cent, on this side of the Blue Mountains ; West- 

 moreland, Georgiana, King, Argyle, and Murray, 

 to the South ; and Roxburgh, Cook, and Bathurst, 

 to the west of that great barrier. To the north of 

 Sydney, divided by Hunter's river and the county 

 of Hunter, are placed the counties of Northumber- 

 land, Durham, and Gloucester on the east, and 

 Philip, Wellington, Brisbane, and Bligh, on the west 

 of the dividing mountains. 



Cumberland embraces that portion of New South 

 Wales which was first colonized, and it is still the 

 most populous district. It has about 56 miles of 

 coast, comprehending the noble harbours of Broken 

 Bay, Port Jackson, and Botany Bay. Behind, the 

 river Hawkesbury, with its tributary stream, the 

 Nepean, makes an entire circuit round it ; be- 

 yond which the broad and steep mountain ridge 

 shuts in the county, leaving to it a breadth of only 

 forty miles. The soil on the coast, as is the case 

 generally throughout the island, is light, barren, 

 and sandy. In the interior it improves, and yields 

 tolerable crops. This province has already four 

 towns of some importance Sydney, Paramatta, 

 Windsor, and Liverpool. Sydney, the capital of 

 New South Wales, is situated on the cove which 

 bears its name, about seven miles inward from the 

 head of Port Jackson. From an entrance not more 

 than two miles across, Port Jackson gradually ex- 

 pands into a noble and capacious basin, having depth 

 of water sufficient for the largest vessels, and space 

 in which a thousand sail of the line might man- 

 oeuvre with ease. It stretches about thirteen miles 

 into the country, and branches into not less than a 

 hundred small coves, formed by necks of lands, 

 which afford excellent shelter for vessels in all 

 winds. From among these, Sydney cove was se- 

 lected. It is more than half a mile long, and about 

 a quarter broad at its mouth, whence it gradually 

 narrows to a point. _ The town of Sydney is built 

 at the head of the cove, on a rivulet which falls 

 into it, ana in a valley between two opposite ridges. 

 The streets are long, wide, and English in their 

 appearance. The best houses are of white free- 

 stone or brick plastered, many of them being sur- 

 rounded with gardens. The views from the higher 

 parts of the town are bold and picturesque. Ships 

 some up close to the wharfs and stores at Syo"- 

 ?>ey. The population of the place is rapidly in- 



m-a-ing; the latest estimate was about 20,000. 

 In Sydney are to be found public seminaries, mar- 

 kets, banks, extensive warehouses, hotels, distil- 

 leries, breweries, stage-coaches for different parts 

 of the colony, five newspapers, besides the Govern- 

 ment Gazette, also a Monthly Maga/ine, and one 

 or two Almanacs. Paramatta, formerly called 

 Rose-hill, is the town next in importance in New 

 South Wales to Sydney. It is situated at the 

 head of the harbour of Port Jackson, distant from 

 Sydney eighteen miles by water and fifteen by 

 land. It lies on either side of a small river, called 

 by the natives Paramatta, which falls into the har- 

 bour, and contains about 3000 inhabitants, princi- 

 pally traders, artificers, and labourers, who find 

 emjijpj'ment in the surrounding country seats and 

 farms. Its main street is about one mile long, and 

 extends from the country residence of the governor 

 to the wharf, whence the view down the river is 

 extremely interesting. Several public buildings 

 are in the town and neighbourhood. Stage co;i. 

 and steam boats pass daily to and from Sydney. 

 Windsor, the third town, is built upon a hill close 

 by the river Hawkesbury, which at this point is 

 140 miles distant from the sea, and navigable, for 

 vessels of a hundred tons burden four miles above 

 Windsor. It is twenty miles from Paramatta, and 

 thirty-five from Sydney ; its population is esti- 

 mated at about a 1000. The lands about Windsor 

 are fertile, but are very liable to be inundated by 

 the Hawkesbury, which has been known to rise 

 seventy, eighty and even ninety feet above its ordi- 

 nary level. Next to Windsor in importance is 

 Liverpool, at the distance of nineteen miles from 

 Sydney, in a southwest direction. It is situated 

 on the banks of George's river, which discharges 

 itself into Botany Bay, and contains about 1000 

 inhabitants. The name Botany Bay was so long 

 applied to New South Wales, that many believe 

 the colony to be founded on that extensive inlet of 

 the sea. Such was the original intention, but on 

 being fully explored, it was deemed disadvantageous 

 for the establishment of a colony, and Port Jackson 

 was preferred. Botany Bay (so called by Sir Joseph 

 Banks, from the number of new plants he dis- 

 covered there) is about fourteen miles to the south- 

 ward of the Heads, as the entrance of Port Jack- 

 son is called. It is wide, open, and unsheltered 

 for vessels, and the shores around wild, bleak, and 

 barren. A brass plate on the cliffs marks the spot 

 where Captain Cook and Sir Joseph Banks landed. 

 Near it is erected a monument to the memory of 

 the unfortunate La Perouse, who spent a month 

 here, refitting, before he finally sailed on the ex- 

 pedition from which he never returned. George 

 river is about half the size of the Hawkesbury, 

 and is navigable for vessels of fifty tons burden up 

 to Liverpool. After Liverpool the chief towns in 

 New South Wales are Campbeltown, twelve miles 

 distant from Liverpool, Richmond, thirty-six miles 

 distant from Sydney, Newcastle, and Maitland. 

 The last of these," says Dr Lang, " will doubt- 

 less ere long be the second in the colony, as it is 

 situated at the head of the navigation of Hunter's 

 River, and in the centre of the most extensive agri- 

 cultural and grazing district in the territory. 

 There are other towns, however, in the progress of 

 formation in other parts of the colony, which in a 

 few years will doubtless become places of consid- 

 erable importance ; as at Bathurst, beyond the Blue 

 Mountains; at Goulburn and Bong Bong, in the 

 district of Argyle ; at Patrick's Plains, on Hunter's 



