AUSTRALIA. 



2-31 



throughout it at present known are Port Lincoln 

 in Spencer's Gulf, Nepean Bay in Kangaroo Island, 

 and Victor Harbour, in Encounter Bay. Port 

 Adelaide is only fitted for small vessels. The har- 

 bour of Port Lincoln is one of the finest in the 

 world, and in all probability will eventually be the 

 principal seat of commerce in South Australia; 

 Nepean Bay also affords commodious and exten- 

 sive anchorage, but from its situation on Kangaroo 

 Island, it can never rise to much consequence, 

 as that island is totally destitute of fresh water, 

 and so overrun with brushwood as to form a most 

 serious obstacle to its cultivation ; while Victor 

 Harbour, though much inferior to Nepean Bay in 

 point of accommodation and security, is likely to 

 rise into importance from the extensive, fertile, 

 and well-watered country by which it is surrounded. 



The coast of South Australia was first explored 

 in 1802, by Captain Matthew Flinders, with the 

 assistance of Mr Westall, the artist, in H. M. S. 

 Investigator. The captain in his researches under- 

 went many dangers and privations, for his ship was 

 badly fitted out, the men were labouring under 

 scurvy, and he lost the master of the vessel, Mr 

 Thistle, and boat's crew, in crossing over Thorney 

 passage to Thistle Island.* In Encounter Bay, he 

 met with an expedition under Captains Baudin and 

 Freycinet, in the French corvette Geographe, sent 

 out by Napoleon's government to survey the coast, 

 nnd thus he anticipated them in the discovery of 

 Spencer's and St Vincent's gulfs by a few days 

 only. In 1815, Captain Dillon visited this part of 

 the coast; in 1819, Captain Sutherland spent seven 

 months at Kangaroo island, on a sealing expedi- 

 tion ; in 1827 and 1828, Captain Goold made two 

 sealing voyages to this coast ; and still later Cap- 

 tain Sturt surveyed a considerable part of the 

 country. The different accounts of these gentle- 

 men tended to awaken an interest in the public mind 

 regarding a splendid territory which had hitherto 

 been all but unknown. 



Every account agrees as to the salubrity of the 

 climate, and general fertility of the soil, of South 

 Australia. In these respects it is considered supe- 

 rior to New South Wales. But in the essential re- 

 quisite of fresh water it is more deficient than the 

 latter colony, scantily supplied as that is; and un- 

 less some artificial means are adopted for obtaining 

 or collecting a sufficient supply for all seasons, it is 

 evident the colony can never prosper to any large 

 extent. On this subject, Mr T. Horton James, in 

 his " Six Months in Australia," has spoken out 

 manfully; and we have more reliance on his account 

 than on the descriptions of emigration committees 

 and land commissioners, which too much resemble 

 in style, and we fear also in veracity, the sublime 

 advertisements of London auctioneers. 



" All New Holland," says Mr James, " a conti- 

 nent as large as Europe, may be described as far 

 as it is known, as being cursed with a general 

 want of water there are scarcely any rivers, and 

 for this reason, that there are hardly any moun- 

 tains. This is a fatal objection to the interior of 

 this vast territory ; for, with the exception of the 

 Coast Ranges, no person has hitherto been able 

 to descry any thing like elevated land in the in- 



* This island is twelve miles in length, and is situated at the 

 entrance to Port Lincoln. It is occupied by the South Aus- 

 tralian company as a bay whaling station. It was named 

 after Mr Thistle, who was drowned here. Smaller islands, or 

 islets, near it, are named after the six seamen who perished 

 with him Gruidall's, Honkins', Smith's, Williams', Taylor's 

 aud Lewis's Islands. 



terior of the country. South Australia has there- 

 fore nothing to boast of, any more than the ad- 

 joining colonies, on the score of mountains; and 

 I should say that Major's Mitchell's newly-dis- 

 covered country of Australia Felix and Port 

 Philip, surpasses the commissioners' colony in 

 this one important item. The Mount Lofty 

 range is certainly a very beautiful and conspicuous 

 object, though rather limited, not running more 

 than forty or fifty miles in the direction of the 

 meridian, and its average elevation, except at two 

 or three peaks, does not exceed 1000 or 1500 feet. 

 In breadth it may be about twenty or thirty miles, 

 and contains in its whole extent somewhere about 

 half a million of acres, of a very pretty well 

 watered mountain pasturage, abounding in fine 

 timber for building purposes as well as for fencing, 

 wheelwright's work, &c. and worth two or three 

 shillings per acre. 



"The other mountains at present known, are those 

 at the top of Spencer's Gulf, known as Mount 

 Arden and Mount Brown, and those of Hammock 

 Mount and Barn Hill, at the top of St Vincent's 

 Gulf. This is a very meagre catalogue for such an 

 extensive country, and no wonder that South Aus- 

 tralia labours under all the usual evils of drought, 

 so peculiar to New Holland in general. Captain 

 Flinders could see no other high land all the way 

 from Fowler's bay, which may be considered the 

 first point of the colony nearest England, until he 

 came to Cape Northumberland, which is the other 

 and most eastern limit of the coast. Of course, 

 as was hinted above, where there are so few moun- 

 tains there cannot be many rivers, and the Mur- 

 ray is the only river that deserves the name hitherto 

 discovered. This is as broad, for the last 200 miles 

 of its course, as the Thames at London Bridge, 

 and carries its water perfectly sweet and drinkable 

 as far as the lake. Next to the Murray may be 

 reckoned the river ' Glenelg,' discovered by Major 

 Mitchell, at the eastern boundary of the colony, 

 near Cape Nelson, a very useful stream, though dry 

 at the mouth at some seasons of the year, for the 

 most part running through the adjoining colony of 

 Australia Felix, at the back of Portland Bay, and 

 a finer country need hardly be sought for in the 

 whole world than this same country to the north 

 of Portland Bay. The river Rufus of the maps, 

 discovered by Captain Sturt, and so called after the 

 red hair of his friend and companion, Mr George 

 M'Leay, falling into the Murray, in about longi- 

 tude 141, is now discovered to be a mere nothing, 

 not exceeding four miles in length, and merely 

 serves for the outlet of the superabundant waters 

 of the pretty Lake Victoria, recently discovered 

 by Messrs Hawdon and Bonney, on their overland 

 journey with cattle from New South Wales. The 

 only other rivers, or rather rivulets, at present 

 known throughout this immense colony, are the 

 little streams called on the maps the Torrens and 

 the Hindmarsh. The first is barely sufficient to 

 supply the handful of settlers at Adelaide with 

 fresh water for their cattle and domestic purposes, 

 and the latter is a small stream which discharges 

 itself into Encounter bay. This paucity of rivers 

 is the worst feature in the picture of South Aus- 

 tralia, and must for ever prevent any thing like a 

 dense or even numerous population occupying the 

 interior of the country. In this respect it is in- 

 ferior to New South Wales, to Port Philip, and to 

 Australia Felix. Even the important river Mur- 

 ray, large as it is, and long as it is, will turn out 



