AUSTRALIA. 



253 



fall into one's eyes, and a three months' attack of 

 ophthalmia is the frequent consequence. Half the 

 people you see have got bad eyes, the dandies even 

 wearing veils ; but it may be very reasonably 

 doubted whether they do not produce more harm 

 than good. This is the only drawback to the cli- 

 mate, and would never have been experienced had 

 the gallant Colonel had much experience in new 

 colonies, or even had he followed the intentions of 

 the commissioners. The soil of South Australia, 

 as far as the country has been explored, is superior 

 to that of New South Wales and Van Dieman's 

 Land ; that is, there does not appear to be so 

 large a proportion of bad soil as compared with 

 good, as so notoriously obtains in the older colonies, 

 where out of twenty acres it may generally be 

 reckoned all over the territory that one acre is good 

 and nineteen bad. It is, generally speaking, far 

 superior in South Australia, and the friends of the 

 surveyor-general have stated, that he chose the si- 

 tuation of the town for the richness of the soil, 

 though it is the first time most likely in the his- 

 tory of colonization that such a reason has been 

 adduced. There is an abundance of good soil all 

 over the Cowandilla plains, stretching from the foot 

 of the mountains to within a mile or two of the 

 Mangrove swamps on the edge of the saltwater 

 creeks. In short there is more good soil than will 

 be required for many years to come ; it is generally 

 composed of a rich loam, averaging about nine 

 inches thick, on a substratum of coarse calcareous 

 rock, and through the whole extent of the plains 

 round the settlement gives evidence of having been 

 at no very remote period covered by the sea, every 

 stone you pick up being a part of the rock, and ex- 

 hibiting a congeries of little shells. Over the hills, 

 the soil and vegetation is still firmer, and the author 

 visited a tract of country between the mountains 

 and the mouth of the Murray, that seemed to con- 

 tain nearly 100,000 acres of excellent rich soil, in 

 many places ready for the plough. At the head of 

 the gulf St Vincent the land gets low and swampy, 

 and at the time of spring tides is overflowed to a 

 great extent, and exhibits a waste of waters. To- 

 wards the hills about Cockatoo valley, and the Para 

 river, the soil is again high and dry, of a rich cho- 

 colate colour, and capable of growing any thing. 

 Indeed there can be no doubt that South Australia 

 will in time be a very abundant country. If the 

 settlers will economize water, and find some means 

 of keeping it when it falls, and not let it run away, 

 they may in a few years luxuriate in all the good 

 things of this life. Whatever is to be seen of 

 vegetable produce in the markets of Lisbon or 

 Cadiz, Sicily or Algiers, the settlers in the new 

 colony may equally command. It is peculiarly the 

 country of the grape and melon, oranges and le- 

 mons, figs, olives, pomegranates, and loquets, and 

 even at its present infant state produces as fine 

 melons as the Levant. The author saw at the 

 governor's table one 18 lb., and another weighing 

 22 lb.; and handsomer and finer flavoured fruits 

 need not be seen. But the character which stamps 

 the South Australia climate as most valuable in 

 the eyes of the settler, is its peculiar adaptation 

 to sheep farming and the growth of wool. By 

 a register kept very accurately at Government 

 house, during the whole of the year 1837, it rained 

 1 15 days, and was fine and clear 250 ; and this 

 may be reckoned upon as a fair average of a series 

 of years. In the west of Scotland it generally rains 

 202 dav s, and is fine only 163, and many of these 



days are lowering, with the sun obscured, so that 

 the comparison in this point of dryness is very 

 much in favour of South Australia. It is this pe- 

 culiar character of the climate which ought to re- 

 commend to the cautious settler, sheep husbandry 

 over every other sort of rural industry, the profits 

 of which, if steadily persevered in, will remunerate 

 him in a few years for all the inconveniences of a 

 bush life. This species of farming has been the 

 making of New South Wales, and will be the 

 grand pursuit of the settler in South Australia, 

 which will soon rival the older colony in the fine- 

 ness if not in the quantity of its wool. This dry- 

 ness of the climate has also a most favourable in- 

 fluence in the general health of the colony ; for ex- 

 cept the ophthalmia before complained of, the writer 

 saw nothing indicative of disease. The inhabitants 

 may be said to live almost constantly in the open 

 air retain for a long time their English ruddiness 

 of complexion appear free from the prevailing 

 diseases of New South Wales: viz. the dysentery 

 and influenza, and even the children, when kept 

 clean, a very difficult matter in summer time, look 

 plump and chubby." 



It was in 1831 that the colonization of South 

 Australia was originally projected ; but it was not 

 till 1834 that an act passed the legislature to that 

 effect. By this enactment, South Australia be- 

 came a crown colony under a governor and legisla- 

 tive council till the population should amount to 

 50,000, when it is to have a local constitution. 

 Ten commissioners were appointed to carry the act 

 into effect. The most novel feature in the act was 

 a provision for equalizing the supply of capital and 

 labour. It was ordained that the commissioners 

 should not sell the land under twelve shillings per 

 acre, and that the proceeds should form a fund 

 solely for the purpose of carrying out free labourers 

 to the colony. Thus the money obtained for the 

 land was to be devoted to the encouragement of 

 emigration. It was settled by the act, that no 

 convicts shall ever be transported to the colony, or 

 allowed to enter it. The commissioners issued 

 their first regulations for the sale of land in June, 



1835, at the rate of one pound per acre. They were 

 required by the act to raise a fund of 35,000, but 

 considerably less than the half of that was realized 

 by the sales effected, as 1 per acre seemed to be 

 considered too high by the public. At this time, 

 the newly established South Australian company, 

 with an immense capital, offered to purchase the 

 remaining lots of land, if the price were reduced 

 to twelve shillings per acre. To this proposal the 

 commissioners consented, at the same time giving 

 previous purchasers the benefit of the reduction, 

 by proportionably increasing their land ; and thus 

 the required investment was secured. 



On the 24th of March, 1836, the Cygnet sailed 

 from Gravesend, being chartered by the commis- 

 sioners for the purpose of carrying out part of the 

 surveying staff, and for use in the colony during 

 the progress of the survey. The Cygnet carried 

 out the deputy and five assistant surveyors, the 

 harbour-master, store-keeper, and a surgeon; also 

 several labourers to assist in the surveys, and some 

 gardeners. On the 1st of May following, the brig 

 Rapid, purchased by the commissioners as a sur- 

 veying vessel, left the city canal, and sailed direct 

 for Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island, where she ar- 

 rived, being a fast sailer, on the 20th of August, 



1836. The Rapid carried out the surveyor-gen- 

 eral, colonel Light, who, having served with great 



