AUSTRALIA. 



255 



cattle stations than this, can scarcely be imagined. 

 In the western portion, small rivers radiate from 

 the Grampians, an elevated and isolated mass, pre- 

 senting no impediment to a free communication 

 through the fine country around its base. Hence 

 that enormous labour necessary in order to obtain 

 access in some parts, and for crossing contiguous 

 ranges to reach others, by passes like those so es- 

 sential to the prosperity of the present colony, 

 might be in a great degree dispensed with in that 

 southern region. Towards the sea coast on the 

 south, and adjacent to the open downs, between 

 the Grampians and Port Philip, there is a low 

 tract, consisting of very rich black soil, apparently 

 the best imaginable for the cultivation of grain in 

 such a climate. The high mountains in the east, 

 have not yet been explored, but their very aspect 

 is refreshing in a country where the summer heat 

 is often very oppressive. The land is, in short, 

 open and available in its present state, for all the 

 purposes of civilized man. We traversed it intvvo 

 directions, with heavy carts, meeting no other ob- 

 struction than the softness of the rich soil, and in 

 returning over flowery plains and green hills, fanned 

 by the breezes of early spring. I named this region 

 Australia Felix, the better to distinguish it from 

 the parched deserts of the interior country, where 

 we had wandered so unprofitably and so long." 



Australia Felix may be said to embrace all the 

 territory east from the mouth of the Glenelg as far 

 as the mouth of the Snowy river in 148 east, the 

 Murray being its northern limit. One remarkable 

 feature in its geography is, that the whole water 

 communication of the territory of New South Wales 

 flows into it. Not far distant from this beautiful 

 country, which is destined at no distant period to 

 outrival the other colonies, are Portland Bay and 

 Port Philip. Portland Hay is surrounded by set- 

 tlers, and already exports potatoes, sheep, and cat- 

 tle to South Australia. Port Philip, called after 

 Captain Philip, the first governor of New South 

 Wales, is an immense bay nearly opposite to Van 

 Dieman's Land. Upon it is situated the thriving 

 town of Melbourne, which contains a population of 

 above 2000 inhabitants. Melbourne is built at the 

 falls of the river Yarra Yarra, and is supplied at all 

 seasons with plenty of fresh water. The country 

 beyond it is rich and fertile. Immediately below 

 the town is the port, where a considerable traffic 

 is carried on with the ports of Launceston, Hobart 

 Town, and Sydney. 



Western Australia. The western coast of Aus- 

 tralia consists of Endracht's Land, discovered in 

 1616 by Dick Hartog, in the ship Endracht; of 

 Edel's Land, discovered in 1619 by a Dutch navi- 

 gator of that name ; and of Leuwin's Land, discov- 

 ered in 1622 by the ship Leuwin. The coast was 

 surveyed by Dampier and Vlaming, and afterwards 

 by Flinders, Baudin, Peron, and Freycinct, all 

 whose reports were unfavourable. It extends for 

 80u miles, and consists mainly of a ridge of low 

 steep rocks bordering on a sandy shore, accessible 

 to boats in only a few points. There are occa- 

 sional rifts in the rock through which torrents pour 

 during the rainy season, but vegetation is either 

 entirely absent or its products are useless. The 

 two most important openings are those made by 

 Shark's Bay and Swan River. Shark's Bay pene- 

 trates deep into the coast, with many windings, 

 and would make an excellent harbour, but for the 

 total absence of fresh water. In 1826, the Swan 

 r>ver was explored for fifty miles by Captain Stir- 



ling, and the report made of the country on its 

 banks was so highly favourable, that it was re- 

 solved to establish a settlement upon it. A colony 

 on the western coast of Australia had been long 

 an object of desire on account of its shorter dis- 

 tance from Britain than the east coast, and of its 

 fine geographical situation to the Mauritius, the 

 Bay of Bengal, Batavia, Singapore, Manilla, and 

 Canton. A project for the formation of a new co- 

 lony at Swan River, without making it a penal set- 

 tlement, was accordingly issued in 1829. By this 

 project, the government did not propose to incur 

 any expense in conveying settlers to the new co- 

 lony; but such persons as were to arrive there be- 

 fore the end of the year 1830 were to receive, in 

 the order of their arrival, allotments of land, free 

 of quit-rent, proportioned to the capital which 

 they were prepared to invest in the cultivation of 

 the land, at the rate of forty acres for 3. Those 

 who incurred the expense of taking out " labour- 

 ing people," which included women and children 

 above ten years of age, were entitled to 200 acres 

 of land for every such person. Captain Stirling 

 was appointed lieutenant-governor of the settle- 

 ment, with a grant of 100,000 acres ; and Mr Peel 

 received 250,000 acres, on condition of taking out 

 400 emigrants. In August, 1829, a number of 

 settlers began to arrive at Swan river, and to lo- 

 cate themselves along the banks of the Swan and 

 the Canning rivers. By the end of the year, there 

 were in the new colony 850 residents, and 440 non- 

 residents. The emigrants at first experienced 

 great difficulties and hardships ; the land near the 

 coast was found to be poor and sandy, and, on the 

 whole, Swan river did not fulfil the promise of its 

 sanguine patrons. However, the town of Free- 

 mantle was founded at the entrance of the river ; 

 Perth, the intended capital of the colony, about 

 nine miles inland on its right or northern bank; 

 and Guildford about seven miles further east. A 

 town called Augusta was founded at Black wood's 

 river, near Cape Leuwin, and a portion of the set- 

 tlers located at St George's sound (lat. 35 6' 20" S. 

 long. 118 1' E.) near the south-west extremity of 

 Australia. The Swan and Canning discharge 

 themselves into an estuary nine miles long, and 

 from three to four broad, called Melville water. 

 The entrance to this estuary is over a bar of rocks, 

 with a depth of only six feet at low water ; the 

 bar extends about three quarters of a mile, when 

 the water deepens from four to six fathoms near the 

 shore, and upwards of eight towards the centre, 

 continuing thus for some miles, making a fine har- 

 bour, if a canal were cut so as to admit of large 

 vessels. The Swan is navigable for boats as far as 

 the tide flows, viz. forty miles. At Perth, it is half 

 a mile wide, but shallow. The Canning falls into 

 the Swan a little below Perth, on the opposite 

 side, and in most of its features resembles that 

 river, but is smaller. Between Perth and Free- 

 mantle the land, in an agricultural point of view, 

 is almost worthless, if we except a few small spots ; 

 the greater portion of it consisting of sands 01 

 sandstone covered with trees and underwood. 

 Other parts of the settlement, however, can boast 

 of good land, on which depasture many thousand 

 sheep. But. the colony of Swan river cannot be 

 said, on the whole, to be thriving; and indeed, 

 though it may come to prosper in the course of 

 time, it must be considered for the present, when 

 compared with the expectations of those who 

 founded it, a decided failure. 



