BLUE MOUNTAINS. 99 



admired by the stranger, were regarded only as 

 weeds. All this, however, thought I, on re- 

 flection, is perfectly natural ; here, our plants 

 are rare, and theirs, worthless to them, are new 

 to us, and, consequently, nursed with care in the 

 green -houses at home. But a lady just arrived 

 from England at the Cape, could hardly be per- 

 suaded that she might gather the flowers seen 

 growing -in such profusion and beauty around, 

 and which she was accustomed, to- regard as 

 exotics at home. 



The inns in the Australian colony are n eat and 

 elegant, well supplied, and charges very mode- 

 rate. We left the " Pilgrim Inn'' about three 

 o'clock, P.M., and proceeded on our journey 

 through an excellent road over the Blue Moun- 

 tains, which is formed upon a dividing ridge of 

 this mountainous range ; on each side thick 

 forests, deep romantic glens, occasionally enli- 

 vened by beautiful flowering shrubs, formed the 

 landscape scenery around us. After passing a 

 great number of " forest oaks," (^Casuarina toru- 

 losa,) whose dark green filiform foliage had a 

 peculiar appearance, and " turpentine trees,"* 

 (^Tristania albicans,) which lined the sides of the 

 road, and extended into the interior of the 



* The " turpentine tree" attains the elevation of from 

 sixty to ninety feet, and a diameter of three feet. 



II 2 



