EXTENSIVE FARMING ESTABLISHMENT. Si27 



made a short detour to a farm called Walerawang, 

 to the superintendent of which I had a letter of 

 introduction from the owner in Sydney. Mr. 

 Browne had the kindness to ask me to stay the 

 ensuing day, which I had much pleasure in doing. 

 This place oilers an example of one of the lai'ge 

 farming, or, rather, sheep-grazing establishments 

 of the colony. Cattle and horses are, however, in 

 this case rather more numerous than usual, owing 

 to some of the valleys being swampy and produ- 

 cing a coarser pasture. Two or three flat pieces 

 of ground near the house were cleared and culti- 

 vated with corn, which the harvest-men were now 

 reaping; but no more wheat is sown than suffi- 

 cient for the annual supjDort of the labourers em- 

 ployed on the establishment. The usual number 

 of assigned convict-servants here is about forty, 

 but at the present time there were rather more. 

 Although the farm was well stocked with every 

 necessary, there was an apparent absence of com- 

 fort, and not one single woman resided here. The 

 sunset of a fine day will generally cast an air of 

 happy contentment on any scene ; but here, at this 

 retired farm-house, the brightest tints on the sur- 

 rounding woods could not make me forget that 

 foity hardened, profligate men were ceasing from 

 their daily labours, like the slaves from Africa, yet 

 without their holy claim for compassion. 



Early on the next morning, Mr. Archer, the joint 

 superintendent, had the kindness to take me out 

 kangaroo-hunting. We continued riding the great- 

 er part of the day, but had very bad sport, not see- 

 ing a kangaroo, or even a wild dog. The gi"ey- 

 hounds pursued a kangaroo rat into a hollow tree, 

 out of which we dragged it : it is an animal as 

 lai'ge as a rabbit, but with the figure of a kanga- 

 roo, A few years since this country abounded 



