, 86 AUSTRALASIA ILLUSTRATED. 



of Ryde, working up on to the ridge, along which it continues till it descends to the 

 Hawkesbury River at Peat's Ferry. At Hornsby, twenty-one miles from Sydney, this 

 line attains the height of five hundred and ninety-two feet. Both these new railways 

 give the benefit of elevation within a few miles of the city, accompanied by a drier 

 and more bracing air. A great variety of climate is thus obtainable within a short 

 radius, and as tastes and constitutions vary this is no small advantage. 



All the railways converge into the Redfern Station, the area of which is becoming 

 too small to accommodate the traffic. In order partially to relieve it, the Government 

 purchased, a mile from the city terminus, a large estate at Eveleigh, where extensive 

 workshops and engine-sheds have been erected, and where all the railway stores are 

 kept. Thus for a mile or two out of Sydney the line runs almost continuously through 

 a busy railway-yard. 



In common with all the other colonial capitals Sydney is the seat of the central 

 Government. The people in this respect have followed the example of the mother- 

 country rather than that of America, and the metropolis is the centre of politics as 

 well as of commerce. This was inevitable in early clays, when the means of communica- 

 tion were very poor, and hitherto there has been no disposition to alter the established 

 practice. The Governor's residence, the seat of Parliament and the centre of administra- 

 tive action are therefore in the metropolis, and though this arrangement has its 

 conveniences it tends to give the city preponderant influence, for nearly one-third of the 

 population is gathered in the metropolitan county. New South Wales would be better 

 balanced if it had more large local centres ; but this can only arise out of a greater 

 development of natural resources. 



The local administration is in the hands of a council of aldermen, who elect the 

 Mayor. Half a century ago the citizens became dissatisfied with the ordinary municipal 

 system, which was therefore exchanged for a paid commission ; but after a short experience 

 of this arrangement they returned to the old-fashioned custom, and have adhered 

 to it ever since. The gross city revenue from all sources is nearly four hundred 

 thousand pounds annually, including an endowment from the Government ; the yearly 

 value of the city property is over two millions sterling. The population within the city 

 limits is about one hundred and twenty-five thousand ; that of the immediate suburbs is 

 larger, the total population of the whole metropolitan area being close upon three hun- 

 dred thousand. Each separate suburb has its own municipal system, but the want of 

 union is increasingly felt, especially in connection with sanitary arrangements. The new 

 sewerage and water-works systems will remain in the hands of the Government till their 

 completion, but it is contemplated to appoint a Metropolitan Board of \Yorks to deal 

 with all matters that are common to the city and suburbs. 



The narrowness of the streets and the concentration of traffic on them has made 

 their maintenance a difficult task. The ordinary macadam wears out very fast, and 

 several varieties of asphalt roadway have been tried, though without success in the 

 principal streets, where even bluestone cubes do not last long. But at length, after 

 several experiments, wooden pavements made of brick-shaped blocks have been found to 

 be very durable. Several varieties of colonial hardwood have been subjected to experi- 

 ment, those that have proved the most suitable being blue-gum, black-butt, spotted-gum 



