.55^ Foreign Notices : — Australia. 



there was an expenditure of the whole vegetative effort in producing her- 

 bage and upper growtli ; while there was not a single tuber, but only 

 fibrous roots, under ground. Under this view of the case, I am inclined 

 to the belief that, whether it be an ^'pium, as commonly supposed, or a 

 Conium, as others say, it is a native of very elevated tracts, and will, in all 

 likelihood, require a long and patient course of experiments to reconcile it 

 to low lands and places near the sea; if, indeed, that object can be effected 

 at all." (S. L. Mitchell, in New York Farmer, Nov. 1828.) 



Agricultural Societies. — Addresses to the Charleston, South Carolina, and 

 St. John's Agricultural Societies, by Messieurs Horry, Seabrook, and Town- 

 send have been sent us. It is gratifying thus to mark the spread of agri- 

 cultural science and industrious pursuits. An infant state of things is 

 precisely that state in which societies can be of real use to the public : in a 

 more mature state they become monopolies, and while they do good on the 

 one hand, do harm on the other. The Horticultural Society of Jvondon is 

 as much a monopoly as the East India Company : both monopolies did 

 good at first, and both are now, to a certain extent, oppressive to the free 

 industry of individuals. The three addresses alluded to are written with 

 very considerable ability and knowledge of the subject; and we speak with 

 the utmost impartiality when we say, that, during the rage for agricultural 

 societies which existed in this country some years ago, no one address 

 appeared, not even those of Sir John Sinclair or Arthur Young, at all to 

 be compared with them, either for extensive knowledge of the subject, or 

 sound general views on agricultural legislation. — Cond. 



A Quantity of Rhubarb and Sea-kale Seeds has been sent us by Mr. Hale 

 Jessop of Cheltenham, and by Messrs. Noble and Co. of Fleet Street, in 

 compliance with our invitation (Vol. IV. p. 501.), for the Horticultural 

 Society of Pennsylvania. We forwarded these seeds in February last, 

 through Mr. Charlwood of Russel Street, to Messrs. Thorburn of New- 

 York, to be sent by them to Dr. Mease of Philadelphia. We have also 

 more recently sent Messrs. Thorburn a few of our pamphlets on Education 

 (p. 70. note), to be forwarded by them to some of our friends in America, 

 to which we request their particular attention. — Cond. 



AUSTRALIA. 



Sydney, May, 1829. ~ I have now been here eight months. Notwith- 

 standing all the care I took to acquire a knowledge of this colony and coun- 

 try before I left Scotland, you can hardly conceive how little I knew about 

 them on my arrival. First, as to the feelings of the people, and the tendency 

 of public opinion, I am sure that very few people in Britain know what these 

 are. Would you believe it possible that the majority of persons in this 

 country are thirsting after independence and a government of their own; 

 and that, instead of having any desire to return to the mother country, they 

 view it with indifference, or even hatred? Such, however, is the case. We 

 are here in two parties, far more violently opposed than Whigs and Tories, 

 or Catholics and Protestants, are in Britain. One party, by far the more 

 powerful, but forming not a hundredth part of the population, consists of 

 those government officers and commercial speculators who think of making 

 fortunes, and returning home again ; the other is composed of the settlers, 

 who think of remaining, and forming a country and government of their 



own There is no regular chance of making money in this 



country ; nor can I conceive that there will be, for generations to come. The 

 principal article of export at present is wool ; but that will never afford much 

 profit, because it can be produced here to an unlimited extent, at almost no 

 expense. I have no doubt the Australians will, in a few years, attain their 

 grand object, that of underselling all Europe in this article. The climate and 

 the pasture are formed for sheep ; and the wool is superior to that of Saxony 

 or Spain. The great thing which we want here is labourers; and I should 

 think your government might contrive some means of sending out the super- 



