Germany, Australia. 159 



spare, and whether the works or other articles be considered in England new 

 or old. I shall always be happy to send you some gardening books in return, 

 and I expect very soon to forward to you a copy of a new edition of Walter's 

 Gartenbuch, very much augmented, and adapted to the present state of the 

 science, which I am now passing through the'press. Any thing which you, or 

 any gardener who is kind enough to befriend us, may have to spare, may be 

 sent to Messrs. Nebinger, Bange, and Co. London. I remain, Sir, yours sin- 

 cerely, — Wm. Hertz. 



AUSTRALIA. 



Sydney, August 10. 1833. — It was only the other day that I got your letter 

 of 1829, by the hands of your correspondent, Mr. Frederick A. Meyer. I was 

 out of town when he arrived, in 1830, and he went immediately up the country 

 on an engagement of three years. Meyer has succeeded in establishing several 

 vineyards, from which wine and raisins have been made. The colonists have 

 now caught a fever for vineyards, and they are in course of preparation all 

 over the country. Meyer has got some land on advantageous terms, and is 

 planting on his own account. I hope he is now in the road to wealth ; at 

 least it should be so, for to his practical knowledge and enthusiasm may, in a 

 great measure, be attributed the spirit that now pervades the colonists on the 

 subject of vineyards. One gentleman, a Mr. Manning (see II. 368.), is form- 

 ing, under Meyer's direction, a series of terraces around a sand hill, for a vine- 

 yard, which will cost 800/. or 1000/. — John Thompson. 



Botanic Garden at Sydney. — In order to give an idea of the value attached 

 to botany and natural history in this colony, we give the following estimate of 

 the expenses of the botanic garden, and the colonial botanist, Mr. Robert 

 Cunningham, late of Kew, with the remarks on it of a newspaper editor: — 



Colonial botanist - 



Assistant ditto - - - 



Overseer and gate-keeper, at 8d. each per diem 



Two collectors of specimens in the interior, at 16/. each 



per annum - 



Rations and clothing to 30 prisoners of the crown, and 



three apprentices, at 6d. each per diem 

 Forage and farriery for two cart horses 

 Tools, implements, and incidental expenses 



This is a large sum to pay for the science of botany. We have the same 

 objection to this establishment as to that of zoology. Zoology, and minera- 

 logy, and astronomy, and botany, and other sciences, are all very good things ; 

 but we have no great opinion of an infant people being taxed to promote 

 them. An infant community cannot afford to become scientific for the benefit 

 of mankind. If old rich countries want local information in science, let 

 them send their travellers to us. Public establishments in science are very 

 apt to degenerate into jobs, though we say not this of our present colonial 

 astronomer or botanist. We think highly of the talents and industry of both. 

 Still, we are not for taxing a young colony for the promotion of science. Let 

 our rich men promote it by private subscription. In America, such taxes 

 have only become common of late years. They were two centuries old before 

 they agreed to spend their money in this way. We must, first of all, people 

 the country; we must build houses, and enclose farms, and dig wells, and 

 make tanks, and dams, and reservoirs, and irrigate our lands, and procure all 

 the necessaries of life, before we can spare money for the sciences and fine 

 arts. We might as well give salaries to painters, sculptors, and chemists, as 

 to botanists, astronomers, and museum collectors. (Sydney Monitor, July 20. 

 1833.) 



£ 



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