Jan. 1836. excursion to bathurst. 517 



country. On the morning of the 16th (January) I set 

 out on my excursion. The first stage took us to Para- 

 matta, a small country-town, the second to Sydney in im- 

 portance. The roads were excellent, and made upon the 

 MacAdam principle : whinstone having been brought for the 

 purpose from the distance of several miles. The road ap- 

 peared much frequented by all sorts of carriages ; and I met 

 two stage-coaches. In all these respects there was a close 

 resemblance to England ; perhaps the number of alehouses 

 was here in excess. The iron gangs, or parties of convicts, 

 who have here committed some trifling off^ence, ap^oeared the 

 least like England ; they were working in chains, under the 

 charge of sentries with loaded arms. The power, which the 

 government possesses, by means of forced labour, of at once 

 opening good roads throughout the country, has been, I 

 believe, one main cause of the early prosperity of this 

 colony. 



I slept at night at a very comfortable inn at Emu ferry, 

 thirty-five miles from Sydney, and near the ascent of the 

 Blue Mountains. This line of road is the most frequented, 

 and has been longest inhabited of any in the colony. The 

 whole land is enclosed with high railings, for the farmers 

 have not succeeded in rearing hedges. There are many 

 substantial houses and good cottages scattered about; but 

 although considerable pieces of land are under cultivation, 

 the greater part yet remains as when first discovered. 

 Making allowances for the cleared parts, the country here 

 resembled all that I saw during the ten succeeding days. 



The extreme uniformity of the vegetation is the most 

 remarkable feature in the landscape of the greater part of 

 New South Wales. Every where we have an open wood- 

 land ; the ground being partially covered with a very thin 

 pasture. The trees nearly all belong to one family; and 

 mostly have the surface of their leaves placed in a vertical, 

 instead of as in Europe, a nearly horizontal position : the 

 foliage is scanty, and of a pecuhar, pale green tint, without 

 any gloss. Hence the woods appear light and shadowless : this. 



