24 On the Murray River Cod. 



cile ourselves to be deprived of beef, or milk ? The horse is 

 not indigenous, yet how could we now spare that useful 

 servant ? The dog is not indigenous, nor the pig, the goat, 

 the cat, the domestic fowl, the common pigeon, the duck, 

 goose, and turkey. Strike one of these from our list now, 

 and we should to a greater or less extent miss it. 



And I may here remark that we are, perhaps, inclined to 

 be guided too much by considerations of profit in many of 

 these things, rather than by considerations of the enjoyments 

 afforded by them irrespective of those of a pecuniary nature. 

 We speak respectfully of the sheep for instance, because we 

 are assured by our statistical friends that it enables us to 

 produce an export of £1,200,000 to £1,500,000 annually. 

 But if the sheep were taken entirely from us, the loss would 

 be but imperfectly represented by a failure of exports to the 

 amount I have named. What would become of the employ- 

 ment afforded to thousands by the attention required by this 

 animal? How should we miss the endless variety of roast 

 and boiled, and baked, the joints and chops and savory stews, 

 which form no item of the export? 



And if we pan enumerate such a list of, imported luxuries 

 as the above in the animal kingdom, we have amongst our 

 vegetable production a still wider range. How should we 

 get on without our wheat, barley, oats, maize, potatoes, tur- 

 nips, cabbage^ lettuce, carrots, peas, beans, beet, and a hun- 

 dred other things not in any instance indigenous, and yet 

 successfully introduced, thoroughly established, and exten- 

 sively used and appreciated amongst us ? Then the apple, 

 pear, peach, plum, grape, mulberry, cherry, quince, apricot, 

 gooseberry, currant, melon, strawberry, raspberry, and fig ! 

 What a world of wholesome enjoyment is contained in such 

 a list as this ! What if we were called upon to resign all 

 these, and fall back upon the native quandong and the little 

 yew-berry which goes by the name of the native cherry ! 



What I wish particularly to urge is, that, having done so 

 much as we undoubtedly have done in so short a time, we 

 should be encouraged to still more energetic efforts. With 

 a virgin country, an Italian climate, and British institutions 

 to lend force and intelligence to our endeavours, and with a 

 most extensive commerce ramifying over the whole globe, I 

 hold the very highest conceptions of the capability of this 

 country for very vast and varied improvements and additions, 

 and I wish to see every possible step taken to give scope to 

 its utmost possibilities, and that without the loss of one un- 



