46o NEW SOUTH WALES chap. 



along the beach. In the distance stone houses, two and three 

 stories high, and windmills standing on the edge of a bank, 

 pointed out to us the neighbourhood of the capital of Australia. 



At last we anchored within Sydney Cove. We found the 

 little basin occupied by many large ships, and surrounded by 

 warehouses. In the evening I walked through the town, and 

 returned full of admiration at the whole scene. It is a most 

 magnificent testimony to the power of the British nation. 

 Here, in a less promising country, scores of years have done 

 many times more than an equal number of centuries have 

 effected in South America. My first feeling was to con- 

 gratulate myself that I was born an Englishman. Upon seeing 

 more of the town afterwards, perhaps my admiration fell a 

 little ; but yet it is a fine town. The streets are regular, 

 broad, clean, and kept in excellent order ; the houses are of a 

 good size, and the shops well furnished. It may be faithfully 

 compared to the large suburbs which stretch out from London 

 and a few other great towns in England ; but not even near 

 London or Birmingham is there an appearance of such rapid 

 growth. The number of large houses and other buildings just 

 finished was truly surprising ; nevertheless, every one com- 

 plained of the high rents and difficulty in procuring a house. 

 Coming from South America, where in the towns every man 

 of property is known, no one thing surprised me more than 

 not being able to ascertain at once to whom this or that 

 carriage belonged. 



I hired a man and two horses to take me to Bathurst, a 

 village about one hundred and twenty miles in the interior, 

 and the centre of a great pastoral district. By this means I 

 hoped to gain a general idea of the appearance of the country. 

 On the morning of the i6th (January) I set out on my 

 excursion. The first stage took us to Paramatta, a small 

 country town, next to Sydney in importance. The roads were 

 excellent, and made upon the MacAdam principle, whinstone 

 having been brought for the purpose from the distance of 

 several miles. In all respects there was a close resemblance 

 to England ; perhaps the alehouses here were more numerous. 

 The iron gangs, or parties of convicts who have committed 

 here some offence, appeared the least like England : they were 

 working in chains, under the charge of sentries with loaded 



