OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 239 



will therefore be disappointed, if he calculates upon making great 

 savings. On the other hand, the capitalist may at once enter the 

 market and invest his money profitably, and from all that I could 

 learn, securely. Money, however, according to several intelligent 

 and well-informed persons, commanded more than its value; or, in 

 other words, the rate of interest is too high to be sustained. This 

 was in part attributed to the improvements going on, partly for specu- 

 lating purposes, but generally as permanent investments, the result 

 of profits in business. Money is in fact the best merchandise to carry 

 to New South Wales. 



The poor labouring man, if he be sober and industrious, will soon 

 acquire the means of support for himself and family, but he must 

 carefully avoid the contamination to which he will be subject, and 

 avoid improper associates. There is no place where he will be so 

 much led into temptation as here. For the middle class — those who 

 have a small income and do not work — there is every thing to strive 

 against. Labour is high, and so are the necessaries of life. New 

 South Wales is not a place to economize in. A moderate fortune, 

 unless employed in some lucrative and growing business, will finally 

 involve its owner in difficulties ; and if he engage in farming, a few 

 bad seasons (very likely to happen) will completely ruin him. From 

 all the information I could obtain, emigration to New South Wales is 

 attended with risk, unless a person be very prudent and can keep 

 himself within his means. The moment he begins to borrow money, 

 he is sure to get behindhand ; for few can stand the payment of an 

 interest of fifteen per cent. The great difficulty with all emigrants 

 seems to be, that as land is very cheap in comparison to what they 

 have been accustomed to, they immediately desire to possess large 

 tracts. This it is necessary to look for, and much time and money 

 is spent in wandering about the country in search of what is not 

 very easy of attainment. Another difficulty of the newly-arrived 

 settler consists in getting information concerning the unoccupied terri- 

 tory. No land-office or land-agent is found here for the emigrant to 

 apply to, and he not unfrequently falls into the hands of those who 

 defraud him, or is led astray by the reports of the ignorant or preju- 

 diced, and at last is induced to purchase much more than he requires, 

 and in consequence fails of success. The government lands are dis- 

 posed of in a different way from what ours are. A certain parish 

 having been surveyed and mapped, is advertised as being open for 

 sale ; persons select and make application, and if a less quantity than 

 six hundred and forty acres is desired, he is obliged to state the reasons 



