246 NEW SOUTH WALES. 



Among other accidents, the shipping of a sea caused much fright 

 among the women on board, and threw one poor girl into hysterics. 

 They were all glad to pass within the island of Nobboy, off the mouth 

 of Hunter river, and to get on shore at Newcastle. 



The town of Newcastle is a small village of seventy or eighty 

 houses, built on the side of a hill ; it contains two taverns and several 

 grog-shops, a jail, convict stockade, hospital, court-house, and a vene- 

 rable old-looking church. On one of the neighbouring hills is a flag- 

 staff, and on another a windmill. The business of a coal-mine and 

 that of the building of a breakwater for the protection of the harbour, 

 give the place an air of life and animation. 



Our travellers put up at Rowell's " Commercial Hotel ;" and on 

 proceeding to make inquiries relative to the mode of reaching Mr. 

 Threlkeld's, they were referred to Dr. Brook, the surgeon of the 

 hospital, and a friend of Mr. Threlkeld. He offered them every 

 attention, and advised them to wait for Mr. Threlkeld's conveyance. 

 This delay gave them an opportunity of seeing something of the place, 

 and the natives, as well as to make drawings. The view of the sur- 

 rounding country from the windmill was extensive, overlooking the 

 town; the Hunter river was seen winding through a well-wooded 

 country, rising occasionally into low hills. At a bend of the river the 

 steamer was seen aground, on her way to Maitland, about twenty- 

 five miles farther up the river. The coast trended to the north, and 

 was visible as far as Port Stephens, about fifty miles distant. 



There are two coal-pits, one on the hill, the other in the valley. 

 The former is the older, and has been worked about eight years. 

 Both are the property of the Australian Agricultural Company, and 

 are under the direction of Mr. James Steel. The coal is first seen 

 along the cliffs, forming black horizontal strata, separated by sandstone 

 and clay shale, from twenty feet to forty feet in thickness. They 

 formerly quarried it from the cliff, but the greater part of the coal is 

 now obtained by mining. 



From the older coal-pit they have excavated an area of twenty-four 

 acres. The shafts are carried down about, one hundred feet, to the 

 fifth or lowermost coal-seam, which is about sixty feet below the level 

 of the sea. The coal is at first taken out in small narrow areas, the 

 passages in which are but four feet high, leaving about as much 

 standing as is removed, the roof above being of fragile shale, and 

 requiring propping every three or four feet. The work is all per- 

 formed by convicts, who, after digging the coal out, take it in small 

 carriages on railways, which pass to the shaft, where it is raised by 

 steam-power. The lower bed only is considered sufficiently extensive 



