XXII. NORMAN SELFE. 



principal building is still in regular use. When I knew these 

 mills first, the early condensing beam engines were still working, 

 that at the eastern end driving a tweed factory. Old fashioned 

 " wagon " boilers continued to furnish the steam, and the stand 

 pipe for automatically supplying the feed water to it (at low 

 pressure) had not then given way to a modern feed pump. The 

 flour mill was at the end of the building next the harbour, the 

 waters of which, as at Dickson's mill, had gradually receded so 

 far away by the encroachment of the land, as to require new 

 arrangements for the supply of the condensing water and its 

 return to the bay. Mr. Thomas Barker visited England in the 

 year 1837, and there saw further developments in milling machinery 

 some of which he added to the Sydney mills on his return in 1840. 



Steam mills henceforward multiplied fast both in the city and 

 country. From a record of October 15th, 1829, we learn that the 

 Darling mills at Parramatta, (now and for many years past con- 

 verted into a tweed factory) were able to grind 1,000 bushels a 

 week, and had just made such extensive purchases of grain as to 

 account for the scanty supply on the previous Thursday at the 

 Sydney market. 



On the 13th Sepember, 1829, Mr. Singleton who gave his name 

 to the well known northern railway town, advertised that his 

 "John" mills on the Williams River are now in full work, to 

 grind grain and return the meal, for 15d. sterling per bushel. He 

 characteristically adds, "If the money is not sent toll will be taken 

 at the market price of the day." 



Mr. John Portus arrived in Australia by the ship "Hugh 

 Crawford," in April 1825, from the well known firm of R. and W. 

 Hawthorne, of Newcastle on Tyne, and at once set to work erect- 

 ing machinery for Surveyor-General John Oxley at Camden, 

 afterwards proceeding with the machinery for Mr. Macqueen at 

 Kirkham, which was the object of his coming out. He was for 

 years the leading millwright and engineer of the Hunter River 

 district, making and erecting machinery for Segenhoe, Luskintyre, 

 and other well known northern estates. In 1831 Mr. Portus 



