418 Dr. Milligan on the Climate of Van Dieman's Land. [April 



more durable structure of brick or stone. As might be expected, losses 

 from the straying of cattle in the bush, and disagreeable adventures 

 from the travellers losing their way, were far from uncommon ; accidents 

 from explosions of gun-powder, and from the use of fire-arms fey per- 

 sons unaccustomed to handle them, were likewise far from unfrequent j 

 in no instance however did any tetanic affection follow. Notwithstand- 

 ing these little mishaps, matters continued to go on pleasantly enough 

 till the beginning of the winter of 1830, when the supplies brought 

 from England, consisting principally of salt meat, biscuit, and rum, be- 

 gan to fail ; the harvest was indifferent ; and to crown their misfortunes, 

 after heavy rain, the rivers rose from fifteen to twenty feet above their 

 usual level, and all who had commenced buildings on the lower grounds 

 were obliged to desert them. From these various causes much personal 

 fatigue and exposure were encountered, the hopes of the settlers damp- 

 ed, and their energies depressed ; scurvy, fever, and dysentery conse- 

 quently showed themselves. These diseases were principally confined 

 to the lower orders ; among the higher classes, who were better pro- 

 vided with the necessaries and comforts of life, andw T ho were more tem- 

 perate in their habits, there w. 5 little sickness and less mortality. 

 With successive seasons, the harvest became more bountiful, the flocks 

 more numerous, and scurvy has disappeared in consequence. The fe- 

 vers have likewise become less prevalent, as the country has been more 

 widely cleared and better drained. The Endemic diseases of the coun- 

 try appear to be principally inflammatory affections of the mucous mem- 

 branes, Ophthalmia, Dysentery and Catarrh. Rheumatism is occasi- 

 onally met with, in damp weather, in autumn and winter, of rather an 

 obstinate description; and also a low fever, the Gastro-Ente rite. Dr. 

 Milligan's observations on these diseases have principally reference to 

 the locality of Perth, the capital of the colony. This town is situated 

 on the banks of the Swan river, on a gentle elevation, 30 feet above the 

 level of the river, and about 40 above that of the sea. It is bounded to 

 the south by the Swan, which is here three quarters of a mile broad; to 

 the north by a string of fresh water Lagoons, which run up to the moun- 

 tains ; to the east by an extensive plain terminated, by the Darling 

 range ; and to the west by Mount Eliza, which running north and 

 south, affords considerable protection from the strong gales coming in 

 that direction. The Swan and the Canning unite immediately below 

 the town in a large estuary, called Melville water, which still farther 

 reduces the temperature of the sea-breeze in its progress inland. The 

 soil is light and sandy, with the exception of the banks of the river, 

 which are alluvial. The substratum is sandstone. 



The climate agrees with the European constitution ; and every descrip- 

 tion of live stock, and of vegetable production, though collected from dif- 

 ferent climates, finds there a congenial locality. The annual mean tern- 



