160 
CRUISE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 
the western side of the city, has its frontage entirely 
occupied with wharfs and quays. Here all the inter- 
colonial steam companies have their stations ; while 
ferry-boats run in all directions to the north shore, 
to Balmain, St. Leonard’s, and higher, to the town- 
ship of Pyrmont, and so for some eight miles up the 
lovely Paramatta River, passing Cockatoo Island, 
where is situated the government dry-dock, in which 
we were on the 20th April successfully placed, and 
had sundry repairs, &c. The dock is 400 feet long, 
with 20 feet depth of water over the sill. Work- 
shops are provided, with an extensive plant of 
modern machinery, so as to be enabled to undertake 
any repairs to the vessels on the station. 
I have no recollection of seeing in any early 
work on this colony reference to the charming 
scenery of Sydney Harbour, or the many navigable 
rivers which are near it ; nor is much said of the 
glorious ranges of the Australian Alps. But there 
are scenes of nature here at hand as lovely as are 
to be met with in any part of the world. A few 
days after our arrival, invitations were sent by the 
members of the Government to a picnic on Mount 
Victoria, in company with the officers of the German 
frigate Arcona. A special train started at 7 o’clock 
from the City Station' on the Great Western 
line, with a very large party of us; and as an 
escort were the Hon. Samuel Lloyd, Treasurer, Hon. 
Saul Samuel, Postmaster-General, the Minister of 
