SYDNEY. 
163 
House, the residence of the Naval Commodore, the 
Mint, and the old Hospital ; but none of these build- 
ings present any features in design worthy of atten- 
tion, being all of old date ; the buildings, however, 
erected within the last ten or fifteen years have 
really some architectural pretensions. Its fine bank- 
ing-houses, mercantile establishments, and handsome 
public edifices give the town an aspect bespeaking 
substantial wealth, advancing cultivation, and enter- 
prise. The portion near to the quays contains many 
of the best buildings for commercial purposes. The 
majority of the banks are on the west side of George 
Street, and these, with the extensive blocks of spacious 
and handsome warehouses in their neighbourhood, 
give a distinctive character to that section of the city. 
In Pitt Street are three more banks; and here is 
situated the Exchange, a large stone-built erection, 
with columned front of the Corinthian order. The 
new Post Office, in the centre of the city, now on the 
eve of completion, is a building of exquisite pro- 
portion, noble in its general outline and sumptuous 
in detail. It occupies a space between George Street 
and Pitt Street. Another great building in course of 
erection is the Town Hall, the foundation-stone of 
which was laid by Prince Alfred when here in the 
Galatea . The Museum, on the eastern side of the 
city, is a massive building, with a bold Roman front. 
But the finest specimen of architecture Sydney dis- 
plays is the University, a noble stone building in 
