180 
On Irrigation in Tasmania . 
greater treasure than the wool, and the bringing it into 
use will cause as great a step in the progress of the affairs 
of the colony as the export of wool has done. 
In connection with the subject of irrigation, I do not 
like to lose this opportunity of offering a suggestion on the 
subject of internal communication, as the principal means 
which have been proposed as best calculated to promote 
the one, maybe applied also in one case, at least, to pro¬ 
mote the other, viz., the storing up water in the lakes. It 
has, indeed, been now sofully proved that, in general, rail¬ 
roads form incalculably the best means of internal com¬ 
munication, that there can be little doubt on that point; 
yet there are particular cases in which water communi¬ 
cation may still be advantageously adopted: they are, 
however, almost entirely confined to the use of rivers, 
which are, in their natural state, either almost or quite 
navigable for steamers, while the country through which 
they pass is imperfectly occupied. Through a fully popu¬ 
lated country there can scarcely occur a case in which it 
would not be advisable to construct a rail-road, even 
parallel with a first-rate navigable river, on account of 
the superior speed with which it can be traversed. But 
before the population of a tract of country becomes dense, 
and especially when the face of the country is of a nature 
ill suited to the construction of rail-roads, it may be well 
worth while to establish a water communication. Such 
seems to be the case with the Derwent. Advantage has 
already been taken of that river to form a steam com¬ 
munication as high as New Norfolk, up to which point 
no natural obstacle occurs; and consequently the only 
capital required was for the purchase of the vessels. 
Above that township rapids occur at every two or three 
miles, having only one or two feet of water in them in 
the summer, which, though in their present state they are 
an effectual obstruction to navigation, are yet by no means 
