460 
NEW SOUTH WALES 
CHAP. 
along the beach. In the distance stone houses, two and three 
stories high, and windmills standing on the edge of a bank, 
pointed out to us the neighbourhood of the capital of Australia. 
At last we anchored within Sydney Cove. We found the 
little basin occupied by many large ships, and surrounded by 
warehouses. In the evening I walked through the town, and 
returned full of admiration at the whole scene. It is a most 
magnificent testimony to the power of the British nation. 
Here, in a less promising country, scores of years have done 
many times more than an equal number of centuries have 
effected in South America. My first feeling was to con¬ 
gratulate myself that I was born an Englishman. Upon seeing 
more of the town afterwards, perhaps my admiration fell a 
little ; but yet it is a fine town. The streets are regular, 
broad, clean, and kept in excellent order ; the houses are of a 
good size, and the shops well furnished. It may be faithfully 
compared to the large suburbs which stretch out from London 
and a few other great towns in England ; but not even near 
London or Birmingham is there an appearance of such rapid 
growth. The number of large houses and other buildings just 
finished was truly surprising ; nevertheless, every one com¬ 
plained of the high rents and difficulty in procuring a house. 
Coming from South America, where in the towns every man 
of property is known, no one thing surprised me more than 
not being able to ascertain at once to whom this or that 
carriage belonged. 
I hired a man and two horses to take me to Bathurst, a 
village about one hundred and twenty miles in the interior, 
and the centre of a great pastoral district. By this means I 
hoped to gain a general idea of the appearance of the country. 
On the morning of the 16th (January) I set out on my 
excursion. The first stage took us to Paramatta, a small 
country town, next to Sydney in importance. The roads were 
excellent, and made upon the MacAdam principle, whinstone 
having been brought for the purpose from the distance of 
several miles. In all respects there was a close resemblance 
to England ; perhaps the alehouses here were more numerous. 
The iron gangs, or parties of convicts who have committed 
here some offence, appeared the least like England : they were 
working in chains, under the charge of sentries with loaded 
