543 
WALES (New South). 
bian brought from India. Pigs and poultry have increased 
in nearly the same propbrtion as other stock. The mineral 
productions of this settlement a reyet but slightly ascertained. 
Iron has been found about eight miles from Port-Dalrymple, 
which is said to be equal in quality to that of Sweden. The 
mines have not yet been worked. There is abundance of 
coal at Hunter’s river, about 50 miles north of Poit-Jackson. 
The vein is three feet thick, was worked by a passage from 
the river, but is now by a shaft 112 feet deep, and the la¬ 
bour of twenty-seven men can extract twenty tons per day. 
In this labour, the criminals from Sydney are destined to be 
employed. Lime, for building, has hitherto been burnt from 
oyster-shells, as no limestone has been discovered near the 
settled ports. Common salt has been extracted from sea¬ 
water, but from the bitter not being accurately separated, 
the culinary salt of England, notwithstanding its price, is 
generally preferred. 
“ The circumstances of the colony are not favourable to 
manufactories; but some hats, blankets, woollen stockings, 
and coarse cloths, have been made from the native wool. 
Pottery wares, of different kinds, have also been made, but 
they have not yet acquired the art of glazing them. The 
most advantageous operation of manufacture is tanning; 
but, from want of sufficient practical knowledge, it has been 
hitherto badly performed. The bark of the mimosa, a tree 
that abounds in the interior, is found to contain the requisite 
properties for tanning hides. With a little more experience, 
and with some regulations to prevent damage to the hides on 
flaying them, the colony might supply itself with leather 
from the cattle bred and slaughtered at home. 
“ The foreign trade of the colony consists of the importa¬ 
tions of sugar, spirits, soap, and cotton goods, from Bengal; 
of tea, sugar-candy, silks, and some clothing, made of Eng¬ 
lish cloth, from China; of iron and hardware, cottons, mil¬ 
linery, wines, porter, cheese, and salted, provisions, from 
England; and of sugar, tobacco, and spirits, from Brazil. 
The exportations have hitherto been but trifling. Wool has 
been already noticed: seal skins and fish oil might have 
formed returns but for their being charged with higher duty 
in England, if taken by a colonial than by a British vessel. 
Exportations to China have been made of sandal-wood, and 
pearl-shells, previously collected at the Islands. Some at¬ 
tempts have been made to export flour to the Cape of Good 
Hope, and horses to Batavia; some coals have also been 
shipped for Bengal and for Batavia. The shipping of the 
colony consists of twenty-seven vessels, from 15 to 184 tons 
burden. This branch of industry is much retarded in its 
growth by the restrictions which are found necessary to pre¬ 
vent the escape of convicts by sea. 
« The external trade has been assisted by the establishment 
of a bank; but the institution has been injured by having 
suffered its cashier to defraud it of nearly 10,000/., being 
half the capital. The principal circulating medium is the 
bills of the Government, or receipts for stores received by 
the Commissary, which amount to about 40,000/. The 
smaller operations are performed by means of the notes of 
the bank, which are issued for 2s. 6d., 5s., 10s., 20s., and 
five pounds. The legal interest of money in the colony was 
8, and is now raised to 10 per cent. 
“ By the accounts of the treasurer for seven years, ending 
September, 1821, it appears that the taxes collected in that 
period amounted to 174,310/. 10s., and the expenditure to 
163,790/. 8s. The income is derived chiefly from port dues, 
import duties, licences, and tolls. The chief expenditure 
has been on the establishments for male and female orphans, 
and for public schools—for public buildings and works—for 
salaries to officers—and for public and judicial charges. 
« In all the grants, reservations of land have been made 
for the support of the clergy, and for the maintenance of 
schools. The clergy are under the inspection of one of their 
number, denominated senior chaplain. Some Roman Ca¬ 
tholic chapels are building, and one for the Wesleyan Me¬ 
thodists. The public services of religion are reported to be 
attentively observed. The administration of justice is exe¬ 
cuted in a court established by special act of Parliament, in 
which the chief is an English barrister; and recently an 
attorney-general has been appointed, who is to be the general 
prosecutor of ail offences.” 
2d. We proceed to Mr.Cunningham’s account of the present 
state of New South Wales. It does not contain those accu¬ 
rate statistical accounts that are found in Bigge’s Report; but 
is far more useful and entertaining. It is a work that bears 
the stamp of a strong and original mind, and the details are 
so minute and practical, that it is absolutely a necessary vade 
mecum to all emigrants. 
“ The coloured population, which is very numerous, is des¬ 
cribed by Mr. Cunningham as constituted chiefly of blacks, 
who are variously civilized; some having a great deal of 
ferocity, and continually occupied in attempts at murdering 
the whites, others living by begging; some by shooting wild 
animals for our use, and a few acting in the capacity of ser¬ 
vants. They are all distinguished for great quickness of 
apprehension, consummate address, and great powers of 
mimickry. Like most savages, they revenge a blow or an 
insult by death, and they often kill their children. Those 
who trade with the whites have added the vices of civiliza¬ 
tion to those of the savage state, and prostitute their wives 
for the most trifling considerations. The rapidity with 
which they acquire habits of consequence and dandyism 
when in the towns, their cunning and their gaiety, have fur¬ 
nished Mr. Cunningham with some very amusing stories. 
“ The white population are divided into three classes, 
namely, the convicts, the natives, and free emigrants. The 
first are improved in morals to an extent we should, a priori, 
have expected impossible. The second, though born 
chiefly of the former, constitute a class of sober, honest, and 
industrious citizens, of great value. They are not much in¬ 
clined to the occupation of agriculture, because they con¬ 
sider it degrading, as the convicts are of course extensively em¬ 
ployed in it: but nearly all the manufactures are in the hands 
of this class. The third, who are people for the most part 
of some property, or who hold offices under our govern¬ 
ment, may be said to be rather the worst part of respectably 
English society; and their notion that they are in an im¬ 
moral country, seems to give them a tendency to “ do at 
Rome as they do at Rome:” consequently they are often 
highly disreputable. 
“ There never was a more amusing picture of society than 
that presented by these classes. The slang language of our 
St. Giles’s, and the fighting clubs, is transplanted here, and 
is heard in full display in the courts of justice. All our little 
affectations have emigrated: ‘ name-cards; at homes the 
etiquette of reciprocal morning calls, and all such follies, 
are duly observed. But the most laughable of all is the 
aristocratic spirit that animates the whole colony. The 
exclusives refuse to visit any but certain classes of the 
emigrants; the latter will not visit emancipists (the eman¬ 
cipated convicts). The emancipist holds in abhorrence the 
convict; who is also the contempt of the native. The 
stiffness and reserve of manner so ungraceful in the English 
character here, is aped and exaggerated in New South 
Wales, and the little squabbles and feuds it engenders form a 
page in the history of society instructive though ludicrous. 
“ The inhabited parts of the colony cultivated by free, 
people may be divided into four. First, the old settled 
division, comprehending the county of Cumberland (in 
which Sydney lies), and the county of Camden, southerly, 
between Cumberland and Argyle. Secondly, the counties 
of Argyle and Westmoreland, and the unnamed country 
beyond, to the left, or southward of Sydney. Thirdly, the 
counties of Northumberland and Durham to the right, or 
northward of Sydney, situated upon Hunter’s River: and, 
fourthly, the counties of Roxburgh and Londonderry, be¬ 
yond the Blue mountains, interiorly, or westward of Sydney, 
known best by the name of Bathurst. The three first 
divisions all lie between the barrier range of mountains, 
stretching parallel to the coast forty miles interiorly, and tfie 
sea, consequently all their waters run into the sea easterly; 
while 
