1 
MAGAZINE OE SCIENCE AND ART. 153 
This might bo effected, and the convenience of the 
travelling ' public also met, by the construction of an 
iron tramway between the two places, especially it 
there be an objection to interfere with the Park. 
The natural line for such a tramway or railway 
from Redfern to Sydney Cove would pass along Pitt- 
street; the rails should be laid so as not to interfere 
with the ordinary traffic, and the. carriages and trucks 
be moved by liorse-power. A loading shed and book¬ 
ing office centrally placed at the wharf, and three or 
four corner shops* where passengers could get tickets, 
would hike the place of additional station buildings. 
Such a system of street Railway is capable of ex¬ 
tension to any degree found advantageous: and it is 
stated to be a* very general practice in America, not 
only for the distribution of the goods traffic to wharves, 
but also to private establishments. 
There, however, from the peculiar construction of 
their carriages, which vary from 28 to CO feet in length, 
and are supported on two four-wheeled trucks, one at 
each end, they possess advantages in street traffic su¬ 
perior to those afforded by the ordinary Railway 
carriages. 
The cost of the tramway, exclusive of buildings and 
rent, would not exceed £1*0,000 in all. _ 
1 Should the preference, however, he given to carrying 
the Railway into Hyde Park, I recommend that early 
steps should he taken to obtain the necessary land, 
which increases yearly in value. 
3. THE CONDITION OF THE EXISTING ROADS. 
The short period that has elapsed since my arrival 
in the Colony prevents my speaking from personal 
experience, at present, upon tins subject; but on every 
side I learn that the roads of the country arc deficient 
in every thing that constitutes good roads. 
Originally ill laid out. ill drained, or not drained at 
all, and never sufficiently metalled, in winter they are 
impassable sloughs, and in summer the rudest common 
earth roads. The want of bridges suspends iuter-coui- 
munication when the rains set in, and too freqnently 
lives are lost in a vain attempt to restore it; while he 
esteems himself fortunate whose bullock-drays accom¬ 
plish when the weather is had three or four miles a-day, 
and bears, as best lie may, in addition to great incon¬ 
venience and severe Joss, the inevitably heavy charges 
for the carriage of goods. 
Thus, by the returns of traffic already alluded to, 
the cost per ton upon the Northern Road, between 
Maitland and Mngleton, a distance of 30 miles on the 
main road, is given as £6, and the average cost per ton 
per mile in the Northern District as 2s. Upon the 
Great Southern Road, between Picton and Sydney, at 
£4 per ton for a distance of 50 miles, and the average 
for the district at Is. 7d. per ton per mile. Upon the 
"Western Road from Bathurst to Sydney, a distance of 
120 miles, from £6 to £12 1 Os., and the average for 
the Western Districts Is. fid. per ton per mile, lienee 
the produce rots upon the ground for want of transport ; 
and the statistics of 1855 shew an import into the 
colony of grain, &c., to tbo value of £717,779* as con¬ 
trasted with an export of £91,644. 
Such ?eturns servo to represent in some degree the 
burden imposed upon the community by the badness 
of the roads. They present the subject in a tangible 
shape, and it is one of universal interest; for the 
difference between the amount by which the cost of 
transport is cheapened by improved communications, 
and the interest on the capital spent in the improve¬ 
ment is clear gain to the coinmpnity, to he divided 
between the producer and the consumer. On the other 
hand, to expend a larger sum upon the improvement 
of communication than that, the interest of which will 
be balanced by the revenue derived from the existing 
traffic, or that, which may be reasonably expected to 
arise from the improvement, cannot be justified; for 
this is to diminish, not to increase the general wealth. 
4. THE SYSTEil UPON WHICH THE ROADS SHOEED BE 
IMPROVED. 
From what has been said above, there are three lead¬ 
ing points to be considered before deciding, in any case, 
upon the description of road to ho adopted:— 
1. The amount and character of the existing traffic. 
2. The probable increase to it. 
3. The cost of maintaining and constructing different 
descriptions of roads. 
Under the last clause may come also— 
4. The facility with which money can he procured. 
5. The time within which it is desirable to effect the 
required improvements. 
6 . The natural resources for transport of the countrv 
itself. 
The unsatisfactory character of the return of 1855-6, 
shewing the existing traffic of the country, has already 
been commented on in this Report, and the conclusions 
founded upon them must so far be unsatisfactory also. 
I submit to the Government the advantages to lie de¬ 
rived from accurate information on this subject, and I 
recommend the immediate employment, to be continued 
during an entire year, of competent persons, acting 
under approved instructions, to obtain it. 
As the amount and character of the existing traffic 
is uncertain, the value of the probable increase to it 
cannot be determined. 
It has been shewn, however, by the calculations al¬ 
ready given, so far as they can be relied on, that the 
receipts from existing railways, and those at present 
proposed, would not cover the interest on capital ex¬ 
pended and working expenses; and though the advan¬ 
tages resulting from them may be sufficient to warrant 
their construction and maintenance, it would be satis¬ 
factory to know how they actually pay before entering 
upon still further extensions; yet, there may be par¬ 
ticular districts whose uaturaL resources need* only the 
advantages afforded by improved communications to 
give ample returns for any sums expended upon these. 
The Statistics of 1855 and the Census Returns of 
1856 tend however rather to strengthen the opinion that 
the colony is not yet sufficiently peopled, and the cur¬ 
rent of immigration not sufficiently strong, to warrant 
an extended system of railways in a country natural I v 
difficult, and studded with large tracts either barren or 
at best fitted only for pastoral purposes. 
The population on the 1st March, 1856, was 266,189 
persons as compared with 187,243 in 1851, giving an 
increase of 15,789 yearly. Of the entire number 
loS,Sl3 are returned as the productive population, 
equal to 59*G7 per cent, as contrasted with 109,828 in 
1851, or 58‘CG per cent., of these 0,091 arc engaged in 
trade or commerce, 17,326 am artificers or mechanics, 
16,728 are engaged in agriculture, as compared with 
11,898 in 1852, but their occupation is represented as 
u fitful,” 12.337 are employed in tending sheep and 
cattle, against 15,619 in 1851, a decrease approximating 
towards the increase in agriculturists. There are 
15,44G unskilled labourers against 10,875, and 16,686 
domestic servants in place of" 10,447 in 1851; miners, 
4,451; teachers, 1,3G0 ; and the remainder of the popu¬ 
lation is composed of alms-people and paupers, and 
those engaged in professional or miscellaneous occupa¬ 
tions. 
These are distributed over an area of 230,000 square 
miles, hut there arc in the County of Cumberland alone 
108,982 persons of whom 69,173 are in Sydney. There 
are 7542 persons to each square mile in Cumberland 
as contrasted with an average of 307 in England and 
Wales, hut in the settled districts generally the popula¬ 
tion is only 5 persons to 1 square mile* and in the 
squatting districts 1 person to every 7\ square miles * 
! five Counties of— 
Northumberland. 
Camden . 
Durham . 
Bathurst . 
contain. 156,449 persons. 
or 58 per cent, of the whole population. 
