Wentworth's New South Wales. 
growth, but of an entirely different 
description from the timber of Europe, 
It is, however, very durable, and well 
adapted to all the purposes of human 
industry. 
Tlie only metal yet discovered is 
iron. It abounds in every part of the 
country, and in some places the ore is 
remarkably rich. Coals are found in 
many situations of the best quality. 
There is also abundance of slate, lime¬ 
stone, and granite, though not in the 
immediate vicinity of Port Jackson. 
Sand-stone, quartz, and free-stone are 
found every where. 
ABORIGINES. 
The aborigines of this country oc¬ 
cupy the lowest place in the gradafory 
scale of the human species. They have 
neither houses nor clothing; they are 
entirely unacquainted with the arts of 
agriculture; and even the arms, which 
the several tribes have, to protect them¬ 
selves from the aggressions of their 
neighbours, and the hunting and fish¬ 
ing implements, with which they ad¬ 
minister to their support, are of the 
rudest contrivance and workmanship. 
Thirty years intercourse with Euro¬ 
peans has not effected the slightest 
change in their habits ; and even those 
who have most intermixed with the 
colonists have never been prevailed 
upon to practise one of the arts of ci¬ 
vilized life. Disdaining all restraint, 
their happiness is still centered in their 
original pursuits; and they seem to 
consider the superior enjoyments to be 
derived from civilization, (for they are 
very far from being insensible to them) 
but a poor compensation for the sacri¬ 
fice of any portion of their natural li¬ 
berty. The colour of these people is a 
dark chocolate; their features bear a 
strong resemblance to the African ne¬ 
gro ; they have the same flat nose, large 
nostrils, wide mouth, and thick lips: 
but their hair is not woolly, except in 
Van Diemen’s Land, where they have 
this further characteristic of the negro. 
SYDNEY. 
Sydney, the capital of New South 
Wales, is situated in 33° 55* of south 
latitude, and 151° 25' of east longitude. 
It is about seven miles distant from the 
heads of Port Jackson, and stands 
principally on two hilly necks of land 
and the intervening valley, which to¬ 
gether form Sydney Cove. The wes¬ 
tern side of the town extends to the 
water’s edge, and occupies, with the 
exception of the small space reserved 
around Dane’s Battery, the whole of 
643 
the neck of land which separates Syd¬ 
ney Cove from Lane Cove, and extends 
a considerable distance back into the 
country besides. 
This part of the town, it may, there¬ 
fore, be perceived, forms a little penin¬ 
sula ; and what is of still greater im¬ 
portance, the water is in general of 
sufficient depth in both these coves to 
allow the approach of vessels of the 
largest burden to the very sides of the 
rock. 
The appearance of the town is rude 
and irregular. Until the administra¬ 
tion of Governor Macquarie, little or 
no attention had been paid to the lay¬ 
ing out of the streets, and each pro¬ 
prietor was left to build on his lease, 
where and how his caprice inclined 
him. He, however, lias at length suc¬ 
ceeded in establishing a perfect regu¬ 
larity in most of the streets, and has 
reduced to a degree of uniformity, what 
would have been deemed absolutely 
impracticable, even the most confused 
portion of that chaos of building, which 
is still known by the name of “ The 
Rocks and which, from the rugged¬ 
ness of its surface, the difficulty of ac¬ 
cess to it, and the total absence of or¬ 
der in its houses, was for many years 
more like the abode of a horde of sa¬ 
vages than the residence of a civilized 
community. 
There are in the whole upwards of a 
thousand houses; and, although they 
are for the most part small, and of 
mean appearance, there are many pub¬ 
lic buildings, as well as houses of in¬ 
dividuals, which would not disgrace 
this great metropolis. Of the former 
class the public stores, the general hos¬ 
pital, and the barracks, are perhaps 
the more conspicuous ; of the latter the 
houses of Messrs. Lord, Riley, Howe, 
Underwood, and Nichols. 
Land in this town is in many places 
worth at the rate of £1000 per acre, 
and is daily increasing in value. Rents 
are in consequence exorbitantly high. 
It is very far,from being a commodious 
house that can he had for £100 a year 
unfurnished. 
Here is a very good market, although 
it is of very recent date. It was estab¬ 
lished by Governor Macquarie, in the 
year 1813, and is very well supplied 
with grain, vegetables, poultry, butter, 
eggs and fruit. 
Here also is a Bank, called “ The 
Bank of New South Wales,” which 
was established in the year 18lf§ and 
promises to be of great and permanent 
benefit 
