é 
-.erety of London, 
126 
Diemen’s land, was made in a simple 
wiale-sloop, commanded by Mr. Bass, 
the surgeon of the Reliance. This ves- 
sel may rhe said to have been consecrated 
to that great discovery, and hazardous 
havigation; for it is preserved in the har 
hour, with e sort of religious veneration : 
some snuff-boxes have been made out of 
its keel, of which the poscessors are beth 
proud and jealous; and the governor 
himself thought he could not make -a 
more acceptable present to our chief, 
than a piece of the wood of this sloop, 
enchased in a large silver tooth-pick box ; 
round which were engraved the principal 
particulars of the discovery of Bass’s 
Straits. 
It is at the spot called, Hespitat Creek, 
that the ships of individuals unload their 
cargoes. Beyond the hospitai, in the 
same line, is the prison, which has se- 
veral dungeons, capable of holding from 
an hundred and fifty, to two hundred 
prisoners ; it is surrounded by a high and 
strong wall, and hasa numerous guard on 
duty, both by day and night. A short 
distance, from the prison is the store- 
house, for the reception of wines, spiri- 
‘thous liquors, s salt provisions, &c. In the 
tront of it is the armoury, where the gar- 
rison is drawn up every mormpy; ac- 
companied by a numerous and well-com- 
posed hand, belonging to the New South 
Wales regiment. The whole western 
part of this spot, is occupied by the house 
of the lieutenant-governor-general ; be- 
hind which is a vast garden, which is 
worth the attention both of the philo- 
sopher and the naturalist, on account of 
the great number of useful vegetables 
which are cultivated in it; and which 
have been procured from every part of 
the world, by its present respectable pos- 
sessor, Mr. Paterson,, a distinguished 
traveller, and member of the Royal So- 
Between the house 
and the magazine, just mentioned, is the 
public school: hes ‘é ate educated in the 
principles of religion, morality, and vir- 
tue, those young females, who are the 
hope of the ris ing colony; but whose 
parents are either too degenerate, or too 
poor, to give them proper instruction. 
-In the public school, however, under re- 
spectable matrons, they are taught, from 
their earliest years, all- the duties of a 
-good mother of 2 family. Such is one 
eréat advantage of the excellent colonial 
esystem, established in these distant re- 
gions. 
s> Behind: the house of the LO ae 
‘povernor-general, ima large magazine, 
Descripiion of Sydney Town, 
[Sept. 1, 
are deposited all the dried pulse and 
corn, belonging to the state. . It is asort 
of public granary, intended. for the sup- 
port of the troops, and the people who 
receive their subsistence from the go- 
vernment. The barracks occupy a con- 
siderable square, and have in front se- 
veral field-pieces; the edifices, for the 
accommodation of the offcers, form the 
lateral parts, or ends of the baiding; and 
the powder magazine is in the middle. 
Near this, in a sinall private house, the 
principal civil and military officers as 
semble. It is a sort of colfee-hause, 
maintained by subscription, in which 
there are several amusements, but par- 
ticularly billiards; at which any person 
may play, free of expence Behind the 
armoury, is a large square tower, which 
serves for an observatory to those eps 
lish officers, who study astronomy: 
the base of this tower, the foundation Of 
«a church has been laid, of which the 
buildmg, just mentioned, is intended to 
form the steeple; but a structure of this 
kind, requiring considerable time, labour, 
and expence, the governors have hitherto 
neglected to carry it into. execution; pre- 
ferring the formation’ of such establish- 
ments, as are more immediately neces- 
sary for the preservation of the colony. | 
While waiting, however, for the erection 
of a church, divine service is performed 
in one of the apartments of the great 
corn- magazine. ‘Two fine wind-mills te:- 
Minate on this side the series of the 
principat public edifices. Overthe ri- _ 
-vulet that intersects the town, theré was 
a wooden bridge, which, together with a 
strong causeway, may be said to occupy 
all the bottom of the valley. We passed 
over this bridge, mm order to take a rapid 
view of the eastern part of Sydney 
Town. Before our departure, the 
wooden bridge was destroyed, to make 
ay for one which they were about to 
bul ld of stone; at the same time, a 
water-mill was built here by the govern- 
ment, and strong locks had been formed, 
either to kecp m the water of the rivulet, 
‘or to stop that of the marshes, which 
rans to a considerable distance into the 
ve and might be advantageously em- 
ployed in turning the mill, 
AL the. east. point of the ereek is a 
second battery, ithe fire of which erosses 
that of the signal station... The one of 
which Lam now speaking, was dismantled: 
at the time of our arrival at Port Jack- 
.son; hut it has been put in order since 
eur departure. On the shore, ‘as you 
approach the town, is a small sait-pit, 
_ where 
