OCR Text |
Show 514 NEW ZEALAND. Dec. 1835. time there was a long discussion with Mr. Bushby, concerning the right of sale of certain lands. One old man, ~ho appeared a perfect genealog~st, i~ustrated the successive possessors by bits of stick dnven mto the ground. Before leaving the houses, a little basketful of roasted sweetpotatoes was given to each of our party ; and we all, according to the custom, carried them away to eat. on the road. I noticed that among the women employed m cooking, there was a man-slave : it must be an humiliati~g dth~ng for a man in this warlike country to be employed m omg that which is considered as the lowest woman's work. Slaves are not allowed to go to war ; but this perhaps can hardlv be considered as a hardship. I heard of one poor wretch who, during hostilities, ran away to .the op~osite party; being met by two men, he was immediately seized; but they not agreeing to whom he should belong, each stood over him with a stone hatchet, and seemed determined that the other at least should not take him away alive. The poor man, almost dead with fright, was on~y saved by the address of a chief's wife. We afterwards enJoyed a pleasant walk back to the boat, but did not reach the ship till late in the evening. DECEMBER 30TH.-In the afternoon we stood out of the Bay of Islands on our course to Sydney. I believe we were all glad to leave New Zealand. It is not a pleasa~t pl~ce. Amongst the natives there is absent that charmmg Simplicity which is found at Tahiti ; and . the greate.r part. of the English are the very refuse of society. Neither IS . the country itself attractive. I look back but to one bnght spot, and that is W aimate, with its Christian inhabitants. 515 CHAPTER XXI. Sydney-~rosperity-Excu~ion to Bathurst-Aspect of woods-Party of Natives-Gradual extmction of aborigines -Blue MountainsWeatherboard- View of a grand gnlf-like valley-Sheep farm-Lionant- Bathurst, general civility of lower orders-State of society-Van Diemen's Land- Hobart Town-Aborigines all banished-Mount Wellington-King George's Sound -Cheerless aspect of countryBald Head, calcareous casts like branches of trees-Party of nativesLeave Australia. AUSTRALIA, J~NUARY 12TH, 1836 -Early in the morning, a light air earned us towards the entrance of Port Jackson. Instead of beholding a verdant country scattered over with fine houses: a straight line of yellowish cliff brought to our minds the coast ,of Patagonia. A solitary lighthouse, built of white s~one, alon~ told us we were near a great and populous City. HaVIng entered the harbour, it appeared fine and spacious; but the level country, showing on the cliff-formed shores bare and horizontal strata of sandstone, was covered by woods of thin scrubby trees, that bespoke useless sterility. ~roceeding further inland, the country improved ; beautiful VIllas and nice cottages were here and there scattered alonothe beach. In the distance stone houses, two and thre: stories high, and windmills, standing on the edo-e of a bank • b ' pomted 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 effected many times more, than the same number of centuries have done in South America. My first feeling 2 L 2 |