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Show 516 NEW SOUTH WALES. Jan. 1836. was to congratulate myself that I was born an Englishman. Upon seeing more of the town afterwards, perhaps my admiration fell a little ; but yet it is a fine town; the streets are regular, broad, clean, and kept in excellent order; the houses are of a good size, and the shops well furnished. It may be faithfully compared to the large suburbs, which stretch out from London and a few other great towns in England : but not even near London or Birmingham is there an appearance of such rapid growth. The number of large houses just finished and others building was truly surprising ; nevertheless, every one complained of the high rents and difficulty in procuring a house. In the streets, gigs, phaetons, and carriages with livery servants, were driving about; and of the latter, many were extremely well equipped. Coming from South America, where in the towns every man of property is known, no one thing surprised me more than not being able to ascertain readily to whom this or that carriage belonged. Many of the older residents say, that formerly they knew every face in the colony, but now that in a morning's ride it is a chance if they know one. Sydney has a population of twenty-three thousand, and is rapidly increasing: it must contain much wealth. It appears that .a man of business can hardly fail to make a large fortune. I saw on all sides fine houses,-one built from the profits of steam-vessels,another from building, and so on. An auctioneer, who was a convict, it is said, intends to return home, and will take with him 100,000 pounds. Ano.ther has an income so large that scarcely any body_ ventures to guess at it-the least sum assigned being fifteen thousand a year. But the two crowning facts are,-first, that the public revenue has increased 60,000l. during this last year; and secondly, that less than an acre of land within the town of Sydney sold for 8000l. sterling. I hired a man and two horses to take me to Bathurst ; a village about one hundred and twenty miles in the interior, and the centre of a great pastoral district. By this means l hoped to get a general idea of the appearance of the Jan. 1836. EXCURSION 'rO BATH URST. 517 country. On the morning of the 16th (January) I set out on my excursion. The first stage took us to Paramatta, a small country-town, the second to Sydney in importance. The roads were excellent, and made upon the MacAdam principle: whinstone having been brou()"ht for the purpose from the distance of several miles. The road appeared much frequented by all sorts of carriages ; and I met two stage-coaches. In all these respects there was a close resemblance to England; perhaps the number of alehouses was here in excess. The iron gangs, or parties of convicts who have here committed some trifling offence, appeared th~ least like England ; they were working in chains, unde; the charge of sentries with loaded arms. The power, which the government possesses, by means of forced labour, of at once opening good roads throughout the country, has been 1 believe, one main cause of the early prosperity of this colony. I slept at night at a very comfortable inn at Emu ferry thirty-five miles from Sydney, and near the ascent of th~ Blue Mountains. This line of road is the most frequented, and has been longest inhabited of any in the colony. The whole land is enclosed with high railings, for the farmers have not succeeded in rearing hedges. There are many substantial houses and good cottages scattered about; but although considerable pieces of land are under cultivation, the greater part yet remains as when first discovered. Making allowances for the cleared parts, the country here resembled all that I saw during the ten succeeding days. The extreme uniformity of the vegetation is the most remarkable feature in the landscape of the greater part of New South Wales. Every where we have an open woodland; the ground being partially covered with a very thin pasture. The trees nearly all belong to one family; and mostly have the surface of their leaves placed in a vertical, instead of as in Europe, a nearly horizontal position : the foliage is scanty, and of a peculiar, pale green tint, without any gloss. Hence the woods appear light and shadow less: this2 |