BY THE SAME AUTHOB. In the Press, and speedily will be published, AN HISTOEICAL AND STATISTICAL AC- COUNT OF NEW SOUTH WALES; including a Visit to the Gold Regions, and a Description of the Mines. With an Estimate of the probable Results—social, moral, and political—of the great discovery. 2 vols. post 8vo. FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE FOR THE GOLDEN LANDS OF AUSTRALIA; the Right of the Colonies, and the Interest of Britain and of the World. 1 vol. 8vo. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. mm-: • ""TOR, LENOX AND 1919 L rARTRIDGE AND OAKF.Y, PRINTERS, FADDINGTON. CONTENTS. PAGE Introduction—General Remarks vii The Way Out 1 Where am I to go? 3 Port Phillip, or the Colony of Victoria .... 3 But what shall I do at Port Phillip? Shall I go to the Diggings? S Melbourne and the City of Tents 7 Off to the Diggings 8 Those who do not go to the Diggings . . . .12 Port Phillip as an Agricultural Country . . .14 New South Wales 26 The City of Sydney, the Future Metropolis of the Southern Hemisphere 27 Off to the Turon 32 The Author's Visit to the Mines 32' Address to the Diggers, &c 36 Prospects for those who do not go to the Diggings in New South Wales 40 Cotton-growing in New South Wales . . . .42 Capabilities of the Clarence District . . . .46 General Remarks 57 Religion and Education 60 Appendix.—Correspondence on "Cotton Cultivation in Australia" 62 Sydney Markets - . 91 Settlers' Wholesale Price Current > 92 Statistical Notices . . 93 VIII INTRODUCTION. for months past, to the great benefit of the mother country. To suppose a case—of which there are hun- dreds of instances in all branches of business, and in all parts of the United Kingdom—if two drapers sell off, and emigrate to Australia, from some small town, in which there are six of the trade, and business only for four, times will surely be much better with the four who remain, after the others are gone. And so with every branch of business in the country. They are all sending off their supernumeraries—those who can easily be spared. Besides, the emigration to the gold fields is dimin- ishing pauperism also, by carrying off the supernu- merary labourers in every department of labour, and allowing "a fair day's wages, for a fair day's work," for those who remain behind. And, as the late cele- brated William Cobbett informs us, that " poverty and misery have in all ages and countries been the pro- lific source of crime," it is also diminishing crime by improving the general condition of the people, and by thereby removing its cause and drying up its source. But the discovery of gold in Australia is not only benefiting the mother country, in this negative way, by diminishing the three great national evils of enor- mous competition, wide-spread pauperism, and the recently alarming prevalence and increase of crime; it is conferring upon her positive benefits and bless- ings of a most important description, by stimulating and increasing her trade to an unprecedented degree, and thereby augmenting her national wealth, and promoting and extending her general prosperity. X INTRODUCTION. thousands, from all parts of the civilized world, to go forth to that land of promise to fulfil this beneficent design of the good providence of God. But Australia will not only get population from the gold discovery—and population, too, of a right kind —she will also get political freedom, just because that population is of the right kind to ensure it. As far as the government of the Australian colonies is concerned, the age of shams is now fast drawing to a close—the days of Downing Street are well nigh ended. In a few years hence people will scarcely believe it possible that such a monstrosity could have existed in the middle of the nineteenth century, as that large and intelligent communities, at the ends of the earth, were actually governed, and their weal or woe determined in ten thousand particulars, by the fiat of a few obscure clerks, in the upper rooms of a gloomy brick house in one of the narrow streets of London! This melancholy matter of fact, as it has hitherto been, and still is, will then be a mere matter of his- tory, like the reign of Louis Philippe or of Henry the Eighth. But Australia will not only get population and political freedom from the discovery of gold in her territory, she will also get national independence. This is the general opinion, as it is now the general desire, of the colonists themselves. For Earl Grey's notorious misgovernment of the Australian colonies, during his late tenure of office for five years and a half, and his persisting to the last in forcing the con- tinuance of the transportation system on the colony of Van Dieman's Land, in the face of the remonstrances Xli INTRODUCTION. \ only to tolerate the idea of the monster of frightful mien, but to think of him as a possibly pleasant com- panion. We do not positively wish for his presence, but we will vastly prefer him to the Giant Convictism. 'We will have independence of England, rather than convictism,'—this is in every mouth not sold to Bycophancy." Independently, however, of the change of opinion which the procedure of the Home Government, in the matter of convictism in the case of Van Dieman's Land, had wrought in the minds of the Australian colonists generally on this important subject, it was anticipated by intelligent colonists of all classes, that the natural effect of the gold discovery would be, to give entire political freedom and national independence to the Australian colonies. The usual language in which the effect of the discovery was spoken of on the spot was—" It will advance the colonies in their history and progress, as compared with their recent condition, half a century: it will precipitate them into a nation." And why should such a consummation be either deprecated, or prevented by Great Britain? Will she lose a sixpence by it, if it should take place quietly and peacefully, as it ought? On the contrary, she will gain immensely, from the prodigious impulse which the freedom and independence of Australia would give to trade of every kind and in every direc- tion; from the rapid development of the vast resources of the colonies which it would stimulate and ensure; and from the greatly-increased comfort, happiness, and wealth which the colonists would derive from the mere fact of being governed by the ablest and best INTRODUCTION. XV To persons, therefore, of the requisite intelligence and energy, industry and economy, of all classes in the mother country, who find that their prospects at home are either dark or precarious, I would sav, " Go, by all means, to Australia;" for as the emigration of persons of all classes will prove highly beneficial to the mother country, there is ample room and to spare for multitudes of all classes in the Australian colonies. Individuals may, doubtless, have considerable diffi- culty at first, till they find their proper level, and drop into their proper place in the colonies; but with the mental and moral qualities above-mentioned, there will be no reason for any to despair. If one door should be shut, another will open; if one employment should fail, a better result may be anticipated and realized in another. To the industrious classes, generally, the prospect in the Australian colonies is in the highest degree favourable. The creation of an unlimited amount of wealth in these colonies, from a source altogether unex- pected before, will give a prodigious impulse to trade of every kind, and create an unlimited demand for labour in every department. It is the industrious classes, indeed, that will experience the greatest change for the better, by emigrating to Australia, and it is for them chiefly that this Manual is intended— to supply them with the requisite information as to the state and circumstances of the countries to which they are going, and to afford them such direction as will be needful for their guidance on their arrival. While I might, therefore, with all propriety remind the multitudes of all classes, who are now emigrating I THE EMIGRANT'S MANUAL; OB, A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA, &c. THE WAY OUT. When so many first-class ships are sailing for Aus- tralia, from all parts of the United Kingdom, it will not be necessary to say much about what port the «migrant should sail from; what ship he should go by; and what rate of passage money he will have to pay. The cost of passage is pretty much the same all over the three kingdoms, varying at present from £18 to £25. The emigrant should suit his own con- venience as to the port to sail from, and he ought, by all means,. when treating for a passage, to go to a respectable and established house; as such a house will not, for its own sake, send an inferior vessel to sea on such a voyage, or supply it insufficiently. The Government scale of provisions is generally followed now in private ships—with slight additions occasion- ally—and it is quite sufficient for health and comfort; as every well-furnished ship has a certain allowance of medical comforts in addition, for the use of the sick. The emigrant should be furnished with a copy of the dietary scale, which, under the new Act of Par- liament, is imperative, before embarking; and if he B 2 A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA. has the means, he can easily add a few extra comforts for himself, especially if he is a married man with a family. There are ships fitted up with close cabins for families, on the uniform principle, as it is termed, every adult paying £25, and no second class. The ship I came home in—the Wandsworth, of (jlasgow —was, after discharging her cargo in the London Docks, chartered by Messrs. Hall, Brothers, of Lon- don, and fitted out on that principle for Port Phillip, whither she sailed on the 4th of this month (Sept. 1852). I went on board, on the invitation of the captain, to see the ship when she was ready for sea, and was much pleased with the arrangements. They were remarkably suitable for respectable families of limited means: and, although the rate of passage is now considerably higher than it was for years before the gold discovery, it is still much lower than it used to be many years since. My father's family carried out with them a female servant to Sydney, in the year 1824, whose passage, in the steerage, cost £40. The best time for leaving this country is in the fall of the year, or in spring. The only dangerous part of the ,voyage is the English Channel; for when a vessel is once fairly out at sea, there is, generally speaking, nothing to fear. It is of little consequence at what season of the year an emigrant arrives in Australia, for the country is remarkably salubrious, and there are no acclimating fevers. Still, however, it is better, if it can be so ar- ranged, for an emigrant to arrive in that country in the -winter half year, as he will then be prepared for the greater heat of the summer when it comes. The summer months of this country are the winter months there. In general, there is both hot and cold weather on the voyage out, and the emigrant must make pro- vision for both; but he ought not to carry out with him much extra clothing of any kind; and as to mer- chandize, unless he is going out to open a shop or a store, and is carrying his goods with him, he ought WHERE AM I TO GO? 3 on no account to lay out a single sixpence in the pur- chase of anything to sell in the colony. There are long- headed people enough there already, who know far better than an emigrant going out for the first time, what is likely to be in demand, and who order out a stock in time accordingly. I once advised an intend- ing emigrant, who was going out to Australia with a capital of £1000, and who consulted me as to how he should carry out his money, not to expend one far- thing of it in merchandize. But he preferred taking the advice of the captain, who had never been in Australia more than himself, and he accordingly invested the whole of his funds in goods. The result was, he lost upon everything, and was ruined. WHERE AM I TO GO? There are two. colonies in Australia which have peculiar attractions for intending emigrants at the present moment; viz.: New South Wales and Port Phillip, the two great gold fields of that land of pro- mise: and to enable the intending emigrant to judge for himself, as to which of these colonies he should steer his course for, I shall subjoin a short description of each, beginning with the nearest of the two to England, viz.: PORT PHILLIP, OR THE COLONY OF VICTORIA. Port Phillip, or the colony of Victoria, was merely an appendage or dependency of New South Wales, till the 1st of July, 1851, when it was at length con- stituted a separate and independent colony. It is situated at the south-eastern corner of the great island- continent of Australia. Port Phillip, properly so called, is a gulf of the sea, running due north, about forty miles into the land, from Bass's Straits, and throwing out an arm of about twenty miles in length to the westward. Melbourne, the capital of 4 A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA. the colony, is situated at the head of the gulf, and Geelong, the second town in Port Phillip, at the extremity of the western arm. The distance between the two towns is about fifty miles, and the journey can be made both by land and water. There are steam- boats that ply to and fro daily. On the 1st of March, 1851, the population of Melbourne was above 23,000, and that of Geelong above 8,000; but both towns have since been greatly increased both in size and population, from the recent wonderful influx of people from the neighbouring colonies, as well as from the mother country and elsewhere. There are other three rising towns on the coast to the westward of Port Phillip, viz., Warnambool; Belfast, at Port Fairy; and Portland, at the Bay of the same name; besides several others of minor note in the interior. There are also settlements to the eastward of Port Phillip, at Western Port, and in Gippsland, where towns, which will ere long be important places for trade, are now in rapid formation. The climate of Port Phillip is pretty much like that of the south of England—rather hotter in summer, and considerably milder in winter. The agricultural productions are quite the same as those of England—wheat and all other descriptions of European grain, potatoes, vegetables and fruits. The country is generally level, and although it is used at present almost exclusively for pastoral pur- poses,—grazing immense flocks of sheep and herds of cattle—there is a large proportion of it adapted in the highest degree for agriculture. Port Phillip can scarcely be said to have a single navigable river that can be turned to any account; but the level character of the country will afford wonderful facilities for the construction of cheap wooden rail- ways, for which the native timber is remarkably well fitted. At present, communication to and from the capital is maintained by means of draught cattle— horses and oxen—exclusively. / SHALL I SO TO THE DIGGINGS? 6 1Mount Alexander, the principal Gold Field of this lony, is situated about seventy-five miles from Mel- urne in a north-westerly direction; and Bendigo Creek, another rich field, is about twenty-five miles farther. Ballarat, the first gold field discovered in Fort Phillip, is situated near Buninyong, about fifty miles from Geelong, also ia a north-westerly direction. BUT WHAT SHALL I DO AT PORT PHILLIP? SHALL I GO TO THE DIGGINGS? There are certain mawkish sentimentalists in this country—certain people who pretend to be a great deal better than everybody else—who strongly encou- rage emigration to Australia, but who endeavour to persuade the emigrant in a sort of whining tone by tio means to go to the diggings, as if there were some- thing morally wrong in going there! Now I should like to know where these wonderfully good people can find either reason or scripture for such advice. Are we not told in the word of God that the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof? The silver and the gold it contains are His, for He made it, that is, the earth, and deposited these precious metals in it, as in a bank of deposit, thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of years ago, that they might be searched for and found, and drawn forth, and turned to account by intelligent, enterprising and energetic men. It is the peculiar character of the government of Him who is Governor among the nations, that He does nothing in vain; but He must necessarily have done something in vain, if there were anything either morally wrong or in any way reprehensible in going to the diggings. The question as to whether any person should or should not engage in the direct search for gold, is a question not of morals but of expediency, which every person to whom it is pre- sented must decide for himself. No man is to be condemned merely because he thinks it his interest MELBOURNE AND THE CITY OF TENTS. 7 reat, and it takes a large sum to divide well among cc multitude of people, so as to give every one a Moderate share of i' It was estimated, for example, ^n the 1st of April last, that there were not fewer %an 50,000 people at the Port Phillip mines, and "he yield of gold at the time was ascertained to he mbout £100,000 in value every week. But this was inly £2 a-week for each person; and as a consider- able, perhaps a large number were getting much more than this average, it is evident that a still larger number must have been getting less. In these circumstances, the prudent man who can always *turn his skill and labour to a noble account at such 'times in his ordinary employment, should weigh it 1 well beforehand, whether he should throw away this 7 certainty for the chance of drawing a prize at the 'diggings, when the probability is that he may only draw a blank. If he is a young man and has set his heart upon going to the mines, I would say, "Go, by all means; you can easily find your way back again, if unsuccessful;" but if the emigrant happens to be the father of a family and has a good business of his own, which he can turn to a much better account than at other times, I would say, "Go, if you will; but you will probably be a great fool if you do." Supposing then that the emigrant has settled this point with himself, either before his arrival, or as soon after it as possible, the first step in the process, whatever he determines on, is to get up to Melbourne. MELBOUENE AND THE CITY OF TENTS. Vessels from England come to anchor in Hobson's Bay, at the head of the gulf, about three miles from the town, in a direct line, but from seven to nine, up the Yarra Yarra river, by water. There is a small steamboat that plies regularly between the town and the bay, calling alongside of newly arrived vessels, to carry the passengers and their luggage up to town; 8 A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA. heavier goods of all kinds being forwarded by lighters. On getting up to the town, the first thing to be done is to look for lodgings ; and if this was almost a hopeless task so long ago as in the month of April last, before there had been any arrivals from England, what must it be now, when 5000 a week have, for months past, been leaving the United Kingdoms, for the Australian colo- nies—the larger proportion for Port Phillip? It was stated by the colonial press, in April, that " the want of house accommodation is very seriously felt in Melbourne, and the most extravagant charges are made for very indifferent lodging. It is most diffi- cult, indeed, to procure accommodation at any price." Even then there were many living in tents around the town, and the number who will be living in this way now must be much greater. And as mechanical labour of all kinds will, under existing circumstances, be extravagantly high, it might not be imprudent for a family going out to engage in business in the town, to take a cottage in frame with them. I would have strongly dissuaded any person from doing so before the discovery of the gold fields, but the times are very much changed in this respect now. A tent may, doubtless, be a very tolerable sort of lodging during the summer half year, but it must be miserably cold and comfortless for a family in winter, as there are occasional falls of snow, even in Port Phillip, and a good deal of cold, bleak weather. OFE 10 THE DIGGINGS. If the emigrant has predetermined to take his chance at the diggings, or finds, on reaching Mel- bourne, that there is nothing else for him, he must form a party, which he will probably have done on shipboard, and start immediately, without losing a day in Melbourne, if he can make suitable arrange- ments for the purpose. Gold mining cannot well be pursued by any single individual. There must be a party working in concert. The party may be of any OFP TO THE DIGGINGS. 11 the square box with an iron plate bottom drilled full of holes at the head of the cradle, and then pouring water upon it from a tin pot fixed to a staff in his right hand, he rocks it with his left, just as if he were rocking an infant to sleep. When the earth and sand have been washed through the holes, the cradler examines the stones that remain in the box, as he may perhaps find a nugget of gold among them; but if he finds nothing of the kind, he throws out the stones on the heap, and repeats the process with another shovelfull of stuff. When this process has been gone through from perhaps ten to fifteen times, the cradler scoops out with a knife into a tin pan the stuff that has accumulated on the upper side of the ledges that divide the bottom of the cradle into three compartments, and holding the pan in an inclined position, after partly filling it with water, he gives it a circular motion, to throw off all the lighter matter over the lower edge of the pan. This is often rather a tedious operation, and it is one also of considerable delicacy; for the light scale-gold is often lost by being washed over the edge of the pan along with the sand and earth. When it is finished, the gold is found in the bottom of the pan and is emptied into a small tin box or leather bag, the general receptacle of the gains of the party. The work, it may be conceived, is very hard—as hard as that of a navvy on a railway; for the holes are often dug to the depth of twenty feet and upwards. The lodging is also hard enough, and the fare, although beef and mutton are abundant and cheap, is often, in other respects, indifferent. But in no case does the senti- ment of the poet apply more fully than in gold mining— "Hope springs eternal in the human breast." Leaving the party then to work their claim at the mines, and wishing them all success in this somewhat novel and wonderfully exciting branch of industry, 14 A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA. among the emigrants of the present period, who will have no intention either of going to the mines, or of engaging in business, but who will emigrate exclu- sively to settle on land, and to engage as agricultural settlers in its cultivation. What, then, are such, people to do? Where are they to go? And what are their prospects in Port Phillip? PORT PHILLIP AS AN AGRICULTURAL COUNTRY. Port Phillip, or the colony of Victoria, is about the size of Great Britain. It has ranges of moun- tains in various parts of its extent, some of which are of great elevation, and not unfrequently covered with snow; but, in general, it is a level country, and much of it is adapted in the highest degree for culti- vation. Within thirty miles of Melbourne there are many beautiful and fertile tracts of limited extent, well adapted for agricultural purposes; but the land within this distance of the capital is generally in the hands of private proprietors, and it is only in more distant localities that it can be purchased in sufficient extent, and at a sufficiently moderate price, to form eligible farms or estates for respectable settlers. The portions of the territory of Port Phillip, or the colony of Victoria, that are more peculiarly eligible for colonization are: 1st. The Western Plains; 2nd. J The country to the north-westward of Melbourne; I 3rd. Western Port; and 4th. Gippsland—all of which localities are of great importance in the colony, and admirably adapted for the settlement of an agricultural population. I. The Western Plains.—At the head of the western arm of Port Phillip is situated the harbour and town of Geelong; and from thence to. the Glenelg River near the western boundary, distant upwards of 200 miles, there is a continuous tract of country of an average breadth of 25 miles, and containing altogether PORT PHILLIP AS AN AGRICULTURAL COUNTRY. 15 at least 3,200,000 acres of land of the first quality for cultivation; and, at the same time, as remarkable for its natural beauty and the picturesque character of its scenery, as any nobleman's park in Great Britain. At its eastern extremity, this tract of country is sepa- rated from the Great Southern Ocean by a range of mountains, called the Marrack Hills, densely wooded, and abounding in magnificent timber, but almost impenetrable; but, about half-way to the Glenelg River, this range of mountains is interrupted, and the fertile tract extends right down to the Great Southern Ocean, from which it again recedes to the westward. The whole of this tract of country is remarkably level, the inequalities of its surface being quite incon- siderable, and the extensive plains which it presents are generally covered with a rich carpet of grass, with a solitary tree here and there, of a species called in the colony lightwood, not much larger than an apple-tree, with a vegetation somewhat similar to that of the orange or the bay-tree. To diversify the scenery, however, these plains are dotted all over at irregular distances with beautiful conical hills of from 500 to 800 feet in height, which are evidently of vol- canic origin, and which, at some former period of the earth's history, must have been powerfully active, the craters being, in several instances, quite distinct. There are also many beautiful lakes, of from thirty miles to half a mile in circuit, scattered over their whole extent, many of which are merely the craters of other extinct volcanoes. The soil of the plains is generally a rich black mould, and that of the hills, consisting of decomposed lava, of a deep chocolate colour, both descriptions of soil being exceedingly fertile, and suited to the growth of all descriptions of European grain. Some of the lakes are salt, and supply the inhabitants of the surrounding country with that indispensable article of subsistence in great quantities. On some parts of the plains the grass is so rich, and the climate so mild, that a single acre of 16 A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA. ground in its natural state, is capable of maintaining a bullock or heifer, without artificial food of any kind, all the year round; and from 50 to 60 bushels of -wheat have been reaped per acre, although the general produce is 35. The western part of this extensive tract of country is admirably adapted for the growth of flax, of which an indigenous species grows wild, and cevers hundreds of acres of ground with its beau- tiful blue flowers every year. It is' on the coast along these plains that the three rising towns of Warnambool, Belfast, and Portland, which I have already men- tioned, are situated; and as this splendid tract of country gets settled, which it will now do very rapidly, these towns will become places of great importance. The harbours at all the three places are of an indif- ferent character naturally, but they are all capable of great improvement. II. The Country to the North-Westward of Mel- bourne.—The country extending northward from Mel- bourne, the capital of the province, to the incipient town of Albury, on the Hume River (distant 210 miles, on the road to Sydney,) is crossed by the Goulburn River, (a stream about the size of the Clyde in Scotland,) at 56 miles from Melbourne; by the Broken River, at 130, and by the Ovens River, at .160 miles; both of which, however, are considerably smaller. The whole of these rivers, as also the Hume (which is 50 miles beyond the Ovens,) and the Mur- rumbidgee (which is 100 miles beyond the Hume,) both of which are larger than the Goulburn, take their rise in the Snowy Mountains, or Australian Alps, to the eastward, and pursue a westerly course, till they all successively unite and form the Murray, which disembogues into the Lake Alexandrina, ia South Australia, many hundred miles to the westward. From Melbourne to the Goulburn, the country is generally of volcanic origin, and much of it is of superior quality for cultivation; and from the Goul- burn to the Hume, there are many tracts of great 20 A UIDE TO AUSTRALIA. herd amounted—increase and purchases included— to 400 head; and as so large a herd could no longei be depastured near the principal town, he had obtainec a squatting licence from the Government to depas- ture them on the waste crown land (which cost; £10 a year), and the writer actually saw them, under charge of two of his sons, on the way to their static.: on the Murray River, about 200 miles distant from Melbourne. In the meantime he had purchased, witt the earnings of the family, (from a gentleman who had bought 5000 acres of land, at £1 an acre, which he selected within a few miles of Melbourne, in the hope of making a fortune from its rise in value,) 42 acres of ground, at £7 an acre, at a place called Brighton, on the sea-coast, within the gulf, abort six miles from the town. The whole of this land he had cleared, divided into paddocks, with rail-fences, and brought into a high state of cultivation; and as land of the same description immediately adjoining it had cost £5 an acre for clearing,—for it was heavily timbered—the real price of it may be considered as having been £12 an acre. The soil appeared to be light and sandy, but it bore crops of wheat of from 30 to 40 bushels an acre. M'Millan had rented; small farm adjoining his own during the year 1845 and from both he had reaped from 700 to 800 bushels of wheat, and collected 60 tons of oaten hay; and he considered himself, in 1846, worth altogether £11O0. M'Millan was not only an industrious but a pious and benevolent man, and his object in calling upon the writer in Melbourne, and stating his own case- (which he did at length,) was to entreat him, which he actually did with tears, to use his influence at home to get out as many as possible of his poor starving countrymen to a country where, with common industry and perseverance, they could not fail to do well. Now, there are hundreds and thousands of virtuous and industrious families in all parts of the United Kingdom, who would, in all likelihood, succeed just as PORT PHILLIP AS AN AGRICULTURAL COUNTRY. 23 sons; richer land never crow flew over than that in some parts of Port Phillip. Have you calculated at what price per hushel you could afford to grow wheat?—It would pay well if we could get five shillings a bushel for it. Do you not think persons who cultivated their own lands with the assistance of their families could afford to sell it for less ?—Yes, I think it would pay them as well at four shillings as it would pay me at five shillings. A man having the as- sistance of the members of his own family only in working his farm, can raise grain at a much cheaper rate than persons who pay for labour. Do you know many instances where immigrants who have come out as labourers have succeeded in establishing them- selves as farmers, stockholders, or land-owners ?—Yes, several men in my own employ have done 60. Are there numerous instances of that kind ?—I have known a good many. It is evident, therefore, that, independently alto- gether of the gold fields, there is a nohle prospect in Port Phillip for small farmers, and for respectable families of limited means, whether previously accus- tomed to farming or not, who may be desirous of obtaining a limited extent of eligible land of their own for the cultivation of the soil. Such persons and families will not fail to reap much benefit from the gold mines, although they should never go to the diggings themselves, from the population which the gold fields are attracting to the country, from the additional markets they are thus creating for all descriptions of agricultural produce, from the money they are circulating in all directions, and from the wonderful stimulus they are giving to trade in every department of industry, and in every walk of life. Let us hear no more then of the mawkish, whining cant about gold being the ruin and the curse of every country in which it has hitherto been dis- covered,—as if there were anything either wrong or sinful in drawing money out of God's bank, the bowels of mother earth, any more than there is in drawing it out of the Bank of England, the creation of mere earth-worms. What countries, I ask, or rather -24 A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA. -what people has the discovery of gold ever ruined? Oh, the Spaniards in South America, I shall be tolc —as if intelligent and energetic British and Americar Protestants were to be compared with the miserable, -abject, priest-ridden serfs of Popery in South America! whose only notion of freedom is anarchy, and whose only idea of government is blowing out each other': brains! I deny that it was the discovery of golc that ruined the Spaniards either in Europe or America; it was Popery and political despotism, which Popery uniformly upholds whenever it will serve her purposes, —it was this that ruined the Spaniards, just as it is degrading the French, and not the discovery of gold. Will any man presume to allege that Louis Napoleon could have played the contemptible pranks he is now playing, or established the degrading despotism under which he is now crushing the abject millions of France, in any country in which the English lan- guage is spoken, or among any people, whether British or American, to whom our common Protes- tantism is dear? So far from the discovery of gold being likely to prove either the ruin or the curse of California and Australia, I have no doubt whatever that it will enable the thoroughly Protestant commu- nities which it is raising up in both of these countries to assume, at a comparatively early period, the very -highest position, whether intellectually, socially, or politically, among the nations of the earth. When an emigrant wishes to purchase any extent of waste land in the Australian Colonies, he must notify his desire to the Local Government, by whom it is advertised and exposed for sale by auction at the first periodical sale. It is then put up at the mini- mum rate of a pound an acre, and if nobody bids more, the applicant gets it; but if it is eligibly situated, the probability is that he will not get it at that price, and that he will be obliged to pay considerably more. There was a most iniquitous piece of legislation per- petrated by the Imperial Parliament in the year THE AUTHOR'S VISIT TO THIS MINES. 33 Nepean, and the beautiful fertile plain, of rich alluvial land, on its banks. The river is 200 yards broad at the ferry. Then commenced the ascent of the Blue Mountains, rising gradually to a height of about 3,000 feet above the level of the sea. The climate is here quite different from what it is below—the weather being very cold on the mountains. Halted at the Weatherboard Hut for an hour or two at noon, and went to see a remarkable cataract in the neighbour- hood, where the scenery is magnificent; the water falling about a thousand feet into a deep dark wooded ravine. Descended to the inn at the foot of the Vittoria Pass, on the opposite side of the mountains, making a stage for the day of 46 miles. Passed many parties of ad- venturers on the mountains, on their way to the mines, with the never-failing cradle strapped on the top of their wagons, or fixed behind or below. 1st October.—Passed through the Vale of Clwyd, a fine grassy valley, 10 miles to Bowenfels, a rising village in the valley, where a National School is building, and then turned off the Bathurst road to the right, to reach the sources of the Turon. Arrived at Ben.Bullen, the estate of T. Cadell, Esq., under whose hospitable roof I spent the night; the journey for the day being about 32 miles. 2nd October.—Spent the whole of this day at Ben Bullen, riding out with Mr. Cadell to see some re- markable scenery in the neighbourhood, and, in par- ticular, the place where the Turon River is formed from the junction of three mountain streams or creeks, that rise within a few miles of Ben Bullen. Saw a small party of miners who were at work at the sources of the river, supposing they would be likelier to get gold in larger lumps and in great quantity, where it seemed to come from, than farther down the river; but they had not realized their expectations, nobody being able to tell where gold is to be found in quan- tity, till he makes the trial: there being no private entrance for directors into this great bank of de- ADDRESS TO THE DIGGERS. 39 its people, He who sits in the Heavens, and laughs at the impotent combinations of unprincipled men, had disclosed the existence of an extensive auriferous region in our midst, as the divinely appointed means of ensuring, not merely political liberty, but national existence and a brilliant and glorious future for Australia.* The star of our freedom then arose in the east, and multitudes will ere long come forth from our fatherland to worship the present Deity. In such circumstances, our duty to our country is simply to act in all things, as becomes the founders of a great nation— to show that we are not unworthy of the liberty we claim, that we are not unfit for the independence that awaits us. Finally, brethren, farewell. May the Lord bless and prosper you in all the labour of your hands; and while you are searching for the gold that perisheth, let me entreat you to Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all other things shall be added unto you. John Dunmore Lang, D.D. Moderator of tlie Synod of New South Wales. Sofala, Tttron River, 5th October, 1851. In the afternoon I walked up the river about three miles, and performed divine service to a congregation of about a thousand. No work of any kind was going on anywhere; and so far as I saw and heard, there was nothing to offend either the eye or the ear. The Romish Archbishop celebrated mass to his co-reli- gionists on the same day, on the opposite side of the river, and a clergyman of the Church of England officiated at Golden Point. 6th October.—Rode from Sofala to Bathurst, 27 miles; torrents of rain on the way. Bathurst is a well-built thriving town, with upwards of 2,000 inhabi- tants, and situated upwards of 2,000 feet above the level of the sea. It has a beautiful grassy plain in front of it, naturally clear of timber, and flanked by the Macquarie River, with a line of swamp oaks on either bank. Remained two days at Bathurst, and * The late Legislative Council, which had been summoned to pass the Electoral Act, by which a large proportion of the colonists are virtually disfranchised, was prorogued with a view to its dissolution - on the 3rd of May last: the gold discovery was announced in Sydney on the 6th. Our bane and antidote were thus both before us within the course of one short week. PROSPECTS IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 41 merous towns that are rapidly rising up all over the colony; many of which, from their favourable situa- tion, must necessarily become places of great impor- tance as centres of trade for extensive districts in a very few years. For although some of these towns are at a great distance from the gold fields, they are all experiencing the benefit of the great discovery in one way or other. It would be of no service to the in- tending emigrant to enumerate the principal towns throughout the colony, or to give him a census of their population. Suffice it to say, that in all the great divisions of the colony—southward, westward, and northward, both on the coast and in the interior— there are already towns of considerable population, in which numerous respectable families could establish themselves in all those branches of business that are carried on in the provincial towns of the mother- country, with the fairest prospects of success. But there will always be a large proportion of the emigrants to Australia, especially those with large families and limited means, who, whether they have been accustomed to business or not in this country, will go out expressly to settle on land, and to cultivate the soil. Now, I am decidedly of opinion that for all such emigrants, New South Wales presents a much more favourable prospect at the present moment than Port Phillip; inasmuch as the farmer in that colony can produce, in any quantity, and with a comparatively small amount, both of capital and labour, an article of great commercial value, and in constant demand in the home market, which the farmer in Port Phillip cannot—I mean cotton. The farmer in Port Phillip can grow nothing that cannot be grown equally well, and to any conceivable extent, in some part or other of New South Wales. And as the colonial market for farm produce is very limited, while the competition will, ere long, be greatly increased, not only by emi- grants from home, but by successful miners from the .diggings, who will invest their newly-acquired wealth. 44 A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA. "Chamber of Commerce and Manufactures, Manchester, July 15, 1852. "Reverend Sir—I have submitted the samples of Aus- tralian cotton, sent by you to the Chamber yesterday, to the criticism of our president, Thomas Bazley, Esq., whose knowledge and judgment in such matters are not surpassed by any gentleman connected with the trade. He has in- structed me to make the following report thereon, according to the numbers adopted in your schedule:— *' No. 1. Grown by Dr. Hobbs, of Brisbane: Excellent cotton, and in perfect condition for the spinner: value 22d. per lb. "No. 2. Grown by Mr. Douglas, of Ipswich: Eeally beau- tiful cotton; worth, if perfectly eleaned, 2s. per lb. "No. 3. Grown by the Rev. Mr. Gibson, 'Big Cream:' Very good cotton, but not well got up; worth 21d. per lb. "No. 4. Grown by the same: Very excellent, and in good condition; worth 28d. per lb. "No. 5. Grown by the same: Excellent cotton; worth 22d. per lb. "No. 0. Grown by A. Lang, Esq.: Short-stapled cotton, of the New Orleans class; worth 5Jd. per lb. "No. 7. Grown by Mr. Scobie: Good cotton; worth 20d. per lb. "No. 8. Grown by J. Bucknell, Esq.: Good and useful cotton, but of the common Sea Island class; now worth 18d. per lb. "No. 9. Grown by the same: Like the preceding; worth 17d. per lb. "I am further instructed to assure you, that in the pre- ceding estimates Mr. Bazley has been careful to keep within the limits which his own appreciation of. their worth would have led him to fix; and I am to express his opinion that such superior and excellent attributes of perfect cotton have been rarely seen in Manchester, and that your samples in- disputably prove the capability of Australia to produce most useful and beautiful cotton, adapted to the English markets, in a range of value from 6d. to 2s. 6d. per. lb. "I am, Reverend Sir, your most obedient Servant, Thomas Boothman, Secretary. "The Rev. John Dunmore Lang, D.D., Brunswick Hotel, Manchester." It thus appears that cotton-growing will not cost more than £5 per acre; probably considerably less than that amount would be sufficient, if it were grown in quantity. It is also estimated that the average yield 48 A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA. ble period) to render it unavailable to the recently established immigrant. It could not, however, be considered as a dis- advantage, having a portion of brush-land attached to each farm, inasmuch as it would not only afford timber for building, but would yield a ready, and almost inexhaustible supply of fuel for domestic purposes, and by this means become gradually cleared. Were it, however, my provin ee to determine on such situations as were most eligible, those possessed of a fruitful soil, in proximity with a never-failing supply of good water, I should select an island situated about twelve miles below the Settlement, and two flats, one on the south side of the river, opposite the Settlement, the other on the north bank, about twenty miles higher up. The probable area of the island may be about thirty square miles, the greater part of which is capable of being subdivided into farms, each possessing the advantage of being accessible to vessels. The description which I have given of the country in the vicinity of the Clarence will, with little exception, be equally applicable to that on the banks of the Richmond; the only difference being that where I have employed the word Flat, in speaking of the former, I should use the epithet Plain, when alluding to the corresponding localities on the latter— a distinction to which their vastly greater size, and almost total exemption from timber, justly entitles them. In- deed so great is their extent, that the river flows through an almost perfectly level valley, (seldom less than twelve miles wide,) for at least forty miles; nature displaying an inexhaustible fertility in the soil adjacent to its course, though in proportion as you recede from its banks, the land becomes less rich, and vegetation assumes a less luxuriant aspect. A striking peculiarity in these plains arises from the circumstance, that although surrounded by trees of a hundred varieties, still in surveying their vastness the eye seeks in vain for even a single shrub upon which to rest; whether it be that nature has denied the germs of trees to these fertile localities, or whether they were once covered with forests subsequently destroyed, forms a question rather difficult to resolve; as the country on the banks of the Rich- mond is in general plentifully supplied with water, even below the point at which the river ceases to be fresh. It would be altogether absurd my endeavouring to indicate any particular situation as being more eligible than another; let it, therefore, suffice to say, (and I am sure I do not speak unadvisedly when I assert,) that there is a sufficiency of land of the most astonishingly fertile nature, in the valley of the Richmond, to afford ample scope for the entire surplus population of Britain, even without 54 A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA. marvel is, there are not more, considering the hard, exposed, and intemperate lives of many. The scenery here is for the most part monotonous, although from many of the ranges there are some fine, bold views, reminding me of the magnificent scenery of Jamaica. Had wo less timber, and more cultivation, we should have much to delight the lovers of the picturesque; however, even now, there is as much difference between this place and your Sydney sand hills, as between a desert and a tropical garden. The Clarence and Richmond Rivers have, in common with others in Australia, bar entrances, which are great drawbacks; but with steamers this may, in a great measure, be overcome.* Very few wrecks occur on the bars, although the Clarence has about six sailing vessels, and the Richmond twelve or more, taking in cedar. These vessels are from 60 to 130 tons, and cross the bars when wind and tide serve safely, and sail up the Clarence 45 miles, and some 80 np the Richmond. The length of the Clarence, which takes its rise in New England, is about 140 miles, and it is salt for nine months in the year for about twelve miles above the township. Its average width is half a mile, and it is naviga- ble fifty miles. It is a magnificent river, unsurpassed by any in the colony, and reminding one of the Thames. The banks have belts of beautiful scrub fringing the water, and covered with parasitical plants, vines, and creepers, forming a beautiful drapery. The trees on the banks of the Clarence, are chiefly the Indian-fig, the gum, swamp-oak, turpentine, cedar, (now nearly exhausted, save in the mountain scrubs and other places on the river which are too far to pay,) nettle, hickory, and many other scrub-trees, tall, thick, and ancient-looking. The banks of the Richmond look, in places, more tropical; having great numbers of tall mountain cabbage trees, and tall, stout, and splendid pines. Also, in the inland scrubs, some of the finest cedars in the colony are found. The rivers abound with fine fish—eels, cod, herrings, perch, mullet, bream, guardfish, pike, jackfish, oysters, shrimps, &c A fisherman would do well at this river. At present ourprincipal fishermen are the blacks, and porpoises,+ which come fifty miles up the river. There are many wild ducks, geese, swans, pelicans, cranes, kingfishers, &c, on the rivers, creeks, and lagoons; and on land, crows, eagle-hawks, pigeons, cockatoos, and parrots of * There is now a regular communication by steam vessels between Sydney and the Clarence River. + This is the actual fact: the porpoises drive the fish into the neis of the black natives, who have consequently a great respect for them CAPABILITIES OF THE CLARENCE DISTRICT. 59 out the best in New South Wales, and perhaps to equal those of Mount Alexander, are within 150 miles of the Clarence River; and the settler on that river, where horses are remarkably cheap, might easily transfer himself, if he chose, for a few months during the slack season of the year, to these diggings. If a few families, or individuals, were acting in concert, so as to leave somebody behind to look after everything while the others were absent for a few months, this might be done with the greatest facility. This, in fact, has been actually done by certain members of two families that I know, that are settled as farmers on the coast of New South Wales. Three young men, whose families are settled near the Manning River, went to California, and were there for a year, working for a time as draymen, in San Francisco, with horses and carts which the captain of their vessel had carried over with him, on speculation, from Sydney, and then going to the mines. They had been very successful during their absence. I saw two of them on their return, in November, 1850; and they are now at the Hanging Rock, and doing remarkably well, returning occasionally at seed-time and harvest to assist in the labours of the farm. These young men could have gone to Port Phillip as easily as many others; but from what they had seen in California, they thought they had a good enough gold country nearer home. On the whole, I am decidedly of opinion, that the colony of New South Wales, (and especially the cotton fields of that colony,) afford at this moment a much more eligible prospect for reputable families of limited means proposing to settle on land than Port Phillip. The cost of settlement in New South Wales will be much less at present than in Port Phillip. Equally good land will be obtainable there at a lower price, and will grow an article of agricultural produce that cannot be grown in Port Phillip, and that will always command a market in England. And while the cost RELIGION AND EDUCATION. 61 Jews Mahometans and Pagans Other persuasions 979 852* 740 Total population 187,243 Of whom there are, Males .. 100,299 Ditto ditto Females 81,014 Most of the denominations above-mentioned have ministers and places of worship, both in town and country, all over the territory, although in many of the more recently settled localities, the provision is still very deficient. It is much easier however to make provision for the support of the ordinances of religion in an agricultural community, where the population is comparatively dense, than in a pastoral community where it is widely dispersed. There would be no difficulty therefore in settling a minister of their own communion in any particular locality if a number of families were emigrating and settling together. Such families, if intending to settle at the Clarence River, would land either at Sydney or New- castle, in New South Wales, and proceed thence by steamboat to Clarence River. Newcastle is 70 miles nearer the latter river, than Sydney; and as it is the great coal-field of the colony, the steam-boats running along the coast uniformly touch there for coals. It would be a much less expensive place for emigrants to land at than Sydney, and it is at the entrance of one of the finest districts of the colony, viz., that of Hunter's River, which has a population of upwards of 30,000 souls. * This item has been much increased of late from numerous impor- tations of Chinese labourers—a very questionable importation indeed. 70 A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA. provided the right means are taken for their location and / settlement.—I am, . 92 A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA. Easy, 90 head, 700 lb. at 30s., Blakeney;—90 head, 550 lb. at 21s., York; Lord, 100 head, 750 lb. at 40s., Hill and Argent. Sheep.—Walker, 800 head, 48 lb. at 4s. 9d., Piesley. Horse Stock.—Mr. Burt's sales at Stewart's Horse Bazaar, since last report, number 101 head, viz., 56 at prices varying from £3 to £8 each, 33 from £8 to £16 each, two at £18 each, two at £20 each; also a pair of carriage horses at £24 10s., two pairs at £30, and one pair at £65. A large demand still exists for heavy draught, coach and carriage horses; the past week's sales have fully maintained prices for each class of useful horses; small, poor, and unbroken stock remain unsaleable. SETTLERS' WHOLESALE PRICE CURRENT. Wheat.—Is realizing from 5s. to 5s. 9d. per bushel. Flour.—The mills quote, fine £18, seconds £16 per ton. Maize.—Is realizing—new 2s. 6d. to 2s. 9d., old 3s. to 3s. 6d. English Barley.—Dull in sale. Cape Barley.—Sales moderate at from 2s. 3d. to 2s. Od. Hay.—Is scarce, and worth about £6 to £7 per ton. Butter.—Is worth from Is. 4d. to Is. 6d. Cheese.—If good, in demand, at from 6d. to 7d. per lb. Bacon and Hams.—None. Eggs.—Are worth from Is. 4d. to Is. 6d. per dozen. Fat Pigs.—Small sizes, in good condition very saleable. Calves.—Nominal. Sheep.—Plentiful. Bullocks.—The market continues well supplied, and no deviation in prices. Tallow.—In shipping order, is worth from £25 10s. to £26. Hides.—In good condition, at from 5s. to 7s. each. Tobacco.—Plentiful, and prices declining. Henry Ferris, Commission Agent. Pitt^street, near the Theatre. Sydney, May 14,1852. The following Statistical Notices may not be unin- teresting to the reader, while they will illustrate the general condition of these colonies, and the prospects of business or employment which they hold forth for per- sons in many different lines of life:— Statistics of New South Wales and Port Phillip. Population of both colonies on the 1st of January, 1851, 265,503. Ditto 1st March, 1851, New South Wales 187,243; Port Phillip 77,000.