hand, and Dutch boors, scarcely less savage or less dishonest, on the other.

The next quarter of the world to which emigration may be directed is that which forms the subject of the work under review.

With regard to soil and climate, the continent of Australasia is most inviting. Extending from the 20th to the 44th degeee of south latitude, it comprehends almost all the varities of a tropical climate, together with the best qualities of the temperate zone. In the various districts of its extensive coast, it is therefore capable of raising all the valuable productions both of Europe and Asia. This proud boast may indeed be almost made in favour of the spots which have already been planted. "The climate of the colony," says Mr. Wentworth, "particularly in the inland districts, is highly salubrious, although the heats of summer are sometimes excessive, the thermometer frequently rising in the shade to ninety, and even to a hundred degrees and upwards of Fahrenheit. This, however, happens only during the hot winds; and these do not prevail, upon an average, more than eight or ten days in the year. The mean heat, during the three summer months, December, January, and February, is about 80° at noon. This, it must be admitted, is a degree of heat that would be highly oppressive to Europeans, were it not that the sea-breeze sets in regularly about 9 o'clock in the morning, and blows with considerable force from the north-east till about 6 or 7 o'lock in the evening. It is succeeded during the night by the land-breeze from the mountains, which varies from west-south-west to west." In the three winter months, the mean heat at day-light is from 40° to 45°, and at noon from 55° to 60°. Such is the temperature at Port Jackson, but, on the mountains and in the country to the westward of them, the climate is much more temperate, whilst in Van Diemen's Land, it may be taken in all seasons of the year at ten degrees below the average heat already mentioned. In these situations, indeed, all the seasons are more distinctly marked, and bear a much stronger resemblance to the corresponding ones at home. Eight months of the year," says our author, possess a temperature so highly moderate and congenial to the human constitution, that the climate of this colony would, upon the whole, appear to justify the glowing enthusiasm of those who have ventured to call it the Montpellier of the world."

66

The soil of New South Wales, we are told, for the distance of five or six miles from the coast, is in general extremely barren, but beyond this worthless girdle, the country begins suddenly to improve, and the trees of the forest rise to the most stately dimensions from a thin layer of vegetable mould, resting on a stratum of yellow clay. This description of soil forms a second girdle of about ten miles in breadth; but when the traveller has advanced twenty miles into the interior, he finds himself at length gratified with a country truly beautiful. An endless variety of hill and dale, clothed in the most luxuriant herbage, indicate that he is in regions fit to be inhabited by civilized man. rich loam resting on a sub-stratum of fat red clay, several feet in depth, is found even on the tops of the highest hills, which in general do not yield in fertility to the vallies. There is here no underwood,

A

and the number of trees upon an acre do not, on an average, exceed thirty. The banks of the rivers are unfortunately subject, as we have already noticed, to destructive inundations; but their fertility is so wonderful, that the same acre of land has there been known to produce, in the course of one year, 50 bushels of wheat, and 100 of maize.

But it is to the capitalist who has the means of embarking largely in the breeding of fine woolled sheep that New South Wales offers the greatest encouragement.* On this subject our author expresses him

* The latest advices from the colony have been received by the Foxhound, and contain information up to the 13th June, which arrived too late for insertion in the text. By these it appears that a communication has been opened to the delightful country beyond the Blue Mountains, of easy access, running through lands of the first description. The colonists are indebted for this acquisition to their resources to the exertions of C. Throsby, Esq. a large land and stock-holder, many years resident in New South Wales. Mr. Throsby was, on the whole, occupied fifteen days on the expedition, his progress being protracted from several of his party falling sick, and bad weather; but by the delay he had greater opportunity of examining the country on each side of his route; and in his letter to the gentleman from whom we have this information, he says—“ I have no hesitation in stating, we have a country fit for every and any purpose, where fine-woolled sheep may be increased to any amount, in a climate peculiarly congenial to them; ere long you will hear of a route being continued to the southward, as far as Twofold-bay, and so on further in succession through a country as much more beautiful and superior to the Cow-pastures, as that now enviable district is to the land contiguous to Sydney, and where our herds, our flocks, and our cultivation may unlimitedly increase, at an inconsiderable distance from the great and grand essential in a young colony-water carriage."

The progress of the settlements in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land has been so rapid, that they now possess, of their own growth, all the necessaries of life, and they are enabled to make exportation of a surplus produce. They have lately sent horses to Batavia, cattle and salted meat to the Isle of France, and flour to the Cape of Good Hope, to assist in meeting the distresses which the inhabitants of that territory have experienced for the want of grain. Nor do these colonies less contribute to the wants of the mother country, which they supply with sperm, black oil, seal-skins of a superior description, and wools of a quality vying with the best Saxon and Spanish. The ship Surrey is on her way to England, freighted with these valuable articles. The exertions of the colonists have hitherto been much retarded by the duties imposed on the exports, but there is reason to hope these impediments will be removed, as a petition for that purpose, signed by the principal colonists, has been transmitted to the Legislature, by the Governor. We are now enabled to annex an abstract of the last public muster, concluded in the different set

self with a degree of enthusiasm, which he seldom indulges on any other. Keeping in view what has formerly been said of the policy of giving every encouragement to the cultivation of wool in the colony, we beg the particular attention of our readers to the following quotations:

"It may be safely asserted, that of all the various openings which the world at this moment affords for the profitable investment of money, there is not one equally inviting as this single channel of enterprise offered by the colony. The proof of this assertion I shall rest on a calculation so plain and intelligible, as I hope to be within the scope of the comprehension of all. Before we proceed, however, it is necessary to settle a few points, as the data on which this calculation is to be founded, viz. the value of wool, the weight of the fleece, and the number of sheep to be kept in a flock. With regard to the value of the wool grown in this colony, the last importations of the best quality averaged five shillings and sixpence per pound in the fleece. This was sold last month (March, 1819;) and as the market was at that time overcharged, and as moreover the best description of wool yet produced in this colony is far from having attained the perfection of which it is capable, and which a few more crosses with the pure breed will undoubtedly effect in it, it may be safely concluded, that this is the lowest price at which this sort of wool will ever be sold. This will be more evident, if we contemplate the gradual rise in value, which the wool from the same gentleman's flocks has experienced during the last four years. In 1816, it was sold for 2s. 6d. per pound in the fleece; in March, 1818, for 3s. 6d. per pound; in July, 1818, for 4s. 4d. per pound; and in March, 1819, for 5s. 6d. per pound in the fleece. For some of this last quantity of wool, properly sorted and washed, Mr. Hurst of Leeds was offered 9s. per pound, and refused it. To take the future average price of wool at 5s. 6d. per pound, is, therefore, forming an estimate, which in all probability will fall far short of the truth. However, let this be one of our data; and let us allow three pounds, which is also an estimate equally moderate, as the average weight of each fleece. The weight of a yearling's fleece may be taken at three quarters of a pound, and the value of the wool at 2s. 9d. per pound. The number

tlements in November last, when the following results were ascertained :

:

Total of the population of the territory, 25,050 souls, being an increase, in one year, of nearly 5,000 inhabitants.

Acres of wheat in cultivation

Ditto of ground ready for maize

20,100

3,400

Ditto of barley, oats, peas, and beans in cultivation

1,900

Ditto of potatoes

730

Ditto of gardens and orchards

990

Ditto of cleared ground

49,600

The settlers are supplying the Government stores with fresh beef, and mutton, and pork, at 6d. per lb. The average market price of wheat in May and June last was 8s. 6d. per bushel; and other necessaries of life equally reasonable.

The inhabitants of New South Wales were accommodated with a Newspaper within a few years of its establishment; and we see announced, in one of its last numbers, that a literary periodical publication was to make its appearance the first of last month, under the title of The Australasian Magazine and Quarterly Register of Agricultural and Commercial Information, the Fine Arts, &c.

of ewes generally kept in a flock by the best breeders are about 330, and we will sup pose that the emigrant has the means of purchasing a flock of this size of the most improved breed; this, with a sufficient number of tups, may be had for £1000. These points being determined, let us now proceed to our calculation.”

Here follows a detailed calculation of the profits of a flock of 330 sheep, of the best breed, for three years, which it is unnecessary to insert. Our author then proceeds as follows:

"It will be seen, that with the most liberal allowances for all manner of expenses, casualties, and deteriorations, capital invested in this channel will yield the first year an interest of 13 per cent. besides experiencing itself an increase of nearly 24 per cent.; that the second year it will yield an interest of nearly 25 per cent. besides experiencing itself a further increase of rather more than 37 per cent.; and that the third year it will yield an interest of nearly 37 per cent. besides experiencing itself an additional increase of about 42 per cent.; or, in other words, money sunk in the rearing of sheep in this colony will, besides paying an interest of about 75 per cent. in the course of three years, rather more than double itself. Here then is a mode of investing capital by which the proprietor may insure himself not only an annual inte rest, the ratio of which would augment every year in the most astonishing progression, but by which the capital itself also would experience an advance still more rapid and extraordinary. Any person, therefore, who has the means of embarking in this speculation, could not fail with common attention to realize a large fortune in a few years. His chance of so doing would be still greater if he should happen to be ac quainted with the management of sheep. But this is by no means an indispensable qualification; for such is the fineness of the climate, both in the settlements in New Holland and Van Diemen's Land, that all those precautions which are necessary to be observed in this county, in order to shelter this animal from the inclemency of the seasons, are there quite superfluous: sheds, indeed, are not only useless, but injurious; the flocks never do so well as when they are continually exposed to the weather. It is only necessary that the folds should be shifted every other day, or if the sheep are kept by night in yards, to take care that these are daily swept out."

We have no means of ascertaining what deductions ought to be made from this very flattering statement on account of contingencies and localities which the author may have neglected to take into account; but it admits of large allowances without ending in discouragement; and were it not for the state of the colony, both in a moral and political point of view, we should be inclined to think that there is no place in the world to which government could with a greater certainty of success divert our superfluous population. Indeed we have reason to believe, that the preference due to it is already well understood, and will influence any future grants for this purpose. The character of the colonial government, however, as well as of the inhabitants, forms, at present, an insuperable bar; and all plans for directing emigration to this quarter, must be preceded by a total change of system. But there is much reason to hope that other settlements may be formed in New South Wales, entirely unconnected with that of Botany Bay, and under better auspices. The Coal river flows into the sea about sixty miles to the north of Port Jackson; and the facilities for colonization furnished by the district which it waters, are perhaps not inferior to any that can be found combined in any other part of the globe.

"It possesses," says Mr. Wentworth, "a navigable river, by which its produce may be conveyed to market at a trifling expense, and the inhabitants of its most remote parts may receive such articles of foreign or domestic growth and manufacture

as they may need, at a moderate advance: it surpasses Port Jackson in the general fertility of its soil, and at least rivals it in the salubrity of its climate: it contains in the greatest abundance coal, lime, and many varieties of valuable timber which are not found elsewhere, and promise to become articles of considerable export: it has already established, in an eligible position, a small nucleus of settlers to which others may adhere, and thus both communicate and receive the advantages of society and protection; and it has a town which affords a considerable market for agricultural produce, and of which the commanding localities must rapidly increase the extent and population."

To this enumeration of advantages, we may add that the harbour is secure and spacious; and that the town, which is at present filled with notorious offenders among the convicts, who have been condemned to the punishment of this second transportation, and who work in chains, could, with the greatest ease, be cleared of its present inhabitants to make way for a sounder population. We hope government will turn their serious attention to this.

Van Diemen's Land, with a climate still more congenial to a British constitution, possesses also peculiar facilities for colonization. It is exempt from those calamitous consequences which so frequently occur in the parent colony from a superabundance of rain at one time, and a deficiency of it at another. It has harbours in every part of the island, superior to all others which the world can boast of; and large tracts of land perfectly free from timber and underwood, and covered with the most luxuriant herbage, are to be found in all directions.

"This sort of land," says our author, "is invariably of the very best description, and millions of acres still remain unappropriated, which are capable of being instantly converted to all the purposes of husbandry. There the colonist has no expense to incur in clearing his farm: he is not compelled to a great preliminary outlay of capital, before he can expect a considerable return; he has only to set fire to the grass, to prepare his land for the immediate reception of the ploughshare; so that, if he but possess a good team of horses, or oxen, with a set of harness, and a couple of substantial ploughs, he has the main requisites for commencing an agricultural establishment, and for ensuring a comfortable subsistence for himself and family."

It

But there is a new discovery in the interior of New Holland, which promises to be the most important that has yet been made; and which if it, in any degree, fulfil the expectations it has excited, will open an almost inexhaustible field for future colonization. We allude to the Macquarie; a great navigable river which has already been found to flow through that continent. The nature of this discovery, and of the hopes to which it has given rise, will be best understood by a quotation from a letter addressed to the governor by Mr. Oxley, the person who, about two years ago, made the survey of the river. may be necessary to premise, that previous to this period, not one river navigable for vessels of any considerable burden, had been known to exist in the whole continent of New Holland, notwithstanding the diligent search which had been made. The expedition in question had been undertaken for the express purpose of tracing the course of another river, the Lachlan, which had been observed in the neighbourhood of the new settlement of Bathurst, beyond the Blue Mountains. This river, however, from which high hopes had been formed, after traversing with all its windings about 1200 miles, without being joined by a single tributary stream, was found, instead of reaching the sea,