sick or maimed, which abound in England; and it appears only reasonable to urge that the emigrant labourer, in exchange for an exile, which is often reluctantly consented to, is fairly entitled to wages of sufficient amount to meet the contingencies of sickness and infirmity, as well as to enable him to live in more comfort than in England, or else to command a surplus income. It is clear, that if he has only enough to exist upon, and to provide for those misfortunes which in England are alleviated gratis, he would be no better off in a pecuniary way than in the old country, unless his condition here had brought him to the imprisonment and degradation of a workhouse.

128

CHAPTER V.

SYDNEY.

In this Chapter the reader is requested to join me in the voyage from Melbourne to Sydney, and during my short sojourn at the latter capital, after which we shall be prepared for some remarks applying generally to the colony of New South Wales. The steamboat which usually ran between Melbourne and Sydney had been just laid up for a time, and I was therefore compelled to join a sailing vessel, or to purchase a horse and ride overland 550 miles. This latter plan I was very much inclined to adopt, there being a regular beaten road with inns at convenient distances, but was dissuaded from it, not only by the want of company, and by the certainty of experiencing considerable difficulty and delay in crossing some of the rivers and creeks (it being the depth of winter, when, during so long a time as the ride must necessarily have occupied, heavy rains were sure to be en

countered); but by the information of several gentlemen who had traversed the overland route, that for the first 350 miles, or more, there was nothing to repay a traveller in the character or variety of the scenery. I therefore determined to go by sea, and accordingly took a passage for ten guineas in the Christina, a capital brig of 126 tons, trading regularly between Melbourne and Sydney. The little water she drew enabled her to ascend the Yarra Yarra and lie along the quay, which was generally a great convenience, but with which, could we have foreseen the delay that occurred, we would have gladly dispensed, as, in descending the river, the iron steam-boat which had been engaged to tow the brig to Hobson's Bay, very awkwardly ran her with considerable force on a mud bank just at the mouth of the river, and as the tide was fast ebbing, we were left to our fate for the night, an agreeable "fix" from which we did not escape for thirty-six hours. Being baffled by contrary winds in Bass' Straits for two or three days, and obliged to make frequent tacks, and to keep a sharp look out on account of the small islands and rocks which make the navigation dangerous in hazy and bad weather, we thus saw more than we wished of the Straits. Kent's Group, Hogan's Group, Great Island and the Devil's Tower were presented to us over and over again, whilst Judgment Rock, lying concealed under the water, and having many a

wreck to answer for, was the more dreaded because invisible.

The ninth night brought us into Port Jackson, the fine and beautiful harbour of Sydney, and which is not only universally admired, but considered amongst the harbours of the world to be second only to that of Rio Janeiro. It is completely landlocked-has within it a multitude of bays and coves -is uniformly deep enough to allow vessels of any tonnage to take in and discharge their cargo alongside the quays and wharfs-is capacious enough for the ships of every flag, and yet is not so large as to remove a spectator at any time too far from the picture around, and it is surrounded by wooded heights and rocky elevated land throwing out numberless points or promontories, sometimes of a bold character and sometimes of captivating softness. On every side, in situations either of commanding view or tranquil seclusion, but all contributing to the beauty of the scene are a great many princely mansions, cottages ornées, &c. To add to the picturesque variety of this noble harbour, are occasional islands, and in positions well adapted for the purpose, forts, and batteries recently erected by the government; whilst to give it appropriate life, ships from all nations and steam-boats crowded with busy passengers are constantly passing to and fro-no day elapsing without several vessels arriving and departing.

Port Jackson is only five or six miles north of

Botany Bay discovered by Captain Cook, and formerly of such unenviable distinction.

For the first night I took up my quarters at "the Royal Hotel" which was then and probably is now in an unfinished state. It was not perhaps the most aristocratic in Sydney, though a great deal the largest. It was confidently asserted that 30,0007. had already been expended in its erection, and that as much more would be required to complete it. The ball-room was of most noble dimensions, the coffee and private rooms were large and numerous, and the dormitories could scarcely be counted.

The hotels are very crowded at particular seasons when the wool is sent into Sydney, a great many settlers then visiting the capital for the threefold purpose of disposing of their wool, purchasing stores and other necessaries, and enjoying a little change and holiday, and the benefit of communication with stockholders on a like errand from the interior. During the remainder of the time I passed in Sydney, I lived in lodgings over a shop, the rent for three well-furnished rooms being two guineas a week. My stay was confined to a few weeks only, but as I had no other business than to procure a passage to India, ample opportunities were afforded of seeing the town thoroughly, and also some of the neighbouring places.

Sydney is certainly an extraordinary place, and if the colony continues to progress as it has done during