The Gold Colonies of Australia Than Has Ever Before Been Brought Within So Moderate a Com Pass and Price
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About Google Book Search Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at http : //books . google . com/ THE GOLD COLONIES OF AUSTRALIA: COMPRISING THEIR HISTORY, TERRITORIAL DIVISIONS, PRODUCE, AND CAPABILITIES, HOW TO GET TO THE GOLD MINES, AND EVEEY ADVICE TO EMIGEANTS. By G. BUTLER EARP, PORtfERLY MEMBER OP THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OP NEW ZEALAND ; AUTHOR OP " HANDBOOK TO NEW ZEALAND," ETC. mm * 3P«*. LONDON: GEO. ROUTLEDGE & CO., 2, FARRINGD ON-STREET. 1852. £.-7W-t;3 PKEFACE. THE primary object of the present volume is to give to the general reader and intending emigrant a complete account of the Gold Fields of Australia; their rise, progress, and present condition. The second object, to afford him as complete an insight into the country in which this extraordinary discovery has been made. To supply him, in short, with a larger mass of practical information relative to the gold colonies of Australia than has ever before been brought within so moderate a com pass and price. The mode of conveying this information will be to give to the reader, in the fewest words possible, a just and general idea of the gold colonies, leaving him to infer what are his chances of success if he emigrate to them. The ideas prevalent in England with reference to these are vague in the extreme, and the emigrant has been but little aided in the endeavour to render them otherwise, either by books written by colonists, which are for the most part nothing more than essays on crotchets of their own, or by books professedly written for the promotion of emigration, in which all kinds of high-coloured statements are set forth, either from ignorance or intention. The author's plan is to lay the country before his reader as it is,—to shew him that it is a country resembling England in all but climate and poverty,—mapped out into counties and dis tricts similar to those of the mother-country, these being to a considerable extent already occupied; that its constitution is completely British, as is also its society; so that, in place of emigrating to unknown lands, only to encounter all sorts of M309287 iV PREFACE. difficulties, as is generally believed, the emigrant is merely shifting his quarters from one portion of the British empire to another, and that the most prosperous portion;—from a di vision of the empire where he must beg of his brother man permission to labour for very inadequate hire, to another division where his brother man will beg of him to labour at an ample rate of remuneration, and where his labour will inevita bly lead, and that in a brief space of time; if accompanied by prudence and intelligence, to an easy independence;—not per haps the independence of great fortune, but the independence of easy circumstances, which will place him beyond caring for the patronage or the favour of any around him, instead of the humiliating subservience to which he is often compelled to stoop whilst at home in order to gain a precarious subsistence. In pursuance of this plan, the book consists of a mass of bare facts, leading the reader from the first discovery of the Austra lian continent to its condition at the present day. From these he can judge for himself. He will find no high-coloured state ments of the wonderfuLfortune which he has only to put out his hand and take hold off, nor will he find any ingenious array of statistics to prove any particular case; not a figure being used throughout which will not convey practical information, nor any knowingly omitted which will convey it. In the geographical portion of the volume, the Author begs to acknowledge the aid derived from the valuable work of Mr. "Wells, published a few years ago in the colony,—a work which entitles its compiler to a high rank amongst the literary la bourers of his adopted country. He has alsOj in several instances, consumed with advantage a volume published^ last year by Mr. Melville. Australian Gazette Office, London, June 10, 1852. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. THE COMING AUSTRALIAN EMIGRATION. The gold fields—Chances for Australian cultivators—Classes who should emi grate—The poor—The middle class—The aristocracy—What each can do on their arrival out—Shepherds—Mechanics—rClasses wanted—Cattle forming as a beginning—Colonial ideas of rank—Aristocratic enterprise in colonies—Female emigration . , . page CHAPTER II. HISTORY OP AUSTRALIAN DISCOVERT. Early conjectures as to the existence of a * Great Sonth Land "—Chinese discovery of Australia probable—Marco Polo's chart-~Expedition of De Quiros from Peru—Discovery of Torres Straits—Early Dutch navigators —Their (Hseoveriee on the north coast—The Durfhctt—The BiukragJU— Dirk Hartog's discoveries—Caraten's— Discoveries by his marauding crew — Gerrite Tomaz Pool—The Mauritius—The X*****—The Bat a* via—The PI<WI*»—The first expedition of Tasman— His second expe dition—Dampier—Captain Cook—His various landings on the coast— Ke-discovery of Torres Straits—Taking possession of Australia—Marion —Tobias—Purneaux—D'Entrecasteaux—Causes of first establishment of a British colony—Expedition of convicts under Captain Phillip—His refusal to land them at Botauy Bay—Discovery of Sydney Harbour- Arrival of the BoussoU and Astrolabe—Removed, of the fleet from Botany Bay to Sydney Cove—Establishment of the Government—Subsequent ex plorers—Bass — Hinders — Discovery of Bass's Strait — Grant—Start, Mitchell, Leichhardt, &c.—Discovery of gold • • page 12 VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER III. HABB0UR9 AND RIVERS OF THE SETTLED PORTION OF AUSTRALIA. Twofold Bay—Bateman's, Jervis, and Botany Bays—Port Jackson—Broken Bay—Port Hunter—Port Macquarie—Moreton Bay—Rivera—Hawkesbury —Macleay—Clarence—Richmond—Brisbane—Shoalhaven—Manning— Macquarie—Murrumbidgee—Murray—Lake Alexandrina—Darling — Peel River—Harbours of Victoria—Portland Bay—Western Port—South Aus tralian Ports—Ports of Western Australia .... page 35 CHAPTER IV. NEW SOUTH WALES—TERRITORIAL DIVI8ION. Extent—Counties—Argyle—Auckland—Bathurst—Bligh —'Brisbane—Cook —Cumberland — Gloucester—Hunter—Macquarrie—Murray—Phillip— Roxburgh—Westmoreland—Stanley—Squatting districts . page 54 CHAPTER V. NEW SOUTH WALES. Towns of New South Wales—Sydney—The Harbour—English air of Sydney —The Market—Hyde-park—Emancipists—Appearance of the city—Streets —Public buildings—Botanic Garden—Public institutions—Religious esta blishments—Manufactures—Bishoprics—Presbyteries—Revenue—Bathurst —Paramatta — Newcastle — Maitlaud—Morpeth — Windsor—Berrima— Wollongong—Boyd Town—Liverpool—Penrith—Appin—Port Macquarie —Roads page 67 CHAPTER VI. NEW SOUTH WALES. General features—Climate—Diseases—Seasons—Soil—Vegetable productions —Fruits—Seed time and harvests—Clearing—Land—Mode of obtaining it —Squatting runs—Coal mines—Convict system—Statistics—Comparison