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 Pulsford 
 
 The Rise, Progress, and present 
 Position of Trade and Commerce 
 in New South Wales
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 'ulDlislied by Authority of the New South Wales Commissioners 
 pi the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893. 
 
 THE 
 
 RISE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION 
 
 RADE AND COMMERCE 
 
 IN 
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 
 s? 
 
 BY 
 
 
 
 EDWARD PULSFORD;^r,^ c> 
 
 s^ A rf 
 
 0' 
 
 
 SYDNEY : CHARLES POTTER, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. 
 
 12A 153—92 
 
 1892.
 
 { 
 
 k* 

 
 h 
 
 ^qt 
 
 The Rise, Progress, and Present Position of Trade 
 and Commerce in New Sonth Wales. 
 
 By EDWARD PULSFORD. 
 
 The people of N"ew 8outli AVales, though they yet barely number one and a 
 
 quarter million souls, feel that they have a history and a position which 
 
 contain much of interest for the world, and they take advantage of the great 
 
 representation at Chicago of the trade and commerce of all nations to present 
 
 this brief recoi'd of the rise, progress, and present position of their own trade 
 
 and commerce. 
 
 JANUARY 26. 1788. 
 
 Sydney, the capital of Tsew South AVales, is built on the shores of Port 
 
 Jackson, one of the noblest harbours Nature ever formed. Standing to-day 
 
 on one of the two bold lieadlands that form the portals of the entrance, one 
 
 may see steamers passing in and out, ranging from the small coasting steamer, 
 
 of perhaps 100 tons, to the ocean-going steamer of two, three, four, five, six, 
 
 and seven thousand tons burden. Behind us wo know there are to be found 
 
 public buildings, streets, wharfs, railways, post-offices, on a scale and of a 
 
 character as imposing as those Avonderful specin^ens of marine architecture 
 
 that we see appearing on or disappearing below, the horizon. Seeing and 
 
 knowing all this, our thoughts may well turn back to the day, (January 26, 
 
 17B8), when the first vessel that had ever entered this harbour sailed slowly in 
 
 between these headlands. On that day what is known as the " Pirst Fleet " 
 
 arrived. It had left the "old country" about the close of the month of May in 
 
 tlie previous year. Eight weary months those vessels had been cautiously 
 
 and patiently feeling their way through the, then, almost uncharted waste 
 
 of waters. What a change between that scene of 1788 and this scene of 
 
 1892 ! The intervening period of 101 years is crowded with incidents of a 
 
 stirring character, is full of lessons for mankind. The history of progress 
 
 '^i is frequently crossed by tho records of disaster and suffering. Witliin the 
 
 V necessarily small limits of tliis work we desire to give the commercial history 
 
 of these 101 years, and we desire to make it rather an interesting narrative 
 
 •- than an exhibition of dry details, and still drier statistics. 
 
 -5 It is certain that many persons early foresaw that a great future lay 
 
 ^before New South Wales, and tliis expectation is well expressed in tlie 
 
 ^foUowmg fine lines, written by Dr. Erasmus Darwin, the author of " The 
 
 C'Botanic Garden " : — 
 
 -:i THE VISIT OF HOPE TO SYDNEY COVE. 
 
 I 
 
 ^ Whore Sydney Cove lior lucid bo?om hwoIIh, 
 
 'i Courts her yotiiiR navies and the storm repels; 
 
 ^ Iligli 01^ ^ rocic amid the troubled air 
 
 * Hope stood sublime and waved her Rolden hair, 
 
 <^ Calmed with hor rosy smile the tossing deep. 
 
 And with .sweet accents charmed the winds to sleep ; 
 
 1003520
 
 2 TllK K18K, rilOUlHiSjH, AND rilEiJKNT rOSlTION OF 
 
 To ouch wild plniii she stivfclunl h(»r snowv linntl, 
 
 lliilh wavlii;; wood mid s«*ii-i>ucircli>d strand. 
 
 ' Hear mo,' siio orioil, ' _vo rising ivalm-; ! Record 
 
 ' Time's t^peiiinj; scene and Tinitli's uncrrini» word. 
 
 ' There shall broud streets their stately walls exleiid, 
 
 ' The ciivus widen and the crescent bend ; 
 
 ' There, ray'd from cities o'er the cultured land, 
 
 'Shall bri:?ht canals, and eolid roads expand, 
 
 ' There the proud arch. Colossus-like, bestride 
 
 ' Yon glittering stream, and hound the chaflnjj tide ; 
 
 ' Knd>ellished villas crown the hindscape scone, 
 
 ' Fiirms v.-uvo with golil and orchards blush between. 
 
 ' There shall tall spires, and dome-capped lowers ascend, 
 
 ' And piers and quays their massy structure blond ; 
 
 ' While with eacli bree/o approaching vessels glide, 
 
 ' And northern treasures dance on every tide.' 
 
 Then ceased the nymph — tumultuous echoes roar — 
 
 And joy's loud voice was heard from sliore to shore — 
 
 Her graceful ste])s descending pressed the pLiin, 
 
 And I'eace and Art and Labour joined her train. 
 
 Growth Tested by Population. 
 The growth of n couutrv is best tested by the increase of its population 
 In lb;31, that is l-^ years after the foundini^ of the Colony, the popuhition 
 numbered rather over 51,000. In 1S.51, that is after the lapsse of another 20 
 years, this number liad increased by 14.(j,000, raiising the total population to 
 197,000. A further 20 years brins}; us to 1871, during which period an 
 increase of 322,000 took place, malcing the total 519,000. This year — 
 1892 — the population can be put approximately at 1,200,000, showing an 
 increase of Gy 1,000 in the last 21 years. 
 
 17S3 — Colony settled. 
 
 1S31— Population after 43 years 51,000 
 
 1S51 „ increase in 20 years 140,000 
 
 1S71 „ „ 20 years 322,000 
 
 1S92 „ „ 2i years 681,000 
 
 Making at the close of 1892 1,200,000 
 
 The rise, progress, and present position of trade and commerce in New 
 South Wales may fairly be gauged by these figures. The difference bet^Yeen 
 51.000 — in the first 43 j^ears — and 081,000, in the last 22 years, graphically 
 illustrates the slowness of development in the earlier years, and the rapidity 
 which has marked the development of recent years. It will be convenient 
 to divide these records into the four divisions named.
 
 THADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 1788-1831.-43 YEARS. 
 
 Altlioiie;li the progress made during tlie first 43 years was decidedly slow, 
 the records of that period are full of interest, and it is doubtful if they do 
 not far outweigh in genuine interest the records of recent years, full as these 
 latter are of evidence of a marked development of material prosperity. It was 
 no small thing to plant a new community at a distance of some 16,000 miles 
 from Great Britain, in a country which was almost absolutely unknown, and 
 which required a voyage of six months to reach. The early years were full of 
 hardship and dilKculty. The lurid light of the French Revolution was to 
 break over Europe the year after the foundation of the Colony, and for well 
 nigh a quarter of a century Great Britain was to be engaged in an almost 
 incessant fight to break the Napoleoiiic power, and to sustain the integrity 
 of her own Empire. Under such circumstances the wonder is, not that the 
 distant Colony received so little attention, but that it was not altogether for- 
 gotten. Durmg those anxious years it was not to be expected that this new 
 Colony would make much headway. Another and very serious drawback 
 was that the Colony was very largely used as a convict settlement, and was 
 more or less subject to the convict influence. It will be admitted that those 
 causes were more tliau sufficient to prevent the new Colony of New South 
 Wales advancing as rapidly as the quickly-proved capabilities of the country 
 indicated to be possible. 
 
 First Settlement. 
 
 The British ensign was hoisted — as already stated — on January 20, 1788, 
 and it is a singular thing that the very finest site in the whole of Australia 
 should have been the place where the ceremony of taking formal possession 
 of Australia was performed. The " First Fleet " consisted in all of eleven 
 vessels, and their human cargo numbered something under 1,100 souls. 
 To-day the whole of the cargo and passengers brought by these eleven vessels 
 could easily be brought by any one of several big steamers now trading between 
 Europe and Australia — steamers whose separate tonnage exceed the aggre- 
 gate of the whole of the eleven sailing vessels. The infant Colony was destined 
 to undergo times of grave peril and hardship. Everything had to be begun ; 
 the producing powers of the new land were practically unknown, and yet it 
 had to be looked to for food. When the first arrivals landed, it has been 
 well said that they " stepped from the boat into a wood." The first land 
 that was cleared for wheat was found very unsuitable for the production 
 of that cereal, and other settlements at a greater distance from the coast had 
 to be made before wheat was successfully grown. It is noteworthy that 
 within a few weeks of the arrival in JVew South Wales a small expedition 
 was despatched to Norfolk Island, of which island the great luivigator. 
 Captain Cook, had reported in most favourable terms as regards soil and 
 climate. The results of this expedition were so satisfactory that the pojnila- 
 tion was increased considerably, and the island in the course of two or three 
 years was able to make very useful contributions to the food supjdy of the 
 main Colony. In 1791, about 1,000 bushels of wlieat and 500 bushels of 
 maize were hafvested. In 1798, a year after the founding of the Colony, a
 
 4 THE IIISE, rilOGRESS, AND TllESENT POSITION OF 
 
 a Hue river was disoovered about sixteen miles to tlie north of Sydne}', to 
 which the name of tlie llawkeshury was given. It was found to run through 
 a very fertiK> district, and settlements were speedily made along its banks. 
 It is said that fen* a considerable period after the formation of the Colony 
 there was only one man who was competent to give any instruction in agri- 
 culture, and, unfortunately, he died in 1701. It will be readily seen that in 
 these circumstances, agricultural ])rogre3s was not likely to be A'ery rapid. 
 C)a two or three occasions the whole Colony were on the very brink of starva- 
 tion. The tirst grain grown in tlie Colony was harvested in November, I7S0, 
 at I?ose Hill, alxnit 20 miles from Sydney, and it consisted of 1200 bushels 
 <if wheat, 'So bushels of barley, together with a small ([uantity oE oats 
 and mai/e. In Se|)tember, 1789, a small craft was launched which was 
 nuiinly used for trading between Kose Hill and Sydney, she was named the 
 " Kose Hill Packet,"' but it is said that she was built in sui-h a clumsy manner 
 that she was generally known as the '• The Lump." 
 
 Early Sufferings. 
 
 Early in 1790 great distress prevailed for hick of food. The ship " Gruar- 
 •dian," which had been despatched in 1789 from England A^th a cargo of 
 provisions was lost at sea, and a supply which had been obtained from the 
 Cape of Good Hope was all but exhausted. In Eebruary, 1790, it was esti- 
 mated that the provisions in the Colony were only equal at half allowance 
 to four months' consumption. The position was equally bad at Norfolk 
 Island. T\}e frigate '' Sirius " had been seut here, and had been wrecked on 
 the coral reefs of the island. In April, 1790, every person in Sydney was 
 put on rations, and a very short allowance too. About the end of Juno relief 
 arrived, but in the meantime the health of the community had become greatly 
 affected, and so marked Avas the general exhaustion that Government works 
 were suspended. Dr. Lang says: "The privations and suiferings of the 
 first colonists at this period were extreme. A wealthy and respectable 
 inhabitant of Sydney who arrived in the Colony as a free person during the 
 government of Governor Phillip, in after years told me himself that his 
 ration for a long period was merely a cob or single head of maize or Indian 
 corn a day, and that for three years he had lived in the Colony in the con- 
 stant belief that he should one day perish of hunger." The effect of the 
 long-continued diet of salt provisions, not always of the best quality, was 
 very prejudicial to the health of the seamen making the prolonged voyage 
 to Australia. As previously stated, the vessels of the " Pirst Pleet " were 
 eight mouths making the voyage from England ; the result of eight months 
 continuous salt-meat diet could not be undone in Sydney, as no food except 
 that on board the ships was available. When the vessels sailed on their 
 return voyage to England, the men were utterly unfit for the duties of 
 navigation. Pour vessels sailed together for England in May, 1788, four 
 months after arrival. In consequence of a gale the vessels were separated, 
 and two proceeded via Cape Horn, the other two i-ia Batavia. The two 
 former reached Rio Janeiro with the men in such a state of exhaustion that 
 they were unable to work the ships up the harbor. The other two vessels fared 
 still worse, many men were attacked by scurvy and died, whilst many more 
 were unable to work. So serious was the position that one of the ships was 
 scuttled and sunk off the island of Borneo. AVhen the remaining vessel 
 reached Batavia it is said that only one man out of the two crews was able 
 to go aloft. It will thus be seen that the sufferings in connection with the 
 founding of the first settlement in Australia Avere very severe, both on land 
 and at sea.
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Food at Famine Prices. 
 
 The troubles of the new colonists on the score of food were by no means 
 ended when the crisis of 1790 was overcome. In March, 180G, a terrific 
 flood visited the Hawkesbnry E,iver distinct, the river rising 70 feet above 
 the ordinary level. The Hawkcsbury district being the prmcipal centre of 
 agricultural development, the result of the flood was simply disastrous. Two 
 hundred stacks of wheat were swept out to sea, and the destruction of food 
 products in general was so marked that the Colony was left with an insuffi- 
 cient supply of food. The result was that food rose rapidly in price, by 
 September wheat was selling at from 70s. to 75s. a bushel, and the 2-lb. loaf 
 at 4s., in October wheat was 7os. to 80s. per bushel, and the 2-lb. loaf 4s. 
 Gd., wiiile such potatoes as could be procured were worth about £75 per ton. 
 The harvest of 1808 was ready about the end of November, when wheat fell 
 to 30s., the following April the price was 17s., a few weeks later the price 
 rose to 25s., and when the harvest of 1807 vvas taken — about the close of the 
 year — the value receded to 12s., which may be considered about the normal 
 value of the early years. Perhaps the most extravagant price recorded for 
 that year of scarcity — 180G — was £7 for one bushel of seed corn. Between 
 the two special famine periods referred to, there were times when food was 
 more or less scarce, and prices correspondingly high. In April, 1788, thi'ee 
 months after the founding of the Colony, the live stock cons-isted of 1 
 stallion, -3 mares, 3 colts, 2 bulls, 5 cows, 29 sheep, 35 ducks, 142 fowls, and 
 87 chickens — a somewhat amusing though interesting record of the days of 
 small things. In the terrible famine of 1790 most of the stock then existing 
 had to be killed for food. The agricultural position at the close of 1792 was 
 as follows : — Live stock : cattle, 23 ; horses, 11 ; sheep, 105 ; hogs, 43 — land 
 in cultivation : 208 acres in wheat, 24 acres in barley, 1,1 8G acres in maize, and 
 120 acres in gardens. At this time sheep sold for £10 10s. each, so that 
 a mutton chop was then an expensive luxury. Dr. Lang gives the following as 
 prices paid in the year 1793: — A cow, £80; a horse, £90; a sheep of the 
 Cape breed, £7 lOs. ; a breeding: sow, £5 ; geese and turkeys, £1 Is. each ; 
 ducks, 10s. a couple; mutton, 2s. per lb. ; goats' flesh. Is. Gd. per lb. ; and 
 butter, 3s. per lb. ; green tea was IGs. ; raw sugar. Is. Gd. ; and soap 28. per 
 lb. During the next ten or twenty years there were times when most extra- 
 ordinary prices were paid. Tea is said to have risen to as much as £2 2s. 
 per lb. ; sugar, 12s. ; hats, £2 each ; cotton stockings, Gs. to 12s. per pair. 
 The most remarkable price on record is, perhaps, 22s. for a common cup and 
 saucer, which was obtained at an auction sale in Sydney in 1798. 
 
 Government Control of Trade : Serious Abuses. 
 
 For a long time trade was under, or almost wholly under Government 
 control, and prices at which goods should be bought, and at which they 
 should be sold, were fixed bv authority. The result of this system was often 
 far from satisfactory, as the following incident will show. lu 1794, the 
 governor of Norfolk Island bought 11,000 bushels of maize from the settlers, on 
 behalf of the Sydney Grovernmeiit. lie gave the settlers bills on the Treasury 
 in Sydney for the amount of the purchases, £3,000. It turned out, however, 
 that there was no immediate need of the maize in Sydney at the time, and 
 the authorities there, afraid of getting into trouble wilh the Colonial Olficc in 
 London, at first repudiated the purchase. Ultimately, the maize seems to 
 have been accepted, for the money was paid after a delay of two years. 
 In the meantime, however, the settlers siift'ered great distress. Perhaps the 
 most serious impediment in the path of independent trade was the practical 
 monopoly obtained and cruelly exercised by the military officers in charge of
 
 6 THE RISE, niOGHESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 the liritislj fori-cs in Sydnov. Tho slory of tlie way in wliioli llicsc oOioiala used 
 their position to iToato, oontiiuie, anil extend the trading monopoly is not 
 at all agreeable reatling. A letter written in iSOi), by a ercdible aulliority, 
 contained the following: — " All our ollieers, eivil or military or naval, trade 
 and jn-otit to a large extent. . . . Hum, which costs to them from an 
 American ship four or six shillings a gallon, they retail at seven pounds. 
 Thev often monopolisi' tea and sugar, and sell each for three pounds a pound." 
 Another writer, j\lr. AVentworth, who for many years was the loading iigure 
 in Australian politics, wrote: "The whole ixnver, and nearly tho whole 
 properly and commerce of the country, were in tlie hands of a few who had 
 risen to this ascendency at the expense, and to the evident detriment and 
 oppression, of the community at large." Mr. >S. Bennett, in his "Australian 
 Discovery and Colonization," referring to the same subject, said : "This frater- 
 nity of olVicial, eivil, and military traders was the better able to carry out its 
 designs from the fact that almost the only warehouses in which goods could 
 be safely placed on being landed belonged to Government, and were conse- 
 quently completely under their control. The moment a cargo of goods Avas 
 stored' these gentlemen assembled and divided the various consignments 
 between them ; they then placed their marks, and the prices at which alone 
 the public were to be allowed to purchase, on each packet or article." In 
 1707, what was called a Combination Bond was entered into by these mono- 
 polists. Here is one clause: "Two officers be chosen and nominated amongst 
 ourselves, who shall, on the part of the whole, be authorised and empowered 
 to treat with the captain, commander, or master for the purchase of such goods, 
 wares, and merchandise, signifying to such captain, commander, or master 
 by whom they are so employed, and we severally and respectively bind our- 
 selves to the performance of whatever agreement may be entered into by 
 such officers so chosen and nominated as aforesaid in our names ; and we 
 further agree and engage that we will not directh' by ourselves, or by any 
 persons to be employed by us, attempt to make any purchase of such goods, 
 wares, or merchandise contrary to the tenor of this agreement." Another 
 clause bound the whole to refuse to buy individually any goods which the 
 representatives of the Avhole had refused. Any breach of any clause of this 
 agreement made the offender liable to a fine of £1,000. The pitiable posi- 
 tion such an organised system of monopoly created for the captain of a 
 vessel who had arrived from England, India, or America with goods for sale, 
 can easily be imagined, and it was only rivalled by the pitiable position of 
 settlers who could only make their purchases through the same organization. 
 There being no other monied men in the Colony, captains having goods for 
 sale were helpless, and being 16,000 miles from Europe could not easily find 
 another market. It is no wonder that, notwithstanding the smallness of the 
 population, some of these officers are said to have realised fortunes of from 
 twenty to thirty thousand pounds. The position was simply extraordinary. 
 The ring of monopolists, though nearly all servants of the Crown, yet defied 
 the representative of the Crown, the Governor, in all attempts to shield the 
 people from this grinding tyranny. Indeed, more than one Governor 
 found himself thwarted in the performance of his duties by these official 
 traders. More than one Governor issued orders that when cargoes arrived 
 for sale all persons were to have equal chance of purchase. In one case a 
 ship had arrived from Calcutta with a cargo for sale. A public notice was 
 issued by the Governor that the vessel had arrived, and that the cargo was for 
 sale, and he fixed a day when the settlers should make known what they were 
 able to buy. But when that day came it was found tliat the cargo had already 
 passed into the possession of the officers. The largest profits of all were 
 made out of the sale of strong drink, rum especially. This traflic was
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 7 
 
 carried to p;rave excesses, and great demoralization Avas the consequence. A 
 most pernicious system had arisen by wliich settlers were expected to take 
 ardent spirits in exchange for produce. So serious a state of affairs resulted 
 that the Home Grovernmcnt, iu 1S05, interfered, and ordered that no spirits 
 were to be landed without the special consent of the Grovernor. Under these 
 instructions some thousands of gallons of spirits were sent out of the Colony, 
 but these steps excited the liquor-dealing officers, and they used every 
 possible means to injure the reputation of the Grovernor, and to have him. 
 recalled. The position of the colonists vmder the terrible exactions to which 
 they were subjected led to frequent petitions on the subject addressed to 
 the Grovernor, and to strongly-worded remonstrances from the Governor to 
 the Colonial Office in London. To the great relief of the Colony, however, 
 in 1810, the New South Wales Corps was ordered home to England, and 
 thenceforward trade was free from the scandalous oppression to which it 
 had been subjected at the hands of those who should have been the first to 
 protect honest trading, for it must be remembered that for a number of years 
 after the founding of the Colony the military officers were the men who 
 administered the laws. To quote iJr. Lang : " The Honorable the East 
 India G^ompany were not the only military trading company, at the period in 
 question, beyond the Cape of Good Hope. In the sale of tea and other 
 India or China produce, of West India rum or Bengal arrack, and of soft 
 goods or hardware of British manufacture, their example was diligently and 
 successfully copied on the small scale by their military brethren in New South 
 Wales." Colonel Collins, writing at the time on this subject, gave a deplor- 
 able account of the ruin resulting to the early farmers from this military 
 trading monopoly. The high prices that had to be paid for nearly every- 
 thing took the heart out of all enterprise, and engendered a disposition to 
 recklessness and dissipation. " Their crops," says Collins, speaking of the 
 farmers, " were no sooner gathered than they were disposed of for spirits, 
 which they purchased at the rate of three, nay, even four pounds per gallon — 
 a spirit, too, often lowered one-fourth, or more, of its strength with water." 
 
 The Birth of Jimdustry. 
 
 Among the earliest records of rising industry, we read that the first brick 
 store in Sydney was built in 1790 ; the first one in Parramatta was built in 
 1791. In the latter year we find the first record of manufacturing; some 
 canvas having been manufactured of coarse flax grown in Norfolk Island. 
 Indeed, one of the reasons that led to the colonising of Norfolk Island was 
 the expectation that the flax which Captain Cook had reported as growing 
 there would prove useful to manufacturers in Great Britain. Por some 
 years this same flax was used to a considerable extent for the manufacture 
 of coarse cloth for clothing. In 1793, a small vessel named the " Frances " 
 was launched ; but strictly speaking she was not built in the Colony, having 
 really been brought in frame from England, so that the various parLs only 
 required putting together. In the same year, 1793, the first church was 
 built. It was constructed of strong posts, the bark of the wattle tree, and 
 plaster — the cost of the building, when complete, being £iO. This churcii 
 was destroyed by fire six years later. It was not until ISIO that the first 
 brick-built church was built and opened. Apparently, all grain required 
 for food was for several years ground by horse-power mills, or something 
 more primitive still, for in 1796, what was then thought an important 
 undertaking was commenced — it was the construction of a windmill, which 
 in due time, and after much trouble, was completed, and was first used in 
 Eebruary, 1797. And so, slowly, very slowly it must be confessed, the 
 infant Colony j)rogressed.
 
 Tin: liisi:, progress, and present position of 
 
 Whale and Seal Fishing. 
 
 Tho first roallv imjtortanl (levi'lo|iimMil oF tr:i(U> and coiiiinpivo took ])lace 
 in oonnoi'tion with tho tisliorios. Tho oarly navijj;nt()rs had noted the hirge 
 niunbora of whalos exist inii; in tho sontlioni seas, and it was now soon fouud 
 that tlie shores of Australia abounded witli them — and not with whales 
 alone, hut with seals also. The result of these diseoveries was the rapid 
 gn>wth of a <:jreat southern lishini; industry. The iirst ship to commence 
 tishinu; was, naturallv, a British one, wliich was soon followed by others 
 of the same nationality, and, as the i'amo of the iislieries spread abroad, 
 by those of other ilags, notably the American. Tho port of Sydney 
 naturally became the centre of the trade, the station for repairs, and 
 for provisioning ve.-sels. Just as naturally Sydney men themselves 
 entered into this industry, and ultimately the bulk of the iishing was 
 carried on by Sydney-owned vessels. A very jjroraincnt part in the whale 
 fishing was plaved by American vessels, and as this publication is specially 
 for the information of Americans, it will be worth while devoting a little 
 attention to this interesting portion of our subject. The " Annals of Com- 
 nierce" savs : " A commencement of a iishery for spermaceti whales on the 
 coast of New South Wales was made by Captain Melville, commander of 
 the ' Britainiia,' a ship belonging to Messrs. l-lnderby and Sons, the first Bri- 
 tish merchants who adventured into the southern whale fishex-y. Having 
 discovered on his passage to Port Jackson, with a load of convicts, that the 
 spermaceti whales were more abundant in the seas adjoining that coast than 
 near the coasts of South America, he sailed from that port on a whaling 
 expedition." Towards the close of 1791 a number of other vessels must 
 have arrived and entered upon the fishing, for in writing to the Colonial 
 OflBce, in the month of November, the Grovernor of Xew South AV^ales 
 regretted the scarcity of labor for carrying out public works, and attributed 
 this to the fact of whalers calling in for hands. 
 
 Early American Interest in Australia. 
 As evidence of the interest taken in the newly-discovered fishing-grounds 
 by Americans, we give the following list of American vessels which arrived 
 in Sydney between 1792 and 1806, nearly the whole of which brought goods 
 to Sydney for sale, and then proceeded to the fishing-grounds : — 
 
 Vessel. 
 
 Date of 
 Arrival. 
 
 Cargo. 
 
 Arthur 
 
 1802 
 
 America 
 
 Merchandise, 
 
 Diana 
 
 1806 
 
 jj 
 
 3) 
 
 Favorite 
 
 1805 
 
 , 
 
 Oil. 
 
 FollinKshr 
 
 1801 
 
 „ 
 
 Merchandise. 
 
 Grand Turk... 
 
 179f> 
 
 Boston 
 
 ,j 
 
 Halcyon 
 
 1794 
 
 Rhode Island 
 
 ); 
 
 Hope 
 
 1792 
 
 
 >» 
 
 ,, 
 
 1794 
 
 j> 
 
 JJ 
 
 Jeannettc 
 
 1807 
 
 Boston... 
 
 9> 
 
 John Jay 
 
 1800 
 
 Rhode Island ... 
 
 
 Mary Ann ... 
 
 1804 
 
 Boston 
 
 IJ 
 
 Mercury 
 
 1794 
 
 Rhode Island ... 
 
 Provisions. 
 
 Missouri 
 
 1801 
 
 America 
 
 Merchandise. 
 
 Otter 
 
 1796 
 
 Boston.., 
 
 Provisions. 
 
 Philadelphia 
 
 1792 
 
 Philrtdelphia ... 
 
 Merchandise. 
 
 Resource 
 
 1799 
 
 Rhode Ishmd 
 
 To refit. 
 
 Semiramis ... 
 
 1798 
 
 jf ... ... 
 
 j^ 
 
 Susan 
 
 1796 
 
 
 Merchandise. 
 
 Weltha Ann 
 
 1803 
 
 New York 
 
 »
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 9 
 
 In ISll the " Aurora," 130 tons, arrived from Yirp;inia in ballast, and 
 the same year the " Millwood," 258 tons, arrived from New York with mer- 
 chandise. One of the remarkable features of the early days was the very 
 small size of many, nay, of most, of the vessels which took part in the fishing. 
 It speaks well for the hardy (.-haracter of the seamen of 100 years ago that 
 they were ready to embark on perilous and very prolonged voyages, such as 
 that of the " Aurora," of 130 tons. The Colony was several times indebted 
 to American vessels for information respecting important political events in 
 Europe. The Judge Advocate, Collins, who came out in the " Pirst Fleet " 
 in 1788, on his return to England, published in 1798 a very interesting work 
 on New South Wales, from which the following is an extract : — " On the 
 23rd August (1796), there anchored in the stream, just without the two 
 points of Sydney Cove, the ship " Grand Turk" from Boston, after a passage 
 of five months from that port. She had been 23 days from Van Diemen's 
 Land, meeting with a current during several days that set her each day 21 
 miles either to the S.E. or N.E. AVe found on board, as supercargo, Mr. 
 McGee, who was here before in the " Plalcyon " with Mr. Benjamin Page. He 
 brought news from Europe as late as January last, by which we learned that 
 the war still raged. Mr. McGee had on board, for sale, spirits, wine, tobacco, 
 soap, iron, linseed oil, broadcloth, &c., &c., lor this market, Manilla, and 
 Canton. The tobacco — eighteen hogsheads — was immediately bought for 
 one shilling and three half-pence per pound, and Government purchased 
 some of the spirits (rum) at seven shillings per gallon." That sentence, 
 " news from Europe as late as January last," referring to news arriving in 
 August — that is seven months later — is almost startling to us who are accus- 
 tomed to see the European news of yesterday in our newspapers of to-day. 
 A terrible war raging — and news seven months old not only welcome, but 
 considered to have arrived quickly ! The world has indeed changed. In 
 that year — 1796 — as our list shows, in addition to the " Grand Turk," the 
 " Otter " also arrived from Boston, and the " Susan " from Rhode Island. 
 The " Otter" brought an assorted cargo, but the captain would only offer for 
 sale a small quantity, as he was bound to China with the bulk. On November 
 24,1803, the American ship " Paterson " arrived, and brought news that 
 war was aejain renewed lietween England and France. The important posi- 
 tion occupied by America in the southern whale fishery is well shown by the 
 following extract from an article entitled "Early struggles of Trade in Aus- 
 tralia," published in the 1889 edition of the Australian Handbook : — " British 
 adventurers were led into the sperm fishery by the American seamen, and the 
 early whaling vessels from our ports had to engage American harpoonera until 
 Englishmen learned to throw." From the same very interesting and valuable 
 article we take thefollowing: — "Itis strange to find the Americans more enter- 
 prising than British merchants in speculative voyages to the new settlement. 
 News must have travelled very slowly, or the public mind was too occupied 
 with war details, when we find the terrible privations of the settlers unheeded, 
 and no adventurer presenting himself with a cargo, for which fabulous prices 
 could be obtained. The first independent supercargo came in the American 
 ship ' Philadelphia,' in November, 1792." It must be confessed that the 
 visits of Americans on whaling expeditions off the coast of New South AVales 
 were not always very welcome, indeed, to toll the whole truth, these visits 
 often aroused considerable animosity, and this animosity at times found 
 expression in orders issued by the Colonial Governor. At the same time 
 it must also be said that the position of Sydney vessels engaged in the fishery 
 was far from pleasant, owing to the fiscal legislation of Great Britain. The 
 East India Company, by virtue of their special charter, had monopoly of 
 Eastern markets, and oil and sealskins arriving in Great Britain in other
 
 10 THE RISE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 thnn vessels nctually owned ill Groat ]iritaiii wove sul)icct to extra duties. 
 China was a lavijo marliet for sealskins aii<l other iisherv ])rodu('e, a market 
 open to Anierieaii vessels, hut elosed to New South Wales vessels by reason 
 of the nionoi>oly of the East India Company. The Americans were as eager 
 in their inirsuit of the seal as in that of the whale. Sir Joseph l^anlcs, iu 
 ISOCt, said : — *' AVe must eueouraj^o our jicople to take them (seals) wliere- 
 cver they can find them, or the Americans will have them all." In the year 
 1S07 one .Vmerican vessel alone took 'J(),00l) sealskins to China. Governor 
 Kill!;, in INO.'), tried to check the American whale and seal lishing enterprise 
 by orderint:: that no vessel under foreign colors should be allowed to clear 
 from Sydney for any scaling voyage within the limits of jS'ew South Wales' 
 territory. A further order was made by wliich foreigners were forbidden 
 to build within the jurisdiction of New South Wales any vessel of more than 
 fourteen feet length of keel. This order Avas issued because Americans had 
 been making use of islands on the coast for the building of small craft for 
 fishing purposes. At a little later period the following was written: — 
 " Commercial speculation was, in fact, at an end, and its principal legiti- 
 mate objects, whalin<;, sealing, and the collection of sandalwood, had been 
 gradually transferred from tlie colonists, without competition, into the hands 
 of the Americans." The writer of this paragraph was not very friendly to 
 the Governor whose work he criticised, but we make the quotation as an 
 interesting reference to Ainerican trading enterprise in Australian waters. 
 
 Notwithstanding the diinculties under which the young Colony labored in 
 prosecuting the fishery business, the natural advantages of geographical 
 position, &c., were so great that Sydney, year by year, secured to itself a 
 continually increasing portion of the trade, and it is quite clear that consider- 
 able ])rotits were obtained. Indeed, but for Sydney, a large portion of the 
 whaling and scaling done by American and other vessels would have been 
 almost impossible. Syduey offered opportunity most needful, very often, for 
 refitting ; and the exchange of oil for produce, and cost of repairs, &c., became 
 a regular portion of Sydney business, and no doubt a profitable one. But 
 the actual whale and seal fishing done by Sydney vessels, was — considering 
 the aggregate trade of those days — quite remarkable. And for many years 
 the export of the products of the fisheries was by far the most important 
 export of the Colonj^ It is very difficult to say with accuracy what the 
 extent of the fishery receipts were prior to about 1820, as no official 
 records are available. But from private sources information is available 
 which shows how advantageous to the new community the fisheries proved 
 to be. Eev. S. Marsden, chaplain, in 1S09, wrote : " Sperm whales abound 
 in the mouths of our rivers, and in every part of our sea to Peru. The oil is 
 brought in small vessels, and is re-exported to London. One house in 
 Sydney, consisting of three partners, remitted oil and sealskins to London 
 the last year to the value of £50,000." It is also said that 35,000 sealskins, 
 valued at £10,000, were sent away by one vessel — the " Honduras." 
 
 Memorable Contest with the East India Company. 
 The shipping of oil and skins from the young Colony led to a great and 
 memorable contest. The East India Company was in the zenith of its power. 
 Before Australia had received its first settlement, the Company had by 
 charter obtained a monopoly of Eastern trade, and after the first Australian 
 settlement took ]dace it was found that the Company had, by virtue of their 
 charter, a controlling influence even on Australian trade. . The consequence 
 of this charter was, the Home Government were compelled to warn their 
 representative in Sydney not to allow anything to occur which M-ould lead to 
 an infringement of the Company's privileges. The following clause appeared
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 11 
 
 iu the instructions sent to the Grovernor, dated Pebruarv 2.S, 1S02 : — " It is 
 our liojiil "svill and pleasure that no intercourse shall take place between 
 our settlements and other places whicli may hereafter be establislied on the 
 coast of New Soutli Wales and tlie settlements of the East India Com- 
 pany." The Home Cxovernment also interfered with ship-building, in order 
 to lessen the ability of the colonists to open up traflic within the ports 
 covered by the Company's charter. Thus, '' you are not," said the Colonial 
 Secretary, writing to the Governor, " therefore, on any account to allow 
 craft to be built for tlie use of private individuals which may enable them 
 to effect such intercourse ; and you are to prevent any vessels which may 
 hereafter arrive from any of the places before mentioned from having com- 
 munication with the people under your government, without your especial 
 permission." Naturally, the Governor did give permission for the building 
 of vessels for trading in Australian waters, and, quite as naturally, after 
 those vessels were once built, their owners sought to send them where the 
 most profit was to be made. As a consequence of this, collision with the 
 East India Company was sure to arise sooner or later. The British Govern- 
 ment after a time showed some sympathy with the colonists in their ver}"" 
 hampered position, and they made an earnest request to the Directors of the 
 Company to permit the settlers of New South Wales to send produce direct to 
 China. The request, however, was rejected. The Directors intimated that if 
 they once granted the permission asked for, the China and Indian seas would 
 be overrun with adventurers from Australia, much to the detriment of the 
 Company. It was said by a writer at the time ; " The East India Company 
 will, no doubt, send an annual shi]) to take off the quantity procured, as it 
 w'ill, by so doing, supply themselves with an investment for China of as 
 certain sale as silver, and at the same time preclude all pretence of the 
 colonists to carry it to Canton in their own vessels." The colonists were 
 scarcely likely to accept a position so offensive to their self-respect, and so 
 certain to destroy all prospect of that development which they were looking 
 forward to. In 1S05, the contest between the Colony and the Company 
 began in earnest. A Sydney merchant despatched the ship" Lady Barlow" to 
 London with a cargo of sealskins, whale oil, and seal and sea-elephant oil. 
 The East India Company, when they heard of this venture, at once prepared 
 to beat down these invaders of their privileged domains. The matter was 
 referred to a Committee of the House of Lords. The Chairman of the 
 East India Company appeared for the Company. Mr. Campbell, a Sydney 
 merchant, represented the owners of the vessel ; while a third party, Mr. 
 Mather, represented the British South Whale Fishery, who were quite as 
 ready as the East India Company to put a stop to Australian enterprise. 
 Their Lordships thought that the act of the colonists was " irregular and 
 illegal in respect to the Company's charter and the laws of navigation." 
 The " Lady Barlow" reached London in July, 1805, and it was four months 
 before the Government finally decided what was to be done with the cargo, 
 ■which consisted of 2G0 tuns of seal oil, 14,000 dry sealskins, 300 cured skins, 
 and 100 tons of beefwood. The decision was ultimately given as follows : — 
 " Their Lordships ordered that the oil and skins be landed, in order to be 
 sold at the India sales, in exportation, and the shi]) be released on condi- 
 tion of her returning to India, as no register would be granted to her." 
 The cargo was sold under this com]nilsory order, in an unfavorable market, 
 the result being a loss of £7,000 to the shippers. This was not a very pi'o- 
 mising beginning for the Colony. Before the decision was known in the 
 Colony a second cargo by the ship " Sydney," of 1,000 tons, was on the way. 
 The Colonial Governor was heartily with the colonists in tlieir efforts to 
 open up trade, and he had given his sanction to both shipments being made.
 
 12 Tin: lusi:, i'uoguess, and ruESENT rosrnoN of 
 
 The Ci>li>ninl OlTicc. in Tximlon. oviiu-od sympathy, and the Government put 
 suoh pivssuiv on tho East India Company thai iinally the t\)rai)any gave 
 way. and i-onsontod to the second cargo being sold. It I'caliscd a good profit. 
 The C^lml>anv, liowever, onlv gave way as far as this one e.irgt) was con- 
 eern(>d. Tlu' light for a marUi't liad to be kept up for years. The (iovernor, 
 in a dt'spateli to the C'ohmial Otllee, dated October 81, 1S07, referred to the 
 ditlicnhy m id)taining supplies of ordinary merchandise. "At present, 
 therefore, we have to dejjcnd only on an annnal sliip or two, as is or may bo 
 established, and an oceacional ship belonging to the Free INEerchants of India, 
 wliich may be sent Intlier by permission, or a chance American who may 
 ventnre to this market. By these limitations, and a prohibition on the part 
 of the Colony from trading to the East Indies, it receives very trifling 
 benefits from thence, and suffers great deprivation of necessary supplies." 
 Constant representations such as this, on the ])art of tlie Governor, of the 
 cruel injustice suffered by the Colony, combined with the efforts of friends 
 in England, ultimately won the day, and in 1S13 an Act was passed by 
 the British Parliament under which the direct imports of Australian ship- 
 ments into the United Kingdom became lawful. Tlie tirst oiiiciiil export 
 returns are for 1822. They show the following exports of produce from 
 the fisheries : — 100 tuns sea-elephant oil to India; 551 tuns sea-elephant oil 
 to Great Britain, value not recorded. In 1823. the exports were 7G9 casks 
 and 25 tuns sea-elepliant oil. 2 casks, 0,509 sealskins, and 2 tons whalebone. 
 In 1S29, the exports of fishery product.s were valued at £54,825 ; in 1830, at 
 £58.800; in 1831, at £95,900. Presumably these returns do not cover the 
 whole export, but only the oil that was actually obtained by Xew South 
 AVales' vessels, and possibly, not all that. Special fisheries' returns give con- 
 siderably higher values for the oil, &c., obtained than shown by the export 
 returns. In the year 1830, there were 32 Sydney vessels engaged in the 
 fisheries, ranging in size from 27 to 27-i tons, and the produce of the fisheries 
 were valued at £120,000. 
 
 Early Shipping History. 
 
 It was natural, of course, that a sliipping trade in Australian waters 
 should at an early date call a shipbuilding industry into existence. The early 
 records show the following : — Veescls built and registered, 1822, 3 vessels 
 of 163 tons, or an average of 54 tons each. This continued about the 
 average till 1826, when 12 vessels were built, aggregating 654 tons. In 
 1828, 18 vessels of 478 tons. In 1830, 30 vessels of 1,809 tons. In 1831, 
 38 vessels of 3,224 tons. 
 
 Many interesting facts in regard to the early shipping history of the Colony 
 might be mentioned, but only a few can be here referred to. Used as we are 
 now to vessels of 5,000 tons and upwards, we can but smile at the early 
 troubles of the colonists in regard to shipping. The British law ])rohibitecl 
 the employment of vessels of less than 350 tons to the eastward of the Cape 
 of Good Hope, an exception being, however, made in the case of the East 
 India Company. In those early days a vessel of 350 tons was a big craft, 
 and it was very seldom that cargo could be found to till one of that size. In 
 1820, of the 27 vessels then employed in the coasting trade, 7 were 
 actually under 15 tons, and the largest of all was only 184 tons. So late 
 even as 1825 the average tonnage of vessels entering Sydney from other 
 countries was no more than 290 tons. It will readily be seen how great 
 a difficulty arose from the requirement as to size of the vessels the colonists 
 ■were permitted to use for foreign trade. A public meeting was held in 
 Sydney, in the year 1819, to consider the restriction, when a resolution w^as 
 carried, expressing the hope that the British Government would reduce the
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 13 
 
 limit to 150 tons, and adding the following :— " As few mercantile adven- 
 turers here are willing or able to employ the large capital necessarily required 
 for the cargoes of vessels of this magnitude (3.50 tons), and are consequently 
 left ill-supplied with many articles of British manufactories which habit has 
 rendered necessary to our comfort." In the same year an Act was passed 
 by the British Parliament permitting smaller vessels to trade between the 
 IJnited Kingdom and New South AValcs. This did not break down the power 
 of the East India Company, for it appears that in 1820 the Company were 
 pleased, by license, to permit New South Wales to trade with certain countries 
 in the Eastern seas, but it was subject to the stipulation of the vessels being 
 over 350 tons. The Navigation Laws of Great Britain generally tended 
 greatly to curb colonial enterprise. Indeed, we regret to say, Great Britain 
 appeared to be as jealous of the enterprise of her own settlers abroad as 
 or that of foreign nations. The following quotation from the Act will 
 show the spirit of British law in regard to the enterprise of Britons beyond 
 the seas — the spirit which brought about the loss of those noble colonies 
 which now have grown into the mighty American Republic : — " Whereas 
 the King's plantations beyond the seas are inhabited or peopled by subjects 
 of this, his Kingdom of England, and having in view the maintaining a 
 greater correspondence and kindness between them, and keeping them 
 in a former dependence upon it, in the further employment and increase 
 of British shipping and seamen, vent (market) of English woollens and 
 other manufactures and commodities, rendering the navigation to and from 
 the same safe and cheap, making the Kingdom a staple not only of the 
 commodities of these plantations but also of the commodities of other 
 countries and places for the supplying of them, and it being the usage of 
 other nations to keep their plantation trade to themselves ; and, further, if 
 colonial commodities should be taken from any part but the plantations that 
 the trade of them would thereby in a great measure be deserted from hence 
 and carried elsewhere, His Majesty's customs and other revenues much 
 lessened, the trade prejudiced, and this Kingdom not continue a staple of 
 plantation commodities, nor that vent for the future of the viettial and other 
 native commodities of the United Kingdom, &c., &c." Professor Leone 
 Levi remarked, with much truth, on these regulations : " There was no 
 mistaking these words. In the eyes of the British Legislature the trade and 
 navigation of the colonies were to be subjected to, and made to subserve, the 
 interest of the Mother Country." 
 
 French Report on Sydney Trade. 
 
 A very interesting record of the position of shipping in Sydney is found 
 in the report of certain French explorers who visited the port in 1802-3. "In 
 the port we saw, drawn up together, a number of vessels that had arrived 
 from different parts of the world. Some of them had come from the banks 
 of the Thames, or the Shannon, to pursue whale-fishing on the frigid shores 
 of New Zealand ; others, bound to China, after depositing the freight which 
 they had received from the English Government for this Colony ; while some 
 laden with pit coal were about to convey that precious combustible to India 
 and the Cape of Good Hope. Smaller vessels were on their way to Bass's 
 Straits to receive skins, collected by a few individuals who had established 
 themselves on the isles of those straits to catch the marine animals that 
 resort to them. Other ships, stronger built than those just alluded to, and 
 manned by more numerous and daring crews, who were provided with all 
 sorts of arms, were on the point of sailing for the western coast of America, 
 laden with various sorts of merchandise ; those vessels were intended to carry 
 on, by force of arms, a contraband trade on the Peruvian shores, which could
 
 14 TJii: iiisi:, ruDGiiKss, anj) puesent position of 
 
 not fail to jirove oxtrcinely advantafijoous to tlie advcnttirers. Here they 
 were prep.ariiiix an expedition to eavvy on a skin trade with the people of the 
 north-west shores of America; tliere all hands were eni,'ai:;ed in sendinp; off 
 ft fleet of provision ships to the Navijj^ators, the Friendly, and the Society 
 Ifilatids. to procure for the Colony a stock of salt provisions. All tliese i,'reat 
 maritime operations gave to the place a character of importance and activity 
 far beyond what wo ex[)ected to meet with on shores scarcely known to 
 Europeans." In this report there is evidently an element of exaggeration as 
 there certainly is of surprise. 
 
 Grave Dangers Attending the Early Commerce of the Colony. 
 
 The early years of the history of shipping contain many records of daring 
 adventure, of grave dangers, and of painful loss. The story of George 
 Bass, the discoverer of Bass' Strait, who came out with the "First Fleet" as 
 surgeon of H.^I.S. "Reliance," is worthy of a place. After considerable 
 experience and various adventures in Australia and Australian waters, we 
 ilnd him back in England ia 1800 arranging with several friends for the 
 purchase of the brig "Venus," of 140 tons. This vessel vras loaded with a 
 general cargo, suitable for sale in Sydney and the islands, the entire capital 
 in the venture being £10,S90. Bass came out as second in command and 
 supercargo. Arrived in Sydney, Bass found that he had, as it happened, 
 come to a very bad market, lie wrote home : " Everything went on well 
 till we arrived here, and since all things have gone bad. The market is 
 glutted with goods beyond all comparison, glutted even en two accounts — 
 a natural glut from the quantity of goods far exceeding the consumption, 
 and glutted also because the new system of Government is built upon a 
 plan of the most rigid economy. It issues very little or no bills. We can 
 sell but very little of our car^o here, and what we do sell is to but little 
 advantage. Our wings are clipped with a vengeance, but we shall 
 endeavour to fall on our legs somehow or other. Turn our eyes where we 
 will we see nothing but glutted markets around ns. I had hoped that 
 Governor King might have been induced to take our cargo into Government 
 store, and have offered it, or any part of it, at 50 per cent. He declines it, 
 for want, he says, of sufficient authority. He takes some of our beef and 
 pork at a price that does little more than pay us our own again. We go 
 from hence among savages, we are tired of civilized life. Our brig is fitting 
 with the necessary barricades and other securities." The "Yenus" left Sydney 
 on November 21, ISOl, intending to trade for pork in the islands. In the 
 first placethe "Yenus" calledat Dusky Bay, New Zealand, for the purpose of 
 securing timber to make chests for pork. Che^ts, instead of barrels, for pork 
 sounds much of a novelty, but it was impossible to be very particular in 
 those days. Writing from Otaheite, now called Tahiti, January 30, 1802, 
 Bass said : " Sailing from Dusky Bay, we steered for Otaheite, and arrived. 
 here on the 21th inst. Governor King has there at this time a small 
 colonial brig for the purpose of curing pork, but we find the island yet so 
 abundant in hogs, we have determined to set up an establishment here 
 which will aim at curing about two-fifths of our whole cargo, for which we 
 have salt enough Avith us. Bishop stays here with the party, I go on with 
 the brig to the Sandwich Islands, and there endeavour to fill all the rest of 
 the casks : so that we hope to complete the cargo in mnch less time by 
 working at one part of it at Otaheite and the other at the Sandwich Islands, 
 than if we kept ourselves together at either one of those places. It is not for 
 the hogs alone we find it necessary to go to the latter place ; it is for salt, 
 which the former produces not, and which we must have." Things now
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 15 
 
 seem to have gone well, for on January 5 of the following year, 1803, Bass 
 was able to write : " That pork voyage has been our first successful specula- 
 tion. We go again in search of pork." He was able to send home £2,051 
 12s. 3d., and to promise other £2u0 in paymaster's bills in a few^ weeks. 
 
 A later letter explained thencst speculation : " Governor King, anxious to 
 introduce good cattle into this Colony, gives me a letter to the commanding 
 officer of any of the Spanish ports in South America I may think proper to 
 go to, beggnig of him to allow us to purchase cattle to salt down on the 
 spot for a supply of beef, as well as also to purchase them alive to introduce 
 the breed here. If, from the strictness of their orders, I can find no 
 Spanish Governor who will allow me to purchase cattle, I shall then go on 
 to the Sandwich Islands, and set myself whoHy upon a real pork voyage, as 
 before." Later he wrote that he intended to visit the coast of Chili in 
 search of provisions for the Colony, and lest he should be mistaken for a 
 "contrabandist" he was taking "a very diplomatic looking certificate" 
 from the Governor of New South AVales to prove the service upon which 
 he was engaged. Other letters were received from him showing that he 
 was really perplexed by the numerous openings he found waiting for enter- 
 prising men. He expected to be able to make a lucrative arrangement 
 with the Governor, by which he would secure very valuable whaling and 
 sealmg privileges in New Zealand. He said he was not going to take up this 
 new enterprise until he had again visited England — when there he intended 
 to " seize upon dear Bess," his wife, and bring her out with him. But, 
 alas, the programme ' which the intrepid and enterprising Bass had fore- 
 shadowed w^as never carried out. He never again saw the face of his wife, 
 nor yet the white cliffs of England. The letter from which we have just 
 quoted was the last ever received from him. As arranged, the "Venus " 
 preceded to South America, and there Bass together with all his crew were 
 seized b}^ the Spanish authorities and sent inland to work in the mines, and 
 no news ever aft(;rwards came to hand of their ultimate fate. It has been 
 thought that the report of the French discoverers — already quoted — of the 
 growth of British power in Australia had reached their Spanish allies, and 
 that they were on the alert for any opportunity to strike a blo\v — however 
 faint — that might lessen the strength of Britain in the Southern world. 
 Many other instances could be given of the dangers — beyond those of the 
 seas — which beset early navigators. Hostile cruisers, privateers, pirates, 
 had to be reckoned with. In 179i, the " Britannia" had a great fight with 
 Malay pirates in the Straits of Malacca ; the pirates were finally beaten off, 
 and the "Britannia" got to Sydney with her cargo of provisions. In 1797, the 
 Sydney vessel "Cumberland" was seized by pirates and taken right away. It 
 was quite a common occurrence for small vessels to be seized on the coast 
 by escaped convicts. In 1825, the brig "Lady Nelson," of 61 tons, with a 
 crew of ten men and boys, was despatched to Melville Island. She never 
 returned, and it was believed that she had been captured near Timor by the 
 Malays. 
 
 An American Ship Carries Off a Prisoner. 
 
 Another incident in connection with the shipping of early days is 
 worthy of mention for two reasons — -first, because the vessel interested was 
 an American one ; and secondly, because it shows the light ofi^ences that 
 often made convicts — and Australians do not like the transportation phase of 
 their history to be made worse than it really was. "We quote from l)r. Lang's 
 book :—" Shortly before the arrival of Governor Hunter, Messrs. Muir, 
 Skirving, Margaret, and Gerald, who had all been tried and found guilty of 
 stimulating the people of Great Britain to effect a reform of Parliament
 
 IG 
 
 Tin: lllSK, niOGUESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 in the year 170:1, arriveil in the Colony umlcr sentence of transportation — 
 Mr. I'aliutM'. who hail boon a clerniynian, for seven years, and the others for 
 fourteen. ^Ir. tJeraUl, who was a native oi the West Indies, tlied of con- 
 sumption oil the llitli ]Mareh, 179(5; and Mr. Skirvinjj of dysentery — 
 pr(di;ibly induced by tlie use of salt provisions — three days after. Mr. 
 .Mar^'arot liveil to return to Scotland on the ox])iration of his period of 
 transportation; and Mr. Palmer died on tlic way to l-lngland. Mr. Muir's 
 liisti>rv is well known. IFe was of hi<:;hly respectable ])arentage in the west 
 o( Seothind, and had practised as an advocate at the Scottish bar. His case 
 luivin.i; excited a deep interest in America, the ' Otter,' an American vessel 
 bound for the north-west coast of that continent, was hired by certain 
 gentlemen in Philadelphia or Xew York to touch at Port Jackson, for the 
 express purpose of carryinj^ him off from the Colony. The plan proved 
 successful ; and, on aftecting his escape, Mr. ^luir left a letter to the 
 Governor, stating that he did not intend to infringe tlie laws of his country 
 bv returning to (4reat Britain, but that he would endeavour to reach America, 
 where he would practice as a barrister till the expiration of his sentence 
 should allow of his returning to Scotland. The 'Otter' was unfortunately 
 wrecked on the west coast of America to the northward of California. Mr. 
 ]\Iuir was fortunate enough, after suffering much hardship and privation in 
 travelling along the coast, to reach the city of Mexico, from whence he 
 obtained a passage to l-luropc in a Spanish frigate. The frigate was fallen 
 in with, however, by a Britisli man-of-war off Cadiz ; and in the action which 
 ensued, and that issued in the capture of the frigate, Mr. Muir was danger- 
 ously wounded, part of his brain being actually shot away In this condition, 
 and when lying apparently dead on the deck of the frigate, he w'as acci- 
 dentally recognised by a Scotch officer, who had previously known him, from a 
 small pocket bible which had been given him by his mother, and which he 
 held in his hand with the grasp of death. The oiRcer humauel}'' concealed 
 the circumstance, but had liim conveyed to an hospital on the Spanish coast, 
 where every attention was paid him, and where he recovered sufficiently to 
 enable him to proceed to Paris, on the invitation of the Prench Grovernment, 
 where he Avas treated with the most marked attention. He died, however, 
 shortly after — I believe in consequence of his wound." 
 
 Shipping in 1825. 
 
 In 1825, when the population of the Colony was under 34,000, convicts 
 included, the following ollicial record was taken of Sydney sliipping : — "An 
 account of merchant and trading vessels belonging to the Port of Sydney, 
 Xew South Wales, in 1825, their description and tonnage, the number of men 
 and boys usually employed in navigating the same, and the trade in which 
 they are engaged : — 
 
 Xamc of Vessel. 
 
 Description. 
 
 Tonnage. 
 
 No. Men 
 and Boys. 
 
 Ti-aric in which engaged. 
 
 Active 
 
 Brig 
 
 108 
 
 12 
 
 Calciitta 
 
 Alfred 
 
 Ship 
 
 248 
 
 29 
 
 South Sea Fitilicrj 
 
 Alligator 
 
 Schooner 
 
 80 
 
 8 
 
 Sealing, &c. 
 
 Ann 
 
 Brig 
 
 171 
 
 15 
 
 Isle of France 
 
 Arden 
 
 Ship 
 
 3G0 
 
 25 
 
 Laid up 
 
 Brutus 
 
 Brig 
 
 251 
 
 17 
 
 Society Islands 
 
 Darling ... 
 
 Scliooner 
 
 36 
 
 5 
 
 Van Diemeri'.s Land 
 
 Dragon ... 
 
 Brig 
 
 125 
 
 16 
 
 Seal Fishery
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 17 
 
 S111PPIN& IN 1825 — continued. 
 
 Name of Vessel. 
 
 Trade in which engaged. 
 
 Elizabeth 
 
 Elizabeth and Mary 
 Endeavour 
 
 Fame 
 
 Glory 
 
 Governor Macquarie 
 
 Governor t-^orell 
 
 Ifaweis ... 
 
 John Bull 
 
 Libei ty ... 
 
 Lord Liverpool 
 
 Lynx 
 
 Nereus ... 
 
 Neweastlc 
 
 Perseverance 
 
 Pocklintiton 
 
 Prinee Regent ... 
 
 Queen Charlotte 
 
 t'ainuel ... 
 
 Snapper... 
 
 Speedwell 
 
 bt. Michael 
 
 Sydney Packet... 
 
 Waterniolo 
 
 Welliiigton 
 
 Wood Ink 
 
 Total ... 
 
 Brig ... 
 
 Schooner 
 Schooner 
 Brig... 
 Brig ... 
 Brig ... 
 Schooner 
 Brig ... 
 Ship ... 
 Schooner 
 Cutter 
 Ship ... 
 Brig ... 
 Schooner 
 Brig ... 
 Ship ... 
 Schooner 
 Brig ... 
 Schooner 
 Cutter 
 Cutter 
 Ship ... 
 Cutter 
 Sloop... 
 Brig ... 
 Brig ... 
 
 107 
 
 17 
 
 86 
 
 8 
 
 61 
 
 8 
 
 158 
 
 13 
 
 85 
 
 18 
 
 142 
 
 11 
 
 35 
 
 13 
 
 73 
 
 10 
 
 175 
 
 18 
 
 40 
 
 19 
 
 70 
 
 7 
 
 1S7 
 
 14 
 
 189 
 
 10 
 
 33 
 
 11 
 
 122 
 
 21 
 
 204 
 
 22 
 
 104 
 
 11 
 
 119 
 
 13 
 
 65 
 
 23 
 
 42 
 
 6 
 
 18 
 
 5 
 
 170 
 
 12 
 
 83 
 
 8 
 
 25 
 
 15 
 
 169 
 
 17 
 
 238 
 
 12 
 
 4,129 
 
 479 
 
 Seal Fishery 
 
 Van Diemen's Land 
 
 Society Islands 
 
 Seal Fishery 
 
 New Zealand 
 
 China, &c. 
 
 Sealing 
 
 Ne\vca.stle 
 
 Society Islands 
 
 Isle of France 
 
 Sealing, &c. 
 
 Fishery 
 
 South Sea Fishery 
 
 Calcutta 
 
 Van Dunnen's Land 
 
 New Zealand, kc. 
 
 Society Islands 
 
 Fishery 
 
 "Van Diemen's Laud 
 
 Hobart Town 
 
 Sea Fishery 
 
 South Sea Fishery 
 
 AVe insert the whole of the list, just aa it appears In the official manu- 
 script record, because it shows clearly enough how thoroughly the shipping 
 interest dominated the small community in the early years, and because the 
 list shows how wide an area the trade covered — -small thoutrh it was. 
 
 Difficulties in the way of Trade and Commerce. 
 
 Commercial men, at the beginning of the century, had to conduct their 
 operations under police, or rather military surveillance. The following is 
 a copy of an Order regulating Meetings: — "Not more than six persons to 
 assemble for the purpose of deliberating on matters relative to trade, com- 
 merce, agriculture, manufactures, policy, or other interests of the Colony, 
 or for petitioning the Covernor, unless a notice in writing be first given to 
 the Provost-marshal stating its ])urport, and signed by at least seven liouse- 
 holders of the town or district where it is intended to be held, with their 
 places of abode and description ; and unless such meeting be convened by 
 the Provost-marshal, by public advertisement in the iSydncij Gazette, at 
 least five days previous." 
 
 Another early Order, issued first in 1797, is still more strongly antagon- 
 istic to the spirit of the legislation of to-day : " Day labor for slacking and 
 carrying grain, &c., from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., allowing three liours for food 
 and rest, 5s. per day, laborer to find his food, or pay 2s. Cd. per day for 
 same. Payment in money or wheat at (lovernment price. Persons taking 
 or demanding more, or refusing to work at the above rates, to be set in the 
 stocks two days and one night for the first offence, and for the second or
 
 IS TiiE nisE, niOGnESs, and tkesent tosition or 
 
 contimiod ivfusal, thrco months' lianl labour. ]\[astera ]>:iying more to "be 
 imj)risono(l ton ilays withinit l)ail, to ])av £5, and romaiii in ])rison until 
 paid." Undor such conditions as tliose tradi' may be said to have l)een 
 *■ cribbed, cabined, and conliuod." 
 
 ^lucli as the authorities interfered to regulate trade, they seem to have 
 fori^otleii lo provide proper currency, Aviiicli naturally one Avould have 
 thoui,dit would have been tlie British. The following is an extract from the 
 iirst ollieial record in existence — that for 1S22 : — 
 "Coins. — The coins in j^eneral circulation are — 
 
 1st. Spani.sh dollars ; and that coin divided into two ])arts, viz. — 
 
 2ud. Three-quarter dollars, bein!; the Spanish dollar, with a circular 
 piece struck out of its centre ; and 
 
 3rd. Quarter dollars, being the circular piece just mentioned. 
 
 4th. British pence ; and 
 
 5th. British half-pence." 
 
 That " necessity is the mother of invention" is a trite observation, but it 
 has seldom been better illustrated than by the system of making coins of 
 one value into three different coins. The centre piece cut out of the 
 Spanish dollar was known as a " dump." After the Colony was founded 
 accounts seem to have been kept in pounds, shillings, and pence ; but 
 towards the close of 1822 they were all kept in dollars and cents. After a 
 ■while the accounts were again, in 1826, kept in English money, and have so 
 remained. English silver coins w'cre introduced in 182(5, and in 1830 the 
 Spanish dollars and other foreign coins were nearly all exported ; and in 
 that year it was said that the Xew South AVales currency was more substan- 
 tially British than that of any other British colony. The total of British 
 ■coin in the Colony was, in 1820, estimated at from £100,000 to £120,000. 
 
 House of CofyiMONS' Report on New South Wales Trade in 1812. 
 
 In the year 1812, a Report of a Committee of the House of Commons 
 was presented to the House. The report dealt largely with the position of 
 trade in New South AN^ales at that period, and contains so much of interest 
 that we give the following extracts : — " The currency of the Colony consists 
 principally of Government paper and copper money ; but from its scarcity 
 many of the transactions, which in other countries would be accomplished 
 by money are here carried on by barter ; thus, the labourer is not paid in 
 money, but in kind ; — he demands from his employer such articles as he is 
 most in need of, and they arc delivered to him at the prices which they bear 
 in the markets. At times, indeed, wheat and cattle have in the Courts of 
 Justice been considered as legal tenders in payment of debts. 
 
 " The exportations from the Colony have hitherto principally consisted of 
 oil, sealskins, coals, and wool ; the fisheries appear to have been much neg- 
 lected ; and the iron ore, of which there is abundance and of very fair quality, 
 has not yet been worked. The trade in skins and oil is the most thriving, 
 but is not strengthened by the restrictions in favor of the East India Com- 
 pany. The stock of sheep is not yet sufficiently large to make wool an 
 article of large exportation. The culture of hemp has been less attended 
 to than ought to have been expected ; a profitable trade in sandalwood has 
 at times, been, though illegally, carried on with the South Sea Islands and 
 Ciiina ; woollen manufactories, potteries, and breweries have been estab- 
 lished, but not with any gfeat success.
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 19 
 
 " The commercial recfulations of the Colony have, in many instances, beea 
 so impolitic, as much to discourage mercantile speculations. For many years 
 a maximum price was enforced by the Grovernment upon all imported mer- 
 chandise, and at this price, often too low to afford a fair profit to the trader, 
 the whole cargo was distributed among the civil and military officers of the 
 settlement, who alone had liberty to purchase ; and articles of the first 
 necessity Vi'ere afterwards retailed by them, at an enormous profit, to the 
 poorer settlers. Part of those abuses were corrected about the year ISOO ; 
 but in the traffic of spirituous liquors they continued to a very late period, 
 and it is therefore with the greatest satisfaction that your Committee have 
 learnt that measures have been enforced as well by the Government here as 
 in the Colony, to put a stop to these practices. It is stated in a despatch 
 from Governor Macquarie, dated April 30, 1810, that every care will be 
 taken to prevent officers of the 73rd Regiment, now in New South Wales, 
 from resorting to any low or unmilitary occupations, either mercantile or 
 agricultural, for additional means of support ; and he justly adds, that such 
 pursuits and avocations are subversive of all military discipline, and 
 incompatible with the rank and character of His Majesty's Sencice. 
 
 "And it is also to be hoped that means will have been devised to restrain 
 the civil officers from making, as has too often been the case, the 
 authority of their etations the means of promoting their own mercenary 
 views. Tour Committee has also learnt with satisfaction that many of the 
 improper restrictions by which commercial speculation has been thwarted in 
 the Colony have been put an end to. The imposition of a maximum price 
 for all imported merchandise has been discontinued. The maximum on the 
 price of grain aud butchers' meat is no longer in existence, and though a 
 similar limit to the price of labour was formerly frequently attempted, it has 
 been, as might be expected, always either evaded or disregarded." 
 
 The report, after dealing at some length with the grave difficulties that 
 surrounded the trade in spirits, with the attendant smuggling and illicit 
 distillation, continues: — 
 
 "The want of an extended corn market, where the prices are regulated by 
 a fair and liberal competition, is much felt in the Colony. Of l(),'i5i inhabi- 
 tants, 4,277 are wliolly or in great part victualled from the public store, and 
 three-fifths of the corn brou2;ht to market are purchased by the Governor at 
 a price, over which, from the largeness of his demand, he has always a power 
 of control, and which many Governors have taken upon themselves absolutely 
 to limit, so as scarcely to afford to the farmers a fair profit for their produce, 
 and in the distant parts of the settlement they have been known to feed 
 their pigs with the corn for which they could not obtain a sufficient price. 
 
 " Tour Committee are of opinion that an enlarged market, great encourage- 
 ment to agriculture, and a free supply of spirits, might be afforded to the 
 Colony, without losing the revenue which v^^ould be produced by the duties 
 on importation if distillation within the Colony were permitted under proper 
 duties and regtilations. 
 
 " But your Committee must, at the same time, regret that an impediment 
 has arisen to the immediate alteration of the present system, from a contract 
 entered into by Governor Macquarie, under which certain merchants have 
 agreed to build an hospital for the settlement, on being allowed, during the 
 three ensuing years, e.xclusively to purchase spirits at the Government price, 
 no other spirits being permitted within that time to be imported into the 
 Colony by private individuals." This report, which, it must be remembered, 
 does not review the position of affairs to a later date than 1812, gives much 
 insight into the arbitrary and unsatisfactory conditions under which trade 
 and commerce had to fight their way.
 
 20 THE RISE, PROGllESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 Rise of the Pastoral Industry. 
 
 Tlie pastoral imlustry, I'specially in roLjard to the jirodiu'tiou of wool, was 
 destined to becomo tho main soiirco of wealtli to Australia. It was very 
 carlv ilisoovoroci how suitablo tho country was for Hheop breedini]:. and 
 happily there were a few men who, lookiui; far ahead, endeavoured to breed 
 sheep suitable for the pnnlnotion of the liuest wool. Witli much laudable 
 enterprise, rams and ewes of the finest Spanish breed were imported, at con- 
 siderable cost, from the Cape of Good Hope and from Europe. The " First 
 Fleet" brouo;ht a few sheep from England, and the '• stock-takin<,'," whicli 
 took place shortly after the arrival in 17SS, sliowed a total of 29. In 1792 
 the number was 10.'), in ISOO it had actually risen to 6,124, an increase of 
 nearly sixty-fold in eiijjht years. The rapid increase continued, and in 1803 
 the number was 11,232, in ISIO it was 34,.550, in 1820 it was 119,777, whilst 
 only eight years later, in 1828, it had grown to 53G,391. The export of wool 
 appears to have begun in 1807, with tho modest shipment of 2-45 lb. The 
 London Moniiiig Chronicle of C)ctober 5, 1837, contained the following : — 
 " There is no instance on record of such progress of a country in wealth as 
 that which has resulted to Xew South AValcs, from the produce of its flocks. 
 It was, we believe, in the year 1812 that Mr. .John Macarthur had consigned 
 to him a number of merino sheep. By a singular coincidence, these were 
 conveyed out by the ship "Argo," and that the consequences that have 
 followed seem to have realised the fable of the golden fleece, for such has 
 been the rapid increase in the exports of fine wool, the produce of these flocks, 
 that from 99,115 lb. exported in 1820, the quantity last year had increased 
 to 7,000,525 lb." It is surprising to observe what a stir was made by the 
 export of seven million pounds weight, when to-day we ship hundreds of 
 millions of pounds. The early growth of the trade may be seen by the 
 following figures : — 
 
 AVooL Shipped from Xew South Wales. 
 
 lb % 
 
 1807 215 1S23 198,240 
 
 1808 562 1825 411,600 
 
 1811 ... . 107 1828 834,.343 
 
 . 1815 32,071 1833 1,515,156 
 
 181G 73.171 1S34 2,246,933 
 
 1817 13.616 1835 3,776,191 
 
 1818 86,525 1836 7,060,525 
 
 1820 99,415 
 
 The foregoing figures will give a little idea of the exhilarating effect on 
 the prosperity of the Colony of this development of the wool industry. But 
 what we can see from these figures is, however, only like shadow to substance 
 when we compare the best of the years quoted with the present day. 
 
 Geographical Discoveries. Expanding Commerce. 
 
 It is needless to recapitulate the numerous discoveries made during the 
 years 1788-1831. The infant colony planted in Sydney gradually found 
 that a bounteous Nature had provided plentiful means for the support of a 
 great nation. To the south Port Phillip, to the north Moreton Bay, where 
 iu the early future the cities of Melbourne and Brisbane respectively were 
 to commence their great careers. To the west, " over the mountains and far 
 away," good land was found. Seaward, the islands of the great Pacific 
 Ocean were found to invite enterprise. Value of imports and exports were 
 not taken prior to 1825 — in that year the imports were valued at £300,000, 
 and the exports at £100,000. In 1831 the figures were £490,152 imports
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 21 
 
 and £324,168 exports. The trade and commerce of the Colony were then 
 becoming established. In the years 1790 and 1797 coal was found to exist in 
 large quantity within comparatively easy distance of Sydney, both on the 
 north and on the south coast. Por some years the Government worked the 
 coal mines. The public accounts for 1822 show "price and metage of 942 
 tons coal sold at Newcastle, £504 6s." In 1817 the first bank, the Bank 
 of New South AVales, was established, an institution which has grown with 
 the Colony, and to-day is a colossal affair. Between 1811-1821 several 
 hundred buildings were erected, and three hundred miles of road, were 
 constructed. 
 
 Our First Boom, and its Consequences. 
 
 In the year 1825 New South Wales entered upon its first experience of 
 that form of public lunacy known now as a " boom," the descriptive phrase 
 invented in America, and since adopted generally by the English-speaking 
 race. In that year the Australian Agricultural Company was incorporated 
 in England by Royal Charter. Its object being, to quote Dr. Lang, " the 
 cultivation of land in New South "Wales, the rearing of fine-woolled sheep, 
 cattle, and horses, and the general improvement of the Colony." The 
 capital of the Company was £1,000,000, and the English Government, in 
 consideration of the important objects sought to be promoted, agreed to 
 give the Company, free of cost, one million acres of land in New South 
 AVales. The year 1825 was one of considerable excitement in the financial 
 world of London, and the formation of the A. A. Company, and a movement 
 on the part of private English investors, all combined, tended to produce in 
 the new Colony an ex.pectation of coming wealth. Dr. Lang says : "The 
 Australian Agricultural Company commenced its operations in the year 
 1826 ; but these operations were too prominent in their character, and too 
 extensive, not to have a powerful and immediate influence on a community 
 so limited as that of New South AVales, for as cattle, and sheep, and horses 
 had to be purchased for the Company, wherever they could be got, the 
 price of these description of agricultural stock rose rapidly throughout the 
 Colony ; insomuch that cattle of colonial breed were actually sold to the 
 Company's agent for twelve guineas, and sheep for four or five guineas a 
 head. The extensive purchases of agricultural stock that were made about 
 the same period for the large tracts of land granted to private individuals, 
 doubtless contributed also in no small degree to enhance its price in the 
 colonial market. 
 
 " Those only who witnessed the infatuation of multitudes in England on 
 the formation of the Joint Stock Companies of 1825, or the Railway Com- 
 panies of a later period, will be able to form any idea of the state of things 
 that immediately ensued in New South Wales ; for no sooner had the 
 existence of the Australian Agricultural Company been duly announced, and 
 its operations commenced in right earnest, than the sheep and cattle mania — 
 a species of madness undescribed by Cullen, and formerly unknown even in 
 the Colony — instantly seized on all ranks and classes of its inhabitants. 
 AVe are told by the historian Thucydides that, during the prevalence of the 
 plague in Athens, the wretched victims of that hopeless disease were 
 impelled by their intolerable thirst to the fountains and streams of water, 
 around which they died in great numbers. The colonial mania I have just 
 mentioned, evinced itself in like manner in impelling whomsoever it seized 
 to the cattle market ; and as my own residence in Sydney at that period 
 was in the immediate vicinity of that busy scene, I liad frecjuent 
 opportunities of observing the congregated patients, and abundant reason to 
 wonder how the matter would end; for barristers and utltu'iieys, mijilary
 
 22 TUE RISE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 oCBoers of every rank, and civilians of every department, clergymen and 
 medical iiu-ii. merchants, settlers, ami dealers in <j;cneral, were there seen 
 promiscnously mingled to!j;ether every Thursday, and outbidding each other 
 in the most determined manner, cither in their own persons or by proxies 
 of ccrtilied agricultural character, for the pun-hase of every scabbed sheep 
 or scarecrow horse or buft'alo-eow that was otlered for sale in the Colony. 
 In short, it was universally allowed that the calculations of the projectors of 
 the Agricultural Company could not possibly be inaccurate. Their state- 
 ments and reasonings were sujiportcd by arithmetical" — which every person 
 allowed was the best of all— arguments ; and it was made as clear as 
 daylight to the comprehension of stupidity itself, that the owner of a 
 certain number of sheep or cattle in Xew South Wales must, in a certain 
 number of years, inlallibly make an independent fortune. It was con- 
 sequently determined on all hands and by all sorts of persons that the 
 Agricultural Company should not be the only reaper of this golden harvest. 
 The professional men and the Sydney merchants, who had become extensive 
 sheep or cattle owners, generally employed hired overseers to manage their 
 stock in the interior; but there were individuals, even among these classes, 
 who thought the matter too momentous to be entrusted to a deputy, and 
 accordinglv followed their purchase to the interior themselves. Nay (and 
 the reader will obserA-e that 1 do not speak at all metaphorically), even the 
 soldier unbuttoned the military belt to become a keeper of sheep ; and the 
 priest, reversing the ancient metamorphosis in the case of the prophet Amos, 
 forsook his altar to become a herdman of cattle. 
 
 "In all cases in which the purchaser had money to pay for his sheep and 
 cattle, money was paid ; but where money was not forthcoming, as was 
 generally the case, credit was allowed if the individual was supposed to be a 
 person of substance ; and security was often tendered and accepted on the 
 purchaser's land. One gentleman, who had a large herd of inferior cattle, 
 got them disposed of in this way to respectable free settlers at the rate of 10 
 guineas a head, with security on the purchaser's land for two years, and 10 
 per cent, interest besides on the whole amount of the purchase till its 
 ultimate payment." 
 
 After a description of the way in which the conversation at all gatherings 
 ran on the absorbing topic of sheep and cattle, Dr. Lang continues : "It was 
 not at all to be wondered at that persons who were to be so speedily enriched 
 beyond their highest previous expectations should begin to speculate prema- 
 turely on their good fortune. If a matrimonial alliance with the Sultan's 
 daughter was not projected, as in the case of the crystal-seller of Bagdad, it 
 was, at all events, fitting that articles of dress and furniture and equipage 
 suitable for a consummation so devoutly to be wished, and so reasonably to be 
 expected, should not only be bespoken, but actually procured. Such articles 
 were accordingly ordered, and bills were given for their due payment ; and 
 so favourable was the prospect of demand for the future, that the colonial 
 merchants or importers were induced to order large quantities of British and 
 other foreign goods till their warehouses were completely filled, and till 
 almost every article of British manufacture could be obtained in Sydney at a 
 cheaper rate than in London. 
 
 "It pleased Divine Providence to visit the Colony, in the midst of these 
 speculations, with an afflictive drought of nearly three years' continuance ; 
 the effect of which, combined with the natural result of the sheep and cattle 
 mania, was completely to open the eyes of the colonists to their own folly 
 and madness, to blast the golden hopes of thousands, and to bring many 
 
 respectable families to poverty and ruin the numerous 
 
 bills granted for the sheep and cattle purchased in the years 1S2G and 1827
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IX NEW SOUTH WALES. 23 
 
 began to fall due, while tlie high interest (generally 10 per cent.) on mort- 
 gages given for the mere purpose rapidly accumulated, till at length creditors 
 became imperative in their demands for payment, being themselves generally 
 pressed by their creditors, either in the Colony or in England ; and debtors, 
 who had nothing but their stock and their land to look to, found themselves 
 suddenly and unexpectedly ruined. Month after month herds of cattle and 
 flocks of slieep were seized and sold for the payment of debts incurred by 
 their original purchase ; and this process was so frequently repeated, and 
 the price of sheep and cattle fell so rapidly, that when the original stock, 
 with its whole increase during three successive years, failed to realise 
 anything like the amount of its original price, which very soon proved to be 
 the case iu many instances, the settler's farm was seized and sold also, and 
 himself, perhaps, ultimately lodged in jail. The reader will easily conceive 
 that the distress and riiin which were thus experienced in all directions 
 would just be a little less extensive than the mania which had originally 
 caused them. In short, those who had commenced with capital found they 
 had lost it iu great measure ; those who had salaries from Grovernment 
 found that these salaries must in future be appropriated for the payment of 
 debts which their OAvn cupidity and infatuation had led them to contract ; 
 and those who had neither capital or salaries at the first had their property 
 brought to the hammer, and themselves to poverty or to prison." Evidently, 
 the crisis was an acute one, and among a population which had not reached 
 50,000 at the time, it must have been well nigh overwhelming. By the year 
 1831 the depression was over, and we find the Statistical Kegister of the 
 Colony for that year recording an increase of nearly £10,000 in the yield 
 of Customs' duties; the cause of the increase being stated as "chiefly 
 increase of population and the augmented means of the great mass of the con- 
 sumers, arising from the high price of labour and the reduced price of 
 provisious." The Kegister for 1830 contained the following, under the 
 heading of Eate of Interest : — The rate of interest allowed by the Courts of 
 Law in the Colony is 8 per cent., which is considered the legal rate. The 
 Banks, in discounting bills, charge interest at the rate of 10 per cent. 
 During the year 1830, in consequence of the general embarrassment occa- 
 sioned by the droughts of the three years preceding, 12, 15, 20, and even so 
 high as 25 and 30 per cent, interest was obtained for money lent to meet the 
 urgent necessities of individual settlers. 
 
 General Position at Close of isai. 
 
 Up to the close of 1831, everything of the nature of mantifactures was 
 conducted in the most primitive manner, and the 43 years which had elapsed 
 since the founding of the Colony showed about as little progress as was at 
 all possible. The following are the manufactories and works recorded iji 
 the Eegister for 1829 :— 
 
 3 distilleries. 4- steam-engine corn-mills. 
 
 6 breweries. C cloth munufactorics, 
 
 11 tanneries. 2 hat do 
 
 IG -wind-mills. 3 candle do 
 
 10 water-mills. 3 soap do 
 
 8 horse-mills. 2 salt do 
 
 " Cloth mr\nufactories " sounds rather important, but the cloth manufac- 
 ttired was of the roughest kind, and the same may be concluded of the hats. 
 At the bottom of the list we Hud this note : " There are also severiil mills and 
 manufactories in different parts of the Colopy," but these cvidcjitly were of 
 no importance.
 
 24) Tin: lllSE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OP 
 
 "When tho year 18;ll closed tlio prot^voss made, th(niij;1i alioundinf^ in 
 iVaturos of sxreat intorost, did not roprosont an important aL!;i;reii;ato. More 
 niii^lit have boon expoctcd to liave hocn acliirvcd in ■i'.] years, but bearinji; in 
 mind tlio political convnlsions that marked tho history of Europe durins; 
 manv of these years, as ■well as the evil iuilucnco of the ])cnal eslablislunents 
 then exist in t:;, and the restrictive cliaractcr of (ireat Britain's laws with 
 reference to her colonies, it is probable that the development of trade and 
 commerce actually recorded is as satisfactory as was to bo expected. The 
 population had increased to 51,00). The lishcries Mcrc the leadinj; feature 
 of commerce of the time. The ])astoral industry was beginnin<jj to show 
 sis;n3 of the possible greatness that was before it. Agriculture had met the 
 wants of the people for food. As regards the other requirements of civilised 
 life, they were mostly imported, except such as might be produced by the 
 few manufactories and works which we have named. 
 
 PART IP 
 
 1832-1851-20 YEARS^ 
 
 As wo have seen, the population of Xcw tSouth AVales in 1831 was 51,000. 
 Twenty years later the population had risen to 197,000, an aggregate increase 
 of 140,000, an average of over 7,000 per year. Considering that during the 
 past 43 years the growth had only averaged something less than 1,200 a year, 
 it will be seen that a new order of things was arising in the period we now 
 bring under review. In 1831, a system of assisted immigration was com- 
 menced, whilst in 1810, by an Order in Council, the transportation of criminals 
 to Australia was abolished. Each of these events was of vital importance 
 to the young Colony. The great distance to Australia, and the necessarily 
 lengthened voyage, made the fares a serious consideration to would-be 
 emigrants in the United Kingdom, even steerage passengers had generally 
 to pay from £35 to £40, a rate almost prohibitory for mechanics and labourers. 
 There can be no doubt that the system of assisted immigration proved a 
 great success. A superior class of mechanics were gradually introduced, and 
 a new nnpetus 'thereby given to industrial development. Their operations 
 tended to make Australia more attractive to others, and ultimately led to a 
 considerable immigration of persons who came out at their own expense. It 
 is not needful in this record of trade and commerce to particularize what 
 was done year by year, or to refer to the steps that were taken to popularise 
 Australia in the eyes of the people of the United Kingdom, nor yet to show 
 the aggregate heavy cost the system entailed on the Colony. 
 
 Melbourne and Brisbane Settled. 
 
 The records of Xew South Wales were practically the records of Aiisti'alia 
 up to about the period now before us. But the time of expansion had 
 arrived. In the south, tlie country surrounding Port Phillip had been found 
 to be eminently suitable for agricultural and pastoral purposes, and in 1836 
 a small settlement had been formed on the site of what was ultimately to
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 25 
 
 become the great city of Melbourne. The pastoral industry progressed 
 rapidly in this new and favored district, and within a year or two — in 1837 — 
 town allotnionts in Melbourne, half an acre each, advanced from £o to from 
 £25 to £100. Immigrants began to arrive in considerable numbers, and the 
 town of Melbourne — gazetted a city in 1847 — grew steadily, not to say 
 rapidly, year by year. In 1850, the British Government passed an Act 
 separating the southern settlements from New South Wales, and creating 
 them a separate Colony under the title of Victoria. The effect of this 
 separation, which took effect in 1851, showed itself in the statistics of IS'ew 
 iSouth A\ ales, as the following figures will sliow : — ■ 
 
 Population. Sheep. Acres under crop. 
 
 1850 263,503 13,059,37-4 198,056 
 
 1851 197,108 7,390,895 153,117 
 
 In the north a new settlement had been made in Moreton Bay, destined 
 afterwards to grow into the city of Brisbane. In 1851, the population of 
 the new settlement, or rather settlements, in the north was 8,575. At a later 
 period — 1859 — a new Colony under the name of Queensland was created, 
 with Brisbane for its capital. The British Government, in 1834!, established 
 a new Colony to the west, under the title of South Australia, having the 
 city of Adelaide for its capital. New South AVales therefore became the 
 mother colony, with defined boi-ders, and an area of about 310,700 square 
 miles. 
 
 Gold Found in 1851. 
 
 The 20 years — 1832-1851 — cannot be said to be very remarkable for the 
 aggregate progress that was made, yet they were marked by a number of im- 
 portant events, the most important of which was the one that occui-red in the 
 last of the 20 years, and which will for ever stamp 1851 as the most remark- 
 able year in the commercial history of New South Wales from the foundation 
 of the Colony to the present. AVc need hardly say that we refer to the 
 discovery of gold. It is worth while pointing out that Australia owes 
 something to America in this matter. But for the gold discoveries in 
 California the discoveries in Australia would not in all probability have 
 taken place till a later period in her history. An Australian, by name 
 Edward Hammond Hargraves, hearing of the gold in California, proceeded 
 there, and, being an observant man, he was soon struck by the similarity 
 in the appearance of the gold country in California to the appearance of 
 country with which he was well acquainted in New South AVales. He at 
 once surmised that gold was to be found in New South Wales. With the 
 energy that marks the gold-miner, Mr. Hargraves returned, to find that his 
 expectations were perfectly correct. Gold in payable quantities was found 
 in several places about 150 miles to the west of Sydney, the iirst discovery 
 being announced in Sydney on May G, 1851. On that day the commercial 
 temperature began to rise, and gradually — nay, rapidly — rose to fever heat. 
 In the month of .Tune a solid lump of gold, weighing 10(3 lb. — l,()96oz. — was 
 found, a find which naturally raised great excitement. Yolnn)es can easily 
 be written to record the successes and the failures of gold-mining, the way 
 in which new towns are settled, and development generally both retarded 
 and promoted. In these pages we need not go into these defails ; the 
 symptoms and consequences of mining fevers are well known in America, 
 and quite as well understood as in 7\ustralia. Suflice it to say that the first 
 discoveries in New South Wales set pros])cctors to work in all direclions. 
 Two months afterwards gold was found in Victoria, and very little ex])erienco 
 proved that the Victorian mines were very rich — much I'icher, in fact, than
 
 20 TUE RISE, PllOGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 those of Now South AValos. "NVIicn IS")! closed it was found that f]:old 
 to the value of £.tGS,;{3G had heeu raised and exported in New fcjouth 
 Wales. 
 
 Continued Growth of the Pastoral Industry. 
 Duriiifjj these :20 years tlio pastoral industry made good progress, as the 
 following figures show : — 
 
 I^xports — 7/ 'vol. 
 
 Woij;lit. Valuo. 
 
 1831 1, 101,284 lb. £75,979 
 
 1851 15,209,317 „ 828,342 
 
 The fisheries, which had in the earlier years yielded the largest production 
 
 for export, were eclipsed : — 
 
 JExports. I 
 
 Oil, &c. Woo]. 
 
 1831 £95,969 £75,979 
 
 1840 224,144 566,112 
 
 1851 25,877 828,342 
 
 The fisheries reached their highest point o£ production in 1810, when the 
 exports were £211,114, and then the trade steadily fell off till it stood at the 
 small figure recorded for 1851. The production of wool, on the other haiid, 
 steadily increased, until in 1851 it was not far from a value of one million 
 sterling. A book, entitled " Twenty Years in New South Wales," published 
 in London about the year 1838, contained the following : — " After giving the 
 revenue, &c., of New' South A\"ales for the last 14 years, a late publication 
 says : " The above has been submitted to two actuaries of eminence in 
 London, in order to ascertain what the amount of each of these thi-ee heads of 
 production will be in 1851, being the end of another 14 years. The results 
 are as follows : — 
 
 
 In 1S21. 
 
 In 1S37. 
 
 In 1S51. 
 
 Revenue 
 
 £49,191 
 
 £226,900 
 
 £1,046,606 
 
 Land Revenne... 
 
 279 
 
 127,865 
 
 58,391,835 
 
 Wool exported ... 
 
 275,560 lb. 
 
 4,608,915 lb. 
 
 77,020,125 lb. 
 
 "These calculations are given here to show the mighty resources of this 
 magnificent and invaluable Colony, and to demonstrate to all really industrious 
 and right-minded persons the vast advantages which New South Wales 
 offers them. It is not meant to depreciate other colonies, but it may safely 
 be affirmed that the parallel of the rapid advancement of New South Wales, 
 and the boundless field for success which it offers to rightly directed 
 industry and enterprise, is not to be found in the annals of mankind." 
 
 There is something very grotesque and most amusing about these calcula- 
 tions of the increase that was to take place in the fourteen years 
 ending 1851, based upon the increase of the fourteen years ending 1837, 
 and the idea of employing " actuaries of eminence " on a work very 
 much akin to that of prophesy is enough to raise a laugh. The calculation 
 that in 1851 the Colony would possess a land revenue of over fifty-eight million 
 pounds is so supremely ridiculous that we would like to know the names of 
 those " eminent actuaries." The entire revenue from all sources in 1851 
 was not enough to pay twopence in the pound on the amount predicted, 
 and the exportation of wool was 15 instead of 77 million lb. The quotation 
 \\\\\ serve to show at once the great future that was expected for New South 
 Wales and the way in which ridiculously exaggerated estimates are often 
 put forward.
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 27 
 
 The Coal Trade. 
 
 The coal trade expanded very slowly. In 1831 the quantity raised was 
 5,000 tons, whicli had only grown to 67,610 tons in ISol. Agriculture 
 moved ahead in a very quiet fashion, other occupations apparently being 
 generally preferred. The number of acres under crop in 1831 is not 
 recorded, but in 1828 it was 71,523, in 1833 it was 60,520. In 1S51 it had 
 only grown to 153,117 acres, a rate of increase little more than one-half of 
 that which had taken place in the population. The increase in the trade and 
 commerce of the Colony during the 20 years may be judged by the following 
 figures : — 
 
 Imports. Exports. 
 
 1831 £190,152 £324,168 
 
 1851 l,-o63,931 1,790,912 
 
 Showing an increase in the aggregate trade of over 300 per cent., a per- 
 centage slightly in excess of that of the increase in population. The shipping 
 tonnage arriving inwards increased from 34,000 tons in 1831 to 153,002 in 
 1851. 
 
 Financial Development. 
 
 A very considerable development of banking and other financial institutions 
 took place between 1831 and 1851. In 1832 the Savings' Bank of 'New 
 South Wales was established, which has gradually grown, until to-day it is 
 the depository ot a large sum of money. In 1835 the Bank of Australasia 
 was opened, an institution that has had a most prosperous career. Another 
 large bank, the Union Bank of Australia, was started some four years later. 
 Both these new banks were started with English capital — in fact, were practi- 
 cally English banks. The Commercial Banking Company, formed in 1834, 
 was, however, a colonial bank — that is, the capital was found by Sydney 
 shareholders. 
 
 Another Boom and Another Collapse. 
 We have already dealt fully with the grave crisis which resulted from 
 what was known as the " cattle mania," which, in the years 1827-8-9, brought 
 terrible suffering to the young and inexperienced colony. Early in the 
 " thirties " the position greatly improved. Population was increased by the 
 new assisted-immigration scheme. Capital from England poured in freely. 
 Banks and mortgage companies were formed, money was plentiful, and 
 profits were easily obtained. Speculation revived, confidence was unbounded, 
 and an expectation of easy and quick enrichment took gradual possession of 
 the people. The history and the lessons of the past were forgotten, and 
 everywhere extravagance began to reign ; to expect to make a fortune was a 
 sufficient reason to begin spending one. Theculminatnig point was reached 
 in 1840, then a pause came, and doubt, uncertainty, distrust, depression, and 
 paralysis followed. Some of the official figures of the times tell the tale 
 eloquently enough. Take money realised by the Colony on sales of land : — 
 
 1832 £12,509 1839 £152,902 
 
 1833 24,956 1840 31G,(;2(; 
 
 1834 41,844 . 1841 90,387 
 
 1835 80,784 1842 14,.574 
 
 ]S3S 12(;,158 1843 ... ... 11,297 
 
 1837 120,427 1844 7,402 
 
 1838 116,324 
 
 It is easy enough in these records to trace the land speculation — th(^ rise 
 and the fail. The rise in eight years from twelve thousand pounds to three
 
 28 THE niSE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 Imndrod ami sixteen thousand, followed l)y a fall in four years from three 
 hundreil and sixteen thousand to seven thousand, eonlain a history in a 
 nutsliell. Tlie import returns are none the less sULi<j;cstive : — 
 
 
 Imports. 
 
 
 Imports. 
 
 18:^2 ... 
 
 ... £601,620 
 
 1839 
 
 ... £2,230,371 
 
 ]>S33 
 
 713,972 
 
 1810 
 
 3,014,189 
 
 lS3t ... 
 
 yy 1,090 
 
 1S41 
 
 2,527,988 
 
 1S35 ... 
 
 ... 1,114,S05 
 
 1842 
 
 ... 1,435,059 
 
 i83i; ... 
 
 ... 1,237,406 
 
 1843 
 
 ... 1,550,544 
 
 1837 
 
 ... 1,207,191 
 
 1811 
 
 931,260 
 
 1838 ... 
 
 ... 1,579,277 
 
 
 
 Eeading here hctween the lines, wc can picture the state of wild prosperity 
 whicli, in eight years, led the Colony to increase its purchases more than four 
 hundred per cent., and with equal ease we can picture the ruin which, in four 
 years, compelled the Colony to reduce its importations from more than three 
 millions to less than one million. The years 1842-3-4 have passed into the 
 history of the Colony as "The Bad Times." Although the number of the traders 
 and land-owners was only 6,251, of which 1,437 were in »Sydney, there were 
 2,529 writs issued in 1811, and 7,019 in 1842. During six months in 1842 
 the failures in this small community actually reached 400. Dr. Lang gives 
 a vivid picture of the distress that prevailed. " All but universal bank- 
 ruptcy ensued. A tlock of sheep was actually sold by the Sheriff at this 
 period, in satisfaction of a comparatively small debt, for sixpence a head ; 
 "while another Hock, the property of one of the oldest merchants in the 
 Colony, was purchased at so low a price (one shilling and sixpence per 
 head) that within two months of the sale, which took place in the month of 
 September, just before shearing time, the fortunate purchaser realised 
 upwards of £250 more than the whole amount of his purchase money from 
 the wool alone, the flock being worth in ordinary seasons from £9,000 to 
 £10,000. In another similar case, cattle, which had been bought at six 
 guineas a head, were sold at seven shillings and sixpence ; and horses that 
 cost sixty guineas, the produce of Persian and Arab steeds, brought only 
 seventeen or eighteen shillings ; while a house in Sydney, for which £5,000 
 had been offered and refused very shortly before, was sold for £1,200 ; and 
 sugar, which had been shipped at ^Manilla at £15 per ton, sold in Sydney 
 for £10. Carriages of all kinds, which had previously been numerous both 
 in town and country, beyond all European proportion to the population, 
 experienced a still more remarkable reduction. A first-rate curricle, quite 
 new, which had cost £140, sold for £3, and numerous costly equipages, 
 which it was now discovered w-ere no longer needed, fell into the hands 
 of the respective coachmen and grooms." The most serious incident of the 
 crisis was the failure of the Bank of Australia, which had been formed in 
 182G, and transacted a large share of the business of the Colony. The 
 assets of the bank were disposed of by lottery. To quote Coghlan : " JN'o 
 attempt was made to defend lotteries in general, but it was contended that 
 if the goods of proprietors of the bank were seized under execution, the 
 bailiff would be seen in possession of one house in ten in Sydney, and that 
 the result would be a panic, which would annihilate the value of property. 
 Under pressure of such an argument as this the 'Lottery Bill' passed (in the 
 New South Wales Council), but was disallowed by the British authorities. 
 The necessity of the case was so urgent, however, that the lottery took place, 
 and was successfully completed before the law officers of the Crown could 
 interfere to prevent it. Desperate diseases require des2:)erate remedies, and 
 the lottery was, no doubt, in the main beneficial."
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 29 
 
 Recovery. 
 
 A crisis as prave as the foregoing statements show that of " The Bad 
 Times " to have been, was sure to reach a stage from which a rebound might 
 be expected. There were some who ahuost entirely despaired of the future of 
 the Colony, but apart from the rash, the stupid, the wicked — the word is 
 justifiable — speculative extravagance, the position of the Colony was good — • 
 jjroduction was increasing, and fair prices were being obtained for exported 
 produce. The Colony was able, therefore, to gradually emerge from the 
 trouble that enveloped lier, and commercial rottenness having been merci- 
 lessly cut out, New South AVales was able to once more enter upon a period 
 of expansion. In two or three years importations were doubled, the revenue 
 steadily improved, though in neither case were the abnormally swollen figures 
 of the year 1840 reached again before the year 18-51. When the twenty- 
 year period — 1832-51 — closed, New South Wales was prospering, steady and 
 satisfactory progress was the general experience, with the gold discoveries 
 exerting a powerful influence, which, though often of a disturbing character,, 
 yet promised great things for the future. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 1852 TO 1871-20 YEARS. 
 
 This period opened under very interesting conditions, and with every pro- 
 mise of rapid growth — a promise which may be said to have been fulfilled. 
 When 1851 closed, the population was 197,000; the twenty years added to 
 this number no less than 322,000, bringing the total up to 519,00 ). The 
 population, which in the first 43 years had grown at the rate of 1,200 per- 
 year, aud in the following 20 years at the rate of 7,000 per year, now 
 multiplied at the rate of 16,000 per year. This increase was achieved in 
 spite of the remarkable attractions of Victoria m the matter of gold, which 
 drew thousands of people from New South AVales ; and also, in spite of the 
 cutting off of the northern portion of the Colony, with thousands of people, 
 for the purpose of creating the new Colony of C^ueensland. The growth of 
 New South Wales in the early " fifties" was, however, entirely eclipsed by 
 that of its southern neighbour and offshoot, Victoria. The discoveries of 
 gold which had taken place in New South Wales were small compared with 
 those in Victoria. The fame of the Victorian gold-fields was soon known 
 the world over, and by thousands, and tens of thousands, men arrived in the 
 new Eldorado. Since 1851 to the present time, gold to the extent of about. 
 £230,000,000 has been taken out of the goid-tields of Victoria, and about 
 £39,000,000 from those of New South Wales, — from which facts it will be 
 readily understood why it was that Victoria came to the front with a rush,, 
 and speedily passed the mother colony in importance, obtaining so great a 
 lead that until recently she remained the most popuh)us colony of Austra- 
 lasia. In 1851, the Victorian population numbered 97,000, ten years later 
 it had risen to no less tliaii 511,800 — an increase of nearly four hundred 
 and sixty per cent. 
 
 Up to 1851, New South AVales was practically Australia, after that date 
 she had to concede much of her monopoly of importance to her younger 
 neighbour. Happily there was room for all. The growth of Australasia as 
 a whole, and of New South AVales alone, are worth looking at :
 
 30 THE PvISE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 Population. 
 
 i!s:.l. iSGl. 1S71. 
 
 Now South Wales I'.ir.OOO .357,978 517,758 
 
 Austriilusiu 43S,230 l.'iG.l.SUS l,d70,0GCy 
 
 It will 1)0 understooil at oucc that llie offoi't of all this ij^rowth outside the 
 borders of Now vSoutli Wales would be to create an intercolonial trade of some 
 importance. The tralHc between the cities of S^-dney, Melbourne, Brisbane, 
 ana Adelaide rapidly reached very considerable dimensions. People moved 
 to and fro very frequently, and money being easily made, was spent with that 
 lavishness which is a characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon race — all of which 
 meant employment of a profitable nature for capital and labour in inter- 
 colonial trade. 
 
 Dominating Influence of thz Gold Discoveries. 
 
 The disturbing influence of the gold discoveries in New South "Wales 
 became more marked in 1852 than they had been in 1851. In that year the 
 gold raised reached the value of £2,GG0,9ii) — a very large sum considering 
 the population ; — a sum which was also calculated to lead to very dazzling 
 expectations for the future. But so far as jN'ew South Wales w^as concerned 
 these expectations were doomed to disappointment, for the yield of that year, 
 1852, has never again been reached. In 1853, the value fell to £1,781,172. 
 The next four years it fell to an a^-erage of less than £700,000. This great 
 reduction was not owing so much to the reduced yield of the New South 
 AVales' gold-fields, as to the rush to the A'ictorian gold-fields. When the 
 Victorian fever somewhat abated, New South Wales' gold-mining was prose- 
 cuted with more vigour — the yield in 1858 being £1,082,881-, gradually 
 rising, till, in 18(52, it was £2.300,883. From this point it declined almost 
 yearly, and in 1871 was only £1,232,011. The ups and downs of this 
 industry, it will be readily seen, were full of disturbing influences for New 
 South Wales, which, together with the mighty attractions of the Victorian 
 fields, often brought great confusion into business of the ordinary everyday 
 kind. When gold was to be picked up, or, Avhich is practically the same 
 thing, when men thought they could pick it up, who would spend their 
 time tending sheep, buiklins: houses, sailing ships, or mining for such 
 rubbish as coal ? And yet it is clear that some men made more money by 
 coal-mining than many others did by gold-mining. It is worth while quoting 
 the prices of coal at that time. In 1850 and 1851, coal Avas sold at about 
 nine or ten shillings a ton ; in 1852, it rose to over eighty shillings ; and 
 it may have been then that coal became dignified by the title of 
 " black diamonds." The price fluctuated with persistent, perhaps amusing, 
 regularity, until, in 1857, a man could expect to be thanked if he would be 
 good enough to pay the old price of nine or ten shillings a ton. This fluctu- 
 ation of value in coal is a fair illustration of the uncertainty and rapid 
 change that attached to the value of most commodities. But all these 
 matters are to be looked at only as discounts off the very material and 
 undoubted gain to New South Wales, and to Australia generally, of the 
 gold era. One large and important gain must not be forgotten. The 
 majority of the thousands of immigrants who in those years made Australia 
 their home, were from the cream of the working and middle classes of Great 
 Britain. The enormous distance to i\ustralia, and consequent high fares, 
 put the voyage out of the reach of the improvident and reckless, who, had 
 they been able, would have been the first to rush to the new land of promise. 
 The high quality of hundreds of thousands of the immigrants to Australia 
 far more than makes up for the deteriorating influence of the convicts who 
 were sent out in the early years.
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 31 
 
 Railways. 
 
 New South "Wales cannot boast of liaviiig shown early enterprise in rail- 
 way construction. In ISiG, the people of Sydney began to talk about the 
 advantages of railways, a public meeting being held on the subject. Two 
 years later a company was formed to construct a small line. Another two 
 years passed before the work of construction was commenced, but the 
 comjiany unfortunately came to grief, and the same fate overtook another 
 company formed to construct a second small line. The Government ulti- 
 mately took over both lines, and thus began the public ownership of colonial 
 railways. Even then the motto " make haste slowly" appears to have been 
 diligently observed, and it was not till September 20, 1855 —or rather more 
 than eight years after the date of the public meeting referred to — that the 
 first line, l-i miles in length, was declared open for traffic. This little 
 line, from Sydney to Parramatta, cost no less than six times as much as the 
 original promoters estimated would be required to build the line all the way 
 to Groulburn, a distance of 134 miles. The cost of the 14 miles is said to 
 have been no less than £50,000 per mile. The work of railway construction 
 proceeded very slowly for years, and at the close of 18G6 the total opened 
 for traffic was only 143 miles. Several lines were, however, in course of 
 construction, and when 1871 closed the mileage had increased to 358. In 
 that year the number of miles open in Victoria was 329, and in all Australia, 
 1,082. It is a subject for debate whether or no it has been for the good of 
 the people that the railway enterprise of the colonies has been kept, or 
 almost wholly kept, in the hands of the various Grovernments ; the general 
 belief is that it has been beneficial. 
 
 Expansion of Commerce. 
 
 With 1852 there began a most remarkable expansion of the commerce of 
 the Colony, as may be seen by the following figures of imports and exports — 
 the year 1851 being added to show the change : — 
 
 Imports. Exports. 
 
 1851 £1,563,931 £1,796,311 
 
 1852 1,900,436 4,60-1,03-1 
 
 1853 6,343,397 4,523,316 
 
 1854 ... 5,981,063 4,050,126 
 
 1855 4,668,579 2,834,130 
 
 1856 5,460,971 3,430,880 
 
 ' 1857 6,729,408 4,011,952 
 
 It is very seldom that the annals of commerce record such an expansion as 
 here shown, the growth of imports from less than two millions to more than 
 six millions in one year is surprising, but the returns tor the next few years 
 show that the speculative imports of 1853 were overdone. This is one of the 
 common failures of commerce. Let an increased demand show itself and 
 forthwith the tendency is for an exaggerated supply to be offered. The 
 exports, owing to the gold shipped during 1852-3-4, of course showed a 
 marked growth, but it is evident from the difference between tlie aggregate 
 imports and ex})orts for the years named — the imports exceeding the exports 
 by eight million pounds during 1852-57 — that British capital was being 
 attracted to New South Wales. But if the growth of commerce in the 
 mother Colony during these years was surprising, in the Colony of A'ictoria 
 it was positively astounding. The yield of gold for the seven years, 1S52 to 
 1858, in that Colony reached no less than an average value of eleven milliou
 
 32 Tin: kise, progress, and present position of 
 
 pounds sterlinij each year. The effect on commerce was electrical. The 
 imports which in 1S()1 amounted to £1,()")(). i;{7, rose in 18j2 to C 1,0()1),742, 
 the next year they boundeil up to £l'),Si'2,(i37, while in 185 t they actually 
 touched .€17,().')!),0.')1. But it may be stated as a singular tliiuL!; that it was 
 not until 1SS2 — twenty-eii^ht years later — that Victorian imports again 
 reached such a value, although the population had in the meantime increased 
 mure than three-fold. 
 
 The general character of the imports were ])retty much the same during the 
 20 years — 1852-71 — as before, viz., manufactured goods and luxuries, while 
 the exports were still almost wholly raw material. During: this period the 
 fishery business may be said to have " fizzled" out. The export of oil, &c., 
 the product of the fisticrics, had by 1852 greatly fall2n oft" — for live years 
 they only averaged between £25,it00 and £3(),60v) per year. Then came 
 three years. 1S5S-G0, when the experts were £1,1'5(), £5-32, and £13(5 respec- 
 tively. For five years the record was nil, and then again came some trifling 
 exports, but th*^ trad-3 — so interesliugly and importantly connected with the 
 early davs of the Colony — was done. In regard to the coal trade, the days 
 of steam had arrived, and th3 demand grew rapidly. The exports of 1851 
 were 28,000 tons, those of 1871 were 505,000 ton^i, besides large deliveries 
 for use of steamers. The total quantity raised from the mines being about 
 900,000 toi-us. During the twenty years the pastoral industry had become 
 thoroughlv established, and while the quantity of wool sent abroad in 1851 
 was 15,00b.<'00 lb., in 1871 it was 05,000,000 lb. The declared value rising 
 from £828,000 to £-i,7i8,000. 
 
 The PASTor!.5,L Industry— A Further Advance. 
 
 "The rise of the pastoral industry in Xcw South AVales is a very interesting 
 study, one that is full of incident and instructive in many ways. At first it 
 was 'thought that only the belt of country on the coast was of commercial 
 value, but by degrees the pastoralist or the squatter — to use an Austra- 
 lianism — with hi.s flocks pushed further and further inland. It is outside 
 the province of this work to follow in detail the struggles and sufferings that 
 marked and impeded the onward course of this great industry, but the 
 following extract from Kauken's Boininioii of Australia is well worthy a 
 place : — 
 
 " In the earlier days, before gold Avas thought of, as herds of cattle 
 increased bevond the capability of their pasturages, they used to be sent out 
 to the nearest unoccunied good country. Thus, the western streams of Xew 
 South Wales became stocked, and the country occupied. This system arose 
 when cattle were decreasing in value, and when it was therefore indispen- 
 sable to breed them at the least cost, so that these herds were inferior, often 
 became wild and unmanageable, and only rose into value when the crowds 
 of gold-diggers arrived and paid any price for meat. But these cattle proved 
 how good all the interior was for stock, and convinced people that the laud, 
 which seemed a desert, was most fattening pasture. They discovered ' salt 
 bush,' and gave a character to the eastern portion of the great plain which, 
 as Riverina, it has ever since held. This was the first of three great waves 
 of settlement which swept over the country of late— the first over the inland 
 plains between the settlements of New South Wales, Victoria, and South 
 Australia ; the second, beyond these, further inland to the central basin ; 
 and the third northward. The first arose from the demand for meat made 
 by the gold-fields ; the second from the success of the first, which was an 
 experiment in what had been considered a desert, and from the demand for 
 wool ; and the third arose from the maintained and increasing value of all
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 33 
 
 squatting property, particularly of pastures. Eiveriua was thus all eagerly 
 taken up along every known watercourse ; it became the fattening-ground 
 for A'ictorian meat and the outlet for squatting enterprise. Believed at first 
 to be a desert, next considered only available along river courses, and known 
 to be subject to severe droughts and floods, this district has overcome all 
 prejudices." 
 
 Anglo-Saxon energy and perseverance carried the pastoral industry all 
 over the Colony. Many a fortune was wrecked, many a life was lost in the 
 fight, but in spite of everything the industry advanced. The expenses in 
 producing wool were often enormous, such as at present the industry could 
 not carry for a day, and more than once, nay frequently, a falling market 
 brought disaster. 
 
 In 1851 Ihe number of sheep in New South "Wales was about seven 
 millions. The great gold discoveries for a time distracted attention from 
 wool-producing, for labour was most difficult to get, and, when got, very 
 costly. The number of sheep in 1861, ten years later, was less than six 
 millions. A few years afterwards the industry again advanced, and when 
 1871 arrived the Colony could count sixteen million head. At this date the 
 extra number of sheep throughout Australasia had risen to within a fraction 
 of fifty millions, having more than doubled within ten years, and placed 
 these colonies in the very front rank of the wool-producing countries of the 
 world. 
 
 The First Steamship Arrives. 
 
 Up to 1852 communication between 'New South Wales and the mother 
 country was always carried on by sailing vessels, which, of course, meant 
 that mails were only received and despatched at irregular intervals, and 
 prolonged and irritating delays were, of course, frequent. Dr. Lang writes : 
 "I myself have known a period of ten weeks to elapse between two arrivals 
 from London. On that occasion I recollect when the yellow fiag, which 
 then announced a vessel in sight from the light-house, was pulled down, 
 and the blue flag, which proclaimed that she had got within the Heads, was 
 hoisted, almost the whole population of Sydney speedily assembled on the 
 heights around the harbour to welcome the coming stranger, and to express 
 their gratification that we had not been entirely forgotten by the Old World." 
 In 1852, however, the good people of Sydney were one day roused to great 
 excitement by the arrival of a vessel that had — wonderful to say — come all 
 the way from England by the power of steam. It was a great event, though 
 were a steamer now to take GO days on the voyage to Sydney, as that one 
 did, there would be an outcry of another kind. Two other steamers also 
 arrived during 1852, for the gold-fever excitement made would-be gold-fiudcrs 
 eager to travel by the quickest means possible. 
 
 Steam Mail Service. 
 
 Of course, when steamers began arriving, it was not long before a demand 
 arose for a regular mail service. The Crimean War broke out, and it was 
 not till 1856 that this demand was satisfied, or, more properly speaking, 
 attempted to be satisfied. In that year the Peninsular and Oriental Company 
 began running steamers, but they di<l not put first-chiss vessels on, the result 
 being that 58 days was often the time occupied by letters from London to 
 Sydney. At this period the first-class fare between London and Sydney 
 was £160. In the past we iiave referred to the interest taken in the United 
 States in the affairs of Australia, and in the matter of mail communication 
 with Kew South Wales America and Americans played an interesting part.
 
 34 TUE RISE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 Por a time stcnmcva rnu to Panama, passcuLTors travelHiiii; across the Isthmus, 
 and takini,' ani)tIior steamer for Enghmd. The Panama route ])roA-ed a failure 
 in several ways, the elimatc of the Isthmus was bad, and the funds of the 
 Company beearae exhausted, lu the year 1807 a steam mail service between 
 Sydney and San iM-aneiseo was inaugurated, and since that date steamers 
 liiivo almost regularly made mtnithly voyaues. The Colony of Xew South 
 Wales has, therefore, more than any other Australian colony enjoyed com- 
 mercial intercourse with the United States. AVhilo on this subject we may 
 s.iy that in 1S71, 38 vessels (37,080 tons) arrived in New South Wales fi-om 
 United States ports, and 50 vessels (17,533 tons) were cleared for United 
 States' ports. 
 
 The delay that occurred in openinn; up a regular mall service between the 
 colonies and Great Britain was bitterly resented in Australia, and the 
 following, which appeared in an issue of the (Melbourne) Argus during 
 1855, is interesting in more ways than one : — 
 
 " It has been a source of very great astonishment and vexation that 
 (considering the ease with which the communication could be made in 45 
 days) the most liberal offer by our Legislature, of £3,000 per month to any 
 and every company which shall regularly engage to carry the mail to 
 England in GO or Go days, has been almost contemptuously rejected. The 
 consequence is that the colonists seem now disposed to abandon all hope of 
 active co-operation on the part of England. 
 
 '"In these circumstances of virtual desertion by their parent, they 
 naturally turn their eyes to that go-a-head brother of America. A scheme 
 has been projected which is likely to meet with the cordial co-operation 
 here, that will make the United States the centre of our steam communi- 
 cation, and in this case the bulk of the great and growing trade of this 
 immense continent will ultimately likewise concentrate there." 
 
 Agriculture. 
 
 It was of coui'se to be expected that agriculture would be greatly neglected 
 during the gold fever, perhaps the wonder is that it Avas not more neglected 
 than it was. In 1851 the number of acres under crop was 153,000, for the 
 next three years it only averaged 131,000 acres. In 1855 a spurt took 
 place, and an almost continuous increase was shown, until in 1869 the total 
 was 482,000; some falling off then took place, 1871 showing 417,0t)0 acres. 
 The principal products of agriculture in 1871 were wheat, 1,000,000 bushels ; 
 maize, 2,310,000 bushels ; potatoes, 34,000 tons ; hay, 09,000 tons. The scant 
 attention paid during the gold days to agriculture in New South Wales 
 ■was really excessive attention compared to what was done in Victoria, 
 where, in the early " fifties," agriculture was almost extinct. This state of 
 things led to the importation of wheat from nearly all parts of the world; 
 the United States, Chili, even Brazil and Great Britain, sending supplies. 
 Those persons who, in the days of excitement, stuck to agriculture must 
 have found it generally more profitable than gold-mining. Butter was a 
 common article of import from Great Britain. 
 
 Manufactures. 
 
 If the gold excitement delayed the progress of agriculture, it none the 
 less, for a period, delayed progress in manufacturing industries. Tet 
 undoubtedly in the end, when the large number of artisans, who had come 
 out to seek gold, turned to their old occupations, many manufacturing indus- 
 tries advanced with a rapidity that would not otherwise have been possible. 
 The Census return for 1871 showed there was a marked increase in the
 
 TRADE AND COMMEECE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 35 
 
 industrial population of the Colony. Development in manufacturing follows 
 a natural course — the simple first, the complex last. Between the grinding 
 of grain and the making of a watch there lies a great range of manufac- 
 turing skill. Simple, easy work, such as the grinding of gram, the making 
 of common soap and the ordinary kinds of carts and furniture, take place 
 very early. Prom such simple and easy beginnings progress is gradually 
 made to the more complex and difficult. Progress is also shown by improved 
 ,,.^+i.^.ic, ^f ,„„,,i.,-„„ rpj^Q statistics of mills for grinding grain show- 
 
 methods of workin^ 
 progress. 
 
 Mills in 183G 
 „ 1871 
 
 Steam. 
 
 10 
 160 
 
 Wind. 
 22 
 14 
 
 Water. 
 
 Ilorsc 
 
 2i 
 
 12 
 
 7 
 
 9 
 
 In 1871, the list of manufacturing industries carried on in the Colony 
 showed a marked growth on those existing in 1851. The list now included 
 a marked variety of industries, and indicated the presence in the Colony 
 of a considerable amount of manufaciurina: skill. 
 
 PART IV 
 
 1872-1892-21 YEARS. 
 
 Weitixg as we necessarily do, before the close of the year 1892, the latest 
 completed statistics are those for 1891, and in explaining the present position 
 of trade and commerce in New South Wales, we must be content with 
 those statistics. So far as population is coiicerned,however, an approximate 
 estimate may be made of the number at the close of 1892. That estimate 
 is 1,200,000 (it was 1,165,300 at the end of 1891), which shows an increase 
 since 1871 of 681,000. When a population in 21 years springs from 519,000 
 to 1,200,000, it must be admitted the growth of the country has been rapid. 
 New South AVales, the mother colony, thoroughly outpaced by its neighbour 
 Victoria during the time of the gold fever, has again assumed the premier 
 position, having, since 1871, attracted a very largo number of immigrants. 
 To show the vitality that has marked New South Wales since 1871, it is 
 only needful to say that from that date to the end of 1891 the population of 
 thovariouscolouies of Australasia increased as follows: — Western Australia, 
 28,000 ; Tasmania, 51,000 ; South Australia, 140,000 ; Queensland, 285,000 ; 
 New Zealand, 307,000 ; Victoria, 410,000; and New South Wales, 018,000. 
 The relative positions of the various colonies at the two dates can be readily 
 seen by the following figures : — 
 
 
 1871. 
 
 1891. 
 
 New South Wales 
 
 517,753 
 
 1,165,800 
 
 Victoria 
 
 747,412 
 
 1,157,804 
 
 Quft'nsland 
 
 125,140 
 
 410,345 
 
 South Australia 
 
 185,020 
 
 325,766 
 
 Wostern Australia 
 
 25,373 
 
 53,285 
 
 Tasmania ... 
 
 101,785 
 
 152,019 
 
 Now Zealand 
 
 260,980 
 
 631,058
 
 36 THE RISE, TROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 Of the entire increase of ]wpulation. New South "Wales alisorbed a full 
 third anil soniethini; over. The expeotatidn that these facts will raise as to 
 the jn-oi^ress aiul ])rcsent position of the trade and cununercc of Xe\v South 
 "Wales will not be disappointed. 
 
 Wool, the Backbone of Our Commerce. 
 
 Wool has become the backlxme, the niainstav of the commerce of the 
 Colony. We have seen that in 1871 the number of sheep in Xew South Wales 
 had risen to sixteen millions, ten years later it had risen to thirty-six millions, 
 and now it stands at more than sixty millions. In 1871, New South Wales 
 owned one-third of the sheep in Australasia, to day she owns one-half. The 
 enormous number no\v existing in New South Wales has been reached in spite 
 of losses that have been simply terrible to contemplate. The loss through bad 
 seasons since 187(5, including the expected increase from lambing not realised, 
 has been nearly twenty-eight millions. The year 1881 will not be soon 
 forgotten by the pastoralists of New South Wales ; the horrors of that year of 
 drought were great indeed. There had been losses during 1881-2-3 averaging 
 nearlv two millions head a-year. In 1881 the prolonged drought reached its 
 climax, the loss of that one year being estimated at over eight millions, the 
 actual number in the Colony being reduced from nearly thirty-eight millions 
 to thirty-one and a-half millions. The seasons changed with 1885, and a 
 rapid increase took place, until at last the aggregate exceeded sixty millions. 
 There is now a fear that the limit of safety has been passed, and that New 
 South Wales possesses almost more sheep than she can hope to regularly 
 feed. 
 
 The expansion in the shipment of wool has, of course, also been very great, 
 "dnfortunateh'. the increased production, not only in Australia, but in other 
 parts of the world, has resulted in a serious fall in the value, the quantity of 
 wool which, in 1871, would have sold for £1,000,000 has lately only been 
 worth about £600,000. The whole of this is by no means loss, for important 
 •savings in inland carriage, sea freight, commissions, and other expenses 
 have been effected. In 1871, the export of wool was about 65,000,000 lb., 
 the declared value being £4.748,000; in 1881, the figures were 139,600,000 
 lb.; value £7,149.000; in 18SG, 174,000,000 lb., value £7,028,000 ; and in 
 1891, 340,691,382 lb., value £11,312,980. Up to a comparatively recent 
 pjeriod the whole of the great production of avooI was regularly shipped to 
 London, and there disposed of on account of the growers at the public wool 
 sales. Bankers and large financial institutions took charge of the shipments, 
 making suitable advances on the value. At one time, owing to the prolonged 
 delays, a producer would hardly expect to receive his account sales and the 
 money, or the balance of the money owing, for one season's clip before the 
 next season's was being shorn. Now settlement is much more rapid. But 
 a very important change is gradually taking place ; every year a larger pro- 
 portion of the w^ool is being sold in Sj'dney itself, where the auction sales are 
 regularly attended by the representatives of English, German, French, 
 and Belgian wool-spinning firms. The proportion of the wool-clip now 
 hought in Sydney before shipment is very large. Wool-spinners find it 
 much to their advantage to buy in the local market, as by doing so they are 
 able to save heavy charges. It is hoped that it will not be long before 
 American buyers are conspicuous at the Sydney wool sales. Owing to the 
 great production, there has naturally been some anxiety in the Colony to 
 open up new markets. China and Japan have been thought of, but there is 
 yet no sign of real business. The market to which Australians look with the 
 most hope is undoubtedly the great one that exists in the United States.
 
 THADE AND COMMERCE IX XEW SOUTH WALES. 37 
 
 Australia asks America to admit her Wool. 
 
 So far back as 1S78 this desii'e for another market, and for closer general 
 commercial intercourse with the United States, led to the following memorial 
 being prepared and sent : — 
 
 '■'■ Memorial addressed to tlie Chamhers of Commerce and Mercantile Men of 
 the United States of America hy the Chamhers of Commerce of Australia 
 and New Zealand. 
 
 " The Centennial Exhibition of Philadelphia, in 1876, induced many of our 
 colonists to visit America, where they had the opportunity of obtaining more 
 accurate knowledge of the immense resources, wonderful progress, and great 
 capabilities of the United States of America. Contrastnig these with 
 similar great and undeveloped resources of the Australasian colonies, and 
 the fact that the present population of these colonies is about the 
 same as the population of the United States was at the commencement of 
 the Centennial period, the completion of which the Philadelpliia Exhibition 
 was intended to signalise, Australian visitors were encouraged to hope that 
 similar progress might await their own country, and they anticipated intimate 
 and increasing commercial relations between the two countries to their 
 national advantage ; but, to ensure this result, they were impressed with the 
 absolute necessity for the same unrestricted mutual interchange of products 
 of the respective counti'ies as now exists betwixt the Australasian colonies 
 and the mother country ; and certainly, without such unrestricted inter- 
 change, it is impossible commerce can attain its full development. 
 
 "During the last ten years the imports from America into these colonies 
 have been steadily increasing, while no corresponding increase in the exports 
 from the colonies to the United States has taken place, although the 
 establishment of a line of steamers, highly subsidised by the colonies of 
 New South "Wales and Xew Zealand, and run by American citizens, has 
 afforded facilities which should have secured the development of commerce 
 between the two countries ; and it is naturally asked, — How is it that 
 mutual trade has not been more expansive ? The reason seems to be in the 
 fact of the exclusion, by heavy duties, of the staple product of these 
 colonies from the American market. 
 
 "Trade cannot attain its natural development unless it is conducted on a 
 basis mutually satisfactory to the countries engaged in it ; and it cannot be 
 mutually satisfactory if one of the countries finds its ])i'oducts excluded 
 from the markets of the other. As we desire free, cordial, and extending 
 commercial relations betwixt our respective countries, we venture to ask 
 your co-operation in getting removed the restrictions on the introduction of 
 our staple article, wool, into your market, believing that the repeal of the 
 duties, which are now so heavy as to be virtually prohibitory, will prove of 
 as much advantage to American interests as to those of the colonies. 
 
 " The approaching exhibitions to be held in Sydney and Melbourne seem 
 to present a fitting opportunity for urging this matter, as wo anticipate 
 many of your citizens will be drawn hither with a view to mako themselves 
 acquainted with our products and to open up fresh markets for Aincrican 
 manufacturers, an object which w^ould be promoted by the same freedom 
 being accorded to our products in your ports as is accorded to your ])roducts 
 in our ports, and without which it is impossible that full justice can be done 
 to the trade that should, and we hopo will, be carried on betwixt America 
 and these colonies. 
 
 " You are, no doubt, aware that our products are chiedy pastoral and 
 mineral, and that only to a suiall extent do manufactories exist amongst us.
 
 38 THE RISE, TROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OE 
 
 AVhilo our papulation can employ Ihemselvos profitahly in (lovolo])iiicr the 
 natural resources oF tlie country, tliere is little inilucenient to Ihein to devote 
 their attention to nianut'acturiug ; but if their ]iroiluct.s are excluded from 
 other markets they must, ])erforce, manufacture for themselves and limit 
 the import of manufactured goods. AV^hether this be so or not, we hope 
 you will agree with us that the interests of both countries will be best 
 advanced by abolishing every obstacle to free commercial relations ; and we 
 appeal to you, as peculiarly interested in ])romoting the commerce of the 
 United States, and intinudtjly conversant with it in all its relations, to give 
 us your cordial assistance and co-operation to this end. 
 " We liave the pleasure to subscribe ourselves — 
 
 John B. "Watt. 
 Chairman of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce. 
 
 John Benn, 
 
 President of the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce. 
 
 JonN POHMBY, 
 
 Chairman of the South Australian Chamber of Commerce, Adelaide. 
 
 J. E. Deuet, 
 
 Chairman of the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce." 
 
 "With reference to this memorial, the report of the Sydney Chaudier of 
 Commerce for the year 1S79 contains the following : — 
 
 American Duties levied on Australian Wool. 
 
 Your committee having in-vitecl the co-operation of the Australasian Cliambers in 
 addressing the Chambers of the United States on the subject of the duties levied ixnder 
 tlie American tariff on our staple product, a memorial, ajjreed to and signed on behalf of 
 the colonial Chambers, was forwarded to the leading Chambers of Commerce of the United 
 States, urging the abolition or reduction of the duties on wool. From the Chambers of 
 New York and Boston replies have been received, promising their aid, and stating that 
 committees have been appointed to report upon the memorial, with the view of bringing tln^ 
 question before Congress. Even should the memorial lead to no immediate result, your 
 committee have reason to hope that this action on tlie pari; of the Australasian Chambers 
 of Commerce will be the means of directing the attention of those interested in developing 
 the foreign trade of the United States to the necessity of admitting the products of these 
 colonies on more favorable terms than the present, if thev are desirous of extending 
 commercial relations with the colonies. 
 
 It would appear as if the memorial had caused some increased interest to 
 be taken in the United States in Australian wool, for on December 19, 1S79, 
 the ship "AVillard Mudgett" cleared for Boston with 3,159 bales of wool, and 
 on January 13, 1880, the " Elizabeth" cleared with 1,G26 bales for the same 
 destination. Since then most of the direct shipments have been made to San 
 Prancisco by the mail steamers, the quantities have, however, been exceedingly 
 small. Whatever the quantity of Australian wool may be that has been con- 
 sumed in the United States nearly the whole of it has been bought in London. 
 
 Great Growth of the Coal Trade. 
 
 The coal industry has rapidly expanded, and now occupies not only an 
 important position in the commerce of Xew South AVales but an important 
 position in the general commerce of the world. The "round voyage" — 
 England to ]N'ew South Wales with general cargo, thence to San Francisco 
 with coal, and home again from there with grain — represents a common form 
 of charter. Vessels come in ballast thousands of miles to get a coal freight
 
 TRADE AND COMMEECE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 39 
 
 ia New South "Wales. In 1871 the quantity raised, after increasmc: rapidly 
 for several years, amounted to about 900,000 tons, of -which 565,000 tons 
 were exported. The trade continued to show a very rapid expansion, 
 and by 1S81 had nearly doubled ; then the trade advanced by more rapid 
 strides than ever, until in 1891 no less a quantity than 4,037,922 tons were 
 raised, oE which 2,514,303 tons were exported. The trade of 1890 was 
 injuriously affected by a serious strike, and some fallins: off for the time took 
 place, but this was more than recovei-ed in 1891. The other colonics are the 
 largest customers, but, taking foreign countries, the United Stales are far 
 ahead._ In 1889 the shipments to the United States, principally to San 
 Praneisco, reached 805,000 tons. How extended this trade now is may be 
 seen from the following list of shipments during 1891 to other foreign 
 countries : — Chili, 196,000 tons ; Singapore, 89,000 tons ; Hong Kong, 59,000 
 tons ; Java, 43,000 tons ; India, 21,000 tons ; Phillipine Islands, 53,000 tons ; 
 Sandwich Islands, 34,000 tons; Peru, 25,000 tons ; New Caledonia, 23,000 
 tons ; South Sea Islands, 2,000 tons ; Mauritius, 20,000 tons ; Mexico, 
 12,000 tons; Guam, 5,000 tons ; China, 18,000 tons ; Sumatra, 1,000 tons; 
 Celebes, 2.000 tons ; Kaiser Wilhelm's Land, 500 tons. These details of the 
 exports of 1891 in the one article of coal fully justify the remark as to the 
 important position now occupied by Xew South Wales in the world's com- 
 merce. The quality of New South Wales' coal ia very good, and as the 
 supplies are. practically speaking, unlimited, there must be a great future 
 before the trade. Several of the other colonies possess coal-fields, but they 
 compete very little with New South AYales, as in most cases the coal is either 
 difficult of access or poor in quality — sometimes both. The principal collieries 
 are those in the Hunter Kiver district, and the quality of the coal raised 
 comj^ares well with that of the British, being very suitable for the production 
 of gas. It is principally from these collieries that the shipments for the 
 San Francisco market are supplied. The Southern, or Illawarra, collieries 
 produce a coal whose value is principally for steaming purposes. It has been 
 estimated by the Government Geologist that New South A\'^ales contains 
 more than 78,000,000,000 tons of coal, a calculation which excludes seams of 
 less than 30 inches, and which allows for a waste of one-tlurd in working. 
 The collieries give employment altogether to more than 10,000 men. 
 
 Gold Mining— Present Position. 
 
 Gold-mining is by no means an exhausted industry. 1S72 saw a product 
 value £1,634,000, then the yield fell off year by year, till in 1879 it was 
 slightly under £400,000. From that year it has fluctuated from between 
 £300,000 and £558,000. It is believed that the Colony still holds large 
 quantities of gold, and that with complete gold-saving and labour-saving 
 machinery much profitable industry will be seen in the future. 1891 saw 
 the largest yield of recent years — £558,000 — and it is expected the returns 
 for 1892 will show a still further im.provemeut. 
 
 Silver— A Great Find. 
 
 Within the last ten years New South Wales has sprunir into a notable 
 position as a producer of silver. In 1883 a boundary-rider on a sheep 
 run about 700 miles to the west of Sydney, in tlio IJroken Hill district, 
 discovered silver deposits, and very little examination was needed to show 
 that the discovery was one of world-wide importance. The miucB 80on 
 developed to an extent that warranted the engagement of experienced 
 managers from some of the chief centres of silver-mining in tlie United 
 .States. As the mines at Broken Hill became better known and more
 
 40 TUE IIISE, rilOGKESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 clevclopcd, eager search for silver was made in otlier parts of ilio Colony, and 
 the search met ^YiTh some siu-eesa. 1SS7-88 were marked hy a veritahle 
 silver mania. The immense yield of the jiriiieipal mine led to expectations of 
 similar fortunate discoveries, and mines, good and bad — the latter the more 
 numerous — were offered to the ])ublic, and for a while taken with avidity. 
 AVhen the silver fever ended a few people had become enriched, and a good 
 many impoverished, lint the Broken Hill mines stood the test, and speedily 
 took their place among the most famous silver mines in existence. The 
 production has increased by "leaps and bounds.'' The figures are worth 
 quoting : — 
 
 Value product Silver Mines in New South Wales. 
 
 1552 £9,384 1887 £574,410 
 
 1553 18,563 1888 1,142,405 
 
 1884 261,720 1889 1,971,198 
 
 1885 206,823 1890 2,762,554 
 
 1886 492,029 1891 3,619,589 
 
 The principal mine is that of the Broken Ilili Proprietary Company, the 
 value of the silver and lead raised by this Company np to 1892 is probably 
 more than eijiht million pounds sterling. The present yield of silver exceeds 
 in value anything ever obtained from the gold mines of New South Wales. 
 
 Other Valuable Metals, d,c. 
 
 The Colony is rich in metals. A considerable quantity of tin has been 
 obtained. Tin was discovered in 1853, but it was not till 1872 that actual 
 ■working commenced, when a considerable industry was speedily opened 
 up. Prom that date to the close of 1891 the value of the aggregate yield 
 was £5,675,000. Tin-mining increased in importance till 1881, when the 
 yield was £569,000, since then it has gradually declined, until in 1891 it 
 scarcely reached one-fourth of this. There is still plenty of tin in the 
 Colony, but it is in deej) deposits and tin lodes, few of which have yet been 
 worked. 
 
 Copper exists in large quantities in Xew South "Wales, but hitherto it has 
 only paid to work it to a limited extent. The yield in 1891 was valued at 
 £119,000, and the aggregate receipts from the first are about three and a 
 half million pounds sterling. 
 
 Enormous deposits of iron ore are to be found in New^ South "Wales, and 
 as they often exist in close contiguity to abundant supplies of coal, it is 
 quite certain that some day New South Wales will occupy an important 
 position as an iron manufacturing country. In 1891, the Government 
 Greologist reported that iron-ore deposits to the extent of nearh^ thirteen 
 million tons (estimated to yield nearly six million tons iron) existed con- 
 veniently near to coal and limestone. No mining for iron is reported for 
 the last four years, the previous ten years it had averaged perhaps £20,000 
 a year. 
 
 Kerosene shale is found in various parts of the Colony. The first mines 
 were opened in 1SG5, when a few hundred tons were raised. In 1871, the 
 quantity raised was 14,700 tons, in 1881, 27,800 tons, in 1891, 40,000 tons. 
 The trade fluctuates greatly, the quantity named for 1891 being 16,000 tons 
 less than in 1890, but 6,000 tons more than in 1888. A fair portion of the 
 shale is distilled, the kerosene oil being consumed in the Colony. The bulk of 
 the shale is, however, exported, principally to foreign countries, where it is 
 used in the manufacture of gas. Last year about seven-eighths of the 
 quantity raised was exported. The shipments included 8,267 tons to Holland, 
 5,621 tons to Italy, 5,272 tons to Spain, 2,977 tons to Brazil, 2,571 tons to 
 the United States, and smaller shipments to Chili, Java, Peru, &c.
 
 TRADE AND COMilERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 41 
 
 New South Wales possesses quite a variety of other kinds of minerals iu 
 addition to those that have been mentioned. It is unnecessary to refer at 
 length to these, but the following quantities were obtained in 1891 : — 
 Antimony, £22,057 ; bismuth, £500 ; manganese, £310 ; oxide of iron and 
 pig iron, £434; zinc spelter, £2,G22 ; pig lead, £2,025; limestone (flux), 
 £65,357: alumite, £1,888; cobalt, £470; fire-clav, £55; lime, £958; marble, 
 £2,577 ; grindstones, £311 ; slates, £351 ; sundry minerals, £3,210. This 
 list will suggest the thought that minerals will play a yet greater part in 
 the prosperity of New South Wales than even at present. The total value 
 of all minerals — ineludinc: the precious metals — raised iu New South Wales 
 during 1891 was no less than £6,395,561. 
 
 Position of Agriculture. 
 
 New South Wales is not great in agriculture, unless the term be used in 
 the wide sense accepted in Great Britain and the United States, where it 
 includes the pastoral industry. It is difficult to say why the distinction 
 should be made in Australia, but at all events it is made. " Agriculture " 
 in Australia is divided into (1) pastoral industry, (2) agriculture, and (3) 
 dairying industry. Agriculture in New South Wales, using the limited 
 colonial meaning, has yet to achieve great distinction, but steady progress is 
 being made. In 1871 the number of acres in cultivation was 417,000, in 
 ISSi it had increased to 710,337, in 1891 it had further grown to 1,241,419 ; 
 about one-fourth of the area is under artificially sown grasses. From these 
 figures it will be seen that distinct progress is being made, there being now 
 an average of over an acre per inhabitant against little more than three- 
 quarters of an acre in 1871. Considering the marked growth in population 
 tliis result is not wholly unsatisf actor}'. During the last harvest the total 
 quantity of grain harvested in New South AY ales was slightly over ton 
 million bushels. This is a quantity that will not greatly impress Americans, 
 whose pride in agriculture is supported by harvests of thousands of millions 
 of bushels. Of the ten millions, more than one-half was maize, which is a 
 grain that grows to perfection in New South Wales, and the product of 
 which has for years been in excess of the consumption ; a small export trade 
 with the other colonies takes up the surplus. Wheat accounted for four 
 million bushels, which is about the average production of the Colony, and 
 supplies about one-half the consinnption, the deficiency being generally 
 supplied by the other colonies. Occasionally a little comes from San Fran- 
 cisco, but, naturally, that is only when the other colonies have no su])])lies to 
 spare. Among the other products of agriculture the most important is liay, 
 210,000 tons being the record of the last liarvest. Potatoes, 62,000 tons. Of 
 this article the Colony does not supply her own consumption, and is a good 
 customer to several of the neighbouring colonies. Sugar— cane sugar-— is 
 produced iu the Colony to the extent of about one-third of the consumption. 
 Cane-sugar growing was started in 1863 with 2 acres, in 1871 this had 
 increased to 4,000 acres, in 1881 to 12,000 acres, and in 1891 to 22,000 
 acres. The whole of this acreage is on the banks of some of the northern 
 rivers, where the soil is exceedingly rich, and where the climate makes some 
 approach to the tropical. ]''rost is, however, not unknown, and tends to 
 considerably increase the risks of this branch of agriculture. 
 
 Fruit. 
 
 New South Wales at an early period became famous for its fruit-producing 
 capabilities, especially in connection with the |)roduction of oranges, lemons, 
 and grapes, and on the table-lauds English rruita are successfully I'ultivated.
 
 42 THE RISE, TROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 Last year tlie production of oran<»cs was ncarl}'^ 700,000 cases. Soinethinf:: 
 short of one iiiillion gallons of wine were made, and al)out 3,700 tons of 
 grapes were used for table purposes. The total product of vineyards, 
 orangerie?, orchards, and market gardens is valued at about one million 
 sterling per year. New South Wales ships a considerable quantity of fruit, 
 especially oranges and lemons, to the neighbouring colonies, and for some 
 time past efforts have been made to overcome the difficulties attending the 
 transit of fruit to Europe ; and there is every probability that the ex])ort of 
 green fruit from New South AV'ales will some day expand to very important 
 dimensions. Though New South Wales exports a good deal of some kinds 
 oi fruit, she imports other kinds — sucli as apples from Tasmania, and 1)ananas 
 from Fiji — to a large extent. Fruit shops are one of the featui'es of Sydney, 
 and the aggregate consumption of fruit is very heavy. 
 
 Dairying Industry. 
 
 In dairying, New South Wales has made great progress. In the matter 
 of butter production she owes a great deal to the example of the United 
 States. The success attending the establishment of creameries in the United 
 States has been carefully noted and the system has been followed — perhaps 
 we ought to say at the respectful distance as regards time which distinguishes 
 a community British in its instincts. However, during the last four or 
 five years great progress has been made, and the result is that to-day the 
 quality of butter in New South Wales Avill stand comparison with that of 
 the butter of any other country in the world. Many years ago butter Avas 
 at times imported from Great Britain ; now the tables arc turned, and we 
 send butter to Great Britain. Eefrigeration has done a great deal for the 
 butter industry in New South Wales. It has been found practically impos- 
 sible to preserve the quality of butter during transit even from New York to 
 England unless sent in cool chambers. Much more difficult, of necessity, 
 on the prolonged voyage from Australia. At one time in the season, wben 
 markets were glutted, butter has been sold in Sydney at 4d. per lb. Now, 
 with the facilities that exist for shipping in cool chambers, the price of fine 
 factory butter is much better sustained, however heavy the supply may 
 be. Sometimes, during years of drought, butter rises to fancy prices ; as 
 much as 3s. a ft. was paid during a portion of the year 1881. There 
 are at ])resent 124 factories engaged solely in the production of butter, 
 and 146 other factories engaged in the j^roduction of butter and cheese, 
 cheese alone, &c. Cheese is not made in such quantity as butter, but 
 generally to about the extent of the consumption of the Colony. During 
 the season ending in April last the butter made in New South Wales 
 amounted to 18,000,000 ib., cheese to 5,500,000 II)., bacon and hams cured to 
 6,000,000 ft). In bacon and hams New South Wales is very much behind- 
 hand. The ice-curing system, which is common in the United States, is 
 practically unknown in New Sou-th Wales ; indeed, it is practically unknown 
 throughout Australia. If some of the able and experienced curers of Chicago 
 would come this way, they would probabh' very rapidly create an extensive 
 and profitable trade. Most of the quantity at present made is the product 
 of small farms, and is consequently lacking in the quality essential for good 
 trade. This is seen by the fact that both hams and bacon are imparted from 
 England. 
 
 Tobacco. 
 
 New South Wales is well adapted for the production of tobacco. Here also 
 there is probably an opening for the experienced American planter. The 
 following extract from Dr. Lang's records of the early days of the Colony is
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN KEW SOUTH WALES. 43 
 
 interesting :— " The first free emigrant, and indeed the first person of any class 
 in societ}', who obtained a grant of land in the Colony of New South AVales, 
 was a German, of the name of Phillip Schoeft'er. He had been sent out in 
 the " First Fleet " as an agricultural superintendent, chiefly with a view to 
 attempt the cultivation of tobacco, on account of Government, as the 
 province of Virginia, from which that article had previously been obtained, 
 had then ceased to be a British Colony, and as the soil and climate of New 
 South Wales were supposed likely to prove not unfavorable for its cultiva- 
 tion." It does not appear that the man entered on tobacco planting, and we 
 cannot say when this industry was commenced. In 1863, the acreage under 
 the fragrant weed was 89G, and the product was 15,315 cwts. Since then 
 both the area and the production have fluctuated greatly, as the following 
 figures will show : — 
 
 Area. Production. 
 
 1866 1,499 acres. 7,469 cwts. 
 
 1871 225 „ 706 „ 
 
 1876 491 „ 4,098 „ 
 
 1881 1,791 „ 19,496 „ 
 
 1886 1,003 „ 22,947 „ 
 
 1889 4,833 „ 55,478 „ 
 
 1891 1,148 „ 10,592 „ 
 
 Greater fluctuations than these seldom take place in any industry. At 
 present the tobacco industry is certainly under a cloud. The production of 
 1889 overstocked the market, and the leaf was not good enough to sell for 
 export in competition with the American. Much of the land then devoted to 
 tobacco is now under maize. Perhaps were skill and experience brought to bear 
 on tobacco-growing a quality suitable for export might be produced. The 
 imported tobacco and cigars in 1891 reached about 3,000,000 lb. Of this 
 quantity, nearly two-thirds came direct from the United States, the bulk of 
 the remainder was undoubtedly American also, which had come in indirect 
 ways. Dr. Lang writes : " From what I observed myself in traversing the 
 famous tobacco-growing States of Yirgiuia and Maryland, in the United 
 States, in the year 1840, I should consider both the soil and the climate of 
 this jJart of New South Wales (country on the Paterson and Williams 
 Rivers) much better adapted for tobacco cultivation than tliose of either of 
 these States ; and Americans from that section of tlie union have a,cknow- 
 ledged that they have never seen the plant so vigorous or the leaves so large 
 in theii- own country as in New South Wales. In short, nothing, 1 believe, 
 is wanting to place New South AVales on a footing of equality with the 
 United States, even in this peculiar branch of cultivation, but greater skill 
 and experience in the manufacture of the article." Wo fear the skill and 
 experience arc still largely absent. 
 
 The Timber Trade. 
 
 Nature has blessed New South Wales with a splendid assortment of 
 timber, and it would probably be; to tlie advantage of other countries if they 
 were better informed on the subject. The Colony cannot compete with the 
 United States and Euro])e in the exj)ort of ordinary soft woods. Indeed New 
 South AVales is herself a large iinporU;r of such woods; but wiih regard to 
 hardwoods and certain s])ecially valuable soft woods the ])Osition is very 
 different. The world will probably soon look to New South Wales for the 
 supply of at least a portion of its requirements in hardwoods and fancy 
 softwoods. Ironbark is a noted timber ; the strength of lino specimens is 
 equal to a tensile strain nearly twice as groat as the best oak will stand.
 
 44 TUE TwISE, PROGRESS, A^'D PRESENT POSITION 07 
 
 Tlu've are several oIIut valuable varieties of hardwood. For fancy work 
 isome of llie New South Wales' timbers are specially valuable, being grained 
 and marked in a manner most pleasing to the eye. The wood of some of 
 these will take a high polish. The red cedar is a remarkably line tree, 
 and grows to noble ])roportions. Its wood is much esteemed for cabinet 
 work. The export of wood from New South Wales is principally to the 
 neighbouring colonies, but the quantity exported varies considerably. The 
 largest exports were made in ISSS, when the (luautity exceeded thirty-two 
 million feet. 
 
 " Manufactories and Works." 
 
 In the various "manufactories and works" of the Colony a capital of 
 between £4,000,000 and £5,000,000 has been invested in plant and 
 machinery, whilst the value of the land and buildings on and in which the 
 various industries are conducted is estimated at about £7,000,000. These 
 arc tieures of fair importance for a population of only a little more than 
 1,000,000, whose main industries are the production of raw" material for 
 export. Roughly, it may be said that 50,000 people are employed in the 
 industries tabulated under the heading of " manufactories and works." 
 The list includes, and is largely built up by, gasworks, brick-yards, saw- 
 mills, smelting works, tanneries, wool-washing establishments, and similar 
 works. The most important of the industries that may be described as 
 purely manufacturing are ironworks, machinery and ensineeriug establish- 
 ments, boot and shoe factories, clothing factories. In all of these industries 
 a position of importance has been attained. Some of the engineering 
 establishments in Sydney are first-class establishments, and can turn out 
 excellent work, even railway locomotives being within the compass of more 
 than one establishment. The production of liquors gives considerable 
 employment, Avhilst sugar, flour, meat-curing, &c., are important industries. 
 Printing and lithography, with their allied trades, have advanced to a high 
 stage of development. There are somethinglike 200 papers — daily, weekly, 
 &c. — published m the Colony, including together the important metropolitan 
 dailies and the more humble country journals. All told, the printing work 
 of the Colony supports several thousand luinds. The making of carriages, 
 coaches, waggons, &c., has long been an established industry. The manu- 
 facture of furniture, bedding, &c., is extensively carried on. Employment 
 in the " manufactories and works " of the Colony has steadily j^rogressed 
 since 1871, the percentage of the population so employed has increased, and, 
 numerically, the aggregate of such employment is much more than doubled. 
 
 Rapid Growth of Revenue. 
 
 The expansion that has taken place since 1871 in the trading and com- 
 mercial importance of New South AVales is nowhere better seen than in the 
 public accounts of the revenue of the Colony. In the year 1871 the revenue 
 was £2,218,691. The Colony was then beginning to move ahead. In 1874, 
 the Colonial Treasurer, in his annual financial statement, was able to say : — 
 
 "... our revenue has risen from £2,218,091 in 1871 to £8,457,977 
 in 1874, or at the rate of 55| per cent. ... a state of prosperity of 
 which we may well feel proud, ... In 1843, when the population was 
 165,541, including, it must be remembered, both the Port Phillip and the 
 Moreton Bay districts, now the flourishing Colonies of Victoria and Queens- 
 land, the revenue was £350,891, or at the rate of £2 2s. 4M. per head of the 
 population. In 1853, after we had lest the Port Phillip district, it had 
 increased to £791,573 with a population of 231,088, which gives £3 8s. 6d.
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 45 
 
 per head. In 1S63, when we had also lost the Moreton Bay district, and 
 when the population had reached 378,93 i, the revenue was £1,53J<,187, a rate 
 equal to £i< Os. llhl. per head. In 1873, with an estimated population of 
 5(30,275, it reached the large sum of £3,323,229, or £5 18s. 7d. per head, so 
 that in 30 years our revenue has risen from £350,891 to £3,323,229, and 
 our population from 1G5,541 to 560,275." 
 
 In 1874, as this extract shows, there was great exhilaration of spirits 
 because the revenue had risen to nearly three and a-half million pounds. 
 Noting the Treasurer's remarks at that time, we can all the better appreciate 
 all that is involved in the fact that the revenue of the Colony has risen, 
 since 1874, from the sum named to more than ten million pounds sterling, 
 — a revenue that is simply enormous, and probably without a parallel for so 
 small a population. It is to be said that during the past ten or fifteen 
 years the Colony has prosecuted what is known as " a vigorous policy of 
 development." That is, money has been freely borrowed in England for 
 public works. About fifty million pounds sterling lias been borrowed by 
 the Colony and spent in opening up the country, principally by means of 
 railways, and, naturally, this has forced development, and augmented the 
 revenue. Whether the policy has been in all respects a wise one we need 
 not here stop to consider ; but certain it is that it has caused things to 
 " boom" in a good many directions. 
 
 Railways in 1892, 
 
 In 1871 the number of miles of railway open was 358 ; by 1881 this 
 had been increased to about 1,000 ; by 1887 to 2,000. Since then the 
 pace has moderated, and the aggregate is now about 2,200 miles. A 
 small number in comparison with the United States aggregate, yet in pro- 
 portion to the population it is not a bad exhibit. The railways consist almost 
 wholly of main lines. A line from the Queensland border, in the north, to 
 the Victorian border, in the south, passing through Sydney on the way, is 
 the principal one — the total length being 869 miles. The second in 
 importance runs from Sydney in a north-westerly direction to Bourke, on 
 the Eiver Darling, its length being 503 miles. Railway development has 
 proceeded rapidly in the other colonies, and it is now possible to journey 
 by train from Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, to Melbourne, the 
 capital of Victoria, 509 miles ; on from Melbourne to Sydney, the capital 
 of New South Wales, a further 576 miles ; then on from Sydney to Bris- 
 bane, the capital of Queensland, 723 miles more. Making in all 1,808 miles 
 of what is practically one railway line. The total mileage throughout Aus- 
 tralasia is about 12,000. 
 
 Development in Shipping. 
 
 The development that has taken place since 1871 in the quality and in the 
 tonnage of the shipping visiting New South Wales may be fairly described 
 by the term " splendid." In 1871, the shipping entered inwards amounted 
 to 706,000 tons ; during the next ten years the tonnage more than doubled, 
 reaching 1,456,000 in 1881. Year by year the increase continued, until in 
 1891, the inward tonnage was no less than 2,821,000 ; while the total 
 tonnage in and out was 5,694 000, — a very brave show for a little more than 
 a million souls. It has to be admitted that there is some little deception 
 about these big figures, if given without any explanation. If Australia 
 Avere federated the entrances and clcirauces of shipping for Australia 
 would actually be less than those at present recorded for New South Wales 
 alone. The bulk of the entries are for vessels trading between the colonies,
 
 •16 TUE RISE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 but tlic figures are so enormous tliiit after all allowances they are still satis- 
 factory. In 1871 the only line of mail steamers running to the Colony 
 was the Peninsular and Oriental, and the steamers were not in any way 
 remarkable either for size or speed. Since that date, and more especially since 
 1S70, there has been a marvellous change for the better. In 1S7'J, the Orient 
 Company commenced running steamers between England and Australia, 
 Sydney being the terminal port of the service. In that 3'ear Australia was 
 able to boast of liavingfour subsidised lines of mail steamers running, viz.: — 
 1st — San Francisco lino, subsidised by New South Wales and New 
 Zealand ; 2nd — Suez line (P. and O.), subsidised by Victoria, aided by South 
 Australia and Tasmania ; 3rd — Torres Straits line, subsidised by Queensland ; 
 ■Ith — Xetherland-India Steam Navigation Company, subsidised by South 
 Australia and the Netherland-India Government, running from Java ports. 
 In addition, three lines without subsidy were running: (1) Orient line, (2) 
 Wigram's lino, (3) Colonial line. The progress making at this time by 
 -Australia generally, and by New South Wales in particular, may be judged 
 from the fact that the Pacific JNIail Company of New^ York proposed 
 to place on the line between San Prancisco and Sydney the two steamers, 
 the "City of Pekin" and the ''City of Tokio," each over 5,000 tons. 1S92 marks 
 a great advance over 1S79 ; nearly every year of the last ten has seen some 
 new and powerful competitor seeking to gain a share of the rapidly-growing 
 Australian trade. To-day we expect and receive our British, American, and 
 other mails almost with the regularity of clockwork, except that an accel- 
 lerated speed has constantly to be noted. In the trade between Great 
 Britain and Sydney to-day are to be found some of the largest, most costly, 
 and fastest steamers afloat. Though the flag of Old England is far away 
 the most generally seen, we are glad to note the Stars and Stripes flying on 
 the steamers of the Oceanic Steamship Company, the French Tricolor flying 
 on the magnificent steamers of the Messageries Maritime?, and the German 
 Ensign on the steamers of the Norddeutscher Lloyd, and of the Deutsch- 
 , Australische Dampfschiffs-Gesellschaft. Sydney harbour to-day is always 
 busy. If those old French explorers, who, about a century a^o expressed 
 astonishment at the signs of commercial activity which the harbour pre- 
 sented, could revisit the scene, they would be at a loss for words to describe 
 their feelings. Of course, New- South Wales owes a great deal to the 
 neighbouring colonies, on account of the remarkable exhibition of shipping, 
 of which her ports are the centre. The great steamers that we see could not 
 all be employed by New South Wales alone, but the trade of Victoria, 
 South Australia, and of other colonies, added to that of New South Wales, 
 has made it possible. 
 
 COMMERCE-150 PER CENT. INCREASE SINCE 1871. 
 
 The commerce of New South Wales, as recorded by the statistics of 
 imports and exports, shows a truly wonderful expansion. In 1871 the 
 imports were £9,(309,000, the exports £11,245,000 — an aggregate commerce 
 of i:20,So4,000. Since then it has increased more than 150 per cent. In 
 no other country in the world containing a population of about one million, 
 or in any more populous country, is commerce to be found so large or pro- 
 portionately so large. The commerce " per head" is several times as large 
 as that of the United States, and if we cut off that portion of the New^ South 
 AVales' trade which is transacted with the other colonies the statement is still 
 true, though in a lesser degree. The aggregate imports and exports of New 
 South Wales in 1891 were oli million pounds sterling, of which 22^ millions 
 represented trade within Australasia, and 2&i millions outside Australasia,
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SO JTH WALES. 
 
 47 
 
 tlie total imports being 25j millions and the total exports 2G millions. 
 Naturally, the largest commerce is with Great Britain, and a good portion oi: 
 the imports from, and exports to, the surrounding colonies really represents 
 British trade. The commerce of New South Wales is now of so extended a 
 character that the details of it are decidedly interesting. _ We, therefore, do 
 not hesitate to give the following particulars, Avhich are for the year 1891 : — 
 
 United Kin";dom 
 
 Imports from 
 £10,580,230 
 
 Exports to 
 £8,855,465 
 
 Australasian Colonies. 
 
 Victoria 
 Queensland ... 
 South Australia 
 Western Australia 
 Tasmania 
 New Zealand 
 
 2,818,035 
 
 5,44'?,G63 
 
 4,303.520 
 
 l,063,7r<0 
 
 2,746,788 
 
 4,527,987 
 
 9,339 
 
 35,345 
 
 377,174 
 
 252,356 
 
 871,422 
 
 280,039 
 
 Total, Australasian Colouijes ... £11,127,178 £11,603,170 
 
 Other British Possessions. 
 
 Aden ... 
 
 Canadian Dominion. 
 Cape Colony... 
 Ceylon 
 
 Fiji 
 
 Gribraltar 
 
 Hongkong ... • 
 
 India 
 
 Malta 
 
 Mauritius 
 
 New Guinea... 
 
 Norfolk Island 
 
 Penaug 
 
 Seychelle Islands 
 
 Singapore 
 
 Trinidad 
 
 495 
 
 
 
 32,^64 
 
 40 
 
 256 
 
 275 
 
 55,544 
 
 631 
 
 89,859 
 
 103,773 
 
 174 
 
 
 273,383 
 
 282,309 
 
 260,307 
 
 127,388 
 
 38 
 
 
 4,014 
 
 3i,761 
 
 
 5,405 
 
 2,827 
 
 1,064 
 
 15 
 
 
 1,100 
 
 679 
 
 44,061 
 
 54,646 
 
 2,100 
 
 
 Total, other British Possessions £766,947 
 
 £607,971 
 
 Austria 
 Belgium 
 Brazil 
 Celebes 
 
 Chili 
 
 China 
 
 Denmark 
 
 Ecuador 
 
 Egypt 
 
 France 
 
 Germany 
 
 Greece 
 
 Guam 
 
 Italy 
 
 Japan ... 
 
 Java... 
 
 Kaiser Wilhclm's Land 
 
 Macao 
 
 Madagascar 
 
 Foreign States. 
 
 
 184 
 
 50 
 
 188,277 
 
 1,039,333 
 
 ,,^ 
 
 10,103 
 
 
 1,126 
 
 320 
 
 134,203 
 
 270,923 
 
 12,164 
 
 155 
 
 
 
 373 
 
 18,422 
 
 400 
 
 120,321 
 
 480,599 
 
 773,016 
 
 437,522 
 
 7,339 
 
 
 
 3,li2 
 
 30,343 
 
 21,786 
 
 16,385 
 
 13,13S 
 
 5,375 
 
 33.032 
 
 
 3,520 
 
 1,853 
 
 
 3,502 

 
 ■IS 
 
 TilE IIISE, rrOGllESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 Foreiqu Slate 
 
 ? — continued. 
 
 
 ^roxiio 
 
 
 G,314 
 
 Nothorlaiuls 
 
 "]*40 
 
 26,088 
 
 >'inv Ciilodoiiia 
 
 4S,;{78 
 
 185,768 
 
 Norway 
 
 77,G69 
 
 
 Poni 
 
 
 16,497 
 
 Pliillippinc Islands 
 
 •i.'ooo 
 
 29,866 
 
 I'ortupil 
 
 
 780 
 
 Saiulwicli Islnnds ... 
 
 ""iVi 
 
 22,334 
 
 South Sea Islands ... 
 
 42,002 
 
 60,407 
 
 Spain 
 
 
 15,497 
 
 Sumstra 
 
 
 730 
 
 Sweden 
 
 18,820 
 
 
 Turkey 
 
 875 
 
 
 I'nited States 
 
 1,277,032 
 
 2,313,671 
 
 Whaling Cruise 
 
 2,325 
 
 
 Total, Foreign States 
 
 £2,909,042 
 
 £4,877,414 
 
 General Total 
 
 . £25,383,397 
 
 £25,944,020 
 
 New South Wales' Imports from the United States. 
 
 The extent and character of the commerce carried on direct between the 
 United States and iS'ew South Wales will be seen from the following par- 
 ticulars : — 
 
 Imports into Xeio South Wales from the United States in 1891. 
 
 Agricultural implements 
 
 .. £7,389 
 
 Glass 
 
 . 3,729 
 
 Apparel (wearing) 
 
 .. 9,672 
 
 Glucose ... 
 
 . 1,406 
 
 Arms (explosives) 
 
 .. 8,543 
 
 Glue and size 
 
 310 
 
 Bedsteads (iron)... 
 
 .. 1,194 
 
 Grain — ^wheat 
 
 .. 3,123 
 
 Beer 
 
 . . 4,680 
 
 ,, sundry ... 
 
 855 
 
 Blacking ... 
 
 .. 4,931 
 
 Grease 
 
 . 3,053 
 
 Boots and shoes ... 
 
 .. 2.065 
 
 Grindery ... 
 
 . 2,204 
 
 Brush ware 
 
 .. 11,784 
 
 Hardware... 
 
 . 104,739 
 
 Bicycles and velocipedes 
 
 560 
 
 Hops 
 
 801 
 
 Bottles (empty) ... 
 
 528 
 
 India rubber goods 
 
 490 
 
 Canvas 
 
 859 
 
 Instruments — Musical ... 
 
 6,224 
 
 Carriages ... 
 
 .. 15,729 
 
 Iron and Steel — ■ 
 
 
 Carriage-maker's material 
 
 .. 33,376 
 
 Pig 
 
 368 
 
 Carts and waggons 
 
 .. 2,825 
 
 Castings 
 
 279 
 
 Coffee 
 
 .. 4,397 
 
 Bar Rod, &c. 
 
 96 
 
 Chemical products (various) 
 
 .. 1,124 
 
 Bolts, Nuts, &c 
 
 £524 
 
 Colors (dry) 
 
 .. 2,364 
 
 Safes and Dooi-s ... 
 
 133 
 
 Confectionery 
 
 .. 3,302 
 
 Other Wrought 
 
 . 7,096 
 
 Cutlery 
 
 481 
 
 Wire 
 
 142 
 
 Dentists' tools and materials 
 
 .. 2,138 
 
 Nails 
 
 . 1,403 
 
 Doors (wood) 
 
 .. 10,477 
 
 Galvanised Wire... 
 
 . 3,956 
 
 Drapery ... 
 
 .. 5,912 
 
 Galvanised Manufactures.. 
 
 960 
 
 Drugs, ke. 
 
 .. 29,S66 
 
 Jewellery 
 
 . 1,528 
 
 Dyes and dye-stuffs 
 
 543 
 
 Lamp ware 
 
 . 7,671 
 
 Earthenwai-e and China 
 
 .. 1,072 
 
 Leather ... 
 
 . 52,022 
 
 Farinaceous foods 
 
 .. 3,153 
 
 Live Stock — Horses 
 
 700 
 
 Fish (preserved)... 
 
 .. 26,157 
 
 „ Sheep 
 
 . 8,320 
 
 Fish (fresh) 
 
 405 
 
 Machinery 
 
 . 65,856 
 
 Flour 
 
 .. 2,262 
 
 Malt 
 
 , 30,482 
 
 Floorcloth 
 
 265 
 
 Marble ... 
 
 801 
 
 Fruit — green 
 
 .. 5,122 
 
 Meat (preserved) 
 
 . 10,858 
 
 „ dried 
 
 .. 2,916 
 
 „ Bacon and Hams... 
 
 952 
 
 „ edible nuts 
 
 220 
 
 Oars 
 
 . 2,401 
 
 Furniture... 
 
 .. 20,264 
 
 Oils in Bulk — 
 
 
 Gasoline 
 
 303 
 
 Black 
 
 . 2,018
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES, 
 
 49 
 
 s from the United States in 1891 — continued. 
 
 
 Sliip Chandlery 
 
 349 
 
 80,«45 
 
 Silks 
 
 868 
 
 400 
 
 Silver Plale, and Plated Wan 
 
 ; 11,075 
 
 10,152 
 
 Slates 
 
 . 3,418 
 
 3,347 
 
 Soap 
 
 . 6,633 
 
 5,882 
 
 Spirits— Whisky 
 
 396 
 
 5,794 
 
 „ Perfumed waters 
 
 . 4,412 
 
 
 All other 
 
 . 4,491 
 
 4,626 
 
 Stationery 
 
 . 8,557 
 
 32,805 
 
 Sugar 
 
 . 11,033 
 
 1,780 
 
 Telegraphic, &c-., Material 
 
 . 1,519 
 
 1,476 
 
 Timber — Dressed 
 
 . 17,497 
 
 3,103 
 
 ,, Undressed 
 
 . 152,854 
 
 480 
 
 ,, Laths... 
 
 . 5,905 
 
 1,391 
 
 „ Shingles 
 
 864 
 
 4,110 
 
 Tinware ... 
 
 . 2,471 
 
 866 
 
 Tobacco — Unmanufactured 
 
 . 29,565 
 
 783 
 
 ,, Manufactured 
 
 , 42,239 
 
 5,915 
 
 ,, Cigars and cigarettes 
 
 2,663 
 
 1,057 
 
 Toys and fancy goods ... 
 
 . 6,976 
 
 172,436 
 
 Turnery ... 
 
 346 
 
 6,419 
 
 Turpentine 
 
 . 14,949 
 
 1,345 
 
 Upholstery 
 
 615 
 
 5,304 
 
 Varnish ... 
 
 699 
 
 1,802 
 
 Vegetables — Preserved ... 
 
 603 
 
 9,722 
 
 Watches and clocks 
 
 . 21,322 
 
 33,627 
 
 Wines 
 
 275 
 
 Oils in bulk continued — 
 
 Kerosene 
 
 Olive 
 
 All oMier 
 
 Oils in Bottle 
 
 Oilmen's Stores ... 
 
 Paints 
 
 Paper, Books, &c. — 
 
 Books, &c. ... 
 
 Printing 
 
 Bags 
 
 Advertising Matter... 
 Pictures, &c. 
 Perambulators ... 
 Picture Frauifs ... 
 Plaster 
 
 Playing Cards ... 
 Portmanteaus, &e. 
 Preserves 
 Printers' Materials 
 Railway Plant ... 
 Resin 
 
 Saddlers' Ware ... 
 Saddlery and Harness . . . 
 Sarsaparilla 
 Sausage Skins ... 
 Sewing Machines 
 
 It will be seen the list of goods purchased by New South Wales of the 
 United States is quite considerable. 
 
 Exports to the United States. 
 
 The reverse list is, however, a very different affair. 
 
 Exports to the United States from New South Wales in 1891, and aggregate of similar 
 exports to all countries, re-exports included. 
 
 
 
 To United States. 
 
 To all countries 
 
 Coal 
 
 
 £200,851 
 
 £1,306,630 
 
 Copra 
 
 
 1,460 
 
 51,726 
 
 Glycerine 
 
 
 672 
 
 732 
 
 Grain, maize... 
 
 
 .500 
 
 2,169 
 
 Gold 
 
 
 1,710,670 
 
 3,732,994 
 
 Jewellery 
 
 
 910 
 
 20,755 
 
 Kerosene shale 
 
 
 7,427 
 
 101,288 
 
 Leather 
 
 
 161 
 
 151,812 
 
 Live stock (horses) ... 
 
 1,090 
 
 163,814 
 
 Onions 
 
 ,,, 
 
 305 
 
 2,807 
 
 Skins and hides— 
 
 -Cattle ... 
 
 737 
 
 84,174 
 
 ,, ,, 
 
 Horse . . . 
 
 216 
 
 549 
 
 ,, „ 
 
 Kangaroo 
 
 31,050 
 
 48,268 
 
 ,, ,, 
 
 Slieep . . . 
 
 5,501 
 
 172,376 
 
 „ ,, 
 
 All other 
 
 131,497 
 
 185,308 
 
 Timber— Rough 
 
 
 420 
 
 49,647 
 
 Tin — Ingots... 
 
 
 75,395 
 
 344,890 
 
 Wool — Greasy 
 
 
 128,224 
 
 8,725,540 
 
 ,, Washed 
 
 
 2,800 
 
 2,587,440 
 
 All other articles 
 
 
 13,764 
 
 8,210,920 
 
 Total 
 
 £2,313,671 
 
 £25,944,020
 
 no 
 
 THK RISK, PKOGRESS, AND TRESENT POSITION OF 
 
 Now South AVales inpovlod commodities from the United States of the 
 value of £l.l!77,0."i2, while the United States only hought (.'ommodities to 
 the extent of less than half that sum, or. say. £(503,001. Large shijiments of 
 gold are made almost regularly to the Uuited States, and it is understood 
 that they are mainly on account of Grrcat Britain, last year the shipments of 
 gold amounted to nearly three times the value of the entire commodities. It 
 will be observed that only about one per cent, of the wool pi-oduction of New 
 South AV^ales was shipped to the States. If we might be allowed a mild joke 
 on the subject, we should say that the United States' purchases are inclined 
 to be of ratlier a " skinny " character, the States buy very little of our wool, 
 but they buy our skins — kangaroo, opossum, wallaby, native bear, rabbit. Of 
 these, our American friends absorb more than two-thirds of the entire supply 
 — at least they did so in 1891. 
 
 Shipping to and from the United States. 
 
 The following figures showing the shipping entered fi'om, and cleared for, 
 United States' ports will make the information about United States-New 
 South "Wales trade tolerably complete : — 
 
 NuMBKE and tonnage of vessels entered from, and cleared for, the 
 United States. 
 
 Entered from. 
 
 Cleared for. 
 
 
 Vessels. 
 
 Tons. 
 
 Vessels. 
 
 Tons. 
 
 1881 
 
 36 
 
 49,364 
 
 116 
 
 145,813 
 
 1882 
 
 61 
 
 68,334 
 
 120 
 
 167,821 
 
 1883 
 
 63 
 
 68,608 
 
 144 
 
 182,448 
 
 18S4 
 
 85 
 
 90,246 
 
 139 
 
 182,453 
 
 1885 
 
 92 
 
 91,608 
 
 141 
 
 183,370 
 
 188G 
 
 91 
 
 98,278 
 
 205 
 
 265,970 
 
 1887 
 
 57 
 
 64,219 
 
 177 
 
 236,538 
 
 1888 
 
 110 
 
 145,578 
 
 286 
 
 371,078 
 
 1889 
 
 63 
 
 78,901 
 
 205 
 
 309,287 
 
 1890 
 
 50 
 
 64,375 
 
 104 
 
 158,108 
 
 1891 
 
 79 
 
 90,363 
 
 207 
 
 292,104 
 
 It will be obser\^ed that the tonnage for the States is very much bea^-ier 
 than from the States, or the reverse of the position shown by the value of 
 the goods imported and exported. This is explained by the coal shipments ; 
 coal being an article of small value, but of gi'eat bulk. 
 
 Present Position of New South Wales. 
 
 !N"ew South Wales occupies a very commanding position in the commerce 
 of Australasia. The colony of Victoria, with a population but little less, is 
 many millions short in the aggregate of her commerce. The following
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 51 
 
 estimate of the value of the primaiy industrieH of Australasia for 1890 was 
 pi'epared by Mr. Coglilan, the New South Wales Goverumeut Statistician. 
 Lt gives a clear view of the relative production of the various colonies : — 
 
 Primary Industries of Australasia. 
 
 Colony. 
 
 Agriculture. 
 
 Pastoral 
 Industries. 
 
 Dairy 
 Farming. 
 
 Mineral 
 Production. 
 
 Forestry and 
 Fisheries. 
 
 New South Wales 
 
 £ 
 4,131,-iOO 
 
 & 
 13,359,800 
 
 £ 
 2,887,600 
 
 5,300,900 
 
 £ 
 1,343,000 
 
 Victoria ... 
 
 7,520,300 
 
 6,041,300 
 
 3,606,600 
 
 2,384,200 
 
 579,700 
 
 Queensland 
 
 2,223,200 
 
 5,984,200 
 
 989,100 
 
 2,518,000 
 
 645,600 
 
 So utli Australia ... 
 
 3,569,700 
 
 2,176,300 
 
 770,400 
 
 381,000 
 
 275,500 
 
 Western Australia 
 
 366,900 
 
 500,200 
 
 134,200 
 
 94,300 
 
 295,800 
 
 Tasmania 
 
 962,700 
 
 784,300 
 
 380,300 
 
 357,700 
 
 329,700 
 
 New Zealand 
 
 4,829,500 
 
 7,110,500 
 
 1,830,200 
 
 1,523,800 
 
 606,500 
 
 Australasia ... £ 
 
 23,613,700 
 
 35,920,600 
 
 10,598,400 
 
 12,262,900 
 
 4,015,800 
 
 Aggregate each Colony. 
 
 New South Wales ... £26,725,700 Western Australia ... £1,391,400 
 
 Victoria 20,072,100 Tasmania 2,778,700 
 
 Queensland 12,370,100 New Zealand 15,900,500 
 
 South Australia 7,172,900 
 
 An estimate for 1891 would still further materially improve the actual and 
 the relative position of New South Wales, as there was in that year an advance 
 in the value of wool alone of more than two millions sterling, and in minerals 
 of more than one million. The aggregate of primary production for 1891 
 exceeded a value of £30,000,000, to which may be added four or five millions 
 for the value of the industries tabulated under the heading of " manufactories 
 and works." An examination of these figures discloses the interesting fact 
 that the " per head " production of wealth in New South Wales exceeds that 
 in any other country in the world, not excepting that of either our kinsmen 
 of Great Britain or of the United States. At this striking point we feel we 
 can close this brief record of the rise, progress, and present position of trade 
 and commerce in New South Wales. 
 
 Sydney : Charles Potter, Government Printer. —1892.
 
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