K: 
 
 ith -ales. COTTCTiission to 
 the International exhibition, 
 Philadelphia, 1876, 
 New South '.Vales, its progress and 
 resources , 
 
 

 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES, 
 
 ITS 
 
 .OGRESS AND RESOURCES. 
 
 S 
 
 ADVANCE AUSTRALIA! 
 
 : THOMAS B1CHARDS, GOVERNMENT FRINTEE. 
 1876.
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES, 
 
 ITS 
 
 PROGRESS AND RESOURCES. 
 
 BY AUTHORITY OF THE COMMISSIONERS. 
 
 ADVANCE AUSTRALIA! 
 
 : THOMAS BICHAEDS, GOTEBNMENT PBIHTEB. 
 1876.
 
 ntentatiounl 
 
 of 1876. 
 
 THE COMMISSION. 
 
 President : 
 
 His HOXOR SIR JAMES MARTIN, KNIGHT, CHIEF JUSTICE. 
 
 THE HONORABLE JOHN HAY, PRESIDENT OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. 
 
 THE HONORABLE GEORGE WIGRAM ALLEN, SPEAKER OK THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLT. 
 
 THE HONORABLE SIR EDWARD DEAS-THOMSON, C.B., K.C.M.G., M.L.C. 
 
 (Commissioners : 
 
 THE REV. CHAS. BADHAM, D.D. 
 
 SAMUEL BENNETT, ESQ. 
 
 JAMES BYRNES, ESQ. 
 
 R. W. CAMERON, ESQ. (of New York) 
 
 TUB HON. G. H. COX, M.L.C. 
 
 J. R. FAIRFAX, ESQ. 
 
 ANDREW GARRAN, ESQ., LL.D. 
 
 THE HON. S. D. GORDON, M.L.C. 
 
 HENRY HALLORAN, ESQ. 
 
 EDWD. S. HILL, ESQ., J.P. 
 
 THE HON. THOMAS HOLT, M.L.C. 
 
 P. A. JENNINGS, ESQ. 
 
 G. W. LORD, ESQ., M.P. 
 
 THE HON. SIR WM. MACARTHUR, KST., M.L.C. 
 
 WILLIAM MACLEAY, ESQ., F.L.S. 
 
 T. S. MORT, ESQ. 
 
 BENJAMIN PALMER, ESQ. 
 
 COMMANDER STACKHOUSE, R.N. 
 
 ALEXANDER STUART, ESQ., M.P. 
 
 GEORGE THORNTON, ESQ., J.P. . 
 
 WILLIAM WALLIS, ESQ. 
 
 JAMES WATSON, ESQ., M.P. 
 
 THE HON. J. B. WAIT, M.L.C. 
 
 FITZ-WILLIAM WENTWOUTII, ESQ. 
 
 JOHN WILLIAMS, ESQ. 
 
 W. C. WINDEYER, ESQ. 
 
 ROBERT WISDOM, ESQ., M.P. 
 
 JOHN WOODS, ESQ. 
 
 WILLIAM WOLFEN, ESQ. 
 
 PHILIP FRANCIS ADAMS, ESQ. 
 
 ROBERT ADAMS, ESQ. 
 
 JOHN BELISARIO, ESQ. 
 
 THE REV. W. B. CLARKE, M.A. 
 
 TUB HON. EDWARD KING COX, M.L.C. 
 
 EDWARD FLOOD, ESQ. 
 
 EDWARD KNOX, ESQ. 
 
 ARCHIBALD LIVERSIDGE, ESQ. 
 
 JOHN LIVING, ESQ. 
 
 THE HON J. L. MONTEFIORE, M.L.C. 
 
 CHARLES MOORE, ESQ. 
 
 JAMES NORTON, ESQ. 
 
 JAMES POWELL, ESQ. 
 
 CHRISTOPHER ROLLESTON, EsQ 
 
 ARCHIBALD THOMPSON, ESQ. 
 
 PROSPER NICHOLAS TREBECK, ESQ. 
 
 TUB HON. JAMES W'HITE, M.L.C. 
 
 CHARLES SMITH WILKINSON, ESQ. 
 
 H. C. RUSSELL, ESQ. 
 
 JOSEPH THOMPSON, ESQ. 
 
 GEORGE OAKES, ESQ. 
 
 (E-vmittbc (Commissioner at 
 
 AUGUSTUS MORRIS, ESQ. 
 
 Ulcprcscntatibc (Commissioners at 
 
 MARSHALL BURDEKIN, of Sydney, Esquire ; 
 
 RODERICK WILLIAM CAMERON, "of New York, Esquire ; 
 
 SIR DANIEL COOPER, Baronet, of London ; 
 
 EDWARD FLOOD, of Sydney, Esquire ; 
 
 DR. R. W. FORBES, of New York ; 
 
 EDWARD SMITH HILL, of Sydney, Esquire ; 
 
 PATRICK ALFRED JENNINGS, of Sydney, Esquire; 
 
 THE HONORABLE JACOB LEVI MONTEFIORE, of Sydney, a Member of the Legislative Council of 
 
 New South Wales ; 
 
 GEORGE OAKES. .if Sydney, Esquire; 
 Jo.sM'11 JAMES PHELPS, of Sydney, Esquire, a Member of the Legislative Assembly of New 
 
 South Wales ; 
 
 GEORGE RUSSELL, of Scotland, Esquire; 
 THE HONORABLE JAMES WHITE, of Sydney, a Member of the Legislative Council of New South 
 
 Wiiles ; 
 
 ANDREW GARRAN, ESQ., LL.D., of Sydney; 
 WILLIAM MOKKIS, Eso., M.D., of Sydney; 
 CHRISTOPHER ROLLESTON. ESQ., AuditoV General, of Svdney; 
 AMOS DOWNES SHEPAUD, ESQ., of Adelong, New South' Wales. 
 
 <Secretarji : 
 
 CHARLES ROBINSON, Es*
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Settlement, Position, and Extent. 
 
 DISCOVERED by Captain Cook in 1770, and first 
 settled in 1788, the real history of New South 
 Wales begins with the 19th century, at about which 
 time the introduction of Merino sheep mainly due 
 to the enterprise of Captain Macarthur laid the 
 basis of Australian commerce. In 1851 the 
 southern districts were formed into the Colony of 
 Victoria. In 1859 the northern districts were 
 formed into the Colony of Queensland. 
 
 The boundaries are marked by 28 10' and 37 28' 
 south latitude, and by the 141 east longitude. 
 The total superficial area is estimated in round 
 numbers at 200,000,000 acres. The coast line from 
 Point Danger to Cape Howe is about 700 miles 
 The extreme breadth is about 760 miles. 
 
 Physical Aspect. 
 
 There is great diversity of physical aspect in such 
 a vast extent of country. At a distance varying 
 from 25 to 120 miles, from the seaboard, a range 
 of mountains, from 3,000 feet to 7;000 feet in 
 height, stretches from north to south, throwing out 
 
 472342
 
 4 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 spurs in every direction. This mountainous region 
 forms the watershed of the country. Numerous 
 streams flow down the eastern slopes into the sea, 
 while the large rivers, Darling, Lachlan, Murrain- 
 bidgee, and Murray, with their tributaries, drain 
 the western slopes. The coast-line is indented with 
 fine harbours one of them, Port Jackson, unsur- 
 passed in the world. 
 
 Natural Divisions of the Country. 
 The natural great divisions of the country, are the 
 eastern seaboard territory, the central range, and 
 the western plains. The seaboard districts undulate 
 with hill and valley, and possess on the alluvial flats 
 the richest soil, adapted to every kind of cultivation. 
 Much of this portion rests on a vast basin of coal. 
 The central division is rich in minerals. No sooner 
 are we off the coal areas than we are in a region in 
 which are tracts abounding with gold, copper, lead, 
 tin, and other minerals. The extensive plains in the 
 interior, forming the third great natural division, are 
 specially adapted for pastoral pursuits. Millions of 
 sheep and cattle feed there on the natural grasses of 
 the country. 
 
 Climate and Health. 
 
 Situated in the temperate zone, with wide plains 
 in the interior with ranges of lofty hills, and with 
 its shores washed by the Pacific, the climate of
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 5 
 
 New South Wales approximates generally to that of 
 southern Europe. There are all varieties of climate, 
 however, to be met with from frost and snow for 
 a great part of the year on the higher ranges in the 
 south, to a tropical though dry heat in the interior. 
 Along the sea coast the climate is pretty uniform. 
 The range of the thermometer is much less than in 
 any country within the same parallels of latitude in 
 the northern hemisphere. The European consti- 
 tution readily adapts itself to the climate. The air 
 is clear, the light brilliant, the sky for a great part 
 of the year almost cloudless, and the nights most 
 enjoyable. In vital statistics the colony compares 
 favourably with most parts of the world, and, not 
 seldom, instances of great longevity are brought to 
 light. 
 
 Increase of Population. 
 
 The progress of the population may be seen from 
 the following figures : 
 
 In 1841 there \vere 149,669. 
 
 In 1851 197,168, after giving up 68,335 to Victoria. 
 In 1861 358,278, after giving up 25,000 to Queens- 
 land. 
 
 In 1871 519,182. 
 In 1874 584,278. 
 
 At present the population is over 600,000. 
 
 The number is steadily increasing at the rate of 
 1,200 annually for every 30,000 of the inhabitants. 
 But in such a vast country, abounding in wealth and 
 resources, there is room for a population of many 
 millions.
 
 C NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Roads and Railways. 
 
 More than 10,000 miles of road are open, afford- 
 ing free intercommunication with every part of 
 the country. More than 2,500,000 have heen 
 spent in ten years on common roads alone, and 
 the work of still further opening up the country is 
 annually going on. Mail coaches run through 
 every district. 
 
 Railways were first commenced in New South 
 Wales hy a private company. In 1855 the Govern- 
 ment obtained an Act, which enahled it to pur- 
 chase the railways and plant of the company, and 
 railway construction has heen carried on by Govern- 
 ment ever since. The existence of the great central 
 range delayed the progress of construction by 
 presenting great engineering difficulties, but these 
 have been overcome, and lines now cross the range 
 north, south, and west. The Great Northern line 
 starts from Newcastle, and has been opened for more 
 than 120 miles. It is intended to connect this line 
 with Queensland on the north and Sydney on the 
 south, the distance to the latter being about seventy 
 miles. The Great "Western and the Great Southern 
 lines both start from Sydney. The former has 
 been finished to Bathurst, the capital of the west, a 
 distance of over 140 miles, and will probably be 
 carried to the river Darling. The latter through 
 Goulburn has reached Gunning, a distance of 165 
 miles, and will probably before long be extended to
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 7 
 
 the borders of Victoria and South Australia. The 
 works are delayed for want of labor. Trial surveys 
 have been completed for many miles south, west, 
 and north. The line across the Blue Mountains 
 to Bathurst ascends to a height of 3,500 feet, and 
 descends by means of zig-zags both massive and 
 ingenious. The rates of carriage are generally 
 lower than those of any of the other Australian 
 colonies. Agricultural produce, once carried at 
 6d. a ton per mile, is now carried at l^d. In all 
 there are nearly 450 miles of railway open. As 
 the lines all belong to the State, they promise to 
 form an ever-increasing source of revenue, and 
 lessening of taxation to the public. In 1874, on a 
 total of 400 miles open, the entire earnings were 
 536,575, and the working expenses 257,703, 
 yielding a net return of 278,872, or about 4 per 
 oent. on the cost of construction. 
 
 Post Offices and Telegraphs. 
 
 "Wherever there is a township there is a post 
 office, and every village in the farthest interior has 
 mail communication. The postage on letters within 
 Australia is 2d. per J oz., while all newspapers are 
 carried free. 
 
 There are three separate ocean mails for parts 
 beyond Australia made up every month, via Torres 
 Straits, via Galle, and via San Francisco. The rate 
 of postage to England is 6d. the half ounce.
 
 8 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Telegraph lines intersect the country in every 
 direction. There were open in 
 
 Stations. Milea. 
 
 1874 115 7,449 
 
 1875 180 8,000 
 
 The number of messages sent were in 1874 570,326; 
 and in the first half of 1875331,362. Telegrams 
 from all parts of the World are daily published in 
 the newspapers. 
 
 Education. 
 
 Education is a department of the State. Alt 
 schools supported by the State are under Govern- 
 ment inspection, and the same course of secular 
 instruction is adopted in all. The course includes 
 reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, geography, 
 object lessons, singing, drawing, geometry, algebra,, 
 and Latin, with permission to teachers to produce, 
 if possible, higher results. All the teachers are 
 examined and certified. Every town and consider- 
 able village has its State Primary School, and 
 itinerant teachers are appointed to visit the families- 
 of settlers scattered through the bush. The fee for 
 tuition is a shilling a week, and where this cannot 
 be met there is no charge. 
 
 The University of Sydney was established and 
 endowed in 1851. Its guaranteed annual income 
 from public funds is 5,000, and it has the power 
 of granting degrees in arts, law, and medicine.
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 9 
 
 Provision is made for Affiliated Colleges of the 
 four principal religious denominations, with the 
 guarantee from public funds of half the cost of the 
 buildings where the denominations have contributed 
 the other half, and 500 per annum towards the 
 salary of each Principal. Under these provisions 
 three Affiliated Colleges have been erected. 
 
 Social Condition. 
 
 Nearly all the associations and institutions of 
 European and American life social, political, and 
 religious have their representatives in the Colony. 
 Of Journals there are more than a hundred. Every 
 considerable town, every interest, has its one or more 
 papers published, once or oftener every week. There 
 are Banks with branches in almost every township in 
 the interior. Law holds its sway over all classes, 
 and is purely and efficiently administered in all its 
 branches and jurisdictions. Life and property are 
 secure ; the means of living easy and manifold ; 
 wages and profits high ; education is generally 
 diffused ; and the comforts, elegancies, and amuse- 
 ments of life are varied and numerous. 
 
 Trade and Commerce. 
 
 New South Wales is advantageously situated for 
 purposes of trade and commerce. She is not only 
 the centre of the group of Australasian colonies and 
 of the islands in the South Pacific, but looks out
 
 10 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 towards the western coast of the vast American 
 Continent, and is within easy reach of the populous 
 countries of Asia. 
 
 More than one-half of the Australian shipping is 
 owned here. The inward and outward tonnage of 
 4,385 vessels engaged in the trade of the colony in 
 1874 was 1,990,894. In the ten years from 1864 
 to 1875 inclusive the seaboard trade of New South 
 Wales amounted to 
 
 United Kingdom ... 
 Intercolonial 
 Foreign 
 
 Imports. 
 
 30,317,900 ... 
 40,498,152 ... 
 10,413,001 ... 
 
 Exports. 
 40,539,602 
 34,550,050 
 3,180,104 
 
 Totals 87,229,173 78,270,350 
 
 The total value of the trade in 1874 amounted 
 to Imports, 11,293,739 ; Exports, 12,345,603. 
 Or in all 23,639,342, with a balance in favour of 
 exports of 1,051,864. These figures exhibit an 
 import trade of 19 16s., and an export trade of 
 21 12s. 9d. per head of the population, which is 
 at the rate of more than double the import trade, 
 and nearly quadruple the export trade of Great 
 Britain, per head of the population, for the same 
 year. 
 
 Of the foreign trade there was with 
 
 Imports. Exports. 
 
 The United States ... 1,972,519 ... 049,222 
 The S. Sea Islands ... 607,861 ... 896,255
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 11 
 
 The following table exhibits the increase of trade 
 with population in successive periods : 
 
 Population. Trade. Per head. 
 
 1831 ... 51,155 ... 814,320 ... 15 18 4 
 
 1841 ... 149,GG9 ... 3,551,385 ... 23 14 6 
 
 Giving up Victoria, 
 
 1851 ... 197,168 ... 3,360,843 ... 15 19 2 
 
 Giving up Queensland, 
 
 1861 ... 358,278 ... 11,986,394 ... 33 9 1 
 
 1871 ... 519,182 ... 20,854,540 ... 40 3 4 
 
 1874 ... 584,278 ... 23,639,342 ... 40 9 2 
 
 The revenue has likewise proportionately increased 
 from 406,056 in 1851, to 4,126,303 in 1875. Of 
 this amount about 1,000,000 was obtained from 
 customs, and 90,000 from licenses. The land 
 revenue amounted to more than 2,000,000, and the 
 receipts from the national railways to more than 
 500,000. The revenue from taxation is officially 
 given at 2 Is. 8d. per head of the population for 
 1874. The tariff, which is established for purposes 
 of revenue only, is one of the simplest in Australia, 
 free trade being the avowed policy of the colony. 
 
 Rfuers and Harbours. 
 
 Besides the rivers which flow into the Pacific, and 
 the mouths of which form harbours available for 
 trade, there are several harbours along the coast. 
 The coast line is well lighted from north to south, 
 and large sums af money are annually spent in 
 improvements connected with the harbours and
 
 12 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 rivers. Storm signals are placed on all the principal 
 promontories, which, together with the sea-ports, are 
 connected by means of the electric wire with Sydney. 
 The following are the principal harbours: 
 
 Trial Bay, midway between Sydney and Queens- 
 land, is an excellent shelter for all classes- 
 of ships during S. & S. E. gales. 
 
 Port Stephens, 25 miles north of Newcastle,, 
 runs into the country due west for about 14 
 miles, and has even a larger water area 
 than Port Jackson. 
 
 Newcastle, at the mouth of the Hunter, is the 
 great coal port of the Colony. Vessels of 
 2,000 tons burden can load there. 
 
 Broken Bay, 16 miles north of Sydney Heads, 
 at the mouth of the Hawkesbury, is a fine 
 harbour, with a bold entrance, but is inferior 
 to Port Jackson in tho draught of water at 
 the entrance. 
 
 Port Jackson, unsurpassed in the world, is- 
 separately described below. 
 
 Botany Bay, 8 miles south of Sydney, has am 
 area of 20 square miles, but is shallow. 
 
 Jervis Bay, a large and sheltered bay in the 
 south, is at present mainly resorted to as 
 a harbour of refuge. 
 
 Twofold Bay, in the south, is 5 miles from east 
 to west, and 3 miles broad.
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 13 
 
 Besides the above there are Wbllongong, Kiama, 
 Shoalhaven, Ulladulla, and Moruya, small harbours 
 en the south-east coast, where breakwaters, wharfs, 
 and jetties, adapted to the coasting trade, have been 
 constructed. 
 
 Sydney and its Harbour. 
 
 The magnificent expanse of water called Port 
 Jackson, with its lake-like scenery, stretching away 
 for 8 or 10 miles inland, is one of the embellish- 
 ments of the world. The bold coast fronting the 
 Pacific is suddenly broken, and the giant cliffs form 
 a portal to an estuary, with an enormous extent of 
 shore line, capacious enough to shelter the navies 
 of the world. So completely is the harbour shut in 
 that, until an entrance is fairly effected, its capacity 
 and safety cannot be conjectured. A vessel making 
 the port sails in a few moments out of the long swell 
 of the ocean into calm deep water, protected on every 
 side by high lands. The elevated shore is broken 
 into innumerable bays and inlets, extending inland 
 for miles. Some of the bays form of themselves 
 capacious harbours. The bosom of the whole is 
 dotted over with picturesque islets, which form no 
 impediment to navigation. The depth of water is 
 sufficient for the largest class of ships afloat. The 
 liarbaur of Port Jackson proper has an area of 9 
 square miles, Middle Harbour, one of its arms, 
 3 square miles, and the shore-line of the wffole 
 is 54 miles. From the Heads to the city the
 
 14 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 distance is 4 miles, beyond which the waters 
 extend for 8 miles further. The breadth varies 
 from three-quarters of a mile to 2 miles or more. 
 There are nearly 5 miles of Government and private 
 wharfs. 
 
 The greatest length of the city, including the 
 suburbs, is nearly 4 miles north and south, and 
 the greatest breadth about 3 miles east and west. 
 There are more than 120 miles of streets, besides 
 minor thoroughfares. The population, including the 
 suburbs, is over 160,000, and the funds dispensed 
 by the Corporation last year amounted to 180,000. 
 The Botanic Gardens, Domain, Hyde Park, Prince 
 Alfred Park (on which stands the Exhibition Build- 
 ing), Belmore Gardens, Victoria Park, and Moore 
 Park with an area of 500 acres, furnish easily acces- 
 sible and ornamental grounds for recreation. 
 
 Pastoral Wealth and Progress. 
 
 New South Wales has justly been reckoned a 
 peculiarly pastoral country. Probably 110 other 
 country in the world can show such advances in 
 pastoral wealth and resources. Natural pastures, 
 miles in extent, may be met with all over the colony, 
 but especially in the western districts, where many 
 varieties of the fattening salt bush flourish. The 
 pastoral stock and holdings represent a capital of 
 40,000,000, which is annually largely increasing. 
 The natural grasses alone are sufficient for the feed
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 15 
 
 of the vast flocks and herds. The total area leased 
 at less than three farthings an acre for pastoral 
 purposes is nearly 150,000,000 acres. The " runs" 
 vary in size from 5,000 acres to 100,000 acres, several 
 adjacent blocks being often included in one holding. 
 There are many men in the Colony who began life 
 as simple shepherds who have realized wealth and 
 affluence, while several of the "squatters" possess 
 more than a hundred thousand sheep. 
 
 Llue Stoch. 
 
 The fine-woolled sheep of the colony came origin- 
 ally from the choicest flocks of France, Spain, and 
 Saxony. In the process of acclimatisation there 
 has been a very decided gain in the softness of the 
 wool, and an improvement in its elasticity. The 
 wool has increased in length, but diminished in 
 density, so that the weight remains the same. The 
 coarse-woolled sheep are chiefly depastured in the 
 Coast districts, where they thrive better than the 
 merinos. Three-year-old wethers of this breed 
 weigh when killed from IGOfts. to 200ft>s. each, but 
 the fine-wooled merinos are of a smaller type and 
 average about 501bs. The average of lambing is 80 
 per cent., and an average clip is about 31bs. of 
 washed wool per sheep. 
 
 The principal breeds of horned cattle are Short- 
 horns, Herefords, and Devons. The finer specimens 
 will compare with most in England. Agricultural
 
 1G NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 societies hold yearly exhibitions of stock and pro- 
 duce in the chief districts of the Colony ; and some 
 specimens at the last Exhibition in Sydney fetched 
 over 1,000 guineas each. Pleuro-piieumoiiia has at 
 times proved very destructive; but foot and mouth 
 disease, rinder pest, and other malignant diseases of 
 cattle, are unknown in New South Wales. 
 
 All the best breeds of horses thrive here. Animals 
 worth 20 here fetch an average of 80 in India. 
 India draws from New South Wales remounts for 
 cavalry regiments. 
 
 Llamas and alpacas have been naturalised, and 
 there are several flocks of Angoras. The fleece 
 forwarded to England has sold for 2s. 6d. a pound, 
 and the clip weighs sometimes 6 Ibs. 
 
 The following returns show the progress and 
 resources of New South Wales in the matter of 
 live stock : 
 
 
 Horses. 
 
 Horned cattle. 
 
 Slie^p. 
 
 Pigs. 
 
 1851 
 
 .... 116,397 
 
 ... 1,375,257 ... 
 
 7,396,895 
 
 ... 65,510 
 
 1861 
 
 ... 233,220 
 
 ... 2,271,923 ... 
 
 5,615,054 
 
 ... 146,091 
 
 1871 
 
 ... 304,100 
 
 ... 2,014,888 ... 
 
 16,278,697 
 
 ... 213,193 
 
 1874 
 
 ... 346,691 
 
 ... 2,856,699 ... 
 
 22,872,882 
 
 ., 219,958 
 
 The export of wool was in 
 
 1851 15,269,317 Ibs. 
 
 After giving up Queensland 
 
 1861 12,745,891 
 
 1871 65,611,953 
 
 1874 75,156,924
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 17 
 
 In 1874 the value of pastoral exports, including 
 wool, tallow, skins, salt and preserved meats, and 
 live stock, exceeded six millions sterling. The value 
 of the local consumption is in addition to this large 
 amount. 
 
 It will be seen from the ahove returns how great 
 is the annual increase in stock of all descriptions, 
 and how eminently adapted to pastoral purposes are 
 the vast interior plains of the Colony. Perhaps in 
 no part of the World do animals thrive and fatten 
 more readily, or with less cost to the breeder, than 
 in Australia. On the great salt-bush plains, which 
 are almost exclusively devoted to the rearing of 
 stock, the breeder incurs no expense in providing 
 fodder for the winter, the climate being so mild 
 throughout the year. "Water, the great want of 
 central Australia, is now being retained at very 
 considerable expense by the lessees or squatters on 
 the dry and waterless but splendid grazing lands 
 lying back from the rivers, and as these become 
 utilised the increase in the flocks and herds of the 
 Colony will continue in the same ratio as heretofore. 
 As a proof of the very fattening qualities of the 
 pasturage, it may be stated that both cattle and 
 sheep, after travelling some ten or twelve hundred 
 miles to market, are found to produce meat equal 
 to that of any country in the World. Pedigree 
 animals have been repeatedly imported from Great 
 Britain, and year by year, as evidenced by the 
 
 increasing number of stock exhibited at the Shows 
 B
 
 18 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 now held throughout the whole of the inland towns 
 of the Colony, as well as at the Metropolitan Show 
 in Sydney, it is plainly seen that not only in point 
 of numbers but in quality is the live stock of the 
 Colony progressing. 
 
 Agricultural Resources. 
 
 There are large tracts of rich soil which are 
 adapted for profitable cultivation. The law offers 
 every facility for the acquirement of land. Anyone, 
 even minors if not under sixteen years of age, can 
 take up land the best available from 40 acres to 
 640 acres, at 20s. an acre, of which a fourth is to be 
 paid down, the remainder bearing 5 per cent, interest. 
 Another 20s. an acre is to be expended on improve- 
 ments (a term very liberally construed) during a 
 period, of three years, during which time the 
 purchaser must also reside. Titles to land once 
 registered under Torrens* Act can never be called 
 in question. The operations of agriculture or 
 husbandry are never suspended by winter, and crops 
 of some sort or other may be produced in succession 
 from January to December. The area of land taken 
 up for cultivation increases every year. The number 
 of holdings in 1874 was 35,131, and the area under 
 cultivation was 464,967 acres. Many poor farmers 
 who began with small holdings have attained to 
 wealth and independence. More than 50,000 persons, 
 or nearly a tenth of the entire population of the 
 Colony, are connected with agricultural pursuits.
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 19 
 
 Cereals, Fruits, &c. 
 
 The best wheat -growing districts are to be found 
 on the table-lands from 2,000 feet to 4,000 feet high. 
 The price in Sydney averages between 5s. and 6s. 
 per bushel. 
 
 Tobacco is grown chiefly in the northern coast 
 districts and in the south-west. The quantity grown 
 has varied very much from year to year ; more than 
 l,500,000fts. have been produced in one year. 
 
 Maize is raised throughout the coast districts as 
 far south as the 36th parallel of latitude. The 
 cultivation is easy, and the crop is soon ready. A 
 failure is rarely known. The yield on the richer 
 descriptions of land has been 120 bushels an acre 
 for the first crop, and 65 bushels an acre afterwards. 
 The average on the whole crop of the Colony in 
 1874 was 30 bushels an acre. The market price 
 in Sydney is between 2s. and 3s. a bushel. Large 
 quantities are annually exported. 
 
 Sugar-cane has only lately begun to be cultivated. 
 In 1874 there were 8,540 acres under tillage, of 
 which 4,087 acres produced 6,855 tons of sugar. 
 The sugar growing districts are on the northern 
 rivers. The heaviest yield has been nearly 60 tons 
 of cane an acre, and even 90 tons have been ob- 
 tained. An average yield is 35 tons, producing 
 nearly 2^ tons of sugar, besides molasses. TEe 
 sorghum or imphee, which has so much of saccharine 
 matter, thrives well.
 
 20 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 The Grape Vine finds a home in numerous 
 districts, both north and south, and in the interior. 
 All the finest European varieties are now to be 
 found in the Colony. There are several large vine- 
 yards in operation. The yield of wine has averaged 
 from 600 gallons to 700 gallons per acre, though 
 certain kinds of grapes have produced over 1,000 
 gallons per acre. 
 
 All the fruits of northern and southern Europe 
 are grown with success. There are orange groves 
 as magnificent as may be seen in Spain or Portugal. 
 As many as 10,000 oranges have been obtained 
 from individual trees. Oranges are largely exported 
 to the neighbouring Colonies, and many proprietors 
 of orangeries who began life in a very small way have 
 reaped a fortune. The retail price of common 
 varieties in Sydney averages a shilling a dozen. The 
 olive, caper, fig, strawberry, raspberry, gooseberry, 
 currant, custard-apple, guava, banana, edible nuts, 
 almonds, passion-fruit, loquat, quince, plum, nec- 
 tarine, pear, apple, and peach, all thrive. 
 
 The potato thrives well, and the yield is large. 
 Barley, oats, &c., are grown chiefly for fodder. 
 Lucerne hay may be cut from four to six times in 
 the year in favorable seasons on the alluvial flats. 
 Mangold'-wurzel, "turnips, and pumpkins are used for 
 feeding only the very choicest cattle, native grasses 
 being sufficient for the rest. Arrowroot thrives ; 
 cotton succeeds well on the northern rivers. The
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 21 
 
 bark of several indigenous aoacias is used for tanning 
 purposes. The rheea (or grass-cloth plant of China) 
 and the New Zealand flax are grown easily. The 
 mulberry tree thrives, and the finest varieties of the 
 
 silkworm have been introduced with success. 
 
 - 
 
 Mineral Wealth Gold, 
 
 New South Wales abounds in minerals. Accord- 
 ing to competent authorities, the auriferous districts 
 of this colony are far larger than those of any 
 other in Australia, and as rich as the richest, if 
 not more so. Up to 1871 only alluvial washings 
 were carried on, and the wealth lying in quartz reefs 
 was comparatively neglected. And yet, besides 
 coining millions of pounds sterling in her mint, 
 she exported gold to the value of 40,095,823. 
 There were then upwards of 16,000 miners en- 
 gaged. Since the veins have been worked and 
 quartz-mining has come into operation, there has 
 been an extension in this direction and the results 
 have, in a few instances, been unexpectedly rich. 
 The Emu Creek gold-field alone sent by escort to 
 Sydney, from October, 1866, to September, 1871, 
 182,061 ounces of gold. From two mines on Haw- 
 kins' Hill the yield in six months was gold to the 
 value of 162,850, after paying escort fees and mint 
 charges. 
 
 The proclaimed Gold Fields extend with short 
 intervals the entire length of the colony, with a
 
 22 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 breadth of 200 miles. They comprise an area of 
 13,656 square miles. It is highly probable that rich 
 and extensive gold fields will be discovered for many 
 years to come. There are immense tracts in the 
 interior which have not yet been prospected. In 
 many miles of country the rocks that belong to a 
 golden area yet remain in their original condition, 
 and will so remain till some fortunate adventurer 
 stumbles by accident on a tangible encouragement. 
 
 All the grea,t gold-fields of the west are within 
 two days' journey of the capital, and there is not 
 any mining settlement which may not be easily 
 reached. The gold mining centres present the 
 appearance of orderly and thriving townships, with 
 schools, churches, journals, shops, and places of 
 amusement. The authority to dig or mine for 
 gold is given to all who apply for it. It costs only 
 10s. a year, and entitles its possessor to take up 
 ground upon any gold-field to the extent of 60 feet 
 by 60 feet to 114 feet by 114 feet, according to the 
 class of mining pursued upon the particular field. 
 If a man wants to open a quartz mine he can take 
 up 50 feet along the line of reef, with a breadth of 
 100 yards on each side. His miner's right also 
 entitles him to occupy half-an-acre of land for his 
 dwelling, and to an electoral vote. A man may 
 take up as many claims as he likes if he will only 
 work them. Sluicing claims extend to 10 acres. 
 Some mines that have been since worth two or 
 three hundred thousand pounds, were taken up a
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 23 
 
 few years ago by one or two poor men in virtue 
 of their miners' rights. 
 
 Since 1870 the export of gold has been as follows : 
 
 1870 1,585,736 
 
 1871 2,074,937 
 
 1872 2,110,299 
 
 1873 2,590,145 
 
 1874 1,874,837 
 
 Coal. 
 
 The Coal measures of New South "Wales extend 
 from the 29th to the 35th parallel of south latitude. 
 Sydney is the centre of a coal basin, the coal having 
 been traced about a hundred miles to the north to 
 the south and to the west. The areas seamed with 
 this valuable mineral are so vast that two lines of 
 railway pass over them at distances of 100 miles 
 from the metropolis^ while the Great Northern runs 
 through coal fields over its entire length. The quality 
 is of the best, and admirably adapted for steamers. 
 The squadrons of the British Navy stationed in the 
 Pacific are all supplied with coal from the colony. 
 In the markets of India and China it competes with 
 English coal. 
 
 The following are the returns of the coal raised : 
 
 Tons. Value. 
 
 1829 800 400 ' 
 
 1851 67,610 25,546 
 
 1861 342,067 218,820 
 
 1871 898,784 310,340 
 
 1872 1,012,426^ 396,198 
 
 1873 1,192,862 665,747 
 
 1874 1,304,567 790,224
 
 24 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 The trade is rapidly increasing. The exports now 
 reach the following widely- distant places : All the 
 other Australasian Colonies, Fiji, New Caledonia, 
 and Honolulu ; California and Valparaiso ; Java, 
 Sumatra, and the Moluccas ; Manilla, and Singa- 
 pore ; Hongkong, Amoy, and other Chinese ports ; 
 Japan and Russian Asia; Calcutta, Bomhay, and 
 the Mauritius. More than a thousand vessels are 
 annually engaged in this traffic. 
 
 Copper, Tin, &c* 
 
 Copper is found in many parts, in 1874 there 
 were thirteen copper mines, but few of them have 
 been systematically worked. Some of the native ores 
 are extremely rich, and furnish a large percentage 
 of pure metal. 
 
 Tin was first made known in 1852 by the Rev, 
 W. B. Clarke, but not commercially worked till 
 1870. The quality is of the very best, and takes 
 rank beside Straits tin in the English market. 
 The average cost of raising a ton of tin ore is about 
 24, the selling price of which in Sydney is from 
 seven to nine pounds below the London price. 
 
 Other Minerals. The Colony is rich in depo- 
 sits of brown cannel oil coals and oil shales. They 
 exist in many places at wide areas apart. Iron ores 
 are widely disseminated. The principal beds are 
 hematite. In several places there are coal, limestone, 
 and iron in immediate proximity. At Mittagopg
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 25 
 
 in the south, and Wallerawang in the west, pig 
 iron has been produced. There are silver and lead 
 deposits near Yass, and near Scone on the Hunter. 
 There are also deposits of silver ore at Bergalia 
 near Moruya. Cinnabar is found in the Mudgee 
 district, and antimony ores have been worked in the 
 Clarence and other districts. Diamonds, opals, 
 rubies, and other gems have been found in various 
 parts. The number of diamonds found in New 
 South "Wales up to the end of 1872 was estimated 
 at between 5,000 and 6,000, the largest having been 
 one of 5f carats, and the smallest one-tenth of a 
 grain. 
 
 Industries and Manufactures. 
 
 The progress of New South Wales in industries 
 and manufactures is very marked. The latest and 
 most approved labour-saving appliances and steam- 
 driven tools have been introduced, and the manu- 
 facturers here are able to compete with those of 
 Europe in the supply of many local requirements. 
 
 The rivers and coasts of the colony teem with a 
 plentiful supply offish. Mort's freezing process ha& 
 been introduced lately with great success. Eish 
 preserved by this process are transported by railway 
 to inland cities and towns. The bays and estuaries 
 along the coast furnish natural oyster-beds many 
 miles in length, and nowhere in the world is this 
 delicacy so plentiful and cheap. The ichale-fisJieries
 
 26 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 are also deserving of notice. In 1841 the export of 
 oil amounted in value to 224,000. But of late 
 this industry has been much neglected, and in 1874 
 there were only two ships employed, and the value 
 of the produce was only 2,897. 
 
 Wine-making is a settled industry. The wines 
 of the Albury district, in the south, are known in 
 all the neighbouring colonies as well as London. 
 The produce of the Hunter River districts has won 
 medals at the Great International Exhibitions of 
 London and Paris. The production in 1863 was 
 114,888 gallons, in 1872 it was 413,321 gallons of 
 wine and 1,766 gallons of brandy, and in 1874 it 
 was 684,258 gallons of wine and 859 gallons of 
 brandy. The consumption of local wines is increas- 
 ing every year in Australia. Numerous breweries 
 established here turn out beer of excellent quality. 
 There were 31 breweries in 1874. 
 
 Tobacco of local manufacture is finding its way 
 into favour. Large quantities of Virginian leaf 
 are imported for manufacture. One of the largest 
 manufacturers of tobacco in the world, from Virginia 
 in the United States, has fitted up extensive premises 
 in Sydney. The quantity manufactured in 1874 
 was 14,980 cwt. 
 
 The preserved meats of New South Wales have 
 acquired a reputation in the markets of the world. 
 Salted and preserved meats to the value of 107,335
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 27 
 
 were exported in 1874. The manufacture of 
 jams and confectionery, aerated waters, &c., give 
 employment to numerous hands. 
 
 The manufacture and working up of leather em- 
 ploys nearly 7,000 hands. In 1874 the value of 
 hides and leather exported amounted to 192,688. 
 Sydney carried off prizes and medals for manufac- 
 tures in leather at the Melbourne Intercolonial 
 Exhibition in 1875. 
 
 With wool in abundance, the manufacture of 
 cloths, tweeds, blankets, &c., is being rapidly and 
 profitably developed. In 1874 the production was 
 458,880 yards of cloth and tweeds. One manu- 
 facturer alone at present turns out 3,000 yards of 
 cloth per week. The making up of shirts and 
 sewn-clothes gives employment to numbers. 
 
 Illuminating and lubricating oils are manufac- 
 tured from kerosene shale. Soap is largely made, 
 and the weight manufactured in 1874 was 82,270 
 cwt. In the same year tallow was exported to the 
 value of 99,649; and tallow candles were manufac- 
 tured to the weight of 11,724 cwt. 
 
 Metals, Earths, &c. 
 
 In iron the manufactures of New South "Wales 
 promise to attain to large dimensions. The iron 
 foundries and engineering establishments here have 
 produced iron steamships, dredges, lighthouses, 
 locomotives, bridges, cylindrical piers, and agricul- 
 tural implements. Every description of the heaviest
 
 28 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 kinds of rough work, as well as the finest kinds of 
 work required for engines, is turned out. There are 
 also several galvanized iron factories. 
 
 Tor reducing copper and tin ores there are 
 numerous smelting works. The poorer copper ores 
 from neighbouring Colonies are sent to be smelted 
 in New South Wales. The Hunter River Company's 
 Copper Smelting Works at Waratah had twenty-one 
 furnaces in 1872. More than 30,000 tons of ore 
 were operated on, and the production of pure copper 
 was nearly 2,000 tons. The consumption of coal in 
 the furnaces was about 26,000 tons, and more than 
 100 men were engaged at the works. The increased 
 production of tin has necessitated a corresponding 
 increase in smelting works. 
 
 The manufacture of bricks, encaustic tiles, drain- 
 pipes, and other descriptions of pottery is carried 
 on by the aid of steam-driven machinery. There is 
 constant building work going on in the numerous 
 cities and towns which are springing up in all parts 
 of the country. The capital especially has of late 
 years entered on a course of architectural improve- 
 ment which is converting rows of stores and shops 
 into streets of palaces. Marble, granite, freestone, 
 and limestone are to be found in abundance in the 
 Colony ; and work in earth and stone furnishes 
 employment to many thousands of masons and 
 other labourers.
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 29 
 
 Ship-building, Docks, &c. 
 
 There is a Government Dock at Cockatoo Island, 
 in which H.M.S. "Galatea," of 26 guns and 3,227 
 tons, was docked. Mort's Dock is also capable of 
 accommodating the largest class of mail steamers 
 that come to the port. The Australian Steam 
 Navigation Company has a slip capable of taking 
 up a vessel of fifteen hundred tons, and there are 
 also smaller private slips and floating docks. 
 
 There are numerous varieties of valuable timber 
 in New South Wales, useful for every description 
 of ship and house building and furniture. There 
 is even an export in cut and sawn timber of con- 
 siderable value. The export in 1874 was valued at 
 51,131. A license to cut timber is to be had 
 for 20s. ; for cedar alone the charge being 3. 
 Shipbuilding is carried on in many places along the 
 coast, and South Sea Island cruisers for the Imperial 
 Government have been constructed here, and met 
 with approval. There are numerous joineries for 
 the supply of woodwork of houses and furniture. 
 All the cabs, carriages, carts, drays, omnibuses, and 
 other vehicles required, are made in the colony, and 
 the proof of the skill of the workmen in this depart- 
 ment of industry may be seen in the equipages 
 which daily run along the thoroughfares of the 
 capital.
 
 30 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 Those desirous of further information are referred 
 to the pamphlet published by MB. Charles Robinson, 
 entitled " New South "Wales, the Oldest and Richest 
 of the Australian Colonies," or to the larger work, 
 "The Industrial Progress of New South Wales,'* 
 published under the auspices of the Exhibition 
 Commissioners of 1870, and also to the work pub- 
 lished by the Government entitled "Mines and 
 Mineral Statistics of New South Wales." Enough, 
 however, has been said above to show that New 
 South Wales is a territory of vast and only very 
 partially developed resources, and that it offers 
 every attraction alike to the capitalist, to the man of 
 ingenuity, and to the industrious workman. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 WAGES. 
 
 Carpenters ... ... ... 8/ to 10/ per diem of 8 hours 
 
 Smiths 10/ to 12/ 
 
 Wheelwrights 8/ to 10/ 
 
 Bricklayers 10/ to ll/ 
 
 Masons ... .... , 10/ to 12/ ,. 
 
 Lodging and Board for working men, 15/ per week. 
 
 I'cr annum with 
 board and lodging. 
 
 
 Farm Laborers 30 to 40 
 
 Shepherds 30 to 35 
 
 Females : 
 Coots (plain) 30 to 40 
 
 Housemaids ... ... ... ... 26 to 30 
 
 Laundresses .. ... ... 30 to 40 
 
 Nursemaids ... ... 20 to 26 
 
 General House Servants 26 to 30 
 
 Farm House Servants 
 
 [26 
 Dairywomen ... ,,. ... \
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 31 
 
 PROVISIOSS.- 
 Wheat, per bushel ... 
 Bread, per Ib. 
 Flour, 
 Eice, 
 Tea, 
 
 Sugar, 
 Coffee, 
 
 Meat, fresh, per Ib.... 
 salt, ... 
 Butter, fresh, 
 
 salt, ... 
 Cheese, EngliMi, per Ib. 
 
 Colonial, 
 Potatoes, per cwt. ... 
 Wine, Colonial, per gal. 
 Beer, 
 Candles, per Ib. 
 Kerosene Oil, ger gal. 
 Tobacco 
 
 -1874. 
 
 5/6 to 6/6 
 /I* to /2 
 /Uto /U 
 /2-2 to /3 
 
 1/2 to 2/6 
 /3| to /4i 
 
 1/4 
 
 #i to /4* 
 
 to 1/8 
 
 to 5/6 
 to 5/6 
 
 to 3/7 
 
 CLOTHING. 
 
 Moleskin Jackets, each 8/ to 12/ 
 Coats, 12/ to20/ 
 
 Waistcoats, 
 
 Moleskin Trousers, 
 Colored Shirts, 
 Strong Boots, per pair 
 Socks, 
 
 Handkerchiefs 
 Straw Hats ... 
 Print Dresses ... ... 
 
 Flannel Petticoats 
 Calico 
 Flannel, per yard ... 
 Calico, 
 
 Blankets, per pair 
 Sheeting, Calico ... 
 
 3/ to 
 4/6 to 
 1/6 to 
 5/9 to 
 
 5/ 
 
 9/ 
 
 4/6 
 
 6/ 
 
 /4i to /8 
 2/6 to 3/6 
 7/6 to 12/6 
 3/6 to 8/ 
 4f to 8/ 
 2/ 
 
 /8to 9/ 
 12/6 to 20/ 
 1/6 to 2/6 
 
 Sy lacy : Thomas Richards, Government Printer. 197&
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 
 
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