Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.3)

Jan. 1836. excursion to bathurst. 517 country. On the morning of the 16th (January) I set out on my excursion. The first stage took us to Para- matta, a small country-town, the second to Sydney in im- portance. The roads were excellent, and made upon the MacAdam principle : whinstone having been brought for the purpose from the distance of several miles. The road ap- peared much frequented by all sorts of carriages ; and I met two stage-coaches. In all these respects there was a close resemblance to England ; perhaps the number of alehouses was here in excess. The iron gangs, or parties of convicts, who have here committed some trifling off^ence, ap^oeared the least like England ; they were working in chains, under the charge of sentries with loaded arms. The power, which the government possesses, by means of forced labour, of at once opening good roads throughout the country, has been, I believe, one main cause of the early prosperity of this colony. I slept at night at a very comfortable inn at Emu ferry, thirty-five miles from Sydney, and near the ascent of the Blue Mountains. This line of road is the most frequented, and has been longest inhabited of any in the colony. The whole land is enclosed with high railings, for the farmers have not succeeded in rearing hedges. There are many substantial houses and good cottages scattered about; but although considerable pieces of land are under cultivation, the greater part yet remains as when first discovered. Making allowances for the cleared parts, the country here resembled all that I saw during the ten succeeding days. The extreme uniformity of the vegetation is the most remarkable feature in the landscape of the greater part of New South Wales. Every where we have an open wood- land ; the ground being partially covered with a very thin pasture. The trees nearly all belong to one family; and mostly have the surface of their leaves placed in a vertical, instead of as in Europe, a nearly horizontal position : the foliage is scanty, and of a pecuhar, pale green tint, without any gloss. Hence the woods appear light and shadowless : this.