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

Jan. 1836. new south wales. 529 deed on all other occasions, a very general and ready civility among the lower orders ; which, when one considers what they are, and what they have been, would scaiTely have been expected. The farm where I passed the night was owned by two young men who had only lately come out, and were beginning a settler's life. The total want of almost every comfort was not very attractive ; but future and certain prosperity was before their eyes, and that not far distant. The next day we passed through large tracts of country in flames, volumes of smoke sweeping across the road. Before noon we joined our former track, and ascended Mount Victoria. I slept at the Weatherboard, and before dark took another walk to the amphitheatre. On the road to Sydney I spent a very pleasant evening with Captain King at Dunheved : and thus ended my little excursion in the colony of New South Wales. Before arriving here the three things which interested me most were, — the state of society amongst the higher classes, the condition of the convicts, and the degree of attractio'^ sufficient to induce persons to emigrate. Of course, after sc very short a visit one's opinion is worth scarcely any thing; but it is as difficult not to form some opinion, as it is to form a correct judgment. On the whole, from what I heard, more than from what I saw, I was disap- pointed in the state of society. The whole community is rancorously divided into parties on almost every subject. Among those, who from their station in life ought to be the best, many live in such open profligacy, that respec- table people cannot associate with them. There is much jealousy between the children of the rich emancipist and the free settlers ; the former being pleased to consider honest men as interlopers. The whole population, poor and rich, are bent on acquiring wealth; amongst the higher orders wool and sheep-grazing form the constant subject of conver- sation. The very low ebb of literature is strongly marked by the emptiness of the booksellers' shops ; for they are in- ferior even to those in the smaller country-towns of England. VOL. III. 2 M