It is evident from this comparison that it is by the greater range of the thermometer, and by the suddenness and violence of the transitions, that the climate of Australia is to be distinguished from that of the most favoured parts of Europe. That this is not a distinction by any means in its favour every one must admit. That it does not act injuriously on the health of people in general, may now be taken to be a fact established by experience. I have thrown out some suggestions as to the probable or possible causes of its not having that effect, but leave it to scientific medical men to analyse the matter more thoroughly.

Favoured with such a soil and climate, Port Phillip raises in abundance almost every product of central and southern Europe. The vine, the fig-tree, the peach, the plum, the apple, and the melon, all grow most luxuriantly, while the common vegetables, onions in particular, attain a great size and perfection. The potato, too, which is worth all the poetry of vines and fig-trees put together, flourishes in prosaic simplicity. Wheat and barley do remarkably well, oats not so well. Indian corn thrives. In fact there are few countries more prolific. One district alone, that reaching from Geelong to Port Fairy, would, if cultivated, yield wheat enough to supply millions of people; and most of the land is ready for the plough, without cutting down a single tree. This district is also plentifully watered. The relative prices of wages and flour have hitherto prevented much being done in this way. In January, 1844, we were paying £20 a year to each farm servant, together with rations of ten pounds of flour, twelve pounds of meat, a quarter of a pound of tea, and two

pounds of sugar a week: and Van Dieman's Land first flour was selling at £11, and seconds at £10 per ton. Under such circumstances it is the prevailing opinion that it does not pay to grow wheat on the squatting stations, even for their own consumption. This depends in a measure on the trouble and expense of grinding. It is necessary to send the corn to Melbourne to be ground, the charges for which are very high, or else to use a hand-mill, which takes a great deal of time. When labour falls to £10 or £12, and when greater facilities are given for the purchase of land, so as to induce persons to become agricultural farmers, it is most probable that wheat will be raised on cheaper terms by persons who apply themselves wholly to this pursuit than it can be by the squatting stockholders of the present day, and that mills will be established through the country. There are indeed some farmers of this description in the neighbourhood of Geelong and Melbourne; but they are always complaining of bad prices. This has, however, I believe, been the characteristic of farmers from the days of Horace down to the present.

CHAPTER II.

POPULATION-EXPORTS AND OTHER STATISTICS-EXPORTS AND REVENUE SHEEP-EXPORT OF TALLOW

OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA-BOILING DOWN

SALT BEEF-HORSES-MIMOSA BARK.

HAVING given a general sketch of the country and climate, I now come to the inhabitants, and their means of acquiring wealth and comfort. The population of the district of Port Phillip is estimated at 20,000; of these about 9,000 are supposed to be resident in Melbourne and its suburbs. This is far too large a proportion; in fact, the town of Melbourne is large enough to supply the wants of a rural population of 60,000 souls. This will in time cure itself, but not without considerable individual distress. At present the population is diminishing, by the inhabitants dispersing themselves over the rural districts, and there is a large number of houses unoccupied. This huddling together of a large population in a town, is the result of the present mode of disposing of crown lands, combined with the system, adopted by the Emigration Commissioners, of encouraging the emigration of artizans in preference to that of agricultural labourers, and of men with families in preference to that of single men. The artizans naturally remain in towns to seek employment in their trades, but these being soon overstocked they find it impossible to succeed in obtaining it, and if they have not energy to look for situations as farm-servants in the bush,

become discontented and miserable. Several of this class have re-emigrated to Valparaiso. Men with families are very often worse off, and, as long as the present mode of dealing with squatters remains in force, it is impossible that married men can find accommodation. and employment, in any numbers, on sheep or cattle stations, as men have no fancy for laying out money in improving government land. At Sydney, where this evil has been felt more than at Melbourne, a committee of the Legislative Council examined many witnesses on the subject, and the result of their inquiries was to establish the facts which I have stated above.

The exports from the Port Phillip district in the year ending 31st July, 1843, being the close of the wool season of 1842-43, amounted to £232,602 in value, made up of the following items :-

ABSTRACT

From Tables published by Messrs. Kilburn, Brothers, Custom-house agents, from official documents.

* The shipments from Portland Bay, Port Fairy and Gipps Land are approximations furnished by the Collector of Customs, the actual returns not having been received, so that the total amount may vary slightly from the actual exports.

The amount of exportation in July, 1844, probably amounts to upwards of £300,000. This I conclude from the natural increase of the sheep, which is generally calculated at one-third of the whole amount, and from the export of tallow, which is likely to be very large, owing to the system of boiling down the surplus stock for the tallow, which is at present largely acted on. It is also likely that there will be increased activity in the export of mimosa bark, that which was sent home last year having realized a high price.

By the annual report of the Commissioners of Crown Lands the number of stock in the Port Phillip district,* on the 30th September, 1843, appears to be―

1,404,333 Sheep

100,792 Cattle

4,605 Horses.

As these returns were obtained from the settlers in July, they do not contain either the autumn or spring lambs of 1843-these probably amount to 400,000; so that taking the lambs and sheep together, about 1,800,000 fleeces have been shorn in the season of 1843-44. There are 820 stations, on which this stock is reared, the revenue derived from which by the government is as follows:

In the other districts of New South Wales the return is as follows: