MR. OGLE'S WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

'IP the reader take up a map a the world, and look on the Western toast of New Holland for the thirty-second degree of South lati- tude, he will have the embouchure of Swan River. Supposing the capital Of Western Australia to be the point of a triangle, the prolon- gation of one side would terminate in the Bay of Bengal, the other would touch the Isle of France and end at Madagascar : Swan River and the Cape of Good hope are as directly opposite each other as the two angles of a door-top or the ends of a square table : the sailing-time of the most distant point is a month, oithout any • • intervening land or obstacles to the navigation; but on the

:Eastern side of the course to India, and within twelve or fourteen 'days' sail of Perth, are Java, Sumatra, and all the Islands of the Indian Archipelago. So far, therefore, as site is concerned, the 'colony of Western Australia, is at present the most favourably 'situated for commerce of any spot in the Southern hemisphere,— although were South America populous and industrious, New Zea- land would have the advantage.

• The country, according to all that we read, (but a fair and ,full account of settled Australia is yet a desideratum,) is the best that has been discovered in that vast continent, unless Port Philip may be held to rival it. The soil in the vicinity of the Swan, though sandy and unpromising to the eye, is found by experiencevery favourable to the growth of every kind of vegeta- tion: the country is well alternated with wood and open pasture land; the wood, as we gather, being of closer growth than in the other settlements ; and in some places, both forest-trees and pasture clothe the very beach, instead of the sand-downs which generally characterize the shores of New Holland. The various grains of Europe have been successfully cultivated, with many of our fruits and flowers ; and the grape grows wild—the surest sign of its being adapted to the. country. What is of still more importance, the drought seems to be a less f'requent visitant than in either Southern Australia or New South Wales, if indeed the excessive droughts by which those countries are afflicted ever occur. The language of pauegyric is exhausted on its climate, which is said to be more beautiful and more wholesome titan those of the other colonies of that region, healthy as they are : bitter frosts, chilling winds, or sudden changes of weather, are equally strangers to this paradise ; the consumptions, dyspepsia, and other disorders of Great Britain, speedily yield to its saniferous influence ; and such are its wonder-working effects, that the late Governor, Sir J. STIRLING, says the "perception becomes acuter,"—a fact which, if true, may be explained by other causes. The feelings are more independent in a new colony ; the intellect is relieved from the incubus of autho- rity and conventional notions ; the images presented to the mind are fewer than at home, and the necessities of a settler's life impel their thorough consideration.

With such advantages, a colony founded on proper principles, and its expenses paid by the Government, should in ten years have been in a high state of prosperity. Yet it is inferior to South Aus-

tralia in the more obvious and tangible elements of wealth, whatever

the success of that place may finally be. The population of Swan River in 1837 was only 2,032, and that in the bad proportion of two males to one female ; whilst South Australia in two years contained 5,000 souls. At Swan River, the estimated number of sheep and goats was 14,000, of horses 250, of cattle 1,020; in South Australia the alleged numbers are of sheep 28,000, of horses 480, of cattle 2,500. The older colony had the advantage, however, in home- grown grain. Whilst South Australia had not raised a crop of any kind, the produce of Swan River was 22,100 bushels of wheat, and 11,800 of other grain ; being an average of nearly 35 bushels per

head to each num in the settlement. Tite colony, therefore, may

be said to have settled itself, in despite of the miserable plan, or no plan rather, on which the scheme was undertaken by tile Co- lonial Office ; of the hardships and loss of capital of the first settlers, which had almost led to the abandonment of the settle- ment; and of the profuse grants to individuals, which enabled every one to become a landed proprietor, depriving the capitalists of labour, turning the labourer into a squatter, and creating large blocks of useless land, which are not cultivated, and cannot be regranted by Government.* Such are tile energies of Englishmen, when employed upon a fair field, however waste and desert it may be, that Swan River may fairly be considered as established ; for it

possesses resources within itself to be independent of foreign sup- ply, if that were necessary. It is so well to do in the world, that * The original grants were for twenty-one years, after which period the Crown has the right of resumption ; so we must wait till the year 1850. . - •• it can live upthi-its own property. When it,is-• added, that tm, con, siderable part of the settlers' were cultivated families .of' the bettet or Middle classes, who are alleged to retain the manners, tastea, and feelings with which they emigrated, and that the spirit of the' colony is that of good society apart from its vanities and parade, Swan River May be considered a favourable field for • emigration. If it were not for the obefieles created by the old grants, and the scarcity of labour, it would probably be the most ffivourable. • . The object of •Mr. Oaan's volume is to bring, the capabilities of Western Austtalia before the public, and to call some attention to a Company which proposed to supply the colony with labourerseaa well as to remedy the evils the profusion of -former grants had produced ; but whose good intentions were thwarted by she Colonial Office. That " TIIIS °mum," as Mr. STEPHEN has it, might be indifferent, or something worse, we can readily believe; but, as Mr. OGLE states the case, we cannot understand how the Company proposed to work out their intentions, nor do we per ceive with perfect clearness what their intentions were.

The account of Western Australia and its capabilities is of varied character and various merit. The appendix contains a number of important documents, connected with the constitution of the ea. bony, and its land-disposal regulations, as well as returns of the holders of grants, and their respective extent and loCalities. Va. rious tables of statistics are interwoven with the text of the book; which also contains a kincl of sea-topography with sailing-direc- tions, and a reprint of the. experience of an enterprising emigrant of the name of ilussame who, abandoning the heed-quarters in Swan River, that of all tried Hardy's Inlet, and then finally settled himself in Geographe Bay. Air. OGLE has also freely availed himself of the Report of the Western Australian Agricul- tural Society,—a practically useful document emanating from an interesting body; ti,r we not only see at Swan River, as in the adjacent colony of South Australia, the social institutions of home springing up, but we have them in operation and turned to account.

All these parts of the volume are' statistics, or original observa- tions, which, whatever may be their merit, are drawn direct from the reality. The rest of Mr. Ociaa's book consists of speculation, description, or advice. The speculation is on the true principles of colonial settlement and government ; upon the former of which the author generally agrees with Mr. WAKEFIELD, though he thinks the price put upon laud in South Australia too high ; and as regards government, he would have a liberal expenditure on the part or the Mother-country, to be laid out in handsome salaries, a good surveving-staff, and public works. his descrip- tion embraces a brief sketch of' the principal expeditions of discovery on the seaborl of Australasia, with an elaborate account of the topography, climate, natural productions, and geographical features of about one-third of Western Australia ; the remainder of the colony towards the Tropics being nearly unknown. lie moreover describes tlmo Statg of society; the ecclesiastical, legal, and military establiehments ; together with the character of' the aborigines. His advice addressed to emigrants relates to the engagements they should make for their voyage; the supplies and cargo they should take out ; time capital they require for different pursuits ; and the spirit in which they should embark. The pith of his recommendation on the first point may be briefly summed up— Trust no one's word, have every thing in writing ; the capital re- quisite for a yeoman he estimates at 5001., for that of' a person in the higher or middle classes at 2,000/. ; a labourer in four or five years may have accumulated sufficient to commence for himself. Of the character and frame of mind necessary for a colonist he thus speaks- " Before concluding this volume, the writer earnestly entreats that no one will be induced by it leave his native land, unless, after a fearless examina- tion of himself, he bdieves that he is in mind, body, habits, 1;elinrys, and (state, a fit person to persevere in so great a change. The country is beautiful, and the future prospects cheering; but lug must remember, that it is a difficult, hard-working, matter-if-fact life, until he has established himself, built his house, and put land under proper cultivation, and his flocks and herds under the care of faithful and experienced men. Let him remember, that it is a step, when once taken, not easily recalled, and that by steadiness, prudence, per- severance, and right application of his means, he must stand or fall."

if these prudent counsels had always been given, or listened to, so maay unfit persons would not have gone to distant colonies, to waste their property, fail in their objects, and abuse the settlement whatever it. might be.

The curse of the Colonial Office has been, and is, heavy on Western Australia; still there are strong indications of its future material and na»ad wellbeing. There has been no execution in the settlement; which cannot be said of its younger neigh- bour. A court had to rise without any causes, civil or criminal. And " elementary schools have been founded in two priacipal towns, to which on children are admissible without puyment." It redounds greatly to the honour of 11'i:stem Australia, that it is the only colony which ever spontaneously set about civilizing the abo- rigines; and although the Instituti on could not be carricdon without an expense greater than the colony could bear, yet the natives have not been neglected. Some of them have been employed as police- men, others as postmen, and many as casual assistants in rural work. After alluding to the suspension of the Institution for the Natives, the Report of the Agricultural Society continues thus- " In the meantime, the natives are acquiring that sort of preliminary traMing which nmy be expected to be attended with very beneficial rMdts, especially as regards the growing generation. They are becoming familiarised with our habits and ways, learning to observe our laws and respect our property, and milking themselves generally useful in supplying wood and carrying water, and executing many little ollices of service for a small remuneration. In the rural districts, there are few establishments that do not derive considerable osistaece, riot onlerfront their ocoltsionadeervices, but even from pretty,con taut and. steady .employment in tending Elwell and cattle,an eeenpation ediich appears to suiI their habits better than any regular work requiring ap- plication and attention. They have learned to repose perfect confidence in tts, and seek the protection •itir our houses as tut inviolable sanctuary against the *knee of each other."

The laws Of the colony, though the same as in England, have been stripped by Advocate-General MOORE of all verboseness --lucky place 1 A bank has latterly been established, yielding a profit of 141 per cent.; the rate of discount is 12i. per cent.; 5 per cent. is allowed upon deposits, on the principle of the savings banks ; and the bank has had "no dishonoured bill, nor to com- teence a single suit fbr the recovery of a debt." The deaths in the colony are per cent.; the marriages per cent. (there is a defi- ciency of the fair sex) ; and the births 3 per cent.

So far as Mr. OGLE is concerned, the volume is a compilation ; but very ably done in narrative and description. The rationale of colonization, when new, is sometimes questionable ; and the au- thor's plans for the colony are on a large settle, smackiug a little of the projector. Ills style is powerful, and approaching to do- 'queue ; but the more florid passags are attained by the aid of ft/Po—all possible beauties being got together, and all probable evils lost sight of, as well as the truth. Take as an example this account of the

ettasenes OF A VOYAGE—A ies. cr.oner, Boum?.

It mast not he'supposed that the voyage is one of dull monotony : lauds and ishmils attract attention; ships are met with and hailed ; the beaming sun gives the character of rolling liquid silver to tlie waves; flyingdish glitter lathe sunbeams; dolphins follow in the vessel's wake, gambol al eut her bows, or fly front the puretling albieore ; innumerable star-tish float past, varying in form roul motion ; birds sport mound, or watch their prey changing in nature IS the ship advances on her voyage, until the flocks of o lid-fowl are 110 longer semi:el:1g succeeded hy the peterel, the frigate-bird, and the mysteriousikn abater,: taring like a spirit mibove the waves. When the san has sunk int: Ills necan-bed amid clouds of ever hue and form, the etelden night changes the spleedour to scenes as Ivonderral, only inoee sabdued ; the ship, as she

cii-

sides the refluent seetnS ereatit11, as if to illuminate her track, new- born phosphoric iir0.1vbicli springs in showers as the surges are dashed by her bows and tithing, :e:ledde. ;f, mululating cnrves of liiuit fight, which fiaiow, until thaleam i et ii disiance; the vault of heaven ismd e 1 " fretted with

golden the ;" new constelhohms rise and sct ; every star .n is with tenfold lustre, while the sold is rapt in ivander and admiration, and silently worehips the pleat Creator ; mast tend to elf. vate, to purify, and to fill it with gratitude and humility.

Those who arc well acquainted with the sea and its effects, speak dolefully, not only of the monotony of a voyage, bet of its benumbing influence on the mind. It is in vain that books are talam and studies planned : the listless landsman, wheil his sto- mach is settled, can only loll about and wish fie: shore.

PECULIAR CILUACTERISTICS or AUSTRALIA.

InStraint seems to be more unlike the portion of the earth lately known to us titan any part of America, or any of the islands scattered through the Pecifze. aud Indian 8,aS. N voleannee I LI ve yet beet' discovered, and no proof of the great antiquity of the produts of its surface. Nearly all the specks of Vants, from the grasses to the loftiest ornaments of the forest, are new to the triliabit,.nts of the Old World. The indigenous:mini:its are, in several instances, of e ,Pferent character to any in the countries of the other quarters of the globe, while none but the dogs have any affinity to the animals of this new continent; and it is curious that its rivers and marshes are we known to con- tain any of the lizard or tortoise tribes, or any of the great neuninalia. The Wive flog bears some r:semblanee to a mongrA fox-dtig, and has some diorite- teriFtics indicative of its being so—the villa vimn, the tenaciousness of life, its acre when dying, and its peculiar short bark—whirl, hod to the supposition that it is not indigenous, but a race derived from some shipwrecked animal. The human beings which have hitherto beeu limod on the shores, or in the liteLlier. are of the same spades, anti differ sufficiently in form to constitute a

.; distinct fry:, any Mita...10 known. Some zinom:tlies are evideat, which Itelon: to no a:leer:fee. Th.w have ereat anut varied powers ef mindere, with-

out ii leg eahitit1 eeithee',%e any 1:dent for constructiveness; timti:di when instru,teit, they have shown an aptitude tor Intildiog. It has never been :1-eer- Mined tilat they have a deffitite flOt let of ft Supreme Being, who Created them Mid all they see nroand them. 'rimy have neither idols nor sacrifices. pravels Moe pikichicht places ;hem anion:f the lowest known in the scale of lin;tuni nature. Their perceptions are quick ; and, like other savage and wandering trillI 5, they can (I 15(0111• IL track where the civilized man can see nothing to guide his. They aro conning, lively, and capricious, but with feelings of attaelnocat which are to a improved, and a eense of want and inferiority, which may be turned to rood la:th for the settlers and themselves, if patience and Christian charity aro exercised toward: a race whwe country we seize, and who: hunting-grounds, on «hich their existence depends, we enclose, to feed our cattle and grow our corn.

TUC Ai:tact:eye Ref. real:rim OF ALSTRALIA•

In our Immil (1imito, one principal fe;:ture in the seienee of amasicitlturm• is ; iii West, rn Australia irripotiom, The very reverse, will constitute, perhap,, the most important point ; and in that our agrieult urkts are by no means es skilful, merely because the climate of lineland did not lid them to practise it. The best systems of irrigation should be stodied by the settler ; among them, the eoi;perative plan adopted iii Norway. and weH clecribed by Lang. The Chinese have some rude Inn efficient methods, which are not to be despised; and it sheuid be remembered, that wherever the saute breezes crevail as breathe no the Australian ceest, there is alt atural power which can e brought to the aid of induction, and prove tilt the winds of heaven Inav he used to pour streams fraught with fatilizing power through the teeming eart The surface seems to consist of substances technieally called earths, in con- tradistinction to sells. The must grounds alone aro co ,:posed of that soil which is of Vegetable Origin. The dryness of the climate, the summer eon • Ilagrations, and the toLil want of the ail end skill ef man, prevent that accu- inithtion a sell it huivIj renStit tiles richness.

The passagefand subsiatence, would be lees, expensive, while. the ntility would

be great, and the areal of sucE punishment ieerhaps net Vilealesome re- straint, instead of the prospects of New South Wales holding, out almost a temptation to crime. It would be more just and more politic to send convicts to work in settlements, where their labour would save the healths and lives of successive garrisons, and render these colonies more available to the mother- country. It is more humane to let the miscreant run the risks of malaria than our soldiers. It is better for the adventurers in rich but unwholesome climatea to be benefited by gangs of convict labourers, titan to spread them over regions to which the great tide of emigration is flowing.

A MARRY TRICK OF TREpOEFICE on ITS DEPUTIES. Whenever men act either in publics offices, committees, or companies, est no individual is personally responsible, they often "play such tricks before high heaven as would make even devils weep ;" therefore the most cautions mid guarded arrangements should be completel with them. The following anecdote is illustrative. Captain Bannister was induced, in February 15-31, to make a journey overland from Swan River to King George's Sound. The attendant from the Surveyor-General's department, whose duty it was to take solar ob- servations, was utterly inefficient, and consequently led the expedition from the right course ; and probably thee would have perished, had not Captain Bannister assumed the. pilotage and led them—contrary to the advice of this tyro, who attributed his want of information to not having it watch, and to the miserable condition of the instruments furnished from the office !to the coast eastward of Cape Chatham. They traversed the coast for nineteen days, without provision, and at last arrived exhausted and worn almost to skeletons. During this time, the period to which officers could claim grants in proportion to then rank expired; and though Captain Bannister was on duty, he was re- fused his land, aid has never got it to this hour. Hail he bound the Govern- ment in writing, the mean injustice would not have been perpetrated: the orders from the Colonial Office were positive as to the period. One such act ought to be sufficient to put every settler on his guard.

PRACTICAL FACTS.

There are three corn-mills propelled by water, two Nvimimills, and three horse-mills, situated at convenient distances for the settlers and inhabitants on the Swan and Canning Rivers, and in Perth, and capable of manutlicturing into flour more corn than is at present grown or the colony reqdres. The charge for grinding, &c. is high, from the circumstance of the mills not .being folly employed, and the great cost of erecting and superintending such make in a new ce■liniy. Compe!tition may be anticiiited, from the recent arrival of corn met sew-mill, with a 1i:overfill steam-engine. There is a horse-mill in

time York district, and the erection of others contemplated. * * Three public hreweries aro established in Perth, and an extensive malting- house on the Swan. Distilling and witie.making have been attempted hither- to on only a very limited scale, so that the colonists depend almost entirely on importation for their supplies of these articles, as well as candles, soap, and leather.

Brick-earth is generally abundant, and bricks and lime of excellent quality manufactured. Our colonial shingles are a good substitute for slates, and pearly alike in appearance. Pottery has not hitherto been tried with success, rather leen lack of experience or skill, than of the raw material. Meclianies and artisans are fixity employed, at a large advance on the English prices.It is estimated thet above seven thousand pounds are invested in machinery anti man afitet ures.

The following are still open to enterprise, with every probability of success. Cultivation and mauutheture of tobacco, opium, and hops. Flax and hemp, with linseed, castor, aud olive oil. Wine, as the vine is now extensively cultivated. Coarse woollens and hosiery. Pottery and tile-making. Quarrying.

Leather, parchment, and glue 'making.

Agricultural machinist and edge-toofmaker. Canimt-nialming, with turning and French polishing.

It may be added, that the subetance called china-clay is abundant.—Agrieukuriil 6'ociety's Report.

A very excellent map accompanies the volume, with ground- plans of Fremantle, Perth, and Guildford.