MR. RODGKINSON 9 S AUSTRALIA FROM PORT MACQUARIE TO MORETON BAY.
Mn. HonuxiNsoN resided for five years in New South Wales ; part of which time he was engaged by the orders of Government in sur- veying portions of the district which lie between Port Macquarie and Moreton Bay. His private avocations appear to have carried him to many other divisions of the colony ; but his adventures and descriptive accounts are confined to the region in question, except- ing so far as they receive illustrations from the natural appearances, or settler's practices in other parts of the country. One section of his volume is, however, devoted to an economical review of the condition of New South Wales ; in which the newly-opened dis- tricts that are the subject of his narrative, take a subordinate place. Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is in about the 34th degree of South latitude; Port Macquarie, where Mr. HODGKIN- Box's excursions begin, in the 32d ; Moreton Bay, the Northernmost point of his explorations, approaches the 27th. The natural fea- tures of the region, as well as its climate, differ considerably from the more Southern and inland parts of New South Wales. Spurs of the great inland range of mountains shoot off nearly down to the coast ; forming a succession of vallies, each with its river, which, from the proximity of the mountains, is well supplied with water at all seasons. The geological rocks form on their disintegration a more fertile soil than the red sandstone of the Sydney and inland dis- tricts ; the greater proximity to the Tropics makes the vegetation more various and teeming, without rendering the climate unwhole- some; the circumstances of water, warmth, and fertility of soil, in- duce a greater plenty of natural productions ; and the rivers, like those of Erin, "are full of fish." So far as we can form an opinion from Mr. Honoatasores volume, it does not appear that these advantages are as yet very available. The climate is rather too warm and the soil too rich for wheat, which, unless in favourable seasons and situations, runs to straw ; the narrowness of the vallies, or the denseness of the vegetation in the flooded lands, limits the number and extent of the sheep-runs; whilst labour is as yet too scarce to permit the cultivation of semi-tropical productions, and the preparation, such as draining, which is requisite to turn the richest bottom lands to account. Old Time is one of the persons that will not be hurried; and late experience, added to all other experience, appears to show that nations cannot be run up like new streets. At the same time, it should seem that "unfavourable cir- cumstances," in new colonies, implies chiefly the not being able to make your fortune. The means of living—the raw material of meals—are to be had for almost nothing; though laziness and habit most cases render that living very raw indeed. Here is a pie- of many of the pastoral magnates of New South Wales—per-
sons who do not own the land they occupy, (as the district is often not thrown open for sale,) but pay a licence for liberty to feed the " ran."
" The squatters of New South Wales are, on the whole, a strange race. In general they submit, from mere indolence or carelessness, to great privations especially with regard to the comforts of their table; although a little trouble and instruction to their servants ought to supply it with abundance of vege- tables, poultry of all descriptions, &c. &c. without any expense. I have my- self known many squatters, who during the prosperous times possessed large incomes from their wool, and yet, through mere carelessness, were content to live on an unvarying course of salt-beef, damper, and tea; although, during their annual visits to Sydney, they lived in the most extravagant style, at first- rate hotels, keeping two or three horses at livery-stables, and drinking Chateau- Margaux, hock, and champagne. The following is a specimen of the daily life of the generality of the squatters at their stations in the bush. On awaking in the morning, the squatter lights his pipe, and smokes while his breakfast is being prepared. This consists of a huge heap of mutton-chops, or a piece of salt beef, and damper, which he washes down with an ocean of strong green tea, literally saturated with coarse brown sugar. After breakfasting, the squatter again lights his pipe, mount his horse, and sallies forth on his daily avocations among his sheep or cattle. The short, well-blackened pipe, his constant com- panion, is frequently replenished in the course of the day ; his dinner is the counterpart of his breakfast, viz. mutton-chops, or salt junk, damper, and tea viscid from excessive sweetness, which would create nausea in an English sto- mach, but to which our bushman has gradually habituated himself. In the evening the squatter smokes, reads, or writes, until supper, when another vast mass of meat and tea is again brought forward; and then, after smoking one more pipe, he goes to bed. "This rough and comfortless life has been supposed to be unavoidable in the distant districts beyond the limits of location; but such is not the fact. I have often visited the stations of squatters who possessed but one man-servant to perform the multifarious duties of cook, gardener, &c. ; and yet their slab- cottages were kept in the most scrupulous state of neatness and cleanliness, whilst their tables were constantly supplied with fowls, geese, &c., butter, cream, all kinds of vegetables, home-brewed beer, and properly-made bread."
Mr. HonaKnisores volume consists of four sections. The first contains the district between the MacLeay and Clarence rivers, which he was ordered to survey, and which extends over nearly two degrees of latitude, 29-31. This part embraces an elaborate geo- logical and topographical description of the country, with a narra- tive of several expeditions undertaken for exploring purposes ; and though the more scientific parts may be felt as either dry, or inflated into the style of an auctioneer's panegyric, the narrative portions are interesting, from their character of discovery, the incidents of the bush-journey, and the glimpses they offer of savage and rough settling-life. The second section is similar in its nature to the first ; containing a description of Moreton's Bay, and of an excur- sion to the Hunter's river, on the confines of the old settle- ment; but it wants the incident and freshness which an expedition of discovery generally possesses. The third part embraces a sur- vey of the present economical condition of New South Wales, with the past causes of its distress and the future prospects for emi- grants. The causes, at least the urban causes of the distress, seem resolvable into want of prudence and want of principle. Specula- tion was carried so far beyond the means of the parties, or the wants or even possibilities of the colony, that land and other adventures were rather like the Dutch tulip-gambling than legiti- mate commerce however bold. The living of the colonists corre- sponded with their schemes : immense imports of European lux- uries—furniture, horses, equipages, besides a corresponding !awe. ness of establishment, without money, or means of export, to pay the piper. The bank-directors were as liberal as the rest of the community, especially to each other and friends ; and the natural consequences followed. The future prospects of the colony Mr. HODGRINSON chiefly considers under the head of sheep and cattle-breeding and vineyards : but as the vine has been untried as a profitable speculation, and the other part was written here with- out exact knowledge of the present state of the colony, it is unne- cessary to enter into it. The fourth section of the book is miscellaneous; containing the results of Mr. HODGKINSON'S experience in Australia, exhibited in an account of the beasts, birds, and reptiles of the country, with the amusement they furnish to the sportsman, and a general view of the native character, especially in the districts where the author was employed. His estimate of these savages is higher than has usually been made by writers on Australia, both as regards their physical condition and intellectual characteristics. His ac- count of the venomous or annoying reptiles is the worst we have seen, and forms a serious drawback to the delights of the climate.
THE BRUSH-LEECHES AND THE DEATH-ADDER.
Those disagreeable reptiles the brush-leeches were also roused into activity by the rain : they are similar to the leeches of stagnant ponds, and abound in the dank rotten masses of leaves and decomposed wood of the brushes. These leeches attach themselves to the boots of persons traversing the brush, and soon manage to crawl under trousers or gaiters and find the skin. They then gorge themselves with blood, whilst the small punctures they make remain painful and inflamed for several days afterwards. I have frequently, after standing at rest for a few momenta in a brush, picked off a dozen leeches at a time from my legs, which they had commenced sucking; and my feet generally became covered with blood, whenever I had to survey rivers or creeks along their brushy banks. • The Death Adder.—This hideous reptile is of a dusky hue, seldom more than two feet and a half long, but immensely thick in proportion to its length. At the extremity of its tail is a small-pointed, hardened process, with which the sawyers and labourers fancy that it can inflict a sting like a scorpion. The Death Adder, perhaps, possesses the most intense venom of any Australian serpent ; for many persons have at various periods died in consequence of its bite, which is most rapidly fatal. Doge expire in a very few minutes after they are bitten. Another smaller kind of snake, of a brown colour, would, how- ever, appear to be nearly as bad as the Death Adder ; for since I have been in the colony, a man at the Williams river was bitten by a snake of this descrip- tion, and died in a quarter of an hour. This snake was under a plank which the man was removing ; and so slight was the bite inflicted by its fangs, that the man did not know at first that he was bitten, and remarked to his comrade that he had a narrow escape.
AUSTRALIAN NATIVE CHARACTER.
I think that all endeavours to make them adopt more settled habits will be useless; for what great inducement does the monotonous and toilsome exist- ence of the labouring classes in civilized communities offer, to make the savage abandon his independent and careless life, diversified by the exciting occupations of hunting, fishing, fighting, and dancing ? It is not certainly from want of intelligence that the Australian aborigines have hitherto proved so unreclaimable. The mental faculties of the Australian savage have been too much underrated, except by those authors who have had the best opportunity of witnessing their manners and customs in their purely wild state; such as Oxley, Sturt, and Mitchell, especially the latter, whose oc- casional remarks on the aborigines are full of graphic truth. I will conclude by two or three examples of the intelligence of the Natives which have come under my own observation. Daring the time that my tents were pitched near the Nambucca some years ago, a Native arrived at my camp, unable to hold any communication with my men in the ordinary jargon forming the medium of communication between the Blacks and the Whites. As I made it a rule never to allow the Natives to loiter about my tents unless they performed some slight service for me, for which I repaid them with flour or tobacco, I told my tent-keeper to give this man something to do. Accordingly, he brought out some muskets which required cleaning, and having unscrewed the lock of one of them, he showed the Black how to clean it with a bit of rag. This Native had, no doubt, heard of guns, but had never before had one in his hands ; yet he not only cleaned the locks of the muskets, but even took a percussion-gun, which my servant had brought out with the intention of cleaning it himself, and without a word being said to him on the subject, took the lock entirely to pieces, although its construction was so different to that of a flint-lock ; and having carefully cleaned and oiled it, he put it together again, which I am sure not one Englishman out of ten would have been able to do if previously unac- quainted with the mechanism of gun-locks. A boy belonging to a tribe at the Manning river, who had been induced to accompany a friend of mine as far as the MacLeay, drew with a piece of chalk human heads and figures, kangaroos, &c., with a firm, well-defined outline, which few English boys of his age could have done better, unless they had bad lessons in drawing.
Some Natives I have seen exhibit a dexterity in carpentry, and in the use of various tools, which a White man could not acquire until he had practised with them for some time; and indeed in everything requiring the exercise of mechanical ingenuity or dexterity the Australian aborigines are most apt scholars.
TASTE FOR REPTILES.
However repugnant the idea of eating reptiles seems to us, it is from a real liking for their flesh that the Australian savages eat them, and not from the great scarcity of better food; for I have on two or three occasions known them, when employed by me in assisting at the cattle-musters, pulling maize, &c., and well fed on bread and beef, carefully preserve any snake they chanced to kill, and cook and eat it at the next fire. induced by curiosity, I have on several occasions tasted the flesh of every one of the reptiles just mentioned ; and although nothing but the moat extreme hunger could make me conquer any aversion so as to dine on them, I must nevertheless own, that not one of them possessed any disagreeable taste. The flesh of the black snake in par- ticular was rich and juicy, somewhat resembling in flavour the flesh of a suck- ing pig; whilst that of the guana was whiter and drier, andanore approximated to fowl. Besides, these savages are not the only race of men who eat reptiles; for the common water-snake of England (Netrix torguata) is eaten in several parts of the Continent of Europe; and every one knows that the guana of the West Indies (a much more hideous animal, by-the-by, than the guana of Aus- tralia) is considered very good eating by the planters in some of the islands.
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