larly, who patrol the town at night, are as well mounted, and fine looking men, as ever I saw.

MELBOURNE,

After remaining three days in Sydney, I left for Melbourne. There is, as yet, no road between the two places-the only connection being by water. The steamers are fine, iron-built, sea boats, with every comfort, and very gentlemanly captains. And here I must bear my testimony, that as far as my experience is concerned, the class of men who command English steamers, is at least equal to any similar body in our service, while there are some of them who, I think, surpass any that we have, in knowledge of the world, and refinement. With respect to scientific acquirements, the examinations which English masters and mates have to pass before they are entrusted with the care of a vessel, at least ensure a greater amount of scientific accuracy than can be found in the American service.

I made the acquaintance, on board the steamer of several "squatters," as the sheep and cattle farmers are called in the colonies, and got a good deal of information from them about the "squatter-system" of disposing of public lands, which is so deservedly unpopular among the miners. It seems that if a man wants a "run," as a sheep farm is called, he may get one in three ways: 1st. By buying one already occupied, in which case he buys the stock also: 2nd, by attending a government land auction, where the land is sold to the highest bidder above £1 the acre: 3d, if he fancies a particular unoccupied run, he gives in his name and a description of the run at the land-office, with proofs that he is able and ready to stock the land directly. After a certain time, if no other applicant presents himself, he receives the land at the upset-price of £1 the acre, but if another applies for the same run, the highest bidder has the preference. This system, of course, throws all the land into the hands of a few large proprietors, and renders it impossible for a poor man to get a few acres to cultivate, at a reasonable price-since, in the vicinity of the

coast, all the lands are already taken up as sheep farms, by men who do not wish to have settlers in their midst. And further back, even if the Government could sell lands for other purposes than sheep-raising, the distance from the coast, and the absence of roads, would prevent all profitable cultivation. The squatter system is, then, as before remarked, very unpopular among the miners; and in Victoria, (the colony of which Melbourne is capital,) the squatters are looked on as a sort of landed aristocracy, whose interests are directly opposed to the best interests of the colony. What farming is done, is all on the coast, whence produce can be readily conveyed by coasters to Sydney and Melbourne. Fruit, of all kinds, which can be grown all the year round at Moreton Bay, a place about three hundred miles up the coast from Sydney, is, in Sydney, dearer than I ever saw it elsewhere-pinc-apples as expensive as they used to be in London, peaches three to four shillings per dozen, and common cooking apples at the same price.

It is about fifty hours, run (four hundred miles) from Sydney to Melbourne. I arrived in the evening, and after a night in a dirty hotel, where I was nearly eaten up by fleas and mosquitoes, started next morning at six for Ballaarat diggings. We got off at a full gallop-a pace that was kept up, with a few exceptions, the whole way, doing the ninety miles in about eleven hours.

The coaches being under the control of an American, or rather having been started by one, are in the shape of American country "extras," long wagons, uncovered, with half-adozen seats facing the same way. The horses seemed to be all fine, fresh, well-groomed animals-as they must have been to sustain the pace for the stages of ten miles. My fellowtravellers were all miners, and had manners of quite colonial familiarity. By the way, colonial is a term used to explain anything extraordinary you may observe: e. g., I noticed a great many bullocks' skeletons on the road, and enquired how they came there; "Colonial Milestones, Mate!" was the reply-Mate being an endearing colonial appellation, constantly given, and indicating a pleasing feeling of equality, and tendency to republican familiarity.

The badness of the roads, generally (though in some parts they were as wide and well made as any in Europe,) compelled a change of horses every ten miles, when everybody went to take a drink. On these occasions it commonly happened that some one man invited the whole company to "drink at his expense,”—no small matter, as each drink cost a shilling sterling, and no one ever declined. After drinking, they would all fill and light their short black cutties, and smoke quite contentedly till the next change, or watering of horses, when the same scene was repeated. They were generally good-natured fellows, and not at all surly, though very rough; and I gleaned from their conversation much information with respect to the diggings, and the state of society there.

Every little while we would pass a couple of "mounted police," patrolling. Like the members of the corresponding body at Sydney, they were generally large, fine looking men, on noble horses. Their uniform was blue, and they were armed with a carbine and dragoon sword. Being very well paid, I understood that there were among them many men of good family and education. This corps have done good service, as there were formerly many robberies by the bushrangers (colonial highwaymen)—whereas, when I was there, the road, though mostly through an unpeopled country, was as safe, as in many thickly settled localities. The existence of this force has also spared Australia the horrors of Lynchlaw; and it prevents a great deal of bloodshed, by allowing no weapons to be carried. I understood that robbery is unknown at the diggings, though many diggers keep large quantities of gold in their tents. Perhaps this is owing to their being constantly on the alert, and well provided with watch-dogs, of which every man has two or three.

The country between Melbourne and Ballaarat is generally undulating, though there is one level prairie which the road crosses for about ten miles. Most of the land is entirely uncultivated; much of it is not wooded, and much, again, appears as if the wood had been thinned out and the underbrush cleared. There is but little peculiarity in the general appearance of the vegetation, although the trees are all different

from those existing in other parts of the world. The "gumtree," "cherry-tree," and others the names of which I cannot remember, differed very much, even in appearance, from anything I had before seen. A very singular thing is, that the Melbourne "cherry-tree" does not bear any fruit, and does not in the least resemble the European tree of the same name; while what they call the "Australian cherry" in Sydney, is a small fruit with the stone outside, which does not grow on a cherry-tree, and only resembles its European synonym in being red-coloured. The road to Ballaarat, was, as before remarked, in some places very broad, level and finely macadamized; in others, however, we went right through the bush, taking the ground as we found it, and whenever it could be managed, at full gallop. The country was dried up by the hot weather, but I was told that as we were in the month of April, winter weather might soon be expected, when the rains would in a few weeks, make it look green again.

We passed a great many drays carrying goods and luggage to Ballaarat. They were drawn by from eight to sixteen oxen; the driver having a long-lashed whip, which trailed on the ground as he walked by his team, and with which he could touch up any one of them without altering his position.

The expense of conveying goods to Ballaarat makes the necessaries of life very dear, as nothing is produced in the vicinity, and everything has to be brought from the coast on these bullock-drays.

Numerous horsemen passed us on the road, most of them going at full gallop, the horses of Australia not being broken to trot. The occupation of most settlers requiring them to pass the greater portion of their time in the saddle, an equestrian costume is the prevailing fashion outside the towns; and knee-breeches with top-boots or Napoleons are worn by almost every body. A stock-whip completes the equipment. This is shaped like a dog-whip, with a lash six feet long, and an inch and a half thick in the middle-no insignificant weapon, as a well given cut will go right through the hide of a bullock, and make the blood spout again.

CHAPTER III.

AUSTRALIA.

First View of Ballaarat-Description of the Place-Gold Digging-A Colonial TheatreSocialism at the Antipodes-Geelong-Melbourne-Paramatta-Republicanism in Australia-Government and Education-Emigration and probable Future of

Australia.

WE did not see any diggings, till, about four in the afternoon, Ballaarat burst on the view. I say "burst on the view," for you mount the hill which surrounds the place without seeing any outlying tents or huts, and, all at once, on attaining the summit, come in full view of a valley three or four miles long, by two or three broad, filled throughout its whole extent by white cotton tents—a sea of canvass! The whole view so much exceeded, and differed from my expectations, that I could not help feeling that there was in it a certain sublimity-though I suppose few will understand the application of the term to such a scene.

Tents are almost the only sort of habitation in the place, as there is no soft timber of which, as of our pine, the settler can in a few days build himself a temporary abode.

It is impossible, I believe, for one who has not seen a similar place, to realize the appearance of Ballaarat. The whole valley has been, or is being dug, so that there is not a green bush or blade of grass to be seen from one end of it to the other. The tents are regularly laid out in streets, and just wide enough apart to allow of a shaft being sunk between them.

I went to the United States Hotel-one of the few wooden houses in the places-and having left my carpet-bag, walked out to see the gold-washing. I was not, however, fortunate in witnessing the discovery of any large nuggets. The holes