Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1853-01-06

) means she has of sustaining an export trade
, not only in the produce of her soil, but in
certain very valuable manufactured articles
would be more than sufficient to clothe her
| with opulence, and render her an important
figure in the story of the world. It is true,
Australia labors under some natural defects
of grievous nature. So far as it has been
explored, SO far as it has been peoped by
the white race, it has been found subject to
the most eXhausting droughts. These are
Of annual occurrence, and are most severely
felt in the midsummer months-that is from
the middle of January to the middle or end
Of March. Sometimes they last for two,
three or four years.
find it stated in Brenton's excursions in
New Sonth Wales, that drought prevailed
from 1926 to the commencement of 1S20---
that during this period scarcely any rain
fell---ond that for six months at a time there
was not single shower" In these
droughts, lakes and rivers Of considerable
/ depths-rivers that in the winter season are
seas of whirling foam-dry up. Some
times they disappear altogether, or quietly
suoside into swanps. Lake George for
instance, in Argyle county, New South
Wales dried up 1886, and in few days
was transformed as if by fairy magic, into a
beautiful valley carpeted with the greenest
grass. But, see how curiously, through
what devious ways, nay, Through what ca
lamities, the goodness OF Providence opc-
rates for the benefit Of man. These
drcughts have been to her of immense SER
vice. Driven BY the necessity they caUsed,
the shecp-owners, from year to year have
moved on in search Of ftesher pastures and
thus, some Of the finest lands in the colony
have been discovered. With plains such as
those Of Bathirst-vallies such as those Of
the lIakesbury---what a pity it is that, in
water power, Australia should be SO de-
fcent. Her rivers are few, and generally
speaking, do not offer any facility for traffic.
Those that come down from the sea side Of
the mountains, flow irregularly and admit of
navigation !or twenty miles only. Those
falling towards the interior, after 4 course
Of hundreds and hundreds Of miles lose
themselves in quick sands, marshes, or
shallow lakes. The latter is the case with
the Murray---the noblest rvero Of Australia
which, flowing from the Western flank Of
the Australian Alps, near Mount Koscllis-
ko, receives the waters Of the Darling and
the Murrumbidgee, and after course Of
two thousand miles, disappears in the broad,
shallow lake Of Alexandriana, in South Aus
tralia--- --betwecn which lake ana the sea- a
distance Of 100 or l2O miles, no commit
nicalion has been yet discovered.
As yet, in fact, no river connecting the
interior with any point along that immense
extent Of coast has been discovered, though
several expeditions under experienced cngl-
necrs and other scientific men, have been
repeatedly set on foot for the purpose. This
was the object Of Sir john lIitcheIi's eXpe-
dition, of Captain Sturts', Of Or. LEIGH
0rdts'. But, strange to say, the land deyo-
ted or adapted TO agricultural purposes is
Of the noblest description. This is specially
true Of the valleys Of the Nepean, and the
Hakesbury. The district Of lllawara con-
tains fifty thousand acres of tie most fer
tile soil. Within tie boundaries Of Port
Philip there are plains through which the
pIow might be driven for an hundred miles
in straight line. In the province Of South
Australia, which extends over an area Of
$4,000, 600 Of acres, an area twice as large
as the three Kingdoms Of England, ireland
and Scotland put together, Captain Stuart,
the surveyor, reports many million Of acres
OF very beautiful and fertile land. In the
valley Of the Swan river, the land is singu-
larly productive, having been known to bear
eleven crops Of wheat il as many years. IN
some districts | find it stated, in tie hand
book on the gold regions, written by Ben
than and Fabian, SO mony, ~ even forty
and fifty bushels have been obtained from
the acre. The crop in lSil averaged twen-
ty bushels. The exports OF wheat to Eng
land from Adelaide and Melbourne, fer the
three or four years preceding The gold DIS
covery, were considerable, and the grain it.
self has been pronounced equal, Tor weight,
size and quality, to any ever exhibited in
Mark Lane.
But, in her civic wreath, vine leaves ave
interoperaed amongst the golden ears. So
far back as 1912, certain Greek prisoners
transported for piracy from the Ionian Is
lands-were employed by Mr.. Macarthur
to cultivate a vineyard after the Greek man
ner. When these men were removed, al
ter the expiration of their sentences, num-