The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-02-25
OUR POLYNESLAN RIVAL
The London Times thus discourses on the growt
of Australia

OUR POLYNESIAN RIVAL
The London Times thus discourses ON the growth
| of Australia.
| advance, Australia" saws the motto of tb.t g,
nous colony, and well has the colony answered to
the call An anniversary dinner has lust been cole
6rated In honor of the foundation of this Southern
Empire, and it might easily have been attended, H.
men men hving at that very epoch of political dawn.
Inc nrst OF the Australian colones-the most ancient
OF al these settlements-is about 10 wears old so
',at the age OF single man might really embrace
all the time that has been required to raise proun
OF small and remote establishments into a considnf
acy of powerful and opulent colonies, with such dos
times before them as the most audacious specuator
would not venture to athOm.
The most wonderful creation of madam bisto
mas been the United States, but the United States
may now discern a rival in the Southern seas Ano
tralla is new continents new quarter of the globe
"a new world as literally as America was to CoInm-
bus. True, it has been known since tbe bar;nnin
OF the century that this region existed but ts
development has been the work not of century
not not even OF generation, but of decade. short
time ago the entire territory was identified in tba
minds of Englishmen with the single and not very
reputable settlement of Botany Bay little later
came the Swan River Colony a Western and q
Southern Australia successivey added TO New
South W ales, and vague reports about profitable
sheep-armlng drew a few adventurers and little
capital from Britain to the Antipodes,
linen, suddenly, and as if bv the action of a smell
came the grand transformation, and what do we
see! Ministers, ex-ministers statesmen, and mer-
chants assembling to celebrate the marvels of the
new realm Its riches, its population, its prodigous
exports lts cltes, Its universities, its political con
stltutlon, and even its Parliamentary machinery
The very crisis incidental to the relations between
colony and its mother country seems to have mass
ed, for the Colonial Secretary rises in person and
expatlates with satisfaction upon the selfgovern-
ment without alienation, and Independence without
estrangement, which have been happily established
IN this miraculous example.
1t Is not to be denied that instance of sutch
! rnrth 70 haf d.
United States perhaps in respects certain cities
OF those regions could outshine even Melbourne or
Sydney; but look at the difference of conditions
under winch the progress was accomplished. Chi
! cago and ottawa depend for their expansion upon
! the stream of contiguous civilization There il q
/ mood OF prosperity all around them, and the abnn
dant waters must needs grayitate to some noint or
| other Australia has been founded and aggrandized
from resources placed at incredible distance il
has been created bya power acting Il 600 miles off
There is no spot upon the earth's surface so little
| accessible to the great masses of its population
California, the example nearest in similarity
though divided from its sister States bv deserts and
mountains, can be reached either by land or water
The route across the lsthmus makes a comparative
ly easy voyage and the land journey is likely to
become trife to American travellers before nran,y
years have passed. The President of the JTnted
States observed in his last message that if the hest
line for the Pacific Railway were selected and ad
vantage taken OF all opportunities, the distance to
| be accomplished from the starting point mipht he
brought within 500 miles But Australia is encom-
! passed with oceans on every side. and lies in the
very midst of them. The shortest cut ever con-
ceived from southampton to Sydney takes us still
all across the Atlantic and all across the Pacific
Turn the globe we will we cannot BRING the
journey down to 10000 miles. The place is nearly
as far from the Cape of Good Hope as it is from
cape horn, and in going to it and returning a man
must actually clrcumnayigate the world Even
China-the nearest continental reoion-is ,nuch
further from New South Wales than New vi -
from Liverpool Add to this that the interior Of
\ a IG sri IInIth
disadvantage and we shall soon see how widely the
circumstances of its progress differ from those under
which North America has thriven
vi course, the chief agent in these mighty events
has been gold, but even gold would not have done
so much if the ground had not been favorabIv nrn
pared. Convict labor formed the base on which So
imposing a superstructure has been reared The
haf-century which elapsed between the coloni,o+;o,,
OF New South Wales and the discovery of the nre
cious metals was by means deficient in fruit In
new settlement labor is everything and the svs
tenn OF transportation provided labor in such abun-
dance that after the wants of the coonists had benn
satisfied there was surplus disposable for public
works. Government enabled to construct
roads and bridges, and do all that is reouired to fl
a fresh country for the occupation of man. This
was the SOLID foundation and upon this the mapical
editice of later years has been firmly supported
Australia, though it was not always a marvel of
opuiehce ana growth, was always a promising col
ony Its climate was excellent, its soil productive
Its capacities great, and its resources owing to
transportation, considerable. In those davS indeed
it was the most eligible of all spots for convict
settlement; for the conditions of colonial life offered
good opportunities to penitent and the sparcenass
of population removed the peril of contagion.
The abrupt and almost inconceivable bounds made
py Austraa IN political progress due to the at
traction OF the gold mines, operating in connection
with the facilities of modern locomotion and the
freedom OF modern policy. Mr.. Gladstone well oh
served that the radical fallacy of past administra
ton lay IN the doctrines then universally acknow-
ledged, OF monopoly and restriction. Australia has
risen because every body was free to go and free
govern himself when he got there. 1t was at any
mans option to become gold-dgger and if suc-
cessful, member of the Australia Legislature and
one OF the rulers of the new State. Conjoned with
this unbounded liberty the opportunities which
tree navigation had created. In Dutch ships. in
French ships, in American ships but, above all
these, In British ships unparalleled for size and
sWtness, the emlgrant might start for Australia at
day notice, to try his fortune in fresh quarter
of the globe.
When the whole nation the other day was pant
ing with anxiety to succor its countrymen in India
the huge clippers of the Australian line were broupbt
INTO play, ana single vessels, unaded BY steam
conveyed 900 troops each from these shores tn
Calcutta, with extraordinary steadiness and randi
ty Nothing, indeed, be more wonderful than
these remarkable fleets, except it be their cargoeg
About hundred years ago the most richly laden
vessels in the world were those sailing between Aca
pulco and Manila, and when the war with Spain
broke out, the one great object of the English sonad
ron was to capture galleon. Month after month
NN Ills lie III walt Tor these
and when at last, after tedious cruises and various
dIsappointments, one of them secured. it was
thought an ample recompense for all trouble he
cause it contained a million and half of dollars
At the present time feet of forty of these gal.
Icons, each as well stored Anson's prize, wonld
hardly serve to bring home the riches in gold only
which are sent from Australia to England in a sin
gle year. Converting all these treasures for com
Parsons sake, into old Spanish Currency, we NAV
say that vessel rich as a Manila gaeon arriycs
nearly every week and the fact finds place in our
columns as one OF only ordinary Importance Gold,
as we now know, is but an article of produce, ike
any other; but it is valuable article and it leads
to wealth, although it may not constitute il abso
lutely 1t is of the most benefcient results Of
these discoveries that the population of the globe
mas become distributed, and that remote regions
nave been brought under cultivation to add their
contributions to the happiness of man. Australia
mas indeed advanced but with this advancement has
been identified the benefit of England and the i'm
means impossible that the attractions of our f6rtu
nate colony may play material part in relieving
and enlightening the overburdened population Of
China. -