The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-02-26

was nied 70 It's utmc n capacity The driver mean
while had received Instructions to beat the English
ne whip and DIAL disregard Of horss dssh would per
init the cos IN started. The nrst few miles wer' run
on SSasa
uy ~aere the roads boz anne rough the Engshmen one
oaences Dsregarding the tmidlty and falling or Of
the passengers the driver dashed along the coach first
ioltin9 through ruts over stumps and fallen trees The
horses, entirely unbroken, kicked and galloped the
driver enjoying their , a On h ne Wnp ana
asonshed at the apparition-for iwas not nothing
less to themof Yankee "stage" four hours ahead Of
Although the coach and luggage arrived
Yankee The Engshmen for several days after
struggled into town-some on foot, others on horse.
The trip OF the Yankee sstage' was thoroughly com
mented on and discussed Whatever was the tenor Of
the phSs the rS09 WAS
got all the traffic. journey either way TO Melbourne
or Baarat was considered adventure and an interest
ing subject Of conversation for six months after As
may be expected, the English line was soon run of the
road The cumbrous, clumsy fashioned coach which
%
woods believe to-day nothing but "Cobb 4 Co. So
company learn some time ago retired with handsome
fortunes shaksperes allusion to name not appca
Us 70 os s CO.. this dc d
panels, not considered Of any consequence whatever
BY the time we reached Mamsbury It was quite dark.
We here struck the Echuca Railroad and without hating
pushed ON by the first train TO Sandhurs The up train
from Melbourne having arrived by nine p NJ by quar-
ter past eleven NJ we reached the end Of days
journey. At to-day took the for this place
Echuca Is small town, but Of some importance, as 1t
Railway and upon the Murray river the principal water
course Of Australia The town now has population of
twelve hundred Inhabitants attracted BY the , growing
the products OF the upper country and portion or the
lower The river is very winding, its iength reaching
about eighteen hundred miles and empyng into the sea
Adelaide, south Australia Its width here Is about
ninety yards and minimum depth about four feet, but
variable upward according to the floods.
We were greatly amused at the construction Of
the boats used for the navigation Of the Murray
The largest that we saw was not over sixty
or seventy length about feet in the BEAM
and mostly built Of iron The construction OF the craft
being narrow and round bottomed requires a great
depth Of water In this respect Of own shallow
river boats Of small size, will carry i've times the ton
mage, and draw less than one half the water The pro-
polling power Of these vessels is by stern wheel with
soft wood and hard wood buckets-aopther ncon-
gruity Of English skill in mechanics-from which fact
the whole wheel is broken when II strikes snag In
stead OF merely breaking two buckets were the
frames the stronger part of the wheel The engines re-
mind me Of q portable farm machine dismounted and
deposited in the bottom Of the boat being attached to
the wheel by series of cogs The speed Of these steam
but this certain the incapacty OF the pilots
is great that they cannot learn the river and as
matter Of course running into snags bars and the like
without end The boats have only light frame built
the deck to keep the sun or and are without ac-
commodations for passengers
But the boats not the only evidence Of the want OF
ingenuity large number Of aborers at work here
building extensive wharvcs Of piles least thirty feet in
water From these Whsrvss the boats below are laden
and unaden by means OF derrick, the whole process
seven men ana nfSe set 1. TWO
EACH. How much moro simple and convenient are our
said Of most Of its ength-foms the boundary between
this colony and New South Wales The river is crossed
by rickety pontoon bridge, which can be raised or
lowered with The river and removed for the passage OF
boats.
The country in this immediate vicinity this side,
and for miles beyond the river lowell and with the ex
cepton Of the Murray, perfectly waorcss At intervals
there arc groves and OCCASIONALLY small forests gum
Is sufficiently fertile, but the scarcity Of water and
droushts render It nothing better than parched plain,
covered with n dried up vegetation Up TO this time
there has been rain here for eight months The only
use 70 which the land can be applied is for sheep runs
in which case except when the banks Of the Murray
is often necessary to drive the ocks ten miles 10
water and then it s not perpetual supply but merely
reservoirs filled with rain wafer, which, during the In
tense heat of summer often become perfectly dried up
hear erI hSse ns 1an e n an
What applies to this region will equally well apply to
the larger portion Of this whole continent The richest
soil to he where is found the least rain Agricul
ture is uncertain A farmer has encouragement to
plant crops the chances are greater that he will never
realize harvest sheep cattle and horses occupy the
attention Of vast majority Of the occupers OF land, as
these can be moved about In search Of water
This the uncertainty OF the should take
particular hold Of the attention Of the people Of the
United states. II opens wide field tor our surplus
bcadstus Owing TO the rcmocncss of the Atlantic and
Mississippi Valley States until the Pacifc Railroad and
the Istmus Canal finished, California Is the most
conveniently situated 10 take advantage Of scarcity here
| BY recent mails learn that California has large
crop tn year, almost double her own wants. The re-
from present prospects, will soon be the case here
There has been drought and a severe one over the
larger part Of the grain growing districts in Australia
| Tho deficiency will have TO be made up from abroad
Chile, in South America, having the reverse OF our
own seasons Is but commencing TO grow her
In California the harvest has long been over and II will
be able to take advantage Of scarcity The question Of
wisely OF the opinion that the way keep down prices
is by taking time by the iorelock There is no doubt
| that the port Of San Francisco will have busy Aus.
ralan trade this There this time three
| clippers the books FOR return voyage within a
| week
To accustomed to the inexhaustibc treasures OF
fertile Soils plenty OF rain and every essential
10 the prosperity and growth OF great nation as Is
found every part Of land Australia presents
rather forlorn picture The only field In which capital
find comparatively safe investment is wool grow
ing Although the gold bearing region keeps up regu.
lar annual income, gold mining Ia poor foundation for
national prosperity Is curious fact that II costs more
| than ounce Of gold IL worth 70 bring II into the
market country without agricultural resources can
never attain higher than existence from hand TO
mouth. II s surprising that the majority Of the Aus.
traan towns already show signs OF decay. Melbourne
alone keeps up an appearance OF vitality, and is ex
tremely doubtful whether Australia will DO more
than Melbourne and sydney