AUSTRALIA: GENERAL

BY MATTHEW MACFIE

I PROPOSE to cite a few facts and figures concerning the geography, natural history, aboriginal inhabitants, capabilities, resources, and the economic, political, financial, and social development of the Australian continent. When Benjamin Franklin determined to select a vocation in life for his son, he is reported to have brought under the lad's notice a variety of professions, in order to ascertain, as the father expressed it, towards which of them his inclination would "dip." There is, perhaps, a similar advantage in presenting a general view of Australian interests on the present occasion. Every reader is thus afforded an opportunity of choosing for subsequent study, at his leisure, those particular topics out of the number to be submitted which are found to be specially congenial to his tastes.

I gratefully acknowledge, at the outset, my indebtedness to distinguished experts who have made separate departments of the subject their special study. At the same time, I may be permitted to state that it has been my privilege to reside six years in Australia. During a considerable part of that time I happened to occupy the position of responsible editor of a wellknown newspaper, published in the most populous city in the country. As one of the local journalistic centres, intelligence of a very miscellaneous character constantly gravitated to me from travelling and resident correspondents in the service of the paper, scattered

over all the Australasian colonies. I have also some personal knowledge of New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, and Victoria; and since my return to England, about four years ago, I have been able to peruse attentively the files of Australian newspapers arriving by the regular weekly mails, up to date, having at the same time kept in touch with the colonies by frequent private correspondence.

GEOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.

Australia is the largest island on the surface of the globe. It lies south-east of Asia, between parallels 10′ 39′′ and 39′ 11′′ south latitude, and between the meridians of 113° 5′′ and 153° 16" east longitude. The length of its coast line is about 7750 miles, or more than two and a half times the distance from Liverpool to New York. It comprises an area of nearly 3,000,000 square miles. It is as large as the United States of America, with the recently-added territory of Alaska left out. It is twenty-six times the size of Great Britain and Ireland, fifteen times as large as France, and only onefifth smaller than the entire European continent. It is bounded on the east by the South Pacific, on the south by Bass's Strait and the South Pacific, on the west by the Indian Ocean, and on the north it is washed by the waters of Torres Strait. The name of New Holland, which Australia first received, was given to it by Flinders in 1802. At present it embraces five selfgoverning colonies. If the continent were divided into 100 parts, Victoria would constitute 3, New South Wales 10, Queensland 23, South Australia 30, and Western Australia 34. If it were populated throughout as densely as England is, Western Australia alone would have 500,000,000 inhabitants, and the entire continent 1,500,000,000. Yet the population of European origin over the whole of its surface is

still under 3 millions-108 years after the first colony of white men was established at Botany Bay, New South Wales.

Not only is Australia the largest island in the world, but the territory of which it is at present composed has been longer standing out of water than any other known portion of the habitable globe. Its indigenous flora and fauna resemble those which existed. in Europe in the Mesozoic period. In primeval times its dimensions were immensely larger than we now find them. It has been conclusively proved by competent geological authorities that this great southern continent once included New Guinea, the Louisiade Islands, and the land between and around them-before that intervening land was submerged the Moluccas northward, and Tasmania southward, with the land now covered with water which forms the Torres and Bass's Straits. The great Barrier Reef along the Queensland coast, but long under water, plainly indicates that the continent in remote ages must have extended hundreds of miles farther eastward, and it is not less obvious that before the Tertiary Period it must have included New Caledonia. On the other hand, there is no evidence that at any ascertainable geological epoch Australia has been united to India. But the interesting proofs in support of this contention would detain us too long to specify here.

The fact, however, ought not to be overlooked, that in the dim and distant past Australia stretched much farther than it does now, in a westerly as well as in an easterly, northerly, and southerly direction. It has been demonstrated by Professor Alfred Russel Wallace that the flora of Cape Colony and Western Australia are similar. On that and other grounds, which it would take too much time to enumerate, he bases the opinion that the western part of Australia formerly extended to Africa. That being so, the rich and

extensive goldfields of Western Australia and those of the Transvaal may, not improbably, have more than an accidental connection, and may be traceable to a common and simultaneous geological origin. Whether this alleged primitive territorial connection between Western Australia and Africa throws any light on the presence of the black-fellow in the former country, is too large a question to be discussed now, especially as ethnologists do not seem to be agreed among themselves on the subject.

Another striking feature in the geological and geographical changes which Australia has undergone, is that vestiges remain of the previous existence of a broad navigable strait dividing the Eastern from the Western portion, and running from the Gulf of Carpentaria to Spencer's Gulf. The course of this ancient channel is distinctly traced by a depression of the land, a chain of long lakes (Torrens, Eyre, Gairdner, &c.), and numerous rivers emptying into them. East and west of the location of this former strait, the contour of the land, with the botany and zoology of the country, differs widely. On the east side, the dividing ranges of hills in Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland assume a somewhat impressive character. The loftiest height in the whole of Australia is Mount Kosciusko, in New South Wales, 7300 feet high. In New South Wales and Queensland there are mountains which rise to 4000 and 5000 feet. In South Australia and Western Australia, west of the ancient strait, on the other hand, a monotonous level surface preponderates. In South Australia the most important chain is Flinders's Range, and in Western Australia the highlands are divided into two sections. In the northern division isolated chains of hills cross the valleys of the De Grey, Ashburton, Murchison, Fortescue, and Burgoyne Rivers, but in no instance is there any known elevation worthy of notice. On the east side of the old strait the species of eucalypti differ

from those on the west. Eastwards we meet with the Eucalyptus globulus, but it is only on the west side that jarrah, karri, and the brilliant Christmas-tree flourish. The east side is the original habitat of the numerous varieties of the marsupia, monotremata, parrots, and birds of Paradise, with the struthious or great wingless birds, the emu and the cassowary.

Most of the streams in Australia can only be called rivers by courtesy. The two of any magnitude are the Murray and the Darling, both of which are on the east side. The former rises near the borders of Victoria and New South Wales, dividing Victoria from the parent colony northward. After flowing through South Australia, it debouches into a lake opposite Kangaroo Island, which is situated in Spencer's Gulf. The majority of the remaining rivers, especially those west of the ancient channel previously mentioned, are almost entirely dried up in summer and become torrents in winter, often flooding the plains and valleys through which they pass, and carrying destruction in their course. A grave hindrance to pastoral, agricultural, and mining pursuits in Australia is insufficient moisture, which occurs in the dry season. In that period of the year the prevailing winds are from the north. These blowing over the heated sandy deserts of Central Australia, are sometimes raised to an intensely high temperature, and wither up every green thing over which they sweep. The result is that sheep and cattle die at intervals by many millions in a season, while mining operations in Southern and Western Australia are seriously impeded from the same cause. But it is now proved that vast stores of water are obtainable at a depth of less than 200 feet from the surface, and already in several colonies artesian boring is increasingly and successfully resorted to. This and other methods of supplying the lack of a deficient rain supply, are certain to become very general in Australia.