lated
building, in every way worthy of the colony; the views from some parts
of the grounds being of almost unparalleled beauty. There are nearly
four miles of drives in the park, through alternate cleared and wooded
grounds,--sometimes opening upon cheerful views of the splendid
harbour, then skirting the rocky shores, or retreating inland amidst
shadowy groves and grassy dells. The grounds are open to the public,
and the entrances being close upon the town and suburbs, this public
park of Sydney is one that for convenience and beauty, perhaps no
capital in the world surpasses.

The Botanical Gardens are situated in what is called the outer Domain.
We enter the grounds under a long avenue of acacias and sycamores,
growing so close together as to afford a complete shade from the
noonday heat. At the end of the avenue, we came upon a splendid
specimen of the Norfolk Island pine, said to be the largest and finest
tree out of the island itself. After resting for a time under its
delicious shade, we strolled on through other paths overhung with all
sorts of flowering plants; then, passing through an opening in the
wall, a glorious prospect of the bay suddenly spread out before us.
The turf was green down to the water's edge, and interspersed with
nicely-kept flower beds, with here and there a pretty clump of trees.

Down by the water side is a broad esplanade--the most charming of
promenades--running all round the beautiful little bay which it
encloses. Tropical and European shrubs grow in profusion on all sides;
an English rose-tree in full bloom growing alongside a bamboo; while,
at another place, a banana throws its shadow over a blooming bunch of
sweet pea, and a bell-flowered plant overhangs a Michaelmas daisy. A
fine view of the harbour and shipping is obtained from a part of the
grounds where Lady Macquarie's chair--a hollow place in a rock--is
situated;--itself worth coming a long way to see. Turning up the
gardens again, we come upon a monkey-house, an aviary, and--what
interested me more than all--an enclosed lawn in which were numerous
specimens of the kangaroo tribe, from the "Old Boomer" standing six
feet high, down to the Rock kangaroo not much bigger than a hare. We
hung about, watching the antics of the monkeys and the leapings of the
kangaroos until it was time to take our departure.

The country inland, lying to the south of Sydney, is by no means
picturesque. Much of it consists of sandy scrub, and it