its forests or on its plains.

He who has never looked on any other than the well-cultured fields of
England, can have little idea of a country that Nature has covered with
an interminable forest. Still less can he estimate the feelings with
which the adventurer approaches a shore that has never (or perhaps only
lately) been trodden by civilized man.

FIRST VIEW OF PORT JACKSON.

It was with feelings peculiar to the occasion, that I gazed for the
first time on the bold cliffs at the entrance of Port Jackson, as our
vessel neared them, and speculated on the probable character of the
landscape they hid; and I am free to confess, that I did not anticipate
anything equal to the scene which presented itself both to my sight and
my judgment, as we sailed up the noble and extensive basin we had
entered, towards the seat of government. A single glance was sufficient
to tell me that the hills upon the southern shore of the port, the
outlines of which were broken by houses and spires, must once have been
covered with the same dense and gloomy wood which abounded every where
else. The contrast was indeed very great--the improvement singularly
striking. The labour and patience required, and the difficulties which
the first settlers encountered effecting these improvements, must have
been incalculable. But their success has been complete: it is the very
triumph of human skill and industry over Nature herself. The cornfield
and the orchard have supplanted the wild grass and the brush; a
flourishing town stands over the ruins of the forest; the lowing of
herds has succeeded the wild whoop of the savage; and the stillness of
that once desert shore is now broken by the sound of the bugle and the
busy hum of commerce.

EXTENT OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND DIVISIONS OF THE COLONY.

The Colony of New South Wales is situated upon the eastern coast of
Australia; and the districts within which land has been granted to
settlers, extends from the 36th parallel of latitude to the 32nd, that
is say, from the Moroyo River to the south of Sydney on the one hand,
and to the Manning River on the other, including Wellington Valley
within its limits to the westward. Thus it will appear that the
boundaries of the located parts of the colony have been considerably
enlarged, and some fine districts of country included within them. In
consequence of its extent and increasing population, it has been found
convenient to divide it into counties, parishes, and