AUSTRALIA REVISITS 1874-89.

Bush Advocate, Issue 351, 9 August 1890, Page 8

AUSTRALIA REVISITS 1874-89.

At the sixth mooting of tho present aossion of the Royal Colonial Institute, held at tho "Whitehall- rooms, Hotel Motropolf, r.n \~>\h April, au interesting puper on. " Australia Bevisitedl.S74-18.59," was rend by Sir AnbuiHodgson, JC.O.M.G. Sit Arthur, who was ricilvw-i wi'.h ch.«:s, ■said: — On 4th March. 1880, I M\ Bi-imiisi in \'w. I?, and 0. steamer Yii.-lom, ami latutu'l in Sydney on lih Xyr'n — ihirty-'''mv auvs — •coaling «t l\>n, &u«t, ;iv'J iNillinj;' :it .Wji. Colombo, Albany, Adelaide, an.l !tfi!lb>xir.io ; fine v.'i.'at;n*r, :i ;^ood stoatniT nnd ciptum, oxcellt-nt table, and vKmsuiil p;i-s r -'.oii;;'oi ■( in a very full ship; ntfr Fusl-vst vr.u in twenty four hour« was fcSo kiioi*. At Albuirv. K.iiig"George's Sound, *a t-.-iy.-vnuu I'rum my m>u in Qucemluud avVaircd juy arrival :—'•}'■(.iSy«ight hours' rain." Wry rot'ie-shing- news, calculated to revive th« droijpinjr npirils of those v/\ ope '.Socks and herds had been decimated by a very so von? ami (v.mtinnous drought; and, fortunately, the rain !i:»d beon general nil efver the colonies. I \v;is in Iht: »ick list at Albany aud Adelaide, u:i.d not permitted r© land. * Fifty-cue years ago — M'uroh, lf*;>9 — I landed in Sydney, in riie go d ship Royal George, '650 tons," ;vfer a voyage of 1 10 (Jays, inoludicg 1 five dfiys' detention at Onpe Town, "where we touched to take in witw ntul i're-sh provisionSj having on board IL'O e!Z)i,'jri"j:itp, all engaged by Mr. James Macarthur for bis Cam Sen Estate, in New South "Wu'c-j. He ehartored the cabin and Ptesrajva accommodation, aud wa considered it a great privilege to go out with him in his ebip. Of the cabin passengers four only now wxrvive. The voyage of the lira* fleet, in i? 88, consisting 1 of eleven ships, occupied ■eight months. I hava made nine voyag-ea to Australia — three by long 1 Bea, five' by the Sue;: Onnal, »nd one by Panama. I returned t<> England zn 187-i by the mail Hteamor Tartar, iro7u Sydney to San Francisco, and in latitude -4deg. N. wo ran on to a coral reef at midraght, in mid-ocean, going ten knots ; the nearest laud was Fanning inland, 2ot) miles »way. The passengers formed themselves 1 into watches and jettisoned (>OO tons of ooal ' — an unnecessary labour, for after bumping ' ■on the reef thirty- two hours, thanks to aLigh , tide, we floated, aud steamed for Honolulu, ' DOO miles distant. By a singular coincuk-uce three of us met again on board tbe Victoria' 4tt Brindisi; one was a dear old lady, a: ■septuagenarian, goinur out to Molbourue to ; pay a visit to her sou, who resides thero. OLD AND IJEW MEriBOUEXJE. , j I was delighted with Melbourne, with a , population of nearly half a million ; it is a fine • City, with muny handsome buildings, public and private, ami tho Houses of Parliament'! just finished, aud silent trarncars worked by'j underground machinery, an introduction' from San Francisco. The firat white man landed ia the primeval forest on what in now the site of Melbourne in 1835, only fiftyfive years ago. The inhabitants are deeply indebted to Mr. HoddJe, under the direction •of Sir Thomas Mitchell, the discoverer of Australia Felix, aud -for many years Sur-' veyor- General of New South Wales, for tho wide streets; ho laid out Melbourne fifty yeara ago, then only the wild bush. Sir Thomas possibly would not have been so liberal in nia measurements 'had he imagined that a plot of laud sold at the first Government sale ia the centre of the City for £45 would have been recently valued, with buildings •upon it, »t£493,000. Allotments have of late yeara 'fetched fabulous prices, resulting in the building of castles in the air, both literally and figuratively, to the risk of life and the disfigurement of the city. One building has been erected in the main street eight storiea high. In modern Rome, owing, to fee loss of life, these "flats " have bean disallowed by tho Government. TBJB VXB.TLTLOH OP aUBENSLAHD. Sir Arthur went on to describe his route through Torres Straits, and had something to say about the various places ho revisited, giving, numerous anecdotes by the way. He ttllnded'to the wine and wool industries of. flbe colonies, und, dwelling more particularly on hia own colony of Queensland, he 4mA: — ¥ou cannot traval ia North Queensland •without hearing Separation disouhsud, when frhe vital question of coloured labour ia certain to crop^ up. lfc is weil-kuown that a «Hin ox .money equal to livo millions sterling-. h;w been invested in sugar plantations in Northern Queensland, on' tho express understanding that, no restrictions should •be placed on the introduction of coloured labour. Only 40,000 tons of «ug'ar" were produced in 18S9, but no loss than. 34-2, 2.55 tons, valued at £4,701,122, were ex- "' ported during the last ten years. Tho cultivation of Kujr.*r cm a large scale was thus eneourajtred with. Polynesian labourers from theislands iv tho South Pacific, who numbered •at the end of 138l> about B,ooo— all kindly treated, happy, and .contented. I was told' «ff, when (Jolouial Secretary, "to accompany the Earl of Belmore, thoi) Governor of New South Wflloo, wh" had U-en 'rtfij_ue?fced to' vi?it tho sugar pbntatioas in Southern Queensland, -\vhere ; KauAL-a labour was »m-' ployed; and subsequently, in the same' official cnnar-.ifcy, I accompanied the late Colonel Biacka.ll, then Governor of Queens- ; land, on a visit to the sugar plantations in* • Northern Queensland ; »and I a:o avra.ro that their Excellencies were very fuvourably impre3sodwit,h tho treatment of the Kanakas on tho aeveral plantations which they vißited. In 1895 a cry -was raised against this kind of labour. 'I will not tferxn it a political cry, but it was a hustings cry, and very few candidates, if any, for legislative honoure could ' make up their minds — with a clear conscience ! — to voto for the continuance of their introduction, and for tho beat of reasons they would not have been elected. The consequence was that in 18S5 an Act ivas passed disallowing tho employment of Kanaka labour after 1893. If Polynesiau labour, ia then abolished, or •whioh there is overy probability, the downfall of the sugar industry follows ua a matter of otxirso, as fcho white man cannot perform the field work in tho tropics; tho attempt has been made, and w'gnaUy failed. The result will bs that North Queensland will be left to depend upon her pa«tor«l and mineral resources, and the largo mm expended in-su<rar plantations -will bo cashiered. In tho 'West Indies tho ▼exed qucHtion of coloured labour is managed •without much friction by the employment of Hindoos, who aro Bxirish subjects, und it -would bo well if our Australian statesmen -would study: tho West luclian repuhiiioriß. Theie is another v/hioh I will call a Htoclc : it is no novelty to iuo— ivo jnada the moet of it. in our petition for reparation from New South Wales : I alludo 1o tho B'nali sum vot<;i for improvoments in Queensland in proportioji to tho xevenno collccteJ.. Thli ro.*ulves it-self into a ! questi6n of %ures. But it is only fair to aadthatat Townsville I-saw a very ex tensivo breakwafoir almost completed", whioh will cost several fchouwand pounds ; v/hiJ^t at CainiK a line of railway is in eoun-e of con- j -atruction to the tin mines tit Herbert, ■Town — a distance of fifty miles over] a range of mountains -f.OOOit. above the level of tho pc:i — r clovor feat of engiueering 1 which will-coot £40,000 per mile j lot a portion of tho Jine. Under 13 and 14 j Victoria (IHuO) Her Sfajcßty's advisers may isootnmond Her ILijesty to divide Queenslaud, and foi-rn a separate northern colony. TJi'.-y may talce into cousider.'ition it<* great and almost img'owm'jble extent, and iho «anfii«tinjr int«i-««t.s canned by snoh a v/trioty 4of climate. It is or.Ttainly most improbable that the Queensland Legislature would vote for such a diviMnm; tho separation of Queensland from New South Wales was opposed to the bitter end, but look at the 3'usult ! MOUNT MO^OAIh. Mount Morgan requires « spftcial notice, aa it may b« onnsidcrod ono of tho wonders of tho world — I am not ;i -eharciioldor, which probaWjf is my itiisfortuuo. It is situated thirty iml&s from Jiockliarnptoa (a town -100 miles north of Biinbane), ami ia .reached by train ton nuloa, und eighteen miles after leaving- the traiu, over a very rouarh hunk XOAd, full of Btumpn and doc-p rut-j after heavy rains. It in 1. 2/jOffc above tho level' of the eea, and ifcs disoovery ie a rornanoa. The

ori/inal proprietor was ono Douaiu Gordon, h, settler, who sold his section or solectiou of 640 acre 3 for J6640-— #l per acre— little dreaming that ho was BelJ'tug a mountain or. gold — ima.fi'jniug it to be ironstone. A. limited liability company was formed thvco year« ago, with, a otqiiUxi ok' ono million sterling, hi £1 simm-t, )'in. Gil. yu)<i up, and return in.?.- n 7nonth'.y divider»d of it is rfuppos.-'d vo rc j pr."flcnt. thiily millions KterlJng. Tiio mountain is forrugraon'-. quart.;:, largely impriv.vTiii.rcd ■with gold. 1 shwll iwt iitlenipt any theory as Iv iU formation ; there it is, aud tiiere j.s no earthly i-fc'ticou v,-hy similar Mount 3Xorga.na ohoulii uofc bw dirtcovorod. The «h siros havu fluntuat^d from pay h> ill 7 os. Very krge iWtmio.s liavt; been ni.'vdt) nnd liut by Rp?cnlati««* in thes? shave.';. The Qiifeasla^d ParlinmunL have thrown out a vote for the construction of a railway to the mountain, and the company intend io mufro one withoa. 1 ; delay. Tlio approximate cost, is £120.000— only one mo nth's dividend. Tho din^uice ia eighteen miles, but the last four miles piss through a very broken country, «nd over a ridge — called the Eazorback — so steep lint our coachman requested us to get out an;l walk, although wo were seated in a fourhorse American wag-gun kindly placed afc our disposal by the directors, and vnro only threo in number, without any luggage. I counted sixteen horses drawing a load of goods up this hiU, from the top of which wo caught the first sight of Mount Morgan at a distance of i'our miles. The Government have laid out a towutship, aud sold some allotments. Upwards of B<3o men are daily employed by tho compimy ou their extaiisive works. Tho cap of tho moutttaiu has been already r-.uioved, aud by .means of platforms cut out of tho solid rock, the mountain is being gradually oliced iLown like a cheese. Blasting was goiuv: on when -we wcrß thero, but we felt oursolvt'U perfectly safe uuder the kind protßution of Mr. SVosley Ha.ll, tho xnantigor, who gave us some rich specimens of the fcrrusrinoiis quartz, on condition that we carried it down the mountain without any assistance — no easy matter, as tho track was rough. The progress of this mine will bo watched with intense interest, not only by the shareholders, but by those who aro interested in mining. The Queensland mines have increased the output of gold in 1889 to three millions sterlintr, of which Mount Morgan contributed £1,800,000. THE STJTTJEB OF WSSTEEU AUGTIIAXU. I am aaxious to >suy a few words about | Western Australia aud tho Constitution , Enabling Bill now before Parliament. On this . subject, at all events, there is perfect unanimity among- tho colonies that the Biil, as in- . troduced by" the present Government, Bbo-Kld pas 3. With a coast lino of 3,000 milt 8, with a territory eight times the size of the United Kingdom (980,000 square mites), with a climate second to none — the mortality since its oolonisit tion in 1829 averaging omy 1 per i ceut.--how is it that the whole of the settled j district at tho present timo is not larger than j Trance,andthatWe6ternAu9traliaislanguißhiog for want of population, which does not exceed 45,000, but is larger than when Queensland was separated from New South Wales— only 28,000 ? Surely there must be something rotten in the state of Denmark. It may bo said— and truly said — that Western Australia possesses a largetraotof very inferior country, butshe is in wantof capital and labour to develop the remainder and her resources, which aro not inconsiderable. She requires a fair start, to be untrammelled, to cast oft her leading strings, to run alone, and bo granted — liko her neighbours — the full enjoyment of free constitutional liberty. When free, when the lands are handed over to her in fee simple — no keeping back, no reservations, ii Aut Vcesar aid nullits" — sho will be in a position to take a fresh departure, and !>oSßibly to atart a transcontinental railway, )ased on tho- land-grant principle, proved to have been such a great success in the development of Canada and the United States. This Bill, if passed, will complete the Unity of Australia; and if not passed may seriously retard the progress of Imperial Federation. FEDERATION AND SECESSION. In conclusion, I shali touch very delicately upon' the question of Imperial Federation, which of late has been pretty well threshed out. At present thore has not been any national or legislative union. Federal union has been considered in our colonies on more than one occasion, but not vet accomplished. Internal jealousies, conflicting interests have fitoppod the coach, and there is little sign of united action, which in the first dnsideratnjn. Tho question of tariffs must be adjusted, establishing one fiscal policy for Australia — in fact, a Customs Union, or Zollverexn, which was the basis of the unity of Germany, and if England would consent to adopt auoh a system, and includo all her colonies and dependencies, it would be a most popular movement. Other questions of more or lean importance must be considered, aatongst them immigration. It seems strango that whilst Queensland has voted one quarter of a -million for assisted immigration, all the other colonies have held aloof. Dissimilar land laws aro also a stumbling-block, and postal and telegraphic rates, and the oost of erecting and maintaining lighthouses, must be fairly adjusted, and last, though not least, tho crucial question of the site of the future capital of the Australian Dominion. Our Australian colonies must be first welded into one as a preliminary to Imperial federation. Imperial federation is no hothouse plant, and does not require forcing-. The Colonial Office has the good sense not to i " interfere, but to leavo the colonists to work ' out their own future. During my recent travels the words " Imperial 1 and "Australia for the Australians," never reached me, but I frequently heard of military federation, and tho recent visit of '' General Edwards will accelerate that movej merit. Our colonies havo nothing to gain, but • everything to lose, by secession-— an absurd ■ idea limited to the addled brains of a few '. young and inexporienoed Australian politi- ■ cians, fired by the perusal of impassioned post-prandial eloquence in this country. The borrowing power of our Australian , colonies would appear to be unlimited, amounting to the almost incredible sum of ■ £170,000,000 sterling—all raised by debentures in England on colonial securities, endorsed by the British flag ; but in the ovftnt of a possible secession — which is too ridiculous to contemplate — to what serious extent would tho value of these debentures bo affected ? The true relationship between England and Australia is that of father and son, mother and daughter. They are ono in •origin, one in language, one in thought, ono in the nature and action of their laws, and Australians desire to imitate as closely as they can the time-honoured institutions of this country. The spirit of Imperial patriotism flourishes in Australia: the fooling is loyal and affectionate — the first tune the children are taught is '• God Suva tho Queen." I endorse the remarks of Sir Henry Parkes that ho Baw nothing to prevent Australia becoming a great power on the wth, and realising- her destiny as a nation, while retaining hor connection with tho mother country ; or, to adapt the lintiß of . tbo Australian patriot, William Charles Wontworth, in his eloquent speech in thu Legislative Assembly in August, 18.33, in moviog the s-wnnd reading of the iSTow South Walcfl'GoTiflVnttionßill:-! And, o'i Britannia ! should'!; thou mew to ride .Ijifljwtin J3mpre.«a of old Oe*r.-j\« thin. Should ihy tfunVl Lion—spout Jiia former mightNo lonpx.T r.mr. the terror of tho fitfht:— Sli->?i'f] e'or ajrivf) Cbuf, «J.-j:k, iliwiHimw hmr. Vhe.i. liow'.-l by luxury, t'.ioa yioid'.-.t to pow'r; When 1 lion. v.< > lonjroi- i'rtwt of t)i<; free, To uome j;i'i;u<l victor brtnd'st the vriiKmish'd Iciiee ;— M»y ii/l tin- plnripß in another sphere Itfllisme !«iil Rhine more hriKhtly still than here; May th:e— tliy last-horn Lifiuit— then iu-i.se. To £!a:l thy hrart. nail greet thy I'r.reutuyt'S ; And Ai>.«'!r.la>i/i float, with flig 1 mjf url'd. A new liritannfa in juiiither world !