A "MAN-O'-WAR CRUISE" FROM AUCKLAND TO AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 282, 7 October 1864, Page 5

A "MAN-O'-WAR CRUISE" FROM AUCKLAND TO AUSTRALIA.

OITTW'ABD. "A Kliip from Auckland. o'er tlio deep Inipcll'd '(!:iinst stroll- lirad winds, lier comae tor Sydney lield." It is. perhaps, a trite remark that the human, equally with the vegetable creation, becomes improved by occasional transplantation. Of that fact, as tar as animal matter is concerned, the " Cruiser," —who ventures to request you to •' lend hint your ear," —entertains the" most absolute conviction, —morally, socially, and personally. To the truth of that axiom, he has been a subscriber,—it is needless to say for how many years. The fact is that, with "a roving bump of' extensive developement. and with an intense thirst to revisit •' scenes of other days," no logic could convince him to the contrunthat mind as well as matter is invariably improved by periodical change of place and position.

That intellect, as well as thews and sinews, become strengthened by reciprocal interchange of ideas and sentiments with one's friends and neighbours is ••Cruiser's" creed. Heimaginesthat he has frequently authenticated that creed; and that he himself has been able to demonstrate (at least to his own individual satisfaction) that he who desires to maintain a progressive knowledge of this advancing world must not remain for ever vcgchithn/ in one soil, but must, now and then, " move on" in order that he may learn what is doing beyond his own chosen garden of Eden.

N otwitlistanding this, for more tlum sixteen anxious years. the writer remained moored, head and stern, in tliis our promising city of Aitekland ; although, during Lis previous erratic career, 110 portion of her Majesty's dominions could at any time claim him as the resident of a single lustre. Bod} - and brain may, natlieless, be "stretched too far. His. he thought were beginning to " give in." He was firmly persuaded that, —to him, — " the sovereigu'st thing" was " blue water." And as appliances, by sail or steam were eqtialh" rife, he resolved to snatch a long needed holiday. Antiquated prejudices induced liim to prefer canvas to " smoke-jack." The probabilities (he thought) were, that he would enjoy more of" a life 011 the ocean wave" under canvas than under coal. And with this impression, on the 4tli of J tine last, he embarked at Auckland on boai'd the gcod ship Day Dawn"' of 400 tons register, commanded and owned by Philip .Tones, an esteemed friend of twenty years standing, commodore of the Auckland and Sydney fleet.

j t was but a few minutes after five o'clock of a bright starlight winter's morning, when the. ship was reached. Not a breath of air disturbed the serenity of the atmosphere. Had Auckland possessed even the most- insignificant of steam tugs, in lisje or ten minutes the ship would have been set. at large. As it was, what with hauling upon one shore —fast veering aw ay upon another, and performing an infinity of evolutions —technically recognised as chth or hu.r hauling—it was a quarter to eight o'clock, or fully two hours and a-lialf. before, from her intricate situation, she could be warped dear of the dolphin and sundry small craft lying off the eastern point of the Queen-street wharf. Having mastered this weary process, with the jiid of the ebl>. the ship began to drift down harbour. An occasional cat's-paw obviated the performance of a nautical waltz, and in an hour the North Head was rounded. Day broke ill beauty ; but it wore tediously. The colonial steam' gun-boat " Sandfly," Captain Hannibal ilarks': H.jVI .B.S. " Curacoa," 23 guns, Commodore Sir "William Wiseman, Bart. ; the barque " Torres," from California; and ship "'Adelaide Bell," from Newcastle, alt passed inwards as the "Day Dawn" was struggling outwards —the steamers blowing their heavy clouds —the sailing craft whistling vainly for the breeze that would not blow. Next dny-itawn found our good ship close aboard the" island of lvawau —since memorable as the head-quarters of Maori Emancipation. There was barely a breath to lull the fretful canvas to rest. But, as day wore, one or two very light north-easterly puff's were felt ; and, these gradual!}" freshening, at 1.40 p.m., the Little Harrier island was passed to the westward, colours at the same time being exchanged with an inward bound brig, whilst a second brig was seen oil' Cape Colville. Between 3 and 4 p.m. the wind increased and hauled towards the north, causing the ship to j break off, so that midnight had passed before [ she cleared the Hen and Chicken group of islands, and found herself in the open sea. It ' was teasing work, veering and battling amongst these islands ; and one could not but admire the unwearied vigilance of her commander. No wonder that he should have acquired the celebrity he so richly deserves. How, indeed, conkl it lie otherwise, studying, as he does, every alternation of barometer, sky, and ocean, and trimming his canvas to every spirt or Haw of wind, however gossamer in lightness ! During the night, wind increased to a strong breeze, and as the writer's bunk was on the port and weather side, he and his bed-elothes had some difficulty in maintaining an entente ' cvrdiale until u )e<j-W'.rd wna shipped and their unity Bcsuvedi

In these days of universal voyaging, Bobinson Crusoe would himself be puzzled to invest an inter-colonial trip with interest. The trip, we treat of, was accomplished under the customary variations of light airs and. fresh breezes, attended with heavy downpours of rain, the concomitants of the wintry season of the year —Winter, —such at least as is called winter, in our summer latitudes ; but very different indeed from the stormy blasts of hyperborean regions. On the nintli day out, June 13th, the wind that, during the previous night, had blown hard, increased to a fierce gale, rain falling in torrents—ship rolling heavily. At 3 a.m., the canvas was reduced to lower fore and main topsails (the ship being fitted with double topsail yards), reefed foro course and (ore topmast staysail—running twelve knots. From 9 a.m. until 10 it blew a perfect hurricane —a hurricane which, as we subsequently were made aware, strewed the Australian coasts with wrecks. At 10 the tempest appeared to concentrate its fury, inasmuch as it expended all its violence in one terrific blast, instantaneously subsiding into the most perfect calm ; the rain ceasing, the horizon clearing, the sun breaking out bland and brilliant, the wind (a light air) shifting to the north-western board, so that the frantic barque that had been striving and straining like a racer in full career, fell at once into a jog-trot, rolling and lurching, wind spent, sea heaving and sending, the canvas with expanded wings, Happing, thrashing, and tearing itself in pitiable irritation—with yards now laid square, now braced by—to woo cacli coy flaw, until, towards midnight, a fine steady east-south-easl' breeze woke up to drive us rejoicing on our course. During the next four days our progress was good, and although the wind was at times puffy with flying showers, still the weather was bright and genial, and we had ran nearly 800 miles, bringing us within 120 miles of lort Jackson Heads at noon of the 16tli. Between 1 and 2 of the morning of the 17th, the light was announced to be in sight, so I turned out to greet it as 1 would a dear old friend which I had frequently before been rejoiced to behold. It was now some nine or ten miles distant on the port and lee bow. The wind, a fresh breeze, still continued favourable; but the rain poured down—as it can do in New South Wales—a deluge. Wo entered the harbour—the South Head, Middle Head, and floating lights showing a clear and brilliant course. Those lights have been supplemented by an additional light on Pinchguf island, under whose guiding rays we picked up a berth off the mouth of Sydney Cove, after a vciy lair and pleasant passage of some four hours less than tlitirteen days. SYDXEY IX 1864.

" The ' Phryno' lay in the beautiful man-o-war anchorage in Farm Cove * * * * \ hand-some close carriage whirled in© rapidly across Hyde Vark, through AVooUoomooUo, and along the \>icu\rt , sc l ue road towards South Head. Nothing could transcend the beauty of the numberless bights aud "bays, their bright blue water* llashing and dickering in the golden sunlight. The natural infertilityof soil was shamed by prodigal luxuriaiuMj «f w r 'etuiion. The bush was a wilderness of ttowering uiagnificoiKV. tho u--equahed warnitah with his stately head of brilliant vermilion lording it proudly over a countless host of minor but scarce less lovely • natives.' The wealth and indu>try of creative man were btisy in conversion. His untiring energi- s had• soften d rocks' and forced the arid sand t'> bloom. Villas and mansions were rising on every hand, and parks and gardens springing into life. Beautiful 8« duey i Kair au-i lovely as you now are, what surpassing charms will not your noble environs in half a century present, when nature's numberless beauty spots shalL be embellished by the hand of wealth and taste."—Emma Morhaust.

Sydney ix marvellously " embellished" since the time at which tlie above quotation was penned. Gold That magic working agent has poured in upon her—pushing her a century forward in the course of a single decade. Few luifc lmd a more lengthened or intimate acquaintance with Sydney than I. In company with Mr. Joseph Docker, one of the Australian Commissioners now engaged in the selection of a suitable capital for IN ew Zealand " somewhere in Cook's Strait." I first landed at the Queen's "Wharf, from the barque ' Calista,' Captain John Hawkins, on Monday 'the 14th day of April, 182 S. My next visit, which was followed by a, residence of nearly four years, was made in the beginning of August, 1544. My present arrival dates from the 17th of June .1804, and as my last departure was in April, 1818, an interval of sixteen years occurs between en eh trip, thereby enabling me to note with more striking eflect the grand strides that have been made by the first maritime city of the Southern Pacific. Of those changes and improvements I shall have occasion to treat in their natural order, reverting at present to my rough notes, and to the good ship ' Day Dawn.' On turning out on the morning of the 17th Tune, we found H.M.S. ' Salamander,' Hon.John Carnegie, commander, (a some time shipmate, by the way.) and a French man-oF-war 'cliooner at anchor in Farm Cove; whilst Sydney Cove was crowded with a lan»e and fine idiiss of shipping. Our own good ship sought out a berth at the Grafton "Wharf in Darling Harbour. She experienced no difficulty or delay in reaching that berth, for Sydney teems with in active fleet of accommodating steamers, and so. lor a moderate " consideration," she was taken in tow by the ' Breadalbane/ by whom she ivas walked up to her wharf in no time. In rVuckland, hours would elapse before p, ship ?ould accomplish the like, although a very diminutive steamer would suffice, earning a fair remuneration, and rendering the utmost service :o tho less locomotive sailing ship. There is no part of Sydney more altered and mproved than the landing-places and wharves n continuation of the Circular Quay. From Campbell's to Fort Macquarie there is no obitruction in the chain of berths for shipping, [n 1828 the wavelets of the Cove broke ipon the beach at the confluence with the ank stream. Then, Campbell's and the Queen's, vitli room for but two or three vessels, were tho mlv wharves; and even in IS4S the aecomnoilation at the Circular Quay was circumscribed, ind the. chain from Campbell's obstructed by the lit ei-position of a dog-hole misnamed the dock'ard. and br a sort of quagmire which interposed ts fetid abominations between the Queen's iVharf and the Circular Quay. Now, however, he dockyard lias disappeared. The tank, —that nice beautiful stream, by whose pellucid waters Governor Phillips first pitched his cam]), is no on<icr visible. Latterly, like the Fleet of London, it had derogated into a ditch. Like its Metropolitan it is now covered over, and Pitttreet, with its road and tramway, occupies nncli of its former unsightly course. The wamp is piled and metalled; and Pitt, Phillip, md other streets debouch upon Circular Quay, >ne of the finest, most accessible, substantial, md elegant of any haven to be found in any [uarter of the globe. The weather"had been frightful; the country vas in a state of flood ; inundation had followed nundation with a destruction never previously ■xperienced. The coast was strewn with wrecks —one vessel, the ' Pacific,' a fine barque, which ailed from Auckland only a few days previously o our own, having gone to pieces at Slioallaven. On landing at Campbell s Wharf, ramping through mire and sludge, we passed nto the citv bv Macquarie place. .Near this, in he earlier "days, the old Government House, he Government Offices, and some of the dwelings of tho high officials were situated. All this s ' changed. Old Government House has )een cast down nearly a quarter of a entury. Its noble lawns and pastures mve been hewn into warehouses, streets, and >frices of commerce. One enclosure, _ia vliieli, in the classic days of convict, upremacy, the fair and lordly of the land were vont to hold weekly carnival, to be regaled with he stirring tones of martial melody—(in 1828 hey were those of the 39th and 5/th) this ■ onco ■hosen spot, whose pleasant memories I can lever quite forget, is now a small triangular lepot ot' metal, where the hammers of the road-ntikol-9 furr.inh, the osl? mu&le that a*akeg US9

aoighbouring echoes. The obelisk, exacted by tho good Macquarie, -whence all tho distances from. Sydney are measured, vet retains its place. Tlio fountain, onco a myth but now a reality, spouts forth refreshing jets of crystal fluid. But of the " Lawn" and its surroundings, without the aid of imperishable reminiscences, or by inhalation of John Chinaman's ethereal inspircr, there is nothing to tell—how they of the " Primus in Indis"—of the " Dieliards," with their noble chiefs—the Lindsay and the Shadforth— gave life and animation to an animated picture. The opiate is strong upon me, and, in spirit, it carries me back full seven lustres. I hear the swelling notes of the "Dichards." The promenade is thronged with beauty. Conspicuous amidst the throng shines the queen-like Betsy Balcombe. She who, at the St. Helena Briars, tvli en in the buoyanco of girlhood, snatched the sword of the mighty Napoleon, and pinning Lim in a comer of tho drawing-room, boasted of holding tlio greatest hero of modern times at her mercy, protesting that she would never releaso ]iim until he bowed submissive to her will. Tho has vanished.—Napoleon slumbers in the "Invalides"—and Betsy Balcombe, with lier legion of adoring worshippers, where is she?

From the seventh heaven to sloppy streets the descent is not the most enchanting, but it is imperative if I desire to acquaint old Australasians . who, liko myself, have been of migrator}' habits, of the chances and changes that have, and are taking place in once familiar spots. The enlargement and the improvement of Sydney, in every direction, is very great. Not in the city 01113-, but in all its outlets and suburbs. In the city the numerous bankiug corporations and other public associations, have erected a succession of magnificent palaces, each vieing in envious competition with its neighbour. Pitt, Castlereagh,Elizabeth, and even George-street, which I can recollect as chiefly of mean wooden structure, such as oui Auckland of to-day, have in a great measure been replaced by tlio more ■enduring materials of brick and stone. Edifices that would adorn almost any city, are now numerous in Sydney. Like soldiers in line, the streets have " dressed up"—gaps have disappeared ; and even in the altitude of the buildings there is a growing amount of harmony. So far well. But Sydney, like Auckland, has little to thank the surveyors for who original!}- laid it out. The streets of Sydney are even narrower than those of Auckland. They are also more tortuous, and their drainage, in the first instance, has been as little considered, though now that matter is engaging due care and consideration. "Water, too, not very long since a matter of anxious moment, has been abundantlyprovided to every householder. The supply is derived from a reservoir at Botany Swamp from whence it is distributed throughout the city. The charge, as I was informed, is at the rate 01 os. per annum according to the number of apartments in a house—as thus—a four-roomcdhouse is charged 205., an eight-roomed 40s. a year, and so on. It •was very wet duringmy stay in Australia ; at that time the supply of water for every purpose was moro than plentiful, but from every inquiry that I made I was given to understand that even in the dryest seasons there is no deficiency. In such a city as Sydney the water supply is a matter of the last consequence; and to those who can recollect the fabulous prices which, not very many years since, in times of drought, a bucket of the pure element commanded, an unfailing stream must be regarded as one of the greatest blessings,—a blessing of which it is heartily to be hoped Auckland may not much longer be deprived. My first Sunday, I attended service at St. Phillip's. It is a new building,—l am not learned enough to say of what architectural order, —but, at all events, a good-looking church outside, with a square tower, in wliich are hung a but somewhat clamorous, peal of bells, which, on the anniversary of the natal day of the gentleman who presented them, are most eloquent in expression of their gratitude. The new is a substitution for the old St. Phillip's church, the first religious edifice erected in New South "Wales, and of which for a prolonged term the good and venerable Archdeacon Cowper was the incumbent. Under his ministry I was for several years a parishioner, and I naturally felt some anxiety to see the new church which had replaced the quaint old structure of the times of " the first fleet." Its interior, with unpainted, unpanelled, dull, stony walls struck me as cold and comfortless in the extreme; and its narrow windows, however much in consonance with much of the Church of England architecture of Austral-colonial approval, were altogether opposed to my taste, which has no sympathy for " dim religious light." SYDNEY—continued. " I'll Yiew the manners of tlie town. Peruse the traders, gaze upon the buildings, And then return, and sleep within mine inn." —Shakspere.

Sydney is, emphatically, a maritime city. In ■whatever pertains to maritime grandeur she is all but unrivalled. Slowly, silently, but surely she has compassed the proud position of Naval Arsenal, not only for the Royal and Mercantile marine of Great Britain, but for that of every country and colony that " goes down to the sea in ships." This proud and prosperous preeminence has been by no means an achievment of legislatorial intelligence. To this invaluable pre-eminence a majority of the statesmen of the day were blind, deaf, and dumb. Dry docks, patent slips, and the like maritime appliances were, in their wisdom, matters for the consideration of future times. They, therefore, opposed their construction as wanton and worthless expenditures ; and in furtherance of their views of the question, they nominated one of the most incompetent Select Committees in which ignorance of the simplest nautical facts, combined with miserly closure of the public purse, had nearly given the coup-de-grace to the establishment ot' a navalarsenal, —thenownearly sole but certainmeansthatenablesSydney to maintain her questionable supremacy—Melbourne, otherwise, in commercial, agricultural, and social superiority rapidly outstripping her. The harbour of Sydney is not merely beautiful to look upon;—it is of unrivalled excellence for its convenience, security, and naval facilities of almost every description. Artificers, artisans, engineers,—men of keen perception and true ability,—have never been slow in discovering this. So that notwithstanding the stupor of the Colonial Government, and the proverbial ignorance and indifference of that wretched branch of a great national department—the British Admiralty, the industry, intelligence, and fearless energy of English mechanics has been successful in rendering Sydney the great nautical emporium of the South Pacific. In November 1845, < Le Ilhm,' a French corvette de charge, commanded by Commodore Berard arrived in Sydney. She was leaky had been some years in the Pacific; and 'required to be overhauled and refitted. There was then but one patent slip. Fotheringham's at the corner of King and Sussex-street.—and it was unequal to receive a ship of a greater capacity than 500 tons. ' Le Bhin ' measured about, 1000 tons. There was no dry-dock—con-sequently there remained no other alternative than to have her hove down, which was' effected, at considerable cost and difficulty, at Moore's Wharf. At this time the Cockatoo drydock was a subject of tolerably acrimonious discussion. It was nearly pooh-poohed in the Legislative Council. liie Admiralty were disposed to give it a (qualified support: such as would enable the sailing " donkeys " of that day to enter—no provision being made for the " screws " of a short sixteen years creation. It was reserved for the writer of these reminiscences to demonstrate that through a forty-five feet entrance —the width of Admiralty restriction—even the ' Juno,' a small paddle wheeler, the property of the late Mr. Benjamin Boyd, could not effect a passage. There are, now,

docks, slips, and arsenals of a Tery -superior degree; and of these I proceed to speak, not in rotation, but according to tho date in which I was enabled to make my tour of inspection. The first of these is a Floating Dock, which is moored in the vicinity of the Gas Works. The ' City of Melbourne,' barque, a well-known Auckland and Sydney trader, was there and then being stripped, re-caulked, and re-coppered. This dock can accommodate a ship of 400 tons. It is dry and convenient, and has engines attached to pump out the water when the vessel has been taken 111 andblocked. This operation is performed bv opening the valves, arid submerging the dock. When the ship is in position, the valves are closed, the water discharged, and then dock and ship rise to the line of floatation. The arrangement is simple, expeditious, and economical. The entire cost of the dock is something under £10,000. It is perfectly watertight; lies in shore, and in immediate contiguity with the timber yard. and artificers' shops ot its proprietors. Such a dock would be of inappreciable service in the port of Auckland; and I am informed by Captain Bonntrce, constructor of Mr. Mort's dry dock at Waterview, that a floating dock capable of receiving ships of 2000 .tons could be built and stationed in this port, fitted with all working essentials, for a sum of ,€25,000.

Speaking of Mort's dock—it is a splendid I one, situated at the head of Waterview Bay, hewn out of the solid freestone rock. It is 3(>o I feet in length, 26 feet deep, and 72 feet wide at tho entrance, which is closed by a wooden caison. Waterview Bay is the rendezvous of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam fleet; and there they have other appliances beside the dock for repair and refit, of their own and other ships. Waterview Dock is leased to this companj', and tliev in turn have sub-let it to Mr. Cuthbert, shipbuilder, Miller's Point, who, in conjunction with the eminent engineering firm of Messrs. P. N. Bussell and Co., executes the various works that come under the denomination of mercantile marine repairs. To this end, the Messrs. Bussell have an extensive branch of their iron foundry .witli all modern means and appliances, placed 011 the immediate confines of this magnificent dock, which is pumped dry on an average in six hours, by powerful steam machinery that lifts twenty tons per minute. There is ample space for a ship of 2.000 tons register ; and so frequently has more accommodation been demanded that the Messrs. Russell have it in contemplation to erect a patent-slip of the largest dimensions in immediate contiguity. The charge is one shilling per ton for sponsible, on the implied condition that their polit -7/ should hare a fair trial. There was 110 docking—sixpence per ton for each succeding day. The in-coming mail ship remains her month in Waterloo Bay, where she is docked, cleaned, and ready to take her next month's mail in apple-pie order. On occasion of my seeond visit to this quarter, I found the ' Northam' preparing tobe docked, the ' Madras' ready to take her departure with the August, mail. There is another very important establishment of the P. and O. Company here. It is a Wash-house, where all the bed and table linen of the Company's ships is washed, dried, and made-up by steam. They have, likewise, an extensive range of buildings for various descriptions of ship and other stores. Evenfacility is afforded to visitors, and a steam-boat constantly plies between the Pliciiix Wharf and the Bay, the fare being 3d either way..

Having cursorily spoken of the 1) ranch engineering establishment of Messrs. P. N. liussel and Co., it may be as well to say that I was afforded the opportunity of inspecting their great Iron Foundry in Sussex-street. It is an immense establishment, possessing almost endless resources, whether in the raw or manufactured articles of iron and brass, such as would be apt to astound even Tubal Cain himself. Steam-engines—steam-hammers—sleam-slares of every sort, size, and shape, are incessantly at work constructing and converting. Three hundred and twenty men are in constant and full employment; and the system devised for keeping account of the time they labour is as simple as it efficient. Iron, here, is moulded, with equal facility either into a ship or a slop-pail. Mechanism of every.kind surrounds you. Here there is a plate-cutter paring and pinning to pattern. There, there are rollers twisting and bending the material into given form; holes arc punched, rivets blocked out: and gigantic masses of metal planed and drilled; whilst steam-hammers, striking from ten pounds to fifteen hundred weight, fly up and down. One .steam dredge, for .Newcastle, was ready for launching. Another for Brisbane, was far advanced. And the requisites for our Tamaki Bridge, which were to be completed in the course of five months, had then been put in hand. I have had the satisfaction of visiting most of the English dockyards. I have seen Fawcett's great Liverpool workshops ; the Carron-works—and mail}' like establishments in the Old Country, and I cannot but think that for regularity, good order, and efficiency, that of Messrs. liusscll may bear honourable comparison. Their .stock of used-up models is enormous ; estimated to have cost upwards of £'50,(XX). From liussell's Foundry I went to thelJoyal Mint. I expected to have found it a very inferior affair to that of Tower Hill, which'[ went through in 1838. It is not so, however. In the arrangements of its details, it is quite a model establishment; furnished with furnaces, presses, and machinery of the newest and most approved construction. They had coined to the extent of £120,000 the previous week, although they complained that gold was coming in but slowly.

The Dock at Cockatoo Island is another of those establishments which conduce so materially to the maritime ascendancy and mercantile .prosperity of Sydney. It lias been a work of many years, and constructed mainly by the labour of the convicts of that penal settlement. I paid it two visits—Jl.jYl.S. ' Ealcon, being docked on the first, and ] f.M.S. 'Esk' on the second occasion. Vast changes and very in-eat improvements have taken place withiu tlio last sixteen years. The island is cut down in many quarters, whilst a grand and spacious quay has been formed by the debris. This quay extends on all sides. The prisoners'barracks have been enlarged—new edifices for officers and guards have arisen ; but, it is more than questionable if the free and felon labour, that is necessarily brought into contact in such an arsenal, can be employed without prejudice to both parties. There are some 200 felons of the worst stamp detained there; and the turbulence of such characters keeps the solitary cells, hewn out of the solid rock, and entered by a ladder from above, in constant occupation. Such an institution is an odious blot on the fair face of the Parramata river, and becoming prison discipline cannot possibly be maintained in an establishment open to all ships that stand in need of repair. Cockatoo Dock is now in full working order. Its present length is 330 feet; but excavations are rapidly pushing forward by which it will be extended to 400 feet. I't is some 80 feet in width; but the entrance gate, (closed by an iron caison) is much too narrow, being but (JO feet. Even this limited width is due "to the sound sense of Captain' Mann, the resident engineer, who, disregarding injudicious obstructions', added 15 feet to.the original Admiralty plan which restricted the gateway to i-5 feet. In otliei lespects the dock is admirable; with a splendid row of workshops, furnished with the finest machinery for engineering purposes attached. The arsenal is the property of the iSew South Wales Government—H.M. ships are privileged to the gratuitous use of it and its appliances. All repairs, nevertheless, are performed by contract with Sydney shipwrights the mechanics being daily conveyJd to and from the island. 2VTcrchant ships arc also permitted the use of the dock, the scale of charges being

the same as at Waterview. The pumps for discharging the water are very powerful, the dock being freed in the course of three hours. It is docks, slips, wharves, steam-tugs, and other super-abundant maritime subsidiaries that constitute the true riches of Sydney. These arc multiplied in every form and in everj' direction. Were Auckland only to attempt a movement in a similar manner, she could not fail to develop a material progress and prosperity of the last consequence to her as a growing naval and mercantile emporium.

There is no better managed and, probably, 110 more important Maritime Institution south of the equator than the. Australasian Steam Navigation Company; whether they be regarded as navigators, constructors, or rcfitters ; excellence is the aim in all their undertakings. Their ships arc of the highest class ; their commanders are picked seamen and gentlemen ; their servants arc civil and attentive ; their tables arc well furnished ; and nothing that can conduce to the comfort aud convenience of passengers is omitted. New ships of the most approved design, and of the greatest speed continue to arrive from Britain, or are turned out of equal beauty, stability, and capacity, from their own arsenal, which f'of completeness, extent, and the skilLof 'its artificers may honestly compare with many of the high class establishments of tho old country.

Commencing business, not a very great manj' years back, as the Hunter lliver Steam Navigation Company, this eo-partnery lias swiftly and surely worked its successful way, until now it commands the traffic of nearly tlie entire Australian coast. Six and thirty yearn an old Margate hoy sufficed for tlio goods and passenger trade of Sydney and the Hunter. The hoy was succeeded by the ' Sophia Jane,' a some time Gravesend steamer, she, in turn, gave place to tlio 'Eose,' * Thistle,' and' Shamrock,' the latter doing the M elbourne and Launccston work. They were marvellous boats in their time, and strove hard to make it " pay." They have disappeared before a fleet of such power and capacity that one of the number, a smaller one, proved competent to take the mail service to Galle in hand.

The Australasian Company's Works are most complete in every department of maritime construction and refit. The Patent Slip was laid down at a heavy cost, close upon £'100,fXK). It takes up ships of 1,00(> tons register, and would. I believe, receive even larger. It is rarely without some occupants, whether in construct ion or repair. The ' City of Adelaide,' (at the time of one of my frequent visits) a powerful and splendid ship, fresh from the factories of Greenock, or Port filasgow. was being repainted, and put in trim for the Melbourne line ; and the ribs and several sections of the plating of a light draught paddle steamer, of some <500 tons, designed by Hr. MacArtluir the Company's engineer and superintendent—a gentleman of great and approved ability—had their respective stations at the (nil and head of this magnificent maritime railway. It was 011 this spot that, the Waikato gun-boat 'Pioneer,' was built; and it. is at this spot that the vast preponderance of the steam marine of Australia take their turn of cleansing and refit. It would be quite foreign to the intention of these sketches to enter info minute description of this, or any similar colonial arsenal. Sullice it that the Australian Company have omitted no means of improvement, mental, mechanical or material, in rendering this their grand marine entrepot, the most perfect and efficient, of any of the colonial dependencies of Great Britain.

Of the ships that constitute the superb fleet of this enterprising company, I shall have, individually occasion to speak hereafter.

SYDNKY JIAIJIiOUK AND ITS HAYS. Squint you at this cliart, And .Sydney,'fenceless view in every part. SVII.M.V ])KI.IVF.!tEI>. The French colonise in a different spirit from this English. AVhen they consider a country worth tlie occupying, thcj- further consider it worth protecting. There are no complaints to tlie I'rench Home Government that their dependencies are left defenceless. Men and munitions are ungrudgingly furnished. Naval and military succours arc liberally provided. Jn the hour oi difficulty and danger, a French colony consoles itself with the knowledge that it will not bo forgotten or forsaken. That a colonial wrong will be resented as a national injury. And that the outlying members of the parent State will neither he stigmatised as grasping adventurers, nor denied such assistance-—pecuniary or else — as their exigencies may demand. I'he French recognise the validity of such mutual relations between the State and its scions—and the consequence is that the French Jlag, whether in Europe or the Colonies, one and indivisible, is alike honoured and respected. It once was so, in the proud and palmy days ol Old England—in those glorious days when " tlie Hag" that " for a thousand years" had braved tlie battle and tlie breeze" swept, through every sea unchecked and uncontrolled. But now. alas !

" Those tines nrc p;ist l loranthe,'' For the ancient idol, Honour, has been plucked down from his pedestal to make way for tlie modern idol Mammon. Alas for England that it should be so! When the life's blood is witlidrawu from her extremities to circulate more closely around her palsying heart.When she can discover in her colonies—that vaunted •' empire upon ivhich the sun never sets"—but elements of vexation and expense. When she begins to count the sordid cost. When she deliberates 011 the prudence ot withdrawing her legions unless exorbitantly paid for by settlements scarce of a quarter of a century's growth. When she insists on voiding her murderers and miscreants upon Australian soil siriiplj r because Australia is, as yet, too weak to resist. When she fails to be instructed by the page of history which teaches '' ome wrought out her own " decline and fall" by the abandonment of her colonies ; and how Spain sank into a fourth or filth-rate power by the revolt and loss of hers, to what other eonelusion can we arrive than that the hour of England s greatness has reached the meridian.

Suck mournful meditations force themselves upon us at a time when the Colonies of Australia, smarting umler the curse of convict contamination, earnestly desirous of purgir.pt their felonfilth, but threatened with a renewal of the fetid stream, are concerting and cooperating the most legitimate means of preventing such infamous irruptions. Such meditations are doubly enforced upon us of jVew Zealand, dragged as wo are l>y the Press and Parliament of .England before the bar of public opinion, to make answer to the most flagitious, ex-parte accusations, preferred not in open court before a Jury of our 1 'ccrs, but concocted, argued, and decided in a fashion of which a Spanish Inquisition, might feel proud ; but of which a nation, claiming to be the most free and liberal upon earth ought, to be heartily ashamed. If .England would still be honoured for her justice, it behoves her to place herself upou her trial, not before her own imperial courts alone, but in the face of eveiy court in Christendom—and there let her investigate her own iniquitous charges. The case of A'ew Zealand, iu common honesty and decency, ought to be dealt with in a fair and upright spirit. There are other interests beside those of step-mother .England to be considered. There are other evidences beside the loose and defamatory leaders and Major Sturgeon letters of the Times to be adduced, before the colonists of IVcu- Zealand can be found guilty of the unmanly and untruthful accusations levelled against them. And if England have still a love of that fair-play, tor which she was once so pre-eminent, she will appoint a mixed and fairly chosen Commission, .British and Australasian, to decide whether .hngland lias suflered a tifho of injiny in mcu, money, or munitions, through cupidity, land giced, or thirst ol nativG extermination on the

part of the settlers -. or whether the colonists do not owe all their present ruin, desolation, and defamation to tho wretched intolerance of British misgovernment and misrule —to the incessant and incompetent interference in native affairs—commencing from the date of the arrival of the feeble and vacillating Fitzroy, who obtained a wing of the O'.ltli regiment to bring about order, which he was afr-t.d to enforce, down to the flight of the 200 from the island of Kawau, whom Sir George Grey has failed to coax back, aud whom he falters to recapture. Let an honest and an honourable commission be appointed to inquire into these matters. And then, looking England calmly and conscientiously in the face, her colony of New Zealand, in the spirit of the oldon chivalry, may fearlessly exclaim, " God defend the right!"

Turning from the discursive to the descriptive : let us see what has been done in protection of the port of Sydney. Its facility of entrance, whether by day or night—the sad casualties of the ' Dunbar' and ' Catherine Adamson' notwithstanding—although a matter of much advantage in a time of peace, must needs be a subject of great anxiety iu the cveut of war. Captain Wilkes—of Trent celebrity—took in the American surveying squadron during the night, anchoring off Farm Cove without any difficulty. There have been no virtual defences, but one or two ornamental, practice batteries, erected since that date—such as Dawes, adjoining Campbell's Wharf—a breast work at 'Mrs. Macquarie's Point—a fortaliec on the North Shore—and one or two guns 011 what is left of poor mutilated Piucligut. But all these combined, with their light artillery, would offer but a fruitless and feeble resistance to a well appointed corvette of the present school. And, besides, were they once to open upon an invader they would inevitably draw his fire to the destruction of the City they are powerless to protect. It is important that this abject state of helplessness should be cared for; and 1 could not but feel glad that, in August, last, Sir William Wiseman and a party of naval and military officers had made a requisite tour of survey. As Auckland is quite as

open to aggression, if not even more so .than Sydney, it may not be out of place to remark, that alter a survey made by CommodoreLoring, Commodore Cracrof't, and other intelligent naval officers, it wap stated that the North Head and Signal Station might be fortified and converted to a citadel of strength and efficiency such as 110 ship or ships would venture to encounter.

Sj'dnej' harbour, even in its natural state one of the most beautiful in the world, becomes year by year more aud more attractive. Its liays and arms are thickly st udded with lovely marine villages; and its romantic heights from the South Head on the one shore aud the North Head on the other, are crowned by a succession of princely palaces of every variety of' architecture. The elegance and the magnitude of many ol those buildings; the surprising conditiou with which wealth and taste have transformed arid sand into beautiful and luxuriant parks, orchards, and shrubberies ; cannot fail to impress a stranger with the vast consolidated riches of Sydney and its citizens.

To those who love aquatic sports, Sydney offers an endless variety ; steamers of capacity and speed conveying passengers, in every direction, at very moderate fares. Watson's 'Bay. in the vicinity of South Head, a long established place of resort for pic-nics, has grown into a populous village, with hotels and all the other .necessaries of mundane enjoyment. It is more than ever frequented—oll its water way by steam ; and 011 shore by the upper and lower South Head roads, both very charming and inexpensive drives.

iS r early opposite, in one of the bends of Middle Harbour is the Quarantine Grounds; and further in lies what is called Great Manly Beaeli, where a village named .Brighton has been successfully founded. Seventeen years since, not having the legal consequences sufficiently enforced, I made one of many hundreds who" flocked to Manly Beach to witness a. "mill" between Hough, an Australian prize-fighter,—a thorough ruffian and bully—and " Big Ike," one of the late Sir Thos. Mitchell's exploring band—Tke a fine highspirited Irishman, polishing off the "cornstalk" in grand style. Manly beach was then a beautiful but tenantless wilderness. It is now a populous, a prosperous, and charming little town, possessing several excellent hotels, and boarding houses ; and from its position, the sea washing its shores both from within and without the jN ortli Head, in my opinion one of the most salubrious and inviting spots to be found in the immediate neighbourhood of Sydney. The steamer 'Phantom' (fare one shilling) plies constantly from the Manly Pier to the Circular Qu-iy calling in "Woolloomolloo Bay, and accomplishing the agreeable trip in fifty minutes. Of Middle Harbour and the IS orth Shore, with its beautiful bights and bays, it may suffice to say that the Waste is everywhere disappearing, that gardens and orchards are springing into rich and remunerative existence, that mosquito steamers fiz and fume throughout the day, and that the entire suburb teems with every indication of progressive prosperity. "W oolloomoolloo, a suburb of singularly sonorous euphony, has now become an integral portion of the city. its shores have been banked up and piled in : its shallows bridged and reclaimed; and its approaches towards " Chango" rendered short and safe.

The outer and inner domains, tlie latter laved by the brilliant waters of Farm Cove have been marvellously improved ; the outer branch has been drained and levelled ; finely gravelled walks and drives have been laid out in a manner that may challenge comparison with those of tlie most approved people's parks of the old country. With respect to the inner domain or botanical garden as it is called, every effort has been made to improve and beautify a spot which the hand of nature Mas formed of most beautiiul degree. If Sydney were destitute of evi ry other charm, her domain alone ought to reconcile her citizens to the spot m which they have chosen to cast their lot.

outer domain has all along been the Military .Review G round. I t was there that the small brass cohorns, which did good service at the Gate Pah,'were first experimented in .1815. I.hey were cast by Messrs. P. X. Russell ,fc Co.. from designs furnished by Captain GotherMann Superintendent Engineer of Cockatoo Dock. -Belore being sent to do their devoir in the Heke war, their range was tried in presence of the late Governor Sir George Gipps, and Lieutenant General Sir Maurice O'Connell; when their accuracy was pronounced to be admirable.

On Saturday, July 9th, the Sydney Eifles and Artillery had a grand field-day. I was, of course, anxious to compare our neighbouring colonial soldiery with our own hard worked anil ill-requiicd Auckland Yoluntecr [Rifles and Militia. It is but simple justice to our Sydney compatriots to say that bo'th.killes and Artillery are composed of smart, active young fellows, with handsome uniforms and accoutrements, and with that very becoming addition, appropriate and elegant flags to rally round. The Jvilles are clothed in grey, the one battalion with red, the other with green facings ; tiie belts and pouches of both are of brown leather. The Artillery uiuloriu is almost an exact counterpart of' tluit of the lioyal Army. Both corps have well trained and powerful bands.

The promenade around Mrs. (not Lady) Macquarie s Chair is greatly elaborated and ornamented. And on Garden" Island, innnediately opposite—(a spot where the late Sir Everard Home was wont to pitch his tent), the naval authorities have established a sort of depot. Garden Island is a pretty spot. It has claims upon mj' recollection in consequence of a fatal duel which took place there at the date of my (irst visit to Sydney ; one of the spectators, I'rancis Smith, sailmaker, having been a friendly assistant to me on my return to London, on board the'Calista, .shortly a I ter wards. Aquarrel occurred

between tie chief officer, Charles Pcmberthy, of the female convict ship ' Elizabeth,' Captain Cock, and Kobert Atkin, third officer of the same vessel. The cause of quarrel was a very worthless one, but the pistol was its sole arbiter. The second officer, John Thomas Chalmers, was the friend of Mr. Atkin ; and the boatswain, Henry Milton, performed a like service for Mr. Pcmberthy. They landed on Garden Island on the 2nd April, 1828. Ship's pistols were the weapons called into requisition. Twice that of Mr. Atkin missed fire, but, on the third, Mr. Pembcrtliy having twice urged Mr. Atkin to exchange, and. Laving then supplied his antagonist with a pin to prick the touch-hole, the unwilling instrument at length exploded, and Mr. Pcmberthy fell dead. It was a contemptible afi'air, for which one shot would have more than sufficed to any other than a butcher in the sanguinary code of honour. The principals were tried on the 2nd May, JB2S, before Chief Justice Forbes and Mr; Justice Dowling. Fortunately for them they were arraigned, as was then the law of the Colony, before a jury of seven commissioned officers of His Majesty's sea and laud forces. Milton was discharged, whilst Chalmers and Atkin were convicted of manslaughter, for which they were sentenced to an imprisonment of three months.

It was a peculiar moment this of my first visit to Sydney. Aaron Smith, a gentleman well known to the mercantile marine of the day, arrived from Butuvia in command of the sliip ' Louisa,' which had no sooner anchored than her crew volunteered cu Masse to the ' Uainbow frigate, Captain (now Admiral) the Hon. John lious—and out of the comments made by the master of the ' Boddington's,' because of that volunteering, another duel was with difficulty prevented. Captain Eous was the animating spirit of the time. Under his tutelage and patronage, boat races, dog fights, and all sorts of athletic sports were encouraged and promoted. In these, the soldiers of the 3'Jth, with a batch of Maoris, refugees from the ovens of antagonistic victors, who arrived ou the 4th of May by the brig ' Adventure,' took a part. Many of the Maoris were splendid fellows, but they could not compete with the men of the 3!)tlr.