916 VOYAGE Tor the discovery of southern lands.

dwellings, fhielded by umbrageous and elegant trees: he contemplates with muchemotion thefe new fields, on which the flender gramina of the north rife on the wreckof the mighty eucalyptus ; and fees delighted fo far from their native plains the moftufeful animals of his cherifhed home. Here the large dew-lapped bull bounds with avigour exceeding even that of its famous Irifh fire ; the cow, more fecund in thefe lefschilly climes, yields milk in larger portions than what {he does in ours ; the Engliftihorfe here {hews an equal ftrength and equal fpirit with that on the banks of theThames ; while the hog of Europe is improved by numerous crofies with that of theSouth Seas, which furpafles it in fhape, in lard, and flefli. Neither have all kinds ofpoultry fucceeded lefs than larger animals, the farm-yards fwarming with numerousvarieties of turkies, geefe, fowl, ducks, pheafants, &c., many of which are preferableto the fineft in Europe .

Still more is the traveller interefted on vifiting the interior of the houfes. Beneaththefe rural lheds, in the midft of deepeft forefts, dwell now in peace thofe men whofelawlefs life was formerly the . dread of Europe , men familiarized with and living but bycrimes, to whofe atrocities there feemed to be no end but that which punifhment anddeath fhould put : here dwelt fwindlers, thieves, and knaves of all defcription>, worth-lefs vermin which feem to multiply the more, the more fociety improves : all thefewretches, the refufe and diflionour of their country, by the moft inconceivable of me*tamorphofes, become laborious huibandmen, and peaceful and happy fubjects. In fad,murder or robbery are things unheard of in the colony, where in thefe refpects the moftperfedt fafety reigns. Happy effedt of the laws, equally rigid and beneficent, by whichit is governed, and to which we {hall have occafion to revert in another portion of thework.

The more at our eafe to enjoy this interefting fcene, M. Bellefin and myfelf fre-quently entered their rural abodes. Every where we met with the moft obliging wel-come ; and as we noticed the tender care of the mothers for their children, and con-fidered that, but a few years before thefe fame women, void of every tender and deli-cate feeling, were nothing but abandoned proftitutes, this unufual revolution in theirmoral conduct gave origin to refledfions of the moft gentle and philanthropic nature.

At length we came within fight of Paramatta, fituated in the middle of a pleafantplain, on a cognominal river which admits the navigation of boats thus high. Thistown, of lefs extent than Sydney Town , confifts of 180 houfes, which form a verylarge ftreet parallel with the river, and cut at right angles by an inferior one, ter-minated at one end by a ftone bridge and at the other by the church. This laft edifice,the ftrudture of which is mean and heavy , n was not yet completed when we vifited thetown ; and theprogrefs towards its completion is flow, as the governors of the colony,with reafon, confider other necefiary works of greater importance ; hofpitals, for ex-ample, prifons, work-houfes, clearing of land, the fifhery, {hip-building, &c. onwhich in preference the convidts and the funds of the colony are chiefly employed.

At one of the extremities of the great ftreet of Paramatta are barracks, capable ofreceiving from 250 to 300 infantry ; they are built of brick in fhape of a horfe-fhoe,and embrace a large fpace, kept in excellent order and well covered with fand, wherethe troops parade. The force at this time at Paramatta confifted of 120 men of theregiment of New South Wales , under the command of Captain Piper.

The entire population of Paramatta, comprehending the garrifon and inhabitants, ofthe neighbouring farms, almoft the whole of whom are addidted to agriculture, tendingcattle, and a few mechanical employments, may be computed at from 1400 to 1500 *•

* In 1796 the population of Paramatta was 977 ; and at that time the town had not been foundedabove eight years.

Here