The Present State of Australia Author:Robert Dawson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. PRIVATE JOURNAL. SATISFACTION ON LANDING —SYDNEY AND ITS SOCIETY—GENE. RAL ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY—HANKER OF TRAVELLING— ABUNDANCE OF GAME—DELIGH... more »TFUL CLIMATE—BEAUTIES OF SCENERY—EXTREMES OF SOCIETY ADVICE TO SETTLERS— REPTILES—THE WILD DOG—INTERCOURSE WITH NATIVES CORROBERY—AUSTRALIANS AN INOFFENSIVE PEOPLE—PUNISHMENT INFLICTED BY NATIVES—THEIR MANNER OF FIGHTING—DEGRADED STATE OF THEIR FEMALES—THEIR AGILITY—THEIR FIDELITY—NATIVE HOSPITALITY—DIFFICULTIES AND ACCIDENTS—NATIVE MOURNING—BLACK CONSTABLES— PASSAGE UP THE RIVER MYALL—MEETING WITH NATIVES— EXPERT BOATMEN—A WOUNDED MAN—RETURN HOME OVERLAND—DISAPPEARANCE OF THE SUMPTER BLACK—EMBARRASSING SITUATION—SCANTY FARE—JOY AT DISCOVERING THE HILLS AT PORT STEPHENS — UNPLEASANT INTELLIGENCE- EFFECT ON NATIVES—THEIR ABSENCE — NATIVE CUSTOMS— EXAMINATION OF CONSTABLE — RETURN OF NATIVES—A MOTHER'S GRIEF—RECOVERY OF STOLEN ARTICLES. You will probably have heard, before this reaches England, that we had a favourable passage, and that our stock arrived well and in fine condition, with the loss only of eighteen sheep out of seven hundred and thirty. Our seven horses and twelve cows and bulls were landed in good order. This good fortune added much to the interest of the voyage, for though greatly favoured by the weather, no little anxiety was experienced in keeping the interior of our ark in order, to preserve the lives of our 46 RELEASE FROM SHIP-BOARD. precious cargo; you may therefore imagine that I felt in no small degree relieved when we anchored in Sydney Cove. To those who havenever been on long voyages, it is not easy to describe the feelings on first seeing the land which you are destined to inhabit, after all the tossings and rollings you have suffered for many months on the dreary and trackles...« less