Sydney in 1848 - Illustrated By Copper Plate Engravings Of The Principal Streets, Public Buildings, Churches, Chapels From Drawings By Joseph Fowles

SYDNEY 1848 - JOSEPH FOWLES

The First part came out on July 14th 1848, & was issued from his Harrington Street Address - Twenty Fortnightly parts followed, so the whole run stretched into 1849
He wrotet this book, to correct the Erroneous & Discreditable notions people in England held about Sydney - 

- The idea that it was a rough penal colony of mud huts & convicts. His stated aim was to show Sydney as it really was :-

Gaslit Streets, crowded by a thriving population, with Public Buildings & Shops that could hold their own agianst London's. He wanted the Colony to be taken seriously as a place of civilisation, not a dumping ground. 

He Dedicated the whole work to Governor Fitzroy, Praising him as a patron of the fine arts, & it was published by Subscription., so he was courting the Colony's elite as nuch as the English Public

Becase this was a city of fifty thousand with gas lamps & stone buildings. He felt England still pictured it as a convict dump, & he wanted to prove otherwise. 

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JOSEPH FOWLES 

joseph Fowles was born in Gloucestershire in 1809 & arrived in Sydney in August 1838 onbaord the Barque Fortune, with his wife Sarah, and a companion, Emily Collyer. 

He leased Figtree Farm at Hunter's Hill from Mary Reiby & tried farming before turning to art. 

He made his name as a Marine painter - Five of his seven works at the Colony's first Public Art Exhibition in 1847 were ships. He also painted race hroses, earning the nickname Our Colonial Herring, & even ran the Newmarket Training Stables at Randwick. 

Beyond art, he taught drawing at The Sydney Mechanics School Of Arts and bvecame drawing Master for the Board Of National Education - his Textbook became the standard in NSW schools. 

His Obituary called him - The Father of  draewing in the city

He died in June 1878, apparently at a friends dinner table - & was rumoured to be a seance gone wrong, though a stroke is more likely 

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SYDNEY

In 1848:

ILLUSTRATED BY COPPER-PLATE ENGRAVINGS

OF THE

PRINCIPAL STREETS, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, CHURCHES, CHAPELS, ETC.,

from Drawings by

JOSEPH FOWLES.

SYDNEY:
PRINTED BY D. WALL, 76 YORK STREET,
AND PUBLISHED BY J. FOWLES, 5 HARRINGTON STREET.

INTRODUCTION

The principal object of this Work is to remove the erroneous and discreditable notions current in England concerning this City, in common with every thing else connected with the Colony. We shall endeavour to represent Sydney as it really is--to exhibit its spacious Gas-lit Streets, crowded by an active and thriving Population--its Public Edifices, and its sumptuous Shops, which boldly claim a comparison with those of London itself: and to shew that the Colonists have not been inattentive to matters of higher import, we shall display to our Readers the beautiful and commodious Buildings raised by piety and industry for the use of Religion. It is true, all are not yet in a state of completion; but, be it remembered, that what was done gradually in England, in the course of many ceuturies, has been here effected in the comparatively short period of sixty years. Our object, in setting forth this Work, is one of no mean moment; and we trust that every Australian, whether this be his native or adopted country, will heartily bid us "God speed!"

Sydney, July 14, 1848.

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DEDICATION.

TO
HIS EXCELLENCY SIR CHARLES AUGUSTUS FITZROY, K.G.H,
Captain General and Governor-in-Chief of New South Wales
and its Dependencies, etc. etc. etc.

SIR,

When I reflect what a warm friend you have ever shewn yourself to this Colony and its Institutions,--and how generous a Patron of the Fine Arts--till Your Excellency's arrival, unnoticed and neglected; I may, without suspicion of flattery, confess myself proud in being permitted to inscribe to you this Work: the first whose sole object has been to delineate Sydney as it really is, and not as some of our friends in England evidently imagine it to be. And though I sincerely wish that its merit could be such as might fairly claim the encouragement and support with which Your Excellency has favoured me, I am not yet without hopes, that in accuracy and execution it will not suffer by a comparison with any similar work in the Mother Country; especially when the peculiar disadvantages under which we labor are taken into consideration. Nevertheless, so general is the apathy evinced at the bare mention of publishing in Australia, that I should scarcely have ventured on so perilous an experiment without the sanction of Your Excellency's name, in itself an unquestionable recommendation, enshrined as it is in the unexampled affection and respect of an intelligent people.

And that we may long continue to rejoice under the superintending care of one who participates in our hopes, and sighs over our difficulties and sorrows, is the hearty and unceasing prayer of

SIR,
Your very faithful Servant,
JOSEPH FOWLES.

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LIST OF PLATES

BUILDINGS

Government House, (Frontspiece)
St Phillps Church, Plate 10B
Australian Library, Plate 14A
St Patricks Church, Plate 18A
The Post Office, Plate 24A
St James Church, Plate 28A
Royal Victoria Theatre (interior), Plate 32A
The Free Presbyterian Church Pitt Street, Plate 36A
The Congregational Church Pitt Street, Plate 38A
The Union Bank of australia, Plate 42A
The Royal Hotel, Plate 50A
The Police office, Plate 56B
St Andrews Scots Church, Plate 58A
Wesleyan Centenary Chapel, Plate 62A
The Jews Synagogue, Plate 64A
St Mary's Cathederal, Plate 72A
Supreme Court, Plate 74A
Hyde Park Barracks, Plate 76B
Legislative and Executive Council Chambers, Plate 76B
Museum, Plate 82A
National School, Plate 86A

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STREETSCAPES

[Also see Key to the Street Plates, following this list]

Each plate is given the number of the preceding text page, plus a letter, as 10A, 40A.

There are four lines of drawings on most pages. Number each line consecutively, taking the word SYDNEY as the top of the page. These numbers are given in parentheses after the page numbers, as 40A(1).

'Left to right' or 'right to left' is the direction in which the particular line of drawing should be read to follow the course of the street. The inverted image should be used if necessary to bring the line of drawing upright.

['Letterpress' refers to the pages which have commentary on the plates.]

GEORGE STREET AND CHARLOTTE PLACE, Plate 10A

CHARLOTTE PLACE (northern side--right to left)
George Street to Church Hill, Plate 10A (4)
CHARLOTTE PLACE (southern side--left to right)
George Street to Church Hill, Plate 10A (3)
CHARLOTTE PLACE Letterpress p. 11

GEORGE STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Bridge to Hunter Street, 10A (2),
GEORGE STREET (western side--right to left)
Charlotte Place to Jamieson Street, Plate 10A (1)
GEORGE STREET Letterpress pp. 10, 12, 13, 16, 21, 23, 54, 66

GEORGE STREET AND BRIDGE STREET, Plate 12A

BRIDGE STREET (northern side--left to right)
George to Pitt Street 12A (3)
BRIDGE STREET (southern side--right to left)
George to Pitt Street 12A (4)
BRIDGE STREET Letterpress p. 13

GEORGE STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Queen's Wharf to Queen's Place 12A (2),
GEORGE STREET (western side--right to left)
Essex Street to Charlotte Place 12A (1)
GEORGE STREET Letterpress pp. 10, 12, 13, 16, 21, 23, 54, 66

LOWER GEORGE STREET, Plate 16A

GEORGE STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Queen's Wharf to Queen's Place 16A (2 and 4)
GEORGE STREET (western side--right to left)
Queen's Wharf to Essex Street 16A (1 and 3)
GEORGE STREET Letterpress pp. 10, 12, 13, 16, 21, 23, 54, 66

GEORGE STREET AND HUNTER STREET, Plate 20A

HUNTER STREET (southern side--right to left)
HUNTER STREET George to Pitt Street 20A (4)
HUNTER STREET (northern side--left to right)
HUNTER STREET George to Pitt Street 20A (3)
HUNTER STREET Letterpress pp. 21, 44

GEORGE STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Bridge to Hunter Street, Plate 20A (1)
GEORGE STREET (western side--right to left)
Jamieson Street to Barrack Wall 20A (2)
GEORGE STREET Letterpress pp. 10, 12, 13, 16, 21, 23, 54, 66

GEORGE STREET, Plate 22A

GEORGE STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Hunter to King Street 22A (4, 3, and 1)
GEORGE STREET (western side--right to left)
Barrack to King Street 22A (2)
GEORGE STREET Letterpress pp. 10, 12, 13, 16, 21, 23, 54, 66

KING STREET, Plate 26A

KING STREET (northern side--left to right)
KING STREET George to Pitt Street 26A (1)
KING STREET (northern side--left to right)
KING STREET Pitt to Castlereagh Street 26A (3)
KING STREET (southern side--right to left)
KING STREET George to Pitt Street 26A (2)
KING STREET (southern side--right to left)
KING STREET Pitt to Castlereagh Street 26A (4)
KING STREET Letterpress p. 28

PITT STREET, Plate 30A

PITT STREET (eastern side--left to right)
King to Market Street 30A (2 and 4)
PITT STREET (western side--right to left)
King to Market Street 30A (1 and 3)
PITT STREET Letterpress pp. 31, 35, 41

PITT STREET, Plate 34A

PITT STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Market to Park Street 34A (2 and 4)
PITT STREET (western side--right to left)
Market to Park Street 34A (1 and 3)
PITT STREET Letterpress pp. 31, 35, 41

PITT STREET AND HUNTER STREET, Plate 40A

HUNTER STREET (northern side--left to right)
HUNTER STREET O'Connell to Bligh Street 40A (4)
HUNTER STREET (southern side--right to left)
HUNTER STREET Pitt to Castlereagh Street 40A (3)
HUNTER STREET Letterpress pp. 21, 44

PITT STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Hunter to King Street 40A (1)
PITT STREET (western side--right to left)
Hunter to King Street 40A (2)
PITT STREET Letterpress pp. 31, 35, 41

PITT STREET, Plate 40B

PITT STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Hunter to King Street 40B (3 and 1)
PITT STREET (western side--right to left)
Hunter to King Street 40B (4 and 2)
PITT STREET Letterpress pp. 31, 35, 41

GEORGE STREET, Plate 54A

GEORGE STREET (eastern side--left to right)
King to Market Street 54A (1 and 3)
GEORGE STREET (western side--right to left)
King to Market Street 54A (2 and 4)
GEORGE STREET Letterpress pp. 10, 12, 13, 16, 21, 23, 54, 66

GEORGE STREET, Plate 56A

GEORGE STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Market to Park Street 56A (1 and 3)
GEORGE STREET (western side--right to left)
Market to Druitt Street 56A (2 and 4)
GEORGE STREET Letterpress pp. 10, 12, 13, 16, 21, 23, 54, 66

KING STREET AND YORK STREET, Plate 60A

KING STREET (northern side--left to right)
KING STREET York to George Street 60A (2)
KING STREET (southern side--right to left)
KING STREET York to George Street 60A (1)
KING STREET Letterpress p. 28

YORK STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Barrack to King Street 60A (3)
YORK STREET (western side--right to left)
Barrack to King Street 60A (4)
YORK STREET Letterpress pp. 60, 66

YORK STREET, Plate 64B

YORK STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Market to Druitt Street 64B (3 and 1)
YORK STREET (western side--right to left)
Market to Druitt Street 64B (4 and 2)
YORK STREET Letterpress pp. 60, 66

YORK STREET, Plate 66A

YORK STREET (eastern side--left to right)
King to Market Street 66A (1 and 3)
YORK STREET (western side--right to left)
King to Market Street 66A (2 and 4)
YORK STREET Letterpress pp. 60, 66

HYDE PARK AND ELIZABETH STREET, Plate 68A

ELIZABETH STREET (western side--right to left)
King to Liverpool Street 68A (4, 3, 2, and 1)
ELIZABETH STREET Letterpress p. 77.

LIVERPOOL STREET (designated 'Hyde Park')
LIVERPOOL STREET (southern side--right to left)
Elizabeth to Oxford Street 68A (1)

HYDE PARK AND LYON'S TERRACE AND BURDEKIN'S TERRACE, Plate 70A

COLLEGE STREET (designated 'Hyde Park')
COLLEGE STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Between Stanley Street and Liverpool Street 70A (2)
COLLEGE STREET Letterpress p. 70
LIVERPOOL STREET (designated 'Hyde Park')
LIVERPOOL STREET (southern side--right to left)
Elizabeth to Oxford Street 70A (1)

ELIZABETH STREET, Plate 76A

ELIZABETH STREET (western side--right to left)
Hunter to King Street 76A (3 and 1)
ELIZABETH STREET (eastern side--left to right)
Hunter to King Street 76A (4 and 2)
ELIZABETH STREET Letterpress p. 77.

MACQUARIE STREET, Plate 80A

MACQUARIE STREET (western side--right to left)
Near Bridge Street to Bent Street 80A (4)
Bent to Hunter Street 80A (3)
Hunter to King Street 80A (2 and 1)
MACQUARIE STREET Letterpress p. 79

HARRINGTON STREET AND JAMIESON STREET, Plate 84A

JAMIESON (NOW JAMISON) STREET (westerly from George Street)
JAMIESON (NOW JAMISON) STREET Northern side--right to left 84A (4)
JAMIESON (NOW JAMISON) STREET (westerly from George Street)
JAMIESON (NOW JAMISON) STREET Southern side--left to right 84A (3)

HARRINGTON STREET (northerly from Charlotte Place)
HARRINGTON STREET Eastern side 84A (2)
HARRINGTON STREETWestern side 84A (1)

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KEY TO THE STREET PLATES

Each plate is given the number of the preceding text page, plus a letter, as 10A, 40B.

There are four lines of drawings on most pages. Number each line consecutively, taking the word SYDNEY as the top of the page. These numbers are given in parentheses after the page numbers, as 40A(1).

'Left to right' or 'right to left' is the direction in which the particular line of drawing should be read to follow the course of the street. The inverted image should be used if necessary to bring the line of drawing upright.

['Letterpress' refers to the pages which have commentary on the plates.]

BRIDGE STREET

(northern side--left to right)
George to Pitt Street 12A (3)
(southern side--right to left)
George to Pitt Street 12A (4)
Letterpress p. 13

CHARLOTTE PLACE

(northern side--right to left)
George Street to Church Hill, Plate 10A (4)
(southern side--left to right)
George Street to Church Hill, Plate 10A (3)
Letterpress p. 11

COLLEGE STREET

(designated 'Hyde Park')
(eastern side--left to right)
Between Stanley Street and Liverpool Street 70A (2)
Letterpress p. 70

ELIZABETH STREET

(western side--right to left)
Hunter to King Street 76A (3 and 1)
King to Liverpool Street 68A (4, 3, 2, and 1)
(eastern side--left to right)
Hunter to King Street 76A (4 and 2)
Letterpress p. 77.

GEORGE STREET

(eastern side--left to right)
Queen's Wharf to Queen's Place 12A (2), Queen's Wharf to Queen's Place 16A (2 and 4)
Bridge to Hunter Street, 10A (2), Bridge to Hunter Street, Plate 20A (1)
Hunter to King Street 22A (4, 3, and 1)
King to Market Street 54A (1 and 3)
Market to Park Street 56A (1 and 3)
(western side--right to left)
Queen's Wharf to Essex Street 16A (1 and 3)
Essex Street to Charlotte Place 12A (1)
Charlotte Place to Jamieson Street, Plate 10A (1)
Jamieson Street to Barrack Wall 20A (2)
Barrack to King Street 22A (2)
King to Market Street 54A (2 and 4)
Market to Druitt Street 56A (2 and 4)
Letterpress pp. 10, 12, 13, 16, 21, 23, 54, 66

GROSVENOR STREET

(See Charlotte Place)

HARRINGTON STREET

(northerly from Charlotte Place)
Eastern side 84A (2)
Western side 84A (1)

HUNTER STREET

(northern side--left to right)
George to Pitt Street 20A (3)
O'Connell to Bligh Street 40A (4)
(southern side--right to left)
George to Pitt Street 20A (4)
Pitt to Castlereagh Street 40A (3)
Letterpress pp. 21, 44

HYDE PARK

(See Liverpool Street, College Street)

JAMIESON (NOW JAMISON) STREET

(westerly from George Street)
Northern side--right to left 84A (4)
Southern side--left to right 84A (3)

KING STREET

(northern side--left to right)
York to George Street 60A (2)
George to Pitt Street 26A (1)
Pitt to Castlereagh Street 26A (3)
(southern side--right to left)
York to George Street 60A (1)
George to Pitt Street 26A (2)
Pitt to Castlereagh Street 26A (4)
Letterpress p. 28

LIVERPOOL STREET

(designated 'Hyde Park')
(southern side--right to left)
Elizabeth to Oxford Street 68A (1)
Elizabeth to Oxford Street 70A (1)

MACQUARIE STREET

(western side--right to left)
Near Bridge Street to Bent Street 80A (4)
Bent to Hunter Street 80A (3)
Hunter to King Street 80A (2 and 1)
Letterpress p. 79

PITT STREET

(eastern side--left to right)
Hunter to King Street 40A (1)
Hunter to King Street 40B (3 and 1)
King to Market Street 30A (2 and 4)
Market to Park Street 34A (2 and 4)
(western side--right to left)
Hunter to King Street 40A (2)
Hunter to King Street 40B (4 and 2)
King to Market Street 30A (1 and 3)
Market to Park Street 34A (1 and 3)
Letterpress pp. 31, 35, 41

YORK STREET

(eastern side--left to right)
Barrack to King Street 60A (3)
King to Market Street 66A (1 and 3)
Market to Druitt Street 64B (3 and 1)
(western side--right to left)
Barrack to King Street 60A (4)
King to Market Street 66A (2 and 4)
Market to Druitt Street 64B (4 and 2)
Letterpress pp. 60, 66

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{page 05}

SYDNEY.

CHAPTER I.

SITUATION--EXTENT--POPULATION--AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

Sydney, the capital of New South Wales and Metropolis of Australasia, is situated on the southern shore of Port Jackson, at the distance of seven miles from the Pacific Ocean, in lat. 33° 55' S. and long. 151° 25' E. It is built at the head of the far-famed "Cove;" and, with Darling Harbour as its general boundary to the west, extends, in an unbroken succession of houses, for more than two miles in a southerly direction. As a maritime city its site is unrivalled, possessing at least three miles of water frontage, at any part of which vessels of the heaviest burden can safely approach the wharves. The stratum on which it stands is chiefly sandstone; and, as it enjoys a considerable elevation, it is remarkably healthy and dry. The principal thoroughfares run north and south, parallel to Darling Harbour, and are crossed at right angles by shorter streets. This, at first, gives the place an air of unpleasing sameness and formality, to those accustomed to the winding and romantic streets of an ancient English town; but the eye soon becomes reconciled to the change, and you cease to regret the absence of what is in so many respects undesirable.

Sydney occupies a space of more than two thousand acres; but from this must be deducted fifty-six acres, reserved for recreation and exercise, and known as Hyde Park or the Race Course. By the Census taken in 1846, the number of houses in the city was seven thousand one hundred; there are now, at least, two hundred more. But, independently of the city itself, the suburbs have, during the last few years, steadily increased {page 6} in size and importance. To the eastward is Wooloomooloo; to the southeast, Paddington and Surry Hills; to the south, Redfern and Chippendale; to the south-west, Camperdown, Newtown, and the Glebe; to the west (across Darling Harbour), Balmain; and, to the north, the township of St. Leonard's. All these, except the two last, are more or less connected by streets with the parent city; and, in 1846, contained one thousand seven hundred and fifteen houses: they now probably number two thousand.

Sydney is divided into four Parishes--St. Philip's, St. James', St. Andrew's, and St. Lawrence's; and was, in 1842, incorporated by Act of, Council, and municipally divided into six Wards: viz. Gipps Ward, Bourke Ward, Brisbane Ward, Macquarie Ward, Cook Ward, and Phillip Ward. Each of these divisions is represented by four Councilmen and an Alderman, of whom one retires annually by rotation. The Mayor is chosen from their own number, by the Aldermen and Council.

The Population of the city, in 1846, was 38,358; and, adding the average annual increase, taken from the five years previous to that year, must now be 41,712. The suburbs also, in 1846, returned as 6832, from their very rapid extension may be safely stated at 7500--making a total of 49,212.

The Public Institutions are numerous and flourishing; but as we purpose to describe them at length, as opportunity offers in the course of this Work, we shall content ourselves with briefly enumerating them in the present chapter. There are four Banks of Issue--the Bank of New South Wales, and the Commercial Bank, both Colonial; and the Union Bank of Australia, and the Bank of Australasia, Anglo-Australian. Besides these, there are--the Savings' Bank, the Royal Bank of Australia, the British Colonial Bank and Trust Company, the Scottish Australian Investment Company, the Bank of Australia, and the Loan Company. We have also an Australian Gas Light Company, an Australian Sugar Company, a Sydney Fire Insurance Company, and a Sydney Marine Insurance Company. {page 7} The Literary and Scientific Institutions are--the Australian Subscription Library, the Mechanics' School of Arts, the Australian Museum, the Society for the Promotion of the Fine Arts, and the Floral and Horticultural Society. In connexion with the last-named Institution, it may not be irrelavent to allude to the Botanical Gardens, which are subject to the management of the Government, and are kept up at the public expense. Besides these, there are numerous Lodges of Free Masons and Odd Fellows, and several Religious, Social, and Benefit Societies.

Education, though not regarded with all the attention it demands, is nevertheless not wholly neglected; for we have, in Sydney, a very fair proportion of well frequented Academies, although the majority are of a private nature. Those considered as public, are--the Sydney and Australian Colleges (each a School under the control of a Committee), the Anglican College at Lyndhurst, the St. James' Grammar School, the Archiepiscopal Seminary at St. Mary's, and the Normal Institution. Of Schools, of somewhat humbler pretensions, such are known as Parochial, we have--six Anglican, seven Presbyterian, six Roman Catholic, and one Wesleyan: all of these are assisted by Government. The Independents and Baptists have also their corresponding Schools; but, from conscientious motives, decline any assistance from the State.

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CHAPTER II.

EARLY HISTORY--GOVERNMENT HOUSE--GEORGE STREET.

It became necessary, after the rebellion of those Colonies now known as the United States, for Britain to send her convicts elsewhere; and the wide, distant, and almost totally unknown regions of Australia, were adjudged most suitable for the purpose. Accordingly, eleven ships, since {page 8} known in Colonial History as the "First Fleet," sailed for New Holland on the 15th of May, 1787, under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, and arrived in Botany Bay on the 20th day of January in the following year. Finding the spot in many respects unfit for an infant settlement, and but scantily supplied with water, Captain Phillip determined to explore the coast; and proceeded northward, with a few officers and marines, in three open boats. After passing along a rocky and barren line of shore for several miles, they entered Port Jackson, which they supposed to be of no great dimensions, it having been marked in the chart of Captain Cook as a boat harbour. Their astonishment may be easily imagined when they found its waters gradually expand, and the full proportions of that magnificent harbour (capable of containing the whole navy of Britain) burst upon their view. The site of the intended settlement was no longer a matter of doubt; and, after first landing at Manly Beach (so named on account of the behaviour of the natives), they eventually selected a spot on the banks of a small stream of fresh water, falling into a Cove on the southern side of the estuary. Having returned to Botany Bay with the news of their discovery, the whole fleet was soon anchored in this creek, which, in compliment to the Secretary of State, they named Sydney Cove. On the 26th of January (a sufficient space for the military and convicts to encamp upon having been previously cleared) they were all landed, near where the Obelisk now stands, and the National Flag was hoisted. The succeeding days were, of course, spent in active employment; and the woods, soon to be replaced by a large and flourishing city, everywhere resounded to the woodman's axe. Some were clearing the ground for cultivation, some busily erecting the tents and huts, and some engaged in landing the necessary supplies.

The Canvas House of the Governor (Captain Phillip), and the tents of the Officers, were placed on the east of the Tank Stream above-mentioned, with the flag-staff in front of them; and near them were planted the various {page 9} fruit trees procured for this purpose at Rio and the Cape. The marines, and the convicts under their charge, were on the west side of the Cove, on a spot which may now be described as between George-street and Harrington-street, south of the site of the old Gaol; and the hospital for the sick was yet another collection of huts, where the old Custom-house now stands. Such was Sydney in the first year of its existence, sixty years ago.

To detail the hardships and privations of the founders of this Colony, though a task not unworthy of an historian, is not consistent with our present intention. But neither the sterility of the soil, the intense heat, nor drenching rains, could damp the ardour of Captain Phillip and his friends, though these disadvantages temporarily protracted their success. As an instance of what they had to contend against, we may remark that, for the six months after their landing, only four of the Officers had wooden huts; and, when the rest could be provided for, was uncertain. The hard wood of the gum trees blunted the tools of the convicts; and the cabbage palm, they had first availed themselves of, was no longer plentiful.

In July, 1788, the first civil cause was tried, and the Town planned out, and, in the September following, on a census being made, the population was found to consist of 933 persons, of whom a very large proportion were males.

Building went on very slowly, partly for want of mechanics and partly for want of lime, which they could only procure by burning shells. For two years the scarcity of provisions almost amounted to an actual famine, and but for the strict discipline maintained and opportune arrivals from England, the most serious consequences might have supervened. In spite of all difficulties, however, a large brick store was at length built, and the foundation of a Government House laid with all due formality. Though rambling and irregular, the latter was not an unpleasing building, and, with various additions and improvements, served as the Viceregal residence for nearly forty years. It was commenced on the 15th of May, 1788, and {page 10} pulled down on the completion of the present splendid mansion, which is much better adapted to the purposes of its less ambitious predecessor.

Government House (with a view of which we present our readers) is an elegant stone edifice, in the style usually termed Elizabethean or Tudor Gothic. It was designed by E. Blore, Esq., of London, and erected under the careful superintendence of Mr. Lewis, the Colonial Architect. It is about 170 feet long and 40½ feet high, with a large addition at the northern end containing apartments for the domestics. The Halls and State Rooms are spacious and lofty, and of these the Ball Room alone measures 150 feet in length and 28 in width, exclusive of the orchestra. The staircase is formed of highly wrought Australian cedar, and the chimney pieces of Colonial marble. Altogether, it is one of the most imposing buildings we have; and whether viewed from the adjacent Domain, the Harbour, or the City, its tall chimnies of elaborately carved stone, white turrets and numerous windows, render it a conspicuous ornament to our metropolis.

It is interesting to contrast such a building as the above with the poor sheds which appear in Collins' Plates as the nucleus of Sydney. They were chiefly formed of rough boards nailed to a few upright posts, shabbily covered with bark; and are, now, everywhere replaced by unbroken lines of well built houses. In our first engraving of the Streets, we have given an accurate idea of both sides of George Street, from Mr. Lyons' Mart to the entrance of Jamison Street; and the same, also, of Charlotte Place. In this range of buildings, the Bank of Australasia, and the Auction Mart above-mentioned, are equally deserving of notice. The former is a plain but commodious edifice, and consists of two wings and a centre; having fifteen windows and three doorways facing the street. There are six Branch Banks in Australia in connection with this Establishment, which is under the control of a Superintendent, Manager, and Board of Directors. It was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1835, and possesses a capital of one million sterling.

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George Street and Charlotte Place, Plate 10A

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St Phillps Church, Plate 10B

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For a long time (as late as 1828) this part of George Street formed the general boundary line of a large garden, which reached back to the summit of the hill;--and on the opposite side, as far down as the Tank Stream, was the Lumber Yard, which was not sold in separate allotments until the year 1830. Charlotte Place was originally the Parade Ground, and the Guard House stood on the site of the present splendid dwelling-house of Mr. Cleeve.

CHAPTER III.

EARLY HISTORY--ST. PHILIP'S CHURCH--GEORGE STREET.

In the early days of the Colony, Divine Service was performed in the open air, soon after sun-rise, wherever a shady tree could be found. Great irregularity was the consequence, and notwithstanding the punishments by which the attendance of the prisoners was enforced, the congregations appear to have been very thin. Those who obstinately persisted in their recusancy were deprived of a portion of their rations. This state of affairs continued until 1793, when a temporary Church was erected at the back of the huts on the east side of the Cove, near to what is now the corner of Hunter and Castlereagh Streets. It was built at the expense of the Chaplain--the Rev. Mr. Johnson--of strong posts, wattles, and plaster, and was finished August 25th, 1793,--enjoying an honourable distinction as the first Christian Church in this portion of the globe. In 1798 it was burnt down--apparently by some incendiary, probably one of those who had been compelled to attend, and who thus hoped to escape the infliction for the future. Such hopes, however, were vain; for the brick store above-mentioned had just been completed, and was immediately fitted up {page 12} as a Church. This building, which appears to have been the first house in the Colony, stood a little behind the site of the present Bank of Australasia. On the completion of the Orphan School (founded October 1st, 1800), the fittings were taken thither, and that building continued to be used for the performance of Divine Service until the removal of Governor Bligh. One consequence of that event was, an entire suspension of Public Worship from January, 1808, until August, 1809.

That part of St. Philip's first built was the clock tower, which was of brick, and finished in 1797; this however having fallen in June, 1806, it was rebuilt of stone in the same year. The Church itself was commenced in 1800, but not ready for use until 1809, when the Rev. W. Cowper officiated therein for the first time. It was completed about a year afterwards, and a handsome Altar Service of silver presented to it by His Majesty King George III. Such is a brief outline of its history. As a building it is confessedly somewhat unecclesiastical, and singular; but has, nevertheless, a sort of traditional claim to our respect, from its connection with so early a period in the annals of the Colony. For nineteen months previous to the opening of St. Philip's Church for Divine Worship, (August, 1809,) there was no minister of the Church of England officiating in the Colony. Since that date, astonishing progress has been made. Sydney now holds the rank of Metropolitan City in the sixth Province of the Anglican Church; having, in connection with it as many as five suffragan bishoprics, while the number of clergymen in this diocese alone amounts at the present time to fifty. Connected with this most gratifying church extension, is a work just commenced, with such energy and zeal as to ensure a speedy attainment of the end in view. This is no other than the erection of a new and magnificent Church for the Anglicans of this Parish, of which the foundation has been laid at the back of the present edifice, on the top of the hill.

 

George Street and Bridge Street, Plate 12A

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Our second Descriptive Engraving represents the continuation of George {page 13} Street northward to Essex Lane or Gaol Hill. The four first houses in the plate, as far as Mr. Dawson's, stand upon what was originally the eastern limit of the Parade Ground before noticed; and near the corner of it was the entrance and eastern end of the Old Government Spirit Store, which extended backwards in an oblique direction towards St. Philip's Church. Of this Store nothing now remains, its site being completely occupied as in the engraving. The houses opposite, from Mr. Gaunson's--formerly the Bank of Australia--to the "Herald Office," are generally known as Underwood's Buildings; having been erected by Mr. James Underwood on his grant of land, which reached from the street in front to the water's edge. It was here that the first Colonial ship, named the King George, was built by that spirited proprietor, and launched on the 19th of April, 1805. The space intervening between the "Herald Office" and Bridge Street, had previously been enclosed as the Garden of the Female Orphan School, which stood nearly in the centre of it. This Garden also fronted that part of Bridge Street, often called the Colonnade, which appears in the lower part of the plate. Bridge Street contains, as may be observed, many respectable buildings, but, from a variety of contingent circumstances, remains as yet in an unfinished state.

There is nothing in this immediate vicinity calling for particular notice, except the Office of the Sydney Morning Herald. This newspaper, the "Times" of Australia, is conducted with much ability, but at the same time with such a careful abstinence from all political and party feeling, that it generally pleases all by displeasing none. In those articles, however, which touch upon religion, it is decidedly, though not violently, Protestant. As a commercial and daily paper, it ranks deservedly very high. It was established in the year 1831, and first came out as a daily paper in October, 1840. Its circulation is 3000; and it furnishes constant employment to nearly sixty men.

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Governmmmment House

Sydney Past & Present - The City Of Sydney - The Stories Of Its Growth - The Rocks Resumptions

- Sydney Past & Present - 

- The City Of Sydney - 

- Stories Of  Its Growth - 

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The Rocks Resumptions.

 One of the oldest & most picturesque portions of Sydney will soon be a thing of the past; & before such is the case a visit to “The Rocks” would well repay many of our citizens who, except by name, know nothing of the neighborhood, & would care to see how our ancestors, both rich & poor, builded in those far-off days. Hence it is thought the locality calls for more than the passing notice given to it in the foregoing pages. They still stand those wonderful old houses; the mansion of the merchant with massive walls, four square, staring out of shadeless windows over the little cottages perched in all manner of nooks & corners, weather worn & scarred, their sandstone steps hollowed by the feet of three generations, but, nevertheless, crouching, sturdy & grimly defiant of the modern city, scarce a stone’s throw away. Reminiscent, these old mansions, of the time when Dawes Point & its neighborhood was accounted one of the best residential quarters of the city; the cottages, higher up on the ridge, of the earliest settlement, when, as a writer remarks: “The Rocks was a term synonymous with St. Giles & Wapping in one.” In those days the place seems to have been a mixture of Sailor Town & Alsatia, studded thickly with the most nefarious dens & low pot-houses boasting such expressive names as the “Black Dog,” the “Sheer Hulk”, the “Whaler’s Arms,” the “Struggler,” “Evening Gun,” & the “Sailor’s Return”—this last one still in Cumberland-street.

Describing Gloucester-street in the early fifties, a visitor says: “It struck two as we crossed the high bare green by the windmill above St Phillip’s & walked, or rather tumbled & climbed, along Gloucester-street to our destination. At this time there could hardly be said to be a street; it was merely the space between two straggling lines of houses ranged along the side of a very rough, rocky declivity, & these were turning their backs or their sides or their faces to each other.” A description that, even at the present day, fits aptly enough more than one street on the Rocks, if the ground vacant then be filled in with hovels of a later growth; with a maze of blind allies, lanes, courts & passages, squalid backyards; children by the legion & goats by the score. But, presently, there will be no more Gloucester-street, no more Cambridge-street either. Light & air will be let into spots where they have been long strangers, & one of the finest portions of the city redeemed from insignificance & decay. Traversing the whole of the resumed area will be three main thoroughfares. New Harrington-street, 80ft wide, Princes-street 130ft in width, & New Cumberland-street 80ft wide, whilst George-street north will be broadened from its present 40ft to 100. The extra space given to Princes street is to allow for an elevated railroad connected with the North Shore extension scheme, as also for the proposed bridge over the harbor. Essex-street is to be widened to 70ft, & half way between it & Argyle-street a new one is to be formed.

All these streets will be wood-blocked; & under them it is proposed to construct tunnels to accommodate the sewers, water, gas, electric wires, etc., etc. Argyle Cut will also probably be widened; several bridges built here & there at intersecting streets in order to make the ascent easy for traffic, & practically the whole of the ridge from the Observatory downwards will be cut away to a gentle slope. At least one gathers so much from the official plan. But, of course, this will be subjected to many changes, so much so indeed, that it would take a seer to forecast with certainty the appearance of the big contract at its finish, years hence.

No mention of the resumed area would be complete without some allusion to the notable scheme propounded by the Advisory Board for the housing of the men who work along the wharves, & who reside mainly on or around “The Rocks,” in buildings five stories in height, & containing between them some five-hundred families, or, say, between three & four thousand souls. One will have frontages to Kent, Windmill, & Argyle streets. The other will be in Kent-street, somewhere at the foot of the Observatory Reserve. Each “tenement” will consist of from two to five rooms, lit by electricity, reached by lifts; & as sanitarily perfect as science can make them. In the great basement there will be a library, baths, & probably shops. The square will enclose a courtyard common to the use of all. Such, taken as a whole, is the gist of the plans put forward. Whether the Australian working-man himself will approve of the scheme has yet to be discovered. In London, tenement houses are common enough, & are thoroughly appreciated by the classes for whose benefit they were built.

Within the Rocks area are two historical churches St. Phillips & St. Andrews (the “Scot’s Church,”) besides Trinity Church, the fine Roman Catholic one of St. Patrick’s, & many large & important buildings, such as warehouses, hotels, etc., etc., that the path of improvement will most likely be conducted so as to spare. Probably, owing to the proximity of wharves along the foreshores of the resumed area, it will always be in great measure a workingman’s quarter, so far, at least, as residence is concerned, although, certainly, an ideal one, & possessed of some of the finest views in Sydney. A great commercial quarter it is sure to become, when the energetic Minister for Works has transformed the place from the mere congerie of rookeries that it now mostly consists of into one of broad streets & open spaces, whereon will presently rise piles of warehouses, offices, handsome shops, & either neat terraces of houses for the working men of the district or the tenement buildings already spoken of. The public, it is considered, owe a considerable debt of gratitude to Mr. O’Sullivan for his courage & patient persistence in promoting a scheme by which one of the finest parts of our city, hitherto hidden in squalid seclusion, will be thrown open & utilised for the lasting benefit of the community at large, & the commercial prosperity of Sydney in particular. Like all men, the Minister is liable at times to err; but in this particular instance he has made no mistake, & his wide grasp of affairs, his uncompromising energy & determination, together with the no small amount of business ability & enterprise he has brought to bear upon this resumption scheme, should ensure the success of an undertaking which, perhaps, in a greater measure than any other he has put his hand to, must appeal not only to the general public of the present but to posterity.

FINISH

 

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THE END

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Sydney Past & Present - The City Of Sydney - The Stories Of Its Growth - Chapter 16 - The Sixties & Seventies - Conclusion

- Sydney Past & Present - 

- The City Of Sydney - 

- The Stories Of Its Growth  -  

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Chapter XVI.
The Sixties And Seventies—(Conclusion).

In the early sixties occurred the largest and most disastrous fire that had ever taken place in Sydney, and which resulted in the total destruction of St. Mary’s Cathedral. Says a newspaper of the day: “The intelligence of this deplorable catastrophe will cause a thrill of sorrow in the hearts of the Roman Catholic population throughout the country, and must excite feelings of the deepest regret in the minds of the community in general The cost of the building, it is thought, could not be less than £50,000; but from its hallowed associations and sacred memories it was of priceless value to thousands of Worshippers of the Roman Catholic communion.”

Besides the building itself, there appears to have been an immense amount of valuable property destroyed, not only in the shape of paintings in the church—one picture representing the death of St. Benedict was alone valued at £1000—but in the beautiful furniture of the Archbishop’s and other residences belonging to the high dignitaries of the cathedral. “Myriads of sparks ascended high into the air, and fell in showers in the direction of Woolloomooloo Bay, whither, for a considerable distances they were driven by the wind. From the top of the cathedral cloud, of yellow flame and smoke issued, which shed a lurid lustre on all around; and, at times, so bright was the glare, that the minutest objects in the remotest parts of Hyde Park, could be seen almost as distinctly as by daylight.”

As showing the magnitude of the illumination, it may be mentioned that Captain Hesselton, now residing in Balmain, but then in command of the steamer You Yangs, saw the reflection of the fire when off Port Hacking, and is of opinion that the glare must have been visible over twenty miles out at sea. A noteworthy incident of the fire was the fortunate escape from a horrible death of an old man named Anthony Brady. Brady was, it is said, 108 years of age, and stone blind. He slept under the sacristy, but was rescued just in time to save him perishing in the flames.

That the Roman Catholics were, if dismayed, still not disheartened by their losses can be shown in no better way than by the noble pile that now stands on the site of the destroyed church, of which Father Therry laid the foundation-stone in 1829.

Three years after the destruction of the Roman Catholic place of worship, the slow-moving church of England gathered in thousands to witness the consecration of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, of which, as far back as 1819, Governor Macquarie had laid the foundation-stone. But, and it is important that this should be remembered when the story of our city comes to be written more in detail, during the long time the project remained in abeyance, a change of site was for some reason or other decided upon, which, many years afterwards, necessitated a relaying of the stone.This ceremony fell to Sir Richard Bourke on May 6, 1837, on which date the old foundation stone was removed and placed in its present position. But, even then, not until January, 1856, was the grant from the Crown finally procured. Nor, stranger still, did the church authorities take it up until 1865. The structure seems to have made a little progress after the re-inception of the undertaking in 1837. But for years the building remained a mere unsightly shell, unroofed and devoid of any architectural beauty. But, at last, after all these tedious years, the end came, and assisted by a large body of bishops and clergy, the Metropolitan (the Right Rev. Dr. Frederick Barker), opened the building for the performance of Divine service. This was in December 1868, and it seems to have been a very solemn and impressive ceremony indeed, although, even then, the building was not nearly completed. But, as at the “sumptuous luncheon” which took place afterwards at the Masonic Hall, and which was attended by all the most eminent, both of the laity and the clergy in these colonies, the Earl of Belmore said: “It was now an edifice of noble proportions, and it had progressed at least so far as to be available for the worship of God. A great deal remains to be done to finish the exterior, but he had no doubt that ere another generation passed away the topmost stone would be laid.” A hope that we have seen happily fulfilled.

In these later sixties, and in the beginning of the seventies, we had the Duke of Edinburgh with us, and we made much use of him in laying foundation stones and opening public buildings before the unfortunate occurrence at Clontarf. Among other ceremonies of the kind in which H.R.H. took a prominent part was that of the inauguration of the long-deferred statue to Captain Cook. The papers of the day were, of course, full of the ceremony, which seems to have been attended by all in Sydney. In the cavity of the stone was placed a bottle containing copies of the “Sydney Morning Herald” and “Empire,” together with the cards of the officers of the Australian Patriotic Association. With these, was also a facsimile of Captain Cook’s handwriting, being a lithographed transcription of his log, containing the great navigator’s observations on the transit of Venus in 1769.

Referring to the occasion, a newspaper of the same date as the ceremony says:

“It is a curious fact that, although the landing place of Captain Cook in Botany Bay is not more than six or seven miles from Sydney, but very few persons have ever visited that secluded spot, or have even a definite idea where it is. This probably arises from the fact that it lies on the southern shores of Botany Bay; at the head of which great inlet from the ocean are two large rivers, terminating in a wild and almost impassable country.”

And, as we are aware, up till within a year or two, what was thus written over thirty years ago might have still stood good. But most people now know all about Kurnell, and the dedication of a public park there to the memory of the discoverer—even if they seldom visit it.

In these sixties and seventies, Sydney was progressing at such a rate that to keep in touch with a tithe of the buildings of importance, both public and private, that sprung up almost as if by magic, would reduce this chapter to a mere record of architectural dates and details; moreover, most of these improvements are well within the memory of thousands of citizens still among us. Nor did the social characteristics of our city apparently differ much from those of the present. It is most edifying and instructive, for instance, to note the fashion in which the story of our city Council was reproduced in one essential particular three generations ago. And the following description might have been written to-day. Indeed, during the existence of the Citizens’ Vigilance Committee, at the time of the plague, such reports were common enough:

“A butcher’s shop was visited in William-street last week by the Inspector of Nuisances and the Acting-Health Officer conjointly. The time was half an hour past noon, The back premises were found in a filthy condition. The dung-heap contained a quantity of hair, etc., and was alive with maggots. There were also a quantity of bones and meat in a state of putrefaction in the shed. The shed itself was filthy, and the premises generally dirty. The duty of the two officers was obviously to proceed, according to the law, against a person, who, by his uncleanliness, was perilling the lives of his fellow-citizens; and it was the duty of all aldermen, whose servants in the interests of the public these officers were, to support them in the execution of their duty.”

But, then, no more than nowadays, were things managed in that style. The butcher cleaned his premises, knowing that an information was sworn against him. Then, quite according to our best modern traditions, he got two aldermen to inspect his premises, and one of them to write to the magistrates at the Water Police Court, saying that he had found the place perfectly clean, while the other alderman attended at the court to depose to the same fact. And the testimony of the aldermen carried the day against the public officials. Mr. Dansey was the Health Officer of the period, and the newspaper calls upon him to do his duty in such instances without fear of aldermen who may prefer to “patronise stinks.” Of what effect the remonstrance was, so far as that particular City Council was concerned, as well as its immediate successors, may be judged from the plague revelations of 1900, and the accumulated masses of filth to which it was principally due.

In 1788, there were landed in Sydney some 200 marines; in 1790 the first detachment of soldiers arrived; and in 1870, Sydney saw the permanent departure of British soldiers from Australian territory. Although the crowd that witnessed their embarkation on the Silver Eagle was a large one, it watched the proceedings in silence, and with an entire absence of enthusiasm. The troops comprised only two companies of the 18th Line Regiment, and about 70 rank and file of the Royal Artillery, who had been hitherto stationed at Dawes Point. They boarded the Silver Eagle at Circular Quay, to the music of the band of the Naval Brigade, stationed in the Ordnance Yard. But though the crowd had increased to vast dimensions there was not the slightest demonstration. Perhaps the people felt that in some way the departure of these soldiers of the Queen typified an approaching severance from the mother country. And yet, of those silent, and perhaps doubtful, spectators, the majority must have lived to see native-born Australians in their thousands embarking to fight oversea for that same Queen.

In these days—the early seventies—our present post office had been begun; and the Town Hall, of which Prince Alfred had laid the foundation-stone, was in course of erection; Circular Quay was a quay in reality, although not, of course, equalling its present condition, susceptible of much bettering as that is. Endless improvements were going on everywhere. Prince Alfred and Belmore Parks had been formed, and were being beautified. Moore Park was under process of reclamation. Hyde Park, so long known to us as the Racecourse, bare and uninviting, now possessed an avenue of well-grown trees half a mile long, and was dotted with plantations; the Domain had been landscape-gardened out of all knowledge. We had newspapers by the dozen, churches by the hundred, banks and other financial institutions by the score; and over 100,000 inhabitants.

Besides constant steam communication with England and the sister colonies, Sydney steamers traded regularly to California, New Caledonia, and the Fijis; whilst “sailers ” hailing out of the port dotted every sea from the North Pacific to the Indian Ocean.

At Miller’s point there was a yard capable of turning, out ships of 500 tons burden; and many steamers, both screw and paddle, Gunboats, and dredges, had been built there. The native timber used was, for beams, the iron-bark, blackbutt, and the flooded, blue, red, and spotted gums; and for fittings, the tea-tree, iron-bark, blackbutt, and bungally. And as showing the wonderful excellence of some of these colonial timbers, may be instanced the case of the Fanny Fisher, built on the Manning River in 1847, and by turns whaler, passenger-packet and mail-carrier; and now, after her fifty-three years of service, still afloat as a collier, and in better preservation than many a comparatively new boat. She should be preserved intact when her time comes, and the surveyors shake their heads over her, as a specimen not only of what Australian hardwood is capable of, but as the oldest Australian-built vessel.

As to education in these years, it flourished mightily, and spread all over the colony, in the shape of 807 schools and 600,000 pupils with 1093 teachers—an eloquent commentary on the success of the public school system controlled by the Council of Education. Writing of the Sydney University, a visitor said:

“The glory of Sydney, in the way of education, is its University, and certainly a great deal of spirit has been shown by the colony in the creation of the institution and in the erection of the building. As regards the building, I think no one will dispute the assertion when I say that the college hall—or public room, for it is put to none of the comfortable festive uses for which college halls have been built at our universities—is the finest chamber in the colonies. If I were to say that no college either at Oxford or Cambridge possesses so fine a one, I might possibly be contradicted.”

In these days, however, from a financial point of view, the University was not a success. The people seemed satisfied with a primary education for their children, and did not yearn after a university one. Thus, in 1870, the total cost of the establishment, consisting chiefly of professional salaries, was £5938, of which £5000 was paid out of the taxes of the colony. There were 41 scholars, paying a little over £22 per annum each. As for the resident pupils at the affiliated colleges, there was one, and only one, at St. John’s, and but two or three at St. Paul’s. With as yet a very sparse population, we went in for such a scholastic luxury rather too soon. All young communities are apt to do the same, although not necessarily in the shape of a University. To quote Anthony Trollope: “There is no institution in the colonies which excites and deserves the sympathies of an English traveller more completely than does the Sydney University”—this, of course, applying to the time in which he wrote.

But of all our educational establishments, the celebrated novelist appears to have been most impressed with the Fort-street school, where for his edification some of the pupils were “put through their facings”—

“And certainly one little girl whom I questioned myself must have understood what she was saying (Anthony had just been astounded by a small boy’s feat in mental arithmetic, and jokingly professes a doubt as to whether there might not be collusion with the teacher). A passage in Shakespeare had been read, in which the word ‘strategy’ is used in its secondary, and not in its technical, sense. I asked the meaning of the word, and the little girl said that strategy was the art of military manoeuvering. She was a very nice little girl, and I hope she may live to be the wife of the first Commander-in-Chief of the forces of New South Wales.” In which case, by the way, the “nice little girl” would have had to marry the Right Hon. Sir Augustus William Frederick Spencer Loftus, PC:, G.C.B., who was the first to assume the title. Let us hope, that Trollope’s little girl is still flourishing and happy, although probably in a less exalted position. But to return: “The girls,” says he, “in some of these public schools are more wonderful even than the boys. They read better, and seem to have a clearer perception of things in general. I remember at such an exhibition in New York, hearing a roomful of girls questioned by the mistress. She asked why the Romans ran away with the Sabine matrons. One girl suggested that it was because the Sabine matrons were pretty; but she was soon taken down by a clearer-headed maiden, who told us that it was done for the sake of the population. The young girls at Sydney were perhaps not quite so far advanced as this; but, nevertheless, their condition amazed me. Putting aside all joking, I profess that the excellence of the teaching in the Fort-street school, at Sydney, was very high.”

Could our good-natured visitor leave his appointed place and return to us once more, and inspect the old school, he would probably be more astonished than ever at the advance that has been made there, both  in the number of pupils, and in the quality of the teaching, during his absence.

It will be of interest to see what we could do in these years towards raising money for Imperial charitable purposes. There was then a “Patriotic Fund for the Relief of Widows and Orphans of soldiers and Sailors who fell in the Crimean War.” To that fund New South Wales gave £64,916 6s 6d; Tasmania, £28,375 5s 7d; Victoria, £47,711 10s 3d; and South Australia, £6297. But while the whole of our contributions was voluntary, £40,000 of the Victorian amount was voted by the Legislature.

In the Indian Mutiny Fund, Victoria comes first, with a level £25,000; New South Wales, £5821; and South Australia, £2803. Then comes the Cotton Famine Fund, with New South Wales to the front again with £21,311; Victoria, £5000; and West Australia, £603 11s 5d. In addition “Australia” is credited with a lump sum of £15,739 12s 1d, which amount was forwarded to the Lord Mayor’s Relief Fund.

 It will thus be seen that this colony, to the extent of £92,048, had, up to the last months of 1870, responded with splendid liberality to all appeals for help from Great Britain—and has been doing so, at intervals, ever since then. Still, alongside the Cotton Famine figures just quoted, those of the late Indian Famine Fund look poor enough. We have now, however, more calls on our purse. It is doubtful whether to-day, backed even by the aegis of a Royal Prince, we could, in a very short time, gather £28,000, as was done to commemorate the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh by building a new hospital.

Trollope came to us in the early seventies, and fell desperately in love with the city, its people, and its surroundings. Unlike some of the latter day “trotters,” who have said nice things whilst partaking of our too-ready hospitality, and then gone away and mercilessly abused us. Anthony, although at times he poked a little mild fun at certain of our peculiarities, was, on the whole, very fair and impartial in his comments upon what he saw. In the light of recent events, one in particular of his utterances sounds curiously prophetic. He had been viewing the defences of the harbor, and was impressed, not only with the different batteries, but with the evident readiness of their defenders to use them in case of need:—

“I hope,” says he, “that New South Wales may never have to fight for England, and certainly that she may not have to fight America. But the feeling of loyalty in the colony is so strong that were there a fight on hand, she would be unhappy not to be allowed to take some share in it.”

A remarkable saying, when we consider it as made so many years before the spirit of Imperialism had been fostered and worked up to its present high pitch; when the sentiment was even discouraged by the British powers that were. It is a pity that Trollope did not live to see how completely his forecast had been justified by the sight of not only New South Wales, but Australasia, raising and equipping an army of 20,000 men to fight for the Empire oversea. Moreover, he appears to have visited us with the hope of being pleased, and not with the hope of cavilling at and picking holes in us and our institutions. Speaking about the city buildings, he mentions the Hospital and St. James’s Church: “The hospital, I was assured, is quite antiquated. It seemed to be airy, easy, and as pleasant as is compatible with the nature of such an institution. St. James’s Church is pewed all round with high, dark panels, and is as much like an English comfortless church of the last century as though it stood in an English town in an eastern county. I went there once, and found it impossible to hear a word from the gentleman who read the lessons, or from him who preached. But it is a fashionable church, and is supposed to be that at which the Governor and his family should say their prayers.”

Well, if our visitor could return, he would find something worthier of the name in place of the old hospital; and though the church still stands externally much as it did what time it dominated the Sydney landscape, internally the old things have given way to much that is new.

One more remark of Trollope’s must be quoted, because, although uttered so many years ago, it stands as good to-day as it did then. Speaking of the Legislative Assembly, he compares it to a pudding. Says he: “In the house of Assembly, at Sydney, there was a sufficiency of farinaceous matter to prevent the plums from clogging the appetite and hurting the digestion.”

In drawing this series of articles to a close at this particular epoch in the history of the city, it may be thought necessary to explain that such a fact is not due to want of material respecting the newer Sydney; but because old Sydney and its story having been fairly well exploited, that of the more recent capital would be lacking in interest for the general reader. Besides, during the last couple of decades or so, there is nothing doubtful, nothing that cannot be verified by a few minutes’ search, whether as to the acts of an individual, the age and position of a building, or the site of a celebration. On the other hand, some of the best authorities differ widely regarding the happenings of those old dark days of storm and stress, through which the infant settlement passed, only to emerge triumphant—the great capital city that we see it to-day. And if in this little book any new light, no matter how small, has been let in on the doings of those far off times, if any disputed point, no matter how apparently trivial, has been advanced towards assurance, then it will not have been written in vain.

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