Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

;410 AUSTRALASIA.clearing at the extremity of a conspicuous headland. At present it is a greatcapital, whicli competes with Melbourne for the first rank in the oceanic world,and which has already received from its inhabitants the title of Queen of the South.Thanks to the numerous windings of the shores, and the irregular relief of theencirclino' lands, Sydney has nothing of that insipid monotony so characteristic ofmost Australian and American cities. Instead of resembling a chess-board withsquare blocks of uniform size and structure, it is laid out with streets of varyingproportions running up hill and down valley, and interrupted by creeks, inlets, andridges, by which the irregular plan of the city is disposed in several distinctquarters. In the centre lies the old town in the form of an open hand stretchingits promontories far into the well-sheltered roadstead. Southwards run the fineavenues of Woolomoloo, while animation is added to the bright scene by the steamferries incessantly plying on the north side between the old quarters, the new townof North Shore and the watering place of Manly with its double beach, one exposedto the ocean surf, the other facing the tranquil inland sea.Every street thus presents a constantly varying prospect sweeping over thesurrounding hills, the harbour with its innumerable creeks and bays, the publicgardens and more distant woodlands. For few other capitals are more Kberallyprovided with parks and grassy swards. Moor Park, one of the tracts reserved onthe south-east side as a public pleasure-ground, has an area of no less than 600acres, while another open space in the very heart of the city commands a superbpanoramic view of the inland waters and the channels communicating with thePacific Ocean. A project has been formed to supply the city with fresh waterfrom Lake George, which lies to the south-west amid the Australian Alps ; but inyears of unusually protracted droughts this lacustrine reservoir has itself beenalmost completely dried up.As a seaport Sydney occupies a vital position as the chief centre of the lines ofsteam navigation in the Pacific, as well as of the coasting trade along the eastAustralian seaboard. Moreover, the harbour is so vast that room has also beenfound for the development of an ever-growing inland trafiic for the transport ofpassengers and the distribution of merchandise amongst the rising markets of theinterior. Forts erected on the headlands commanding the seaward approachesdefend the city and roadstead, which, however, have never yet been attacked byany enemy.Compared with Melbourne, the only other place which aspires to the first rankon the Australian Continent, Sydney has the great advantage of occupying arelatively more central position in relation to the whole group of Austral Coloniesit also lies nearer to the oceanic lauds and America, thus facing inhabited regionsand not turned, like Melbourne, towards the ice-bound Antarctic lands. Amid itsrapidly increasing material prosperity Sydney has also taken a pride in fosteringthe arts and sciences ; besides the well-endowed university of New South Wales ithas founded several museums, learned societies, and a vast well-administeredbotanic garden. A marine zoological station was lately founded by the Russiannaturalist Miklukho-Maklay on an inlet near the capital.