But another, combining beauty of growth with fragrant flowers, must not be omitted: it is the “white cedar” of the colony, and is indigenous to this country, as well as most parts of India: it is the Melia azedarach of botanists. The tree is deciduous, and was now covered by pendulous clusters of lilac-coloured blossoms, adding to the beauty and fragrance of the gardens, its lilac blossoms being elegantly contrasted by the dark green glossy foliage: the fragrance of the flowers so closely resembles those produced by the tree known in England as the “lilac,” that the same appellation is given to it in this colony. In the evenings, and night more especially, this tree may be known to exist in the vicinity by the powerful fragrance it emits for some distance.[73] The sweetbriar and quince is often used about the farms as hedges for gardens, &c., and the appearance they give is extremely neat; the fragrance of the former is very agreeable. The Cape and English mulberry trees thrive well in the colony; the former is said to bear fruit two or three times annually, the latter only once.
In my way to Sydney, I availed myself of the kindness of Dr. Hill, the colonial surgeon, to visit the government hospital at Liverpool; it is the finest in the colony, but in my opinion of too large and expensive construction for the purpose required. The wards were spacious, well ventilated, and in excellent order, such indeed as might be creditable to any of our metropolitan hospitals. The patients receive every attention and comfort that their situation may require.[74] There are sometimes one hundred and fifty in the hospital, but the wards are capable of containing more. When it is considered that patients come to this hospital from a distance of two hundred miles, (that is, from the Murrumbidgee country, and even beyond,) including a large extent of district, a large building may have been thought requisite; but the more convenient and less expensive method would have been, to have built two hospitals of moderate size, one at Goulburn Plains, and the other at Liverpool; for it was a sad mistake to compel an invalid to travel a distance of two hundred miles for medical assistance; and affords a facility for many to feign sickness, that they might have a journey down the country to see their friends, causing much inconvenience to the settler, who has no other means of ascertaining the man’s complaint, but by taking him to this distant hospital.
The scheming of the assigned servants is very annoying to the settler: the men often feign sickness, to be revenged upon their masters: several instances of this kind I have seen at a distance of one hundred and eighty-six, and two hundred miles from Liverpool. When requested, during my visit to the interior, to see these men, some were ill, but unable to undergo the fatigue of travelling so far to the hospital; others suddenly got well, and went to their work, when medical assistance was so near them: one boasted, that by methods known to himself he could produce appearances of disease so as to deceive any medical practitioner; he had but just returned from the Liverpool hospital, and was always ill, his master informed me, during the most busy times. The establishment of an hospital at Goulburn Plains would obviate most of this just cause of complaint made by the settler.[75]
There is a lunatic asylum at Liverpool, which I also inspected: there were several patients of both sexes within its walls. The establishment was small, and the building did not appear to have been originally constructed for the purpose for which it was used.
CHAPTER XI.
Second Journey into the interior commenced—Land of roses—The grape vine—Foreign grain—Missionary rewards—Bargo brush—Small species of Lobster—Another species—Snakes—Leeches—Mr. Button’s farm—Proceed on the journey to Gudarigby—Native plants—Magnificent mountain view—Our repast—The laughing jackass—A spacious cavern—Its interior—Black swans and other birds.
On the 8th of November I left Sydney for Yas Plains on a second visit to that interesting part of the colony; again passed over the “Razor-back Mountain,” upon which road gangs were busily employed in finishing that line of road,—and arrived in the afternoon at “Abbotsford,” a very pretty farm belonging to Mr. Harper, near “Stonequarry Creek:” it was in excellent order; a large quantity of land was cultivated with grain, having every prospect of a productive harvest, the whole being in full ear, and verging towards maturity. The neat garden in front of the dwelling-house bloomed with a profusion of roses; and at this season of the year so abundant is this elegant and fragrant flower in the colony, that we may term it a “Land of Roses,” as well as a “land of promise;” pinks, stocks, and other European flowers, gave an additional beauty to the scene.
Some portions of land were laid out as vineyards; much attention being now paid to the cultivation of the vine in the colony. In the garden a number of gooseberry bushes had been planted, which were in flourishing condition, and loaded with fruit: it was considered rare to see them so productive near Sydney, although they thrive and bear abundance of fruit in the Argyle and Bathurst districts; but here it was only one part of the garden that was favourable to their growth, being that where the influence of the sun was not too powerful during the hot summers: care has also been taken to shelter the bushes, by small sheets of bark placed upon sticks at some elevation over them, giving a protection above, but at the same time not covering them so much as to cause any deprivation of the vivifying influence of light or moderate solar heat.