Page:Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies.djvu/201

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1833.]
VAN DIEMENS LAND.
159

money lasted. This was not long; and as he soon incapacitated himself by intemperance, he lost his situation. When his money was gone, his friends were gone also; and some that he had helped, were unwilling to help him in return, and he was at his wit's end to know what to do. Many young men who come out with fair prospects, ruin themselves in this way, and then find fault with the Colony. Without persons have capital, and conduct to take care of it, they should not emigrate to the Australian Colonies. If they have stability, and their capital be in their physical powers, and they have ability to employ it efficiently, in mechanical occupations, or in agricultural labour, it may be of good service.

10th mo. 25th. We ascended Mount Wellington. At the base, sandstone and limestone, form low hills; further up, compact argillaceous rock rises into higher hills, which abound in marine fossils. The height of the mountain is four thousand feet. Near the top, basalt shows itself in some places, in columnar cliffs. The trees, for two-thirds of its height, are Stringy-bark, White and Blue Gum, Peppermint, &c. A species of Eucalyptus, unknown in the lower part of the forest, is frequent at an elevation of three thousand feet. Another is found on the top of the mountain. The different species of Eucalyptus are very common, and form at least seven-eighths of the vast forests of Tasmania. In the middle region of the mountain, the climate and soil are humid. The Tasmanian Myrtle, Fagus Cunninghamii, here forms trees of moderate size; the Australian Pepper-tree, Tasmania fragrans, is frequent; the Broad-leaved Grass-tree, Richea Dracophylla, forms a striking object; it is very abundant, and on an average, from ten to fifteen feet high; it is much branched, and has broad, grassy foliage. The branches are terminated by spike-like panicles of white flowers, intermingled with broad, bracteal leaves, tinged with pink. Culcitium salicifolium, Hakea lissosperma, Telopea truncata, Corraea ferruginea, Gaultheria hispida, Prostanthera lasianthos, Friesia peduncularis, and many other shrubs, are met with in the middle region of the mountain. For a considerable part of the way up, we availed