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SYDNEY NEWS
OBSERVATIONS ON THE SCARCITY OF
CEDAR IN NEW SOUTH WALES.
(From the S. M. Herald)
We publish in extenso the paper read by Mr. Edwin Hickey at the last meeting of the Australian Society. The matter on which it treats is of considerable im- portance, and we should be glad of further information upon it. It is clear that Mr. Moore had no ground for the rash assertion which he made at the previous meeting.)
A question arose at the last meeting of the Australian Society as to the small quantity of cedar remaining within reach of the settled districts, and it was suggested by one of the members that it might be expedient to cultivate this tree in order to keep pace with its gradual annihilation, in its natural state, by our increas- ing consumption of it.
The question as to its scarcity was put to Sir Thomas Mitchell, after the reading of his very able paper on the resources of the county of Cumberland, and was answered by the Colonial Botanist (Mr. Moore), who indeed anticipated Sir Thomas Mitchell's answer, and asserted that he had examined every part of the country be- tween Illawarra and the River Manning, and felt quite convinced that not a tree of any size was
to be found either on the alluvium of the rivers or in the ravines of the mountains.
It is convenient that we should at present pass by the question of expediency of propa- gating the cedar by cultivation, both because no scarcity has yet shown itself in the market, and because the rearing of cedar as a timber will be attended with greater expense and labour than the circumstances of this country can now
afford.
It may, however, be conceded that to put off the artificial production of this wood until the natural supplies shall have been exhausted would be an unpardonable delay; but I feel prepared to assert that for the next hundred years this country will not be deficient in cedar from its natural productions.
I was fully prepared, when this subject was opened at our last meeting, to show the inac- curacy of Mr. Moore's statement; but I then conceived the subject to be of sufficient im- portance to merit further inquiry, and to have the result of that inquiry placed among the transactions of this society.
With this view I have committed to paper
these few observations on cedar.
This timber, which may be said to be the common wood of this country for the ordinary purposes of furniture and building, has hitherto
been obtained from the brushes on the banks of rivers.
Among the few excursions, however, which I have made in the parts of this country where the cedar has abounded, I have been led to the conclusion that the cedar is a native of the mountain ravine, and not of the alluvium of the river; that originally it has been produced in the ravines of the mountains, in which it has found a bed of the richest deposit from the de- composed upper surfaces of the ranges; that the annual seeds washed down from these ra-
vines to the valleys have re-produced in the alluvium of the rivers, and being equally well sheltered in the lower situation by the accumu- lation of dense brushes as it was in its more elevated situation in the mountain ravine, it has generally been considered to be indigenous to the brushes of the rivers.
By those who are practically acquainted with the character and quality of both the cedar of
the mountain and that of the alluvium of the
river, the preference is given to the former, both on account of its closeness of grain and for its durability. While, however, any cedar can be obtained from the banks of our rivers, it is not probable that any of that which is be much less accessible will be brought forward for consump- tion, and as far as one can judge from informa tion within our reach, the time is very far distant when we shall be compelled to have recourse-to the mountain cedar for domestic use
or for exportation, but when we do there can be
no doubt of the inexhaustible nature of that
supply. In corroboration of the opinion I have
offered of the extent of cedar within our reach, even so near as the upper part of the William River, I will take the liberty of inserting here an extract from a letter from C. L. Brown, Esq., of Cairnmore, in that neighbourhood, with whom among others I have been in communication on the subject :
Cairnmore, 17th July, 1850.
My Dear Sir-I have to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 7th instant, and in reply beg to say that I perfectly recollect the conversation you allude to re- specting the cedar ranges of the Upper William and Chicester Rivers. You will also remember my showing you one of the largest cedar trees growing in my heifer paddock that I ever saw, even in this district of cedar trees. It still stands untouched as you saw it that day. I believe I could find on my farm 50,000 feet of sound marketable timber, equal "to any cedar ever sent to
market. As to the flats on the banks of the River Wil liam, I believe it is nearly all cut that is easy of access; but the mountain ranges, I am credibly informed, are inexhaustible. That talented surveyor, Mr. J. B. White, who surveyed those mountain ranges at the request of the Surveyor General, told me that cedar was the prin- cipal timber on these ranges; and from what I have seen of them in collecting my stray cattle on some of these ranges, above Mr. Forster's farm, on the east bank of the William River, I must add that Mr. White's remarks to the appear to be fully borne out. The reason why these fine forests of cedar are still growing is, that they are at present inaccessible to the cedar trade, from their great distance from water car- riage, and consequent expense in conveying to market. But it is not difficult to sec that all obstacles of that sort will be removed as the colony advances, from rail- ways, &c, &c.
Although the more accessible parts of the flats of the William, as well as of the Hunter, and its other tributaries, may be almost ex- hausted, we have still the rivers of greater mag- nitude to the north, and after that an inex- haustible supply in the mountain ranges of these rivers. For where cedar is found on the banks of rivers, we must of necessity find it in the mountain ranges which form the sources of these rivers. The labour of obtaining it from these more elevated parts will no doubt be greater, but when the time shall arrive that we must have recourse to the mountains, we may assume that by the introduction of railways our means of internal communication will be so increased as to render the cedar of the mountain more accessible to us then than that of the allu- vium at present.
Independently of the cedar we have a wood equally valuable for most purposes of building, &c, as that is, in the pine, which abounds on the ranges of the Peel, the Namoi, of Liverpool Plains, and indeed throughout the whole country to the north-west, which we may reasonably infer will become equally available to us as the cedar now is (when the time shall arrive that
we shall require it), through our increased means ' of transport.
That Mr. Moore should have been led to a
conclusion so opposite to that which I have ventured to offer, I can only ascribe to his researches having been confined to the moun- tains and waters immediately on the coast, in which the cedar is not now to be found in any quantity. As regards the establishing of plan- tations of cedar, it may not be generally known that the red cedar will only flourish where abundant shelter is afforded. I have endea
voured to rear the cedar as an ornament to grounds on the Hunter, and I have seen vigor- ous trees left standing when the native brush about them has been cleared away, but without their natural shelter, which these brushes afford from winds and frosts, they will not live. We
have other most ornamental trees-natives of
the brushes-which invariably perish when their
shelter is removed. Hence it is that I conceive
the expense of raising the cedar by cultivation must be greater than this country can at present undertake. It is not merely the planting of the cedar; the shelter it requires must be planted also.
Church or Enolahd Missions.-On Tuesday evening last, pursuant to advertisement, a public meeting of the bishops, clergy, and laity of the Church of England, was held in the Infant School-room in Castlereagh-street, for the pur- pose of establishing an Australasian Board of
Missions. Great interest was excited in the
meeting, not only from the importance of its objects, but also from the circumstance of its being understood that the Bishops of the Aus- tralian Dioceses would take part in the proceed- ings, and long before the hour appointed for the commencement of the business ot the meet- ing every corner of the room was crowded by as respectable and attentive an audience as ever sanctioned by its presence the inauguration of a great Christian enterprise. Hundreds of per-
sons were unable to obtain admittance. The Lord Bishop of Sydney, who took the chair, in opening the proceedings, read the advertise- ment calling the meeting, as follows:-"A fiublic meeting of the bishops, clergy, and aity of the Church of England is appointed to be ¿eld in the Infant School-room, Castlereagh street, near St. James's Church, this evening, Tuesday, October 29, at half-past six o'clock, for the purpose of establishing an Australasian Board ot Missions, to be supported by voluntary contributions from the six dioceses of Sydney, New Zealand, Tasmania, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Newcastle; and having for its object the propagation of the Gospel among the heathen races m the province of Australasia, New Cale- donia, the Loyalty Islands, the New Hebrides, the Solomon Islands, New Hanover, New Britain, and the other islands in the Western Pacific." The first resolution was moved by the Bishop of Tasmania, and seconded by Mr. Charles Kemp ; the second was moved by the Bishop of Ade- laide, and seconded by Mr. Charles Cowper ; the third waa moved by the Bishop of New Zealand, and seconded by Mr. Charles Lowe ; the fourth was moved by the Bishop of Melbourne, and seconded by Mr. Metcalfe ; the fifth was moved by the Bishop of Newcastle, and seconded by Mr. Robert Campbell. The first resolution ex- pressed the feeling of the meeting of the duty and importance of establishing and encouraging missions among the heathen. The second reso- lution expressed the duty of the Church to establish such missions among the Australian
aborigines. The third resolution was as follows : I "That the foreign efforts of the Australian '
Board of Missions be first direoted to the islands
lying nearest to Australia, viz., New Cale- ' donia and the Loyalty Islands; in the hope i that, by the blessing of God, its missions I may hereafter be extended to all the heathen ' races inhabiting the islands of the Western
Pacific." The fourth resolution was as follows: "That it be agreed to constitute a general board of missions, to be called the Australian Board of Missions ; that the Governors of the Australian colonies be requested to be patrons ; that the Lord Bishop of Sydney be requested to accept the office of president ex officio; that the Bishops of the Australian dioceses be Vice Presidents; that the Bishops of Now Zealand and Newoastle be requested to act as Missionary Bishops ; that two general treasurers, one cle- rical and one lay, be appointed ; that two general secretaries, one clerical and one lay, be appointed ; that the President and Vice-Pré- sidents, with the General Treasurers and Secre- taries, form an Executive Committee for Foreign Missions ; that St. John's College, New Zealand, be provisionally recognised as a Missionary College, for the purposes of the board." The fifth resolution was as follows : " That it U
desirable for the bishop, clergy, and laity of each diocese, to constitute diocesan boards in con« nection with the Provincial Board, of which the Governor be requested to be Patron, the Bishop ëx officio President, the Archdeacons Vice Présidents; and two Diocesan Treasurers, one clerical and one lay ; and two Diocesan Secre- taries, one clerical and one lay, with a com- mittee of clerical and lay members. That the rules of every Diocesan Board be framed by the bishop, clergy, and laity of the diocese; and that for the present the secretaries and treasurers elected for the diocese of Sydney be requested to act provisionally as General
Secretaries and Treasurers." All these reso- lutions were carried unanimously. The Bishop of Sydney in his opening remarks, and the Bishops of Tasmania, Adelaide, and Melbourne, in their speeches in moving the resolutions, dwelt mainly on the past history of missionary and school efforts among the abori- gines of Australia, and all expressed their belief in the ultimate Buccess of those efforts, although the result hitherto had been confessedly more
discouraging than among many other heathen j races. The Bishop of New Zealand, in his
-speech in moving the third resolution, gave a \ very interesting sketch of the progress and
results of missionary efforts among the aborigines ' of New Zealaud, the Chatham Islands, the ¡ Samóos, the Friendly Islands, New Caledonia, \ the Feejees, and other islands, describing the j complete success that had attended these efforts j in some islands, the partial success at others,
and the general good results on the intercourse > between the savages and the white men wher- |
ever missionaries had been able to establish I
themselves ; the right reverend speaker had, it ' appeared, himself visited, in a small vessel, a ¡ number of these islands. Mr Metcalfe, in bis I remarks, called on the meeting and those inter- ested in the cause to 'subscribe a separate fund for the purpose of purchasing a small vessel, but sufficiently large for safe navi- gation, for the use of the Bishop df New Zea- land in his missionary voyages, his present vessel being only 20 tons ; about £1000 would purchase a vessel of about 70 tons for thia purpose, and one gentleman (Mr. C. Kemp) was prepared to commeuce the subscription with £100. After a brief closing address from the Bishop of Sydney, the meeting broke up. The
collection at the door amounted to £55. Abridged from the Herald, Nov. 2.
The Conference of Bishops.-The first con-
ference of the bishops of the provinoe of Aus- tralasia was closed yesterday. At eleven o'olock their lordships proceeded to St. Andrew's Church, where the service of the <ky was read by the Bishop of New Zealand ; after which the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was adminis- tered by the Bishop of Sydney to the bishops and twenty-two clergymen, and afterwards (with the assistance ot the Bishops of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Newcastle,) to about two hundred lay members of the church. When the congregation had retired, the Bishop of Sydney read to the clergymen an outline of the proceedings of the bishops during their'confer- ence ; a large portion of the proceedings were of a technical character, referring to matters of discipline, but were all recorded as " opinions," and not as binding for the present. The most .important decision which their lordships arrived st was, that there shall be summoned, with little delay, a provincial convention, and'also diocesan conventions, consisting in the former case of the bishops and delegates from the clergy and laity in eaoh of the six dioceses ; and in ¿he latter, of the bishop of each diocese, with the clergy and lay representatives. It was intimated that no time would Tie lost in furnishing the clergy with copies of the proceedings, jn order that their opinions might be obtained. The Bishop of Melbourne returns to his<diocese -by the Sham- rock this morning.; .the Bishop of Adelaide proceeds to South Australia, by .tare Thomas and Heany, on .Monday afternoon ; the Bishop .of New Zealand accompanies the Bishop of Newcastle to the Hunter, next week, and will return to Sydney before leaving the colony ; the Bishop of Tasmania will .remain -here uñtU the middle of the month-lie acoomjiaoies the Bishop of Sydney to the consecration of Cabra- matta Church dn ïhuwday..-'-JieraW, Mv. 2.
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE - Few mercantile transactions have been concluded throughout the week; and during the month of October past,
less business has been done than remembered '
in any corresponding month for several years. | 1 A very limited number of arrivals have enabled j ' importers to reduce their stocks considerably ; | i and though sensible of the limited supply of many articles, the trade refrain from purchasing. Almost the only sales reportedhave been Tobacco, which has been taken in quantity at full rates. The trade have been speculating on recent London advices, which quote Barrat's twist at 16d. per lb., and also on our own very limited supply.-Java Sugars ; those ex Titania being of a suitable description, have in some instances realized favourable rates.-Several tons Of Java Coffee are also reported closed for ; the stock is now reduced to a very few tons.-Soma sales of case Gin are also reported closed at an advance;
-Herald, Nov. 2.
Sydney Grain Market.-Wheat: Colonial, 4s. Id. to 4s. 4d.. ; several loads from Goulburn, a very fine sample, fetched the latter brice. Imported is quoted at 4a. 6d.--Other Grain : Oats, 3s. ; maize, 3s. to Ss. 3d. ; barley, 3s> Flour: Fine flour, £10 10s. per ton of ftOOO
lbs.-Herald, Nov. 2.
Sydney Vegetable Market. - Potatoes.
Colonial, 60s. ; imported, £5 per ton.-Hetald,
Nov. 2.
Sydney Stock Market.-Cattle, &c., for Slaughter.- Good cattle and sheep are still scarce, but, on'the whole, there has been a larger proportion of tolerable quality this week than was the case during last week. Sales of ¿attie have been made at as low a figure as 25s., but the following are the quotations of somer of the Principal transactions: 80 head at 408., 2ÖÖ
ead at 42s., 100 at 45s., 132 at 48s. 3*1,.and 80 at 50s. Calves at all prices, from iOa'. to 25s. Sheep-600 went at 7s. 8d., 450 at-8s., and 300 at 8s. 9d. Lambs, 6s. 6d. .to 7s. 6d. Pigs-large fat pigs, 2d. to 3d-, émail shop pigs¿ 8¿d. per lb.-Butchers' Meat: Bafef, from |d. to ljd., and mutton, Id. to l£d.', per lb. -Horses: Mr. Stewart's Bales of horses during the past month number 78 head, at the follow- ing prices :-3 at £2, 10 at £3, Í at £4, 7 at £5, 14 at £6, 5 at £7, 2 at £8, 6 at £9, 6 at £10, 2 at £11, 7 at £12, 1 at £10, 3 at £14, 2 at £15, 2 at £17, 1 at £19, 2 at £20, 1 at £28. -Herald, Nov. 2.
California.-We perceive by the late papers from the golden region thai there has been a reduction of the tax imposed upon foreign miners, which had created such general, dis- satisfaction. In place of the monthly rax. of twenty dollars, they will only be required to pay twenty dollars from the 1st of August to the 1st of December. Notices to this effect had
been posted up in all parts of the country, and elicited the liveliest satisfaction. The ae<jounta from the mines are as usual of a varied character. -People's Advocate.
A Man Drowned.-On Friday morning as Mr. William Tunks and his sons Were bailing at the Figtree, they observed something In the water which resembled a dog. One of them swam out close to it, and returning said tnat it was an animal of that kind, but Mr. Tunks himself, thinking that he saw something* like hands underneath the .water, got a boat and pushed out towards it, when he discovered that
it was a human body. It was taken into the boat and brought on shore. A card cass* con- taining cards with the name of "Mortimer^* and
4s. 3d, in cash, some tobacco, and a knife* were found upon his person. An inquest w|ll be held this day.-People's Advocate, Nov. 3>
Cutting.-A woman named Jones was on
Thursday morning given into custody foi1 cut- ting with a razor one Richard Bridges.' The two lived together as man and wife, and it is said that jealousy induced the woman to 4et in the manner she has. Bridges is in the Infir- mary, under the care of Dr. M'Ewen, and is in a very precarious condition.-Herald, No$. 2.
Sydney Railway Company -The» first meeting of the new board of directors: took place veBterday, when Mr. Charlo* Kemp was elected President of the Company.-Jferqld,
Nov. 1. .
NOMINATION OF CITY COUNCILLORS.―Yester-
day being the day appointed under the new act for the nomination of City Councillors, at noon the Mayor presided at a meeting held in the front of the town hall, to carry out the twenty- fourth clause of the act, which was read by the town clerk. No less than twenty-seven candi- dates were successively nominated, as follows: Messrs. T. S. Mort, David Jones, William Dawes, John Gilchrist, John Campbell, W. C. Botts, Richard Driver, Elias Carpenter Weekes, James Pemel, J. H. Challis, Robert Campbell (tertius), J. S. Willis, J. R. Young, Edward Knox, J, C. MᶜLaren, Joseph Simmons, senior, W. R. Pid- dington, Henry Hollinshed, Andrew Lenehan, Charles Hamilton Nichols, William Hindson, Clark Irving, R M. Robey, Samuel Peek, Doctor Tierney, Mr. John Brown, Mr. William Redman. The show of hands was declared by the Mayor to be in favour of the following candidates, Mr. John Campbell, Mr. E. C. Weekes, Mr. Richard Driver, Mr. Joseph Simmons, Mr. W. R. Pid- dington, and Dr. Tierney.―Abridged from the Herald, Nov. 2.
Cricket.-The return match between the
Australian and Kent Clubs was played on the Hyde Park cricket ground on Monday last. The Kent won the toss for choice, and sent the Australian in, who Bcored 53 runs, of which Flood made 24 from his own bat. The Kents then took their turn, and after some superior batting from Latriffe, Clarkson, and Murray, they closed with a score of 83, leaving Bill Sparkes with his bat. The Australians com- menced their second innings with a good deal of lee-way to make up, and this was materially inoreased when four of their wickets were lowered, and a score of twelve only obtained. At this period of the game, heavy odds were offered on the Kents. Lewis then took the bat, and scored twenty-four, bat despite his success, the Australian eleven could only make a second innings total of 71, and a grand total of 124 thus waving the Kents an easy victory with 42 notches. Clarkson and Latriffe then took their places at the wickets, when the former was bowled out by Pickering without obtaining a run. This crack player's defeat put fresh vigour into the Australians, and they fought the uphill game so well that they lowered the wieketg of five of their opponents with only -fourteen runs. The Australians pursued then success, and prevented their antagonists from scoring more than twenty-eight, to the infinite surprise of players and spectators. The, Aus- tralians thus "won the match (and literallyout of the'fire) by thirteen runs. It 'is a'singular fact that by that identical number were the Kent victors in the first match. The time of playing the deciding match is not yet .fixed. Bell's Life, Nov. 2.