NEW SOUTH WALES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 619, 13 October 1858, Page 4

NEW SOUTH WALES.

THE NAVIGATION OF THE MCRRTJMBIDGEE BIVEE. ] (From S. M. Herald.) August 28.—The great advantage a country ■may derive from the navigation of the rivers in interior has long been universally acknowledged; and in America, as well as in the Old World, we see "the value of land and of produce increased, the people living in more comfort, and the conveniences for moving from place to place *;much facilitated by the steam navigation of the Tivers. In the former country, the rivers are so large, and the flow of water so constant, that but few obstructions are found in the water-way. In Europe, however, there are many poor streams, where, although the channels are narrow, and sand-hanks and shoals are of frequent occurrence, yet they are constantly navigated, and the public a nil the owners of the boats are conjointly bene- ' titled. In tifis *.-lass of rivers may be placed the Shone, the Saone. the Garonne, and the Loire, which are rivers not by any means superior to the Murray and the Murrumbidgee. But a few years have elapsed since it was stated, on what was then supposed to be good authority, that the southern rivers of New South Wales could never be navigated by steamboats; they were too narrow, the bends were too sharp, the snags too numerous, and the fall of water so rapid, that it would endanger the safety of any boat that attempted to ascend. However, as the population increased, and the interior commenced to be more occupied, some persons began to think that, it might just be possible to go up the Murray for a few miles South Austrlaia took great interest in .the matter. New South Wales was of course quite apathetic, and Victoria just then had more important matters to attend to. Mr. Daniel Bunce •was one of the first persons to suggest the possibility of a steamboat coming up the Murray, but to Mr. William Richard Randall the honour is -due of first proving the practicability of the rsuggestion, as in 1852, in the Mary Anne, a Iboat of twenty tons burthen and six-horse power, hnilt and planned by himself, he ascended the Murray as far as. Lake Bonney, from which spot he was obliged to turn hack from want of water, owing to the dryness of the season. In the following year Captain Randall again came up, as did also Captain Francis Cadell, in the Lady Augusta; the latter boat left the Murray and proceeded some way up the Wakool, whereas 4he Mary Anne went on to Maiden's Punt. The •reward given by the South Australian Government to Captain Cadell for the navigation of the Murray appears not to have been for actually first asceading in a steamboat, but for being the first person to some up with a boat of a certain size, whereas the Mary Anne was not sufficiently large to compete for the offered bounty. Since I that period the Murray has been navigated during the iarger portion of every year, and many thousands of tous of goods have been expeditiously and cheaply landed in the three colonies. the past -.three years there has been a talk'of ascending the Murrumbidgee, and the New South Wales rGrove/mnent. having voted a small sum of money with which a slight clearance of the waterway was made, and the enterprising individual who first navigated the Murray determined to he the first to have the iiopour of bringing a steamboat up the Murrumbidgee. Accordingly, embarking in the Gemini, ■%ie ascended the Murray, and. entered- the mouth jof'this river'on, Monday, ithe ,10th August, Stopped at the various *tarions,&nd,sU.'lsalranuld, Snd on thi S^o layout as :high,_up as" Mr. jhos.

Darehy's station, Gelam, 250 miles from the mouth. The entrance of the river was found to be rather narrow, but free from snags, and trifling difficulty was found in any part "of the voyage^ some of the bends were rather narrow for turning, .and the snags iv certain localities somewhat numerous; the boat was, however, able to average four knots an hour against the stream, which is now very rapid. The Gemini was built, iv 1554 at Mannum, on the Murray, by Captain Randall, who iv her construction acted as his own builder and engineer. She is of 60 tons burthen and 25 horse power, and of peculiar construction, consisting of two separate hulls connected by strong beams and flooring, and having a paddle-wheel in the centre. The hulls are each in four water-tight compartments, so that in case of a snag entering one compartment the safety of the twin-boat would not be affected. The Gemini brought up about 55 tons of cargo, nearly the whole of which had been already disposed of when she passed Gelam station on her way up. Captain Randall was much cheered on arriving at many places on his route,and most cordially Avelcoroed by the settlers, who have endeavoured to show their gratitude to the man who has first brought a steamboat to their doors by giving them numerous orders for goods to be brought up on his own second voyage. It is to be hoped that this very successful navigation of the Murrumbidgee will dispose the Legislature to pay some, little attention to the inland water carriage of the colony, and induce them to take some steps to render the waterways free from dangerous snags, and other obstructions to the passage of steamboats during the summer season.

The foundation-stone of a school for the daughters of clergymen, to be erected at Waverly, has recently been laid by the Bishop of Sydney.