GEOGRAPHICAL EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERIES.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 75, 21 November 1864, Page 3

GEOGRAPHICAL EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERIES.

At a recent sitting of the British. Association for the promotion of science held at Bath, Sir Roderick Murchison made the following remarks on the discoveries in Australia and New Zealand : — ' '• Let us (he said) remember how small was the portion of Australia known a quarter of a century, ago in comparison with that which our countrymen now occupy. The great interior was then almost, a terra incognita, the larger part having been pronounced to be a useless desert. Recently, however, it has been successfully traversed -by ■ Stuart, M'Kinlay, Burke, Wills, and Landaborough,. and is known to contain so much fertile land that sheep are found to thrive well in tracts which were, considered to be mere saline wastes. r .The; discovery of a vast abundance of gold, has doubtless been one great cause of the rapid strides latterly made in Australia, particularly in raising the rich- auriferous colony of Victoria to a degree of commercial prosperity which for its -rapid; growth, is unequalled in our history. 1 But even' in the; colony of South Australia, where the precious metal has not been found, though it is rich in copper mines, we have seen the spirit of adventure, in. search (of , new; pasture-lands,rleads >tq vast geographical discoveries, . in . making JwhKjK M'Douall Stuart traversed' the' continent, arid plantecl the British ensign on.its- northern shores. Agam^ if we look? at the. promising and fertile new,. colony of 'Queensland, on the horth-easfem coast, we see an important question of climate >■- all 1 but ' decided, in a direction contrary to r the ; ppinion of ; iribsti men a few years, back.. , I^or^w.e^ now know ''tfurt. broad tracts' dfihter-fcropical land oif a certain altitude, sufficiently 'removed from a warm oceanj* and Well-clothed -with vegetation,: wiUpermaneiitly, support large flocks .of sheep; even.asr far.- as S. latitude 18 deg. ' : ' Whilst the cbas'tsknd extensive" ■parts lofthe ihteribr "of this new "British continent"" hate been^ occupied, there still* remained oiie great * desideratum; which .scientific research 1 could' alone supply: ; The most idirect route to bur ' important polonies' of New; South 1 ' Wales = ( and Queensland,'; particularly -that portion lying }b'etw6en these juid"'' the Ihdian : seas was to ' a -great extent. sekleU^ toour cpmmerbial- marine; ' owing* to- the' danger-' - , ous liavigation. through. Torres -iStraits-wiiich'; the 6very frequenb bloss; ofi^esßelß on iihefaocumeroua: ■'.■ coraln reeft > fringing! #e^ eastern seaboard of Australia. Thanks' to, the.; 'perse'vering: skill,, under [a^thousand /diaioulties,, of British naval surveyors, , the ; dangers ho,ve, at, last been so clearly defined. and ltiid.down oncharte, thatja broad and ideep J channel; ensuring safe anl regular navigation, h ! fta?beettK\a<Se'ftyail^ble to &UH If o^rJfy -flur yww to tha south o|

Australia, it is no longer the North;of ; !Newr Zealand, with its capital, Auckland — now', unhappily, the aeat of a bloody war^-which' mbstj-interests geographers. Apart from thematerial prosperity of the iMiddieilslandi aridthe , disepveryi 6£ much: gold near its southern end,,, and in. r the. Scotch colonyiof Otago, the gfandeßt'< scenes'- of nature have, by thej researches jpfHeicfcorj-M^errow^and^ Haastj been opened^ouC"|!0 J .■•^'pi^i&" I gqj^ous r forests' -vrhich fringe -the 1 gigantic glaciers/ in j.th^.deepfiords. pr.bays, of its'wdstern coasts.. . r f