Page:Advanced Australia.djvu/41

 It is in the midst of a broad fertile plain, from which a few miles northward a range of hills rises abruptly; these are ascended by the intercolonial railway. The population of the city proper is about 40,000, and including the suburbs within a ten mile radius it amounts to 130,000. The colony was founded on the lines of an ideal polity, the invention, as usual, of Mr Wakefield: and was subsequently reconstructed by circumstances. The capital was laid out in the year 1837, and named Adelaide by the special request of King William the Fourth, after his consort. It is built nearly in the form of a square, and by the foresight of its surveyor was almost surrounded by what are termed "park lands" half a mile in width. There are also five fine squares for ornamental purposes. The river Torrens, originally a dingy stream, divides the city into North and South Adelaide, which are connected by five massive iron bridges. An embankment across the stream has turned it for a mile or two into a beautiful sheet of water. The cleanliness of the city is a very pleasing feature. This effect is heightened by the fact that a light-coloured stone, of excellent quality for road-making, is found in abundance in the neighbouring hills. In hot weather the white appearance of the streets is perhaps somewhat trying to the eyes, but it strikes the stranger very agreeably. There is also a perfect system of underground sewage. The streets are straight and broad, and run at right angles to each other. King William Street is two chains in width; and in it the principal buildings are situated, such as the Town Hall and the Post and Telegraph Offices. On North Terrace, which overlooks the river, the Parliament Houses are situated. The façade is of white marble, quarried at Kapunda, in the colony. Here also is situated the Adelaide University and the Exhibition building; the latter, a fine structure, erected