Page:An Australian Parsonage.djvu/54

 ground nearly level with the beach, upon which the end of Perth farthest from the river mouth is placed. Upon the verge of this slope, and having an elevated position above Melville Water, as well as an easy access from the lower part of the town, are built some of the best houses in Perth, and the view from them is so fine that it seems a pity that advantage should not have been taken of so good a site for Government House, instead of placing it where it now stands in the lower part of the town, and but a few feet above the river.

One of the best placed of these houses is Bishop's House, as the residence belonging to the see of Perth is called, and from its gardens the view may be enjoyed in perfection. Looking down from a height of nearly a hundred feet at the town and river below, the spectator beholds a mass of cool luxuriant foliage, formed by the glossy leaves of the bananas and bamboos which thrive in the narrow strip of swampy ground which runs along the bottom of the hill-side. On the slope itself the dark green of the orange and lemon trees, mingled with the lighter shades of the apricot, almond, and peach, forms a rich scene of verdure, which is charmingly relieved and brightened by the rosy blossoms of the large oleanders with which many of the gardens are crowded. Glancing over this lovely foreground, and looking somewhat up the river and towards the north-east, the eye, after admiring the contrast of the bright water glowing in the full blaze of the Australian sun seen against the dark forests of the opposite shore, rests finally upon the blue summits of the hills of the Darling Range. These hills form the back-bone of the more settled