Page:Australia, from Port Macquarie to Moreton Bay.djvu/172

 from excessive sweetness, which would create nausea in an English stomach, but to which our bushman has gradually habituated himself. In the evening the squatter smokes, reads, or writes, until supper, when another vast mass of meat and tea is again brought forward; and then, after smoking one more pipe, he goes to bed.

This rough and comfortless life has been supposed to be unavoidable in the distant districts beyond the limits of location, but such is not the fact. I have often visited the stations of squatters who possessed but one man-servant to perform the multifarious duties of cook, gardener, &c. and yet their slab-cottages were kept in the most scrupulous state of neatness and cleanliness, whilst their tables were constantly supplied with fowls, geese, &c. butter, cream, all kinds of vegetables, home brewed beer, and properly made bread.

Having attempted to show that sheep in Australia still offer considerable profit to those who invest money therein, I will next examine horned cattle in the same manner. The cause of the depreciation in the value of sheep, affected cattle also; for the colony was swarming with herds, the owners of which could find no buyers for their rapidly increasing stock, as the consumption was trifling compared with the supply. The stockholders of New South Wales have, therefore, lately slaughtered and salted a great number of cattle, and exported the meat to India, China, New Zealand, England, &c.