Chapter XIX

Darwin describes the initial appearance of Sydney upon entering Port Jackson, noting the yellowish cliffs, sparse vegetation, and the surprising magnificence of the settlement within the harbor basin.

Darwin expresses admiration for Sydney's rapid growth and civilized appearance compared to South American settlements, attributing this to British organizational capacity, though his initial enthusiasm becomes tempered upon further inspection.

Darwin analyzes the uniform and peculiar appearance of Australian forests—open woodlands with vertically-placed leaves, pale coloring, and shadowless effects—contrasting them with European and South American forests.

Darwin observes that trees in the southern hemisphere do not shed leaves periodically, depriving inhabitants of spring's verdure but explaining the thin pasture and practical advantages for farming.

Darwin describes meeting Aboriginal people who are good-natured and skilled, demonstrating remarkable prowess with spears and tracking, yet notes they resist settled agricultural life compared to other indigenous groups.

Darwin remarks on the curious situation of Aboriginal people maintaining ancient tribal distinctions and autonomy while surrounded by European settlement, including an instance of tribal warfare near Bathurst.

Darwin catalogs the proximate causes of Aboriginal population decrease: introduction of alcohol, European diseases, extinction of wild animals, and the disruption of nomadic food-gathering lifestyle.

Darwin proposes that beyond identified causes, there appears to be an unexplained principle at work wherever Europeans have traveled, with indigenous populations consistently declining across diverse regions.

Darwin discusses Rev. J. Williams's claim that disease transmission occurs from ships' crews without apparent illness in the crew, and provides historical examples suggesting effluvium or miasma from confined people can be pathogenic.

Darwin ascends the Blue Mountains and observes they present an undulating sandstone platform rather than a dramatic mountain range, with monotonous scrubby vegetation.

Darwin encounters a striking landscape feature: a vast, seemingly sea-like gulf with vertical sandstone cliffs surrounding a forested depression, which astonishes him as a novel geological phenomenon.

Darwin recognizes that these valleys, with their horizontal stratification and bay-like form, present a formation problem: they appear too vast and numerous to have been eroded by streams alone, yet subsidence seems inadequate.

Darwin hypothesizes that the sandstone platforms were built up by ocean currents and sedimentation around submarine irregularities, then differentially eroded during land elevation to create the current valley-and-cliff structure.

Darwin notes that upon descending from the sandstone plateau to granite country, the vegetation visibly improves with larger, more spaced trees and better pasture.

Darwin visits a pastoral farm employing assigned convict-servants, observing the lack of comfort, absence of women, and the incongruence of enslaved labor with civilized society.

Darwin hunts with limited success and observes that the kangaroo and emu, once abundant, have become scarce due to English greyhounds, with the animals' extinction seemingly inevitable.

Darwin encounters and describes the remarkable platypus in its natural aquatic habitat, noting how the preserved specimen fails to convey the creature's true appearance when fresh.

Darwin arrives at Bathurst, a pastoral center sitting on a plateau, and observes that the seemingly poor brown pasture is in fact ideal for sheep-grazing, explaining the region's rapid prosperity.

Darwin notes the unexpected courtesy and hospitality of working-class colonists he encounters, remarking that such civility seems remarkable given their backgrounds and circumstances.

Darwin critiques the state of society in Sydney, finding it rancorously divided by party politics, marred by profligacy among the wealthy, and entirely focused on wealth accumulation, particularly wool.

Darwin identifies the presence of flogged convict-servants as a serious drawback to colonial life, corrupting children's language and character while being deeply offensive to refined sensibilities.

Darwin acknowledges the financial advantages of settling in Australia: capital yields triple interest, luxuries are affordable, climate is healthy, and young men can manage distant stations early.

Darwin concludes that despite economic attractions, the uninviting landscape and moral atmosphere make him unwilling to emigrate without sharp necessity.

Darwin argues that Australia's prosperity depends on wool and whale oil, both limited commodities, and that agriculture cannot succeed due to drought, suggesting future dependence on maritime commerce and manufacturing.

Darwin assesses the convict system as neither significantly punitive nor reformative, but notes that it does provide a psychological deterrent and succeeds in converting criminals into productive colonial citizens.

Darwin compares Hobart Town unfavorably to Sydney, finding it smaller and less developed, though situated near Mount Wellington on a well-sheltered bay.

Darwin describes the forced banishment of all Tasmanian Aborigines to an island in Bass Strait, attributing the action to necessity but recognizing its cruelty and blaming initial European misconduct.

Darwin recounts the 1830 military campaign employing a line of beaters across the island to drive Aborigines into a peninsula, a plan that failed when the natives, using superior fieldcraft, escaped through the lines.

Darwin provides examples demonstrating the Aborigines' extraordinary ability to conceal themselves on bare ground, making them nearly indistinguishable from the burned tree stumps that characterize the landscape.

Darwin describes how, after the hunting campaign revealed European numbers and power, small groups and eventually the entire population under Mr. Robinson's efforts surrendered and were removed to an island.

Darwin cites Count Strzelecki's data showing the Tasmanian Aboriginal population declining from 210 in 1835 to only 54 in 1842, while inland New South Wales populations continued to grow with children.

Darwin notes the geological interests of Van Diemen's Land: fossiliferous Devonian or Carboniferous strata, evidence of recent land elevation, and a small patch of travertine limestone with fossil plant impressions.

Darwin observes that Tasmania's damper climate produces more fertile land and more luxuriant vegetation than New South Wales, though the general character remains similar.

Darwin climbs Mount Wellington, noting the magnificent Eucalyptus forests and extraordinary tree-ferns in ravines, and describes the broad, flat summit offering extensive views of surrounding mountains and coast.

Darwin reaches King George's Sound in southwestern Australia and characterizes the eight-day stay as dull and uninteresting, finding the landscape uniformly poor with sandy soil and stunted vegetation.

Darwin explains that Bald Head's formations were created by wind-heaped shells and coral sand that cemented around buried wood, leaving hollow casts that superficially resemble standing tree stumps.

Darwin observes a corrobery performed by two Aboriginal tribes, describing elaborate body painting, stamping dances accompanied by grunts and weapon-clashing, and specific dances imitating animals and hunting.

Darwin judges the corrobery as a display of 'lowest barbarians,' noting that despite its apparent meaninglessness to Europeans, the Aboriginal people themselves were in high spirits and at ease.

Darwin departs Australia with mixed feelings, characterizing it as a promising but ambitious nation not yet worthy of affection or respect, and leaving without sorrow or regret.