SYDNEY, New South Wales, the capital of the colony, a city and sea-port, in the county of Cumberland, is situated ou the south shore of Port Jackson, an inlet on the east coast of Australia, in 33° 50' S. lat., 151°10' E. long., distant about 13,000 miles from Great Britain by the Cape of Good Hope. The city is governed by 6 aldermen and 24 councillors, one of whom is mayor; and sends two members to the Provincial Parliament. The population in 1838 was about 20,000; in 1846 it was 38,358; in 1851 it was about 50,000.
The harbour of Port Jackson, entered by a narrow passage between the North and South Heads, two bold headlands in the precipitous coast-line, is completely protected from easterly winds and the swell of the Pacific by a third point called Middle Head, which stretches from the south shore just within the entrance. On south head there are a lighthouse and signal station ; the light, which is 345 feet above the sea-level, is seen at 30 miles' distance. The harbour affords excellent anchorage in all parts for vessels of any burden. Within the entrance, which is less than a mile in breadth, the harbour suddenly expands to a width of 8 miles, and at 7 miles inland contracts to a width of a mile and a half. Here two ridges and an intervening level—bounded by Wooloomooloo Bay on the east, and Darling Harbour, a deep inlet, on the west, with Farm Cove and Sydney Cove between—form the site of the city. George-street, the chief business part of the town, is a fine thoroughfare nearly two miles long. The houses, many of which are small, are constructed of wood or brick, or of sandstone. There are several handsome streets, containing many good dwelling houses and shops. The city is well paved, lighted with gas, and supplied with water by a tunneled aqueduct nearly 2,1 miles long.
In the vicinity of Sydney are numerous suburbs. The ridge of the west promontory is occupied by Dawes's Battery. Macquarrie Fort stands at the point of the eastern promontory, on the summit of which is the government-house, a handsome edifice lately erected iu the gothic style. A principal place of public resort is Hyde Park, ass inclosed common on the south side of the town. The Botanic Gardens comprise a rich and well-arranged collection of shrubs and flowers. The cathedral church of St. James's, a plain brick building with a lofty spire, stands on the north side of Hyde Park. St. Philip's church, the oldest in the colony, was built in 1798. The Roman Catholic cathedral, an imposing gothic structure, stands near St. James's. There are several chapels for Scotch Presbyterians, Independents, Methodists, and Baptists. Sydney college in Hyde Park, and tho
Australian college, afford superior instruction in classics, mathematics, and English literature. There are also a normal institution, some free schools supported by government, a female school of industry, and a mechanics institute. The other public buildings are—the courthouse, the council chambers, the new market-place, the custom house, the colonial offices, the jail, the new military barracks, the convict barracks, the colonial hospital, the lunatic asylum, the asylum for the aged and infirm, the theatre, the museum, the Australian library, and the commissariat store, an extensive stone building, into which the largest vessels may discharge their cargoes. The manu factures of the city are coarse woollens, tallow, soap and candles, starch, tobacco and snuff, hats, and ropes. There are several breweries and distilleries, tanneries, coach-works, saw-mills, and flour-mills. The adjacent heights are occupied by a number of windmills, and at Canterbury, 4& miles from the city, there is a largo manufactory for the refining of sugar. Sydney is the emporium of the coasting and foreign trade of the colony. Steamers ply between the city and various ports along the coast. Regular communication is kept up with Great Britain by the Australian mail steamers. The harbour for merchant vessels comprises the two inlets of Sydney Cove and Darling Harbour, which afford a convenient line of wharfage nearly two miles in length, and admit ships of the largest tonnage to the wharfs, where their cargoes are transferred into stores. At, Cockatoo Island, a con vict station at the month of the Paramatta River, a range of stone quays has been built by the prisoners, and excavations made for an extensive dry-dock. The principal export is wool. The produce of the gold-fields of New South Wales is shipped at Sydney. Oil and whalebone from the southern whale-fishery, and timber, are exported in considerable quantities. The imports are principally articles of British manufacture, grain and provisions, tea, coffee, and sugar.
The number and tonnage of vessels registered as belonging to the port of Sydney on December 31st 1854 were :—Sailing-vessels, under 50 tons, 161, tonnage 4107 ; above 50 tons, 180, tonnage 32,082 : steam-vessels, under 50 tons, 8, tonnage 242 ; above 50 tons, 15, tonnage 2508.
Sydney is the seat of government, of the legislature, and of the supreme court of justice for the colony of New South Wales. The mean temperature of the city Is 74° Fehr. in summer; 55' 5' in winter ; 66' 8' for the whole year.