ort Jackson, and
soon found himself in a winding channel of water, with great cliffs
frowning overhead. All at once a magnificent prospect opened on his
eyes. A harbour, which is, perhaps, the most beautiful and perfect in
the world, stretched before him far to the west, till it was lost on the
distant horizon. It seemed a vast maze of winding waters, dotted here
and there with lovely islets; its shores thickly wooded down to the
strips of golden sand which lined the most charming little bays; and its
broad sheets of rippling waters bordered by lines of dusky foliage. The
scene has always been one of surpassing loveliness; but to those who
filled the first boats that ever threw the foam from its surface, who
felt themselves the objects of breathless attention to groups of natives
who stood gazing here and there from the projecting rocks, it must have
had an enchanting effect. To Captain Phillip himself, whose mind had
been filled with anxiety and despondency as to the future prospects of
his charge, it opened out like the vision of a world of new hope and
promise.

[Illustration: ROCKS, SOUTH HEADS, SYDNEY.]

Three days were spent in examining portions of this spacious harbour,
and in exploring a few of its innumerable bays. Captain Phillip
selected, as the place most suitable for the settlement, a small inlet,
which, in honour of the Minister of State, he called Sydney Cove. It was
so deep as to allow vessels to approach to within a yard or two of the
shore, thus avoiding the necessity of spending time and money in
building wharves or piers. After a few days the fleet was brought round
and lay at anchor in this little cove which is now the crowded Circular
Quay. The convicts were landed, and commenced to clear away the trees on
the banks of a small stream which stole silently through a very dense
wood. When an open space had been obtained, a flagstaff was erected near
the present battery on Dawe's Point; the soldiers fired three volleys,
and the Governor read his commission to the assembled company. Then
began a scene of noise and bustle. From dawn to sunset, nothing could be
heard but the sound of axes, hammers, and saws, with the crash of trees
and the shouts of the convict overseers. They lost no time in preparing
their habitations on shore; for the confinement of the overcrowded ships
had become intolerably hateful.

#3. Early Sufferings.#--More than a third of their number were ill with
scurvy and other disea