iquity of our race the solution of which
reaches far beyond any of the most ancient records of our present
civilization. We have seen in the Boulak Museum at Cairo objects of
Egyptian make which were doubtless six thousand years old; and the
Sphinx, situated ten miles away, where the city of Gizeh once stood,
must antedate that period. But among these South Sea Islands are
prehistoric ruins and monuments which are believed to antedate the
Sphinx. The same may be said of the buried columns that have been
overgrown by the forests of central Ceylon to the depth of a hundred
feet. To our humble perception, so far from bringing man's origin more
into accordance with the Darwinian theory, these facts widen the gap,
and render it still more doubtful.

CHAPTER VII.

Morning in the Forest.--Flying Foxes.--A Startling
Snake-story.--Geographical.--Want of
Irrigation.--Droughts.--Immense Sheep-Runs.--Seeking a
Shepherd Life.--Wonderful Gold Nuggets.--A "Welcome"
Discovery.--Wool is King in Queensland.--The Chinese
Population.--Education in Australia.--Peculiar Banking
Business.--Waging War upon Kangaroos.--Journalism in
Australia.--Proposed New Colony.

A drive of a few miles inland from Brisbane carries one through pleasant
villages and among farms, plantations of sugar-cane, orchards, and
fields of pineapples, beyond which one enters the forest. The banks of
the rivers and creeks are generally covered with a dense semi-tropical
growth of vegetation, while the forest stretches for many a mile into
lonely districts. A great variety of trees are found here, some of
primeval growth and large size, belonging to the blue-gum species;
others, like sassafras, pine, and cedar, are fragrant and delight the
senses, being surrounded by a thick undergrowth of marvellous
luxuriance. The jungles in India or the islands of the Malacca Straits
are not more dense than some of the wooded districts to be found in
Queensland. These retired spots are filled with bird and insect life,
but with few animals. Cockatoos and parrots, in gay colors and gaudy
combinations, are the prevailing representatives of the feathered
tribe. There are also numberless wild pigeons, in great variety,
uttering a ceaseless, low, brooding note which seems to be in exact
harmony with the sylvan surroundings. The bell-bird, cat-bird, and
laughing jackass announce their presence in unmistakable utterances, all
serving