er Plenty, which is a tributary of the
Yarra-Yarra, is dammed across at Yan-Yan, nearly twenty miles from the
capital, by an embankment half a mile long,--thereby forming a lake
nearly ten miles in circumference, with an area of over thirteen
hundred acres, and an average depth of twenty-five feet. It holds
sufficient water, as we were informed by an official, to furnish an
ample supply for the use of the city during a period of two years,
allowing fifteen gallons per head per day for the present population.
This grand piece of engineering was expensive, but is fully worth all it
has cost; namely, between six and seven million dollars.

The river Yarra-Yarra runs through the city, and is navigable for large
vessels to the main wharves, where it is crossed by a broad and
substantial bridge. Both the harbor and the river are being dredged by
the most powerful boats designed for the purpose which we have ever
seen. Above the bridge the river is handsomely lined with trees; and
here, notwithstanding a somewhat winding course, the great boat-races
take place which form one of the most attractive of all the local
athletic amusements,--and Melbourne is famous for out-door sports of
every form and nature, but principally for boating and ball-playing.

A whole chapter might be written describing the public gardens of the
city and our inspiring visit to them. The variety of trees here
collected is marvellous in its comprehensiveness. Oaks and elms of great
size were observed among other exotics; one would hardly have thought
they could have found time to acquire such proportions, but all trees
grow with marked rapidity in this climate. Some very beautiful
fern-trees were noticed, twenty feet in height, their fronds measuring
fourteen feet in length, drooping plume-like about the graceful bending
stems. Here were seen fine specimens of the magnolia-tree, bending to
the ground under the weight of great yellow blossoms. The collection of
tropical fruit-trees was remarkably complete. Wherever there are gardens
in front of the dwellings in the environs of the city one is sure to see
an abundance of the little pink and white daphne, fragrant and lovely as
the violet, flourishing in great luxuriance. The abundance of
maiden's-hair fern, in various sizes down to little leaves of pin-head
dimensions, gives occasion for its very free use in bouquets. The
variety of color found in this species of fern is quite noticeable here,
the shades r