the
north and west by the Hawkesbury and Nepean; on the south-west by the
Nepean and Cataract rivers ; and on the east by the sea. Its character
is that of an undulating plain, by n 3 means remarkable for great
fertility. Cumberland is sixty-three miles in length by thirty-eight in
breadth, and contains 914,800 acres. It is by no means well watered,
except near the Hawkesbury. Sydney, the metropolis, is the chief town;
but Paramatta is the county town. The other towns are Liverpool,
Windsor, Campbell Town, Penrith, Appin, Karelian, St. Mary's, and
Ryde. The ports are Port Jackson, Botany Bay, Port Hacking, and Broken
Bay. The population is 81,114.
Durham is
bounded by the counties of Brisbane, Hunter, Northumberland, and
Gloucester. Its length is sixty miles, and its width fifty, comprising
1,344,180 acres. This county is well watered, and contains several
rivers of some magnitude. A portion of it is mountainous. The capital
is Patterson, on the river of the same name. The other towns are
Musselbrook, Seaham, Clarence Town, Dungop, Hinton, Greford, Merton,
and Camberwell. The population is 7,928.
Georgiana is
bounded by Argyle, Westmoreland, King, and Bathurst. The county is
fifty miles long, and forty broad, containing 1,231,360 acres. Some
portions of the county are mountainous. It is well watered. The portion
of Georgiana bordering on Argyle contains gold. The chief town of the
district is Bingham. Georgiana contains 1,525 inhabitants.
Gloucester is
bounded by New England, Durham and Mac-quarie. It is eighty miles long,
and sixty-five broad, comprising 1,375,200 acres. This county contains
the Australian Agricultural Company's grant of 437,102 acres, forming a
parallelogram which extends from the Manning River to Port Stephens.
The northern parts of the county are mountainous. The chief towns are
Raymond Terrace, the capital, on the river Hunter, at its junction with
the Williams River; Car-rington, on the shores of Port Stephens, and
Stroud, on the Karuah river. The Church of England has considerable pos-
