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YCHYDIG O HYNODION GWLAD AUSTRALIA.GWYNEB Y WLAD.Mae gwyneb y wlad ehang hon, yr hon sydd agos i 3000 o filltiroedd ei hŷd, a 18 cant o led, braidd yn annichonadwy rhoi desgrifiad cywir o honi, gan ei hamrywiaeth. Wrth deithio, deuir o hyd i wastadedd o diroedd mawrion, am ugeiniau o filltiroedd yn ddiffaeth i’r eithaf a dirinwedd, na thyfa ynddo ond ychydig frysgwydd—dim coed na llysiau, ond ambell i ysgellyn llwyd yn gorwedd ar y ddaear, ac yn llawn o dyllau nadroedd o’r fath waethaf, yn drigfa dreigiau, ac yn orweddfa iddynt. Bryd arall deuir ar draws math o gorsydd mawrion, lawer o filltiroedd o hŷd a lled, a math o wellt hir a dirinwedd yn tyfu arnynt, ac ychydig o goed byr o dŵf, a mân frysglwyni, lle y teyrnasa dystawrwydd oesol arnynt, a dim i’w dòri ond ysgrechiadau adar ysglyfaethus yn hofran ar eu hedyn uwchben iddynt; a sychder oesol yw prif gymeriadau y tiroedd diffaeth hyn. |
A FEW OF THE PECULIARITIES OF AUSTRALIA.THE SURFACE OF THE LAND.The surface of this broad land, which is close to 3000 miles in length, and 1800 wide, is almost impossible to describe accurately because of its diversity. When travelling, one finds great plains, thoroughly desolate and worthless for scores of miles, where nothing but brushwood grows—neither trees nor herbs, but the occasional brown thistle lying on the earth, and full of the holes of snakes of the worst kind, a home and resting-place of dragons.27 At other times one comes across great marshes, many miles in length and breadth, and a kind of long, worthless grass growing on it, and a few stunted trees, and small bushes, where a perpetual silence reigns, with nothing to break it but the screeches of predatory birds hovering on their wings above; and a perpetual drought is the chief characteristic of these wastelands. |
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Bryd arall deuir i ranau hyfryd o diroedd lled dlysion, brithiedig gan goed cysgodfawr; ac y mae pridd y manau hyn yn llwyd-goch a mwy rhinweddol, ac heb fod mor wastad ei wyneb a’r tiroedd a ddesgrifiwyd yn flaenorol. Bryd arall, wrth ymdeithio, deuir ar unwaith i goedwigoedd cauedig am ugeiniau o filltiroedd, a’r coed mor aml a chauedig nas gellir ymlwybro rhyngddynt gydag un fèn. Bryd arall canfyddir mynyddoedd uchel, a’r coed yn tyfu ar eu copaau uchaf, yn nghyd a dyffrynoedd dyfnion, am gannoedd o latheni yn llawn o goed mawrion hyd y gwaelod; a miloedd o goed mawrion yn gorwedd mewn cyflwr pydredig, wedi eu taflu i lawr gan ystormydd o wynt a mellt. |
At other times one comes upon pleasant, rather pretty country, sprinkled with great shady trees; and the earth in these places is reddish brown and most fertile, the surface being less flat than the lands described above. At other times again, whilst travelling, one finds thick woods for scores of miles, with the trees so numerous and closely growing that one cannot pass between them with even a single wagon. Then at other times high mountains can be seen, with trees growing on their highest peaks, as well as deep valleys, full of great trees for hundreds of yards, all the way to the bottom, with thousands of trees lying rotten, thrown down by storms of wind and lightning. |
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Weithiau canfyddir darnau helaeth o’r wlad ryfedd hon a’i wyneb fel tònau y môr, yn amrywiol iawn, yn fryniau bychain, a dyffrynoedd heb fod yn fawrion, a’r cwbl yn orchuddiedig gan goed. |
Sometimes one can see large tracts of this strange country with a surface like the waves of the sea, very varied, with little hills, and lesser valleys, all covered by trees. |
Y COED A DYFANT YNDDI.Ni welais erioed un pren tebyg i’r rhai sydd yn tyfu yn Brydain—na’r ffawydd, na’r onen, na’r sycamorwydden, na’r un pren arall; math o goed mawrion a chrafaglog, tra chelyd a thrwm, a dail arnynt oll tebyg i ddail y poplys. Nid ydyw coed Australia byth yn bwrw eu dail, ond y mae gwahanol goed ar wahanol amserau yn bwrw eu rhisgl. Y coed mwyaf cyffredin ydynt y red a’r white gum, y wattle, a’r peppermint tree. Gwelais fesur coeden, a’i hamgylchiad ydoedd 31 o droedfeddi; un arall a fesurai 34 o droedfeddi. Y mae rhai coed mor uchel, o’r gwreiddyn i’r brigyn, a 250 o droedfeddi o uchder. Ni welais erioed mewn un rhan o’r wlad a deithiais un pren yn dwyn ffrwyth bwytadwy. |
THE TREES THAT GROW THERE.I never saw any tree like those which grow in Britain—neither the beech, nor the ash, nor the sycamore, nor any other tree; there is a kind of large, misshapen tree, with very hard and heavy wood, and leaves very like those of the poplar. The trees of Australia never lose their leaves, but different trees at different times cast off their bark. The most common trees are the red and white gums, the wattle, and the peppermint tree. I once saw the measurements of a tree, and its circumference was 31 feet; another measured 34 feet. There are some trees as tall, from root to tip, as 250 feet in height. I never saw any tree in any part of the country which bore edible fruit. |
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Mae y pren afalau a’r winwydden, a choed ffrwythlawn ereill yn ffynu yn y gerddi; dealler nad oedd yno ddim coed yn dwyn ffrwyth hyd oni ddygwyd rhai o wledydd tramor. |
The apple-tree and the vine, and other fruit-bearing trees flourish in the gardens; it should be understood that no tree bore fruit there until some were brought from foreign countries. |
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Yn ngwely anghyspell Afon y Plenty Mountains y tyfa y Pren Rhedyn. Ei uchder sydd wyth neu ddeg troedfedd: y mae yn bren dra phrydferth, a’i ddail yn plygu yn gysgodol a gostyngedig at i lawr. Yn ei gysgod y chwareu ac yr ymddifyra lluaws o adar mwyaf prydferth a thlysion, yn gampwaith teilwng i’r Duw mawr yn unig, ac mewn tawelwch oesol yn gwrando ar si y dwfr yn ymsymud yn araf ar ei daith i Fôr Mawr y De. |
In the inaccessible bed of the Plenty Mountains River28 grows the Fern Tree. It is eight to ten feet: it is a very beautiful tree, its leaves drooping downwards shadily. In its shade hosts of most beautiful and colourful birds play and frolic, a wonder of nature for which God alone merits credit, and in the age-old silence the murmur of the water can be heard as it slowly moves along on its journey to the Southern Ocean. |
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Y Black Wood sydd bren tra defnyddiol at wneyd dodrefn tra gwerthfawr. Gellir ei loywi (polish) fel y gwydr. Mae ei liwiau yn dryfrith o felyn, gwyn, a du, ac yn hynod galed a pharhaus. |
The Black Wood is a most useful tree for making excellent furniture. It can be polished like glass. It is variegated with yellow, white, and black, and remarkably hard and durable. |
AFONYDD, FFYNHONAU, A LLYNOEDD.Yn yr Haf y mae yn anhawdd gweled afon o ddwfr rhedegog, ond yn ngwelyau yr afonydd y mae ambell i bwll o ddwfr yn aros, y rhai a ddefnyddir gan ddyn ac anifail, ac a gyfrifir o werth anmhrisiadwy yn y wlad sych a phoeth hon. |
RIVERS, SPRINGS, AND LAKES.In Summer it is difficult to find a river with running water, but in the river-beds an occasional pool of water remains, which is used by man and animal, being counted a priceless boon in this dry, hot land. |
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Nid wyf yn dweyd nad oes, ond ni welais erioed ffynnon o ddwfr yn tarddu; ond y mae ynddi lynau mawrion o ddwfr hollawl hallt, a gellir ar amser sych gasglu llawer o halen pur ar eu glanau. Y mae prinder dwfr yn un o ofidiau penaf y wlad yn yr Haf. |
I do not say that there are none, but I never saw water arising from a spring; but there are great lakes of entirely salty water, and in dry spells quantities of pure salt can be gathered on their shores. The scarcity of water is one of the chief hardships of the country in Summer. |
HINSAWDD A THYMHORAU.Mae hinsawdd Victoria yn fwy cynhes trwy’r flwyddyn na Brydain; a misoedd Ionawr, Chwefror, a Mawrth, ar amserau yn hynod boeth. Yr oedd y gwres-fesurydd ar Sabbath yn Chwefror diweddaf, mor uchel a 136 o raddau yn y cysgod. Yn mis Mehefin disgyna y gwlawogydd trymion i lawr, a braidd na feddyliech yr ysgubent bob peth o’u blaen; ond buan iawn y sychir y cwbl i fyny gan wres mawr y misoedd canlynol. Heuir y maesydd o ddeutu Mawrth, Ebrill, a Mai; a medir y cynhauaf yn Rhagfyr a Ionawr. Ceir yma ystormydd dychrynllyd o daranau a mellt. Mae yn y wlad hon, ar amserau, y mellt mwyaf goleu a thanbaid, a’r taranau mwyaf trystfawr—syrthia y fellten weithiau ar goeden, ac a’i mál yn chwilfriw, ac a’i chwytha (fel pe buasai corph y goeden wedi ei llenwi â phowdr) am gannoedd o latheni; weithiau disgyn ar goeden ac a’i tyr yn ei chryfder, ac a’i teifl i lawr; bryd arall disgyn ar goeden, ac a gymer ymaith ei holl ganghenau a’r rhisgl, ac a edy gorph y goeden yn noethlymun.—“Dyma ranau ei ffyrdd ef.” |
CLIMATE AND SEASONS.The climate of Victoria is warmer throughout the year than Britain; and the months of January, February, and March, are at times extraordinarily hot. On one Sabbath during last February the thermometer was as high as 136 degrees in the shade. In June the heavy rains fall, and you could almost imagine that everything would be swept away by them; but very soon all is dried up by the great heat of the following months. The fields are sown around March, April, and May; and the harvest is reaped in December and January. There are dreadful thunderstorms here. At times in this country the lightning is of the utmost brilliance and fieriness, and the thunder most resounding—sometimes the lightning strikes a tree, and shatters it into pieces, blowing it (as if its trunk were filled with powder) hundreds of yards away; sometimes it strikes a tree and in its great power breaks it, and throws it down; at other times it strikes a tree, and strips away all its branches and the bark, leaving its trunk bare.—“Lo, these are parts of his ways.”29 |
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Er bod y mellt yn gryfion iawn a goleu, ychydig a wnant o niwaid i ddynion nac anifeiliaid; prif ddisgynle eu dinystr eto fu y goedwig; a mawr yw y galanastra a’r rhwygiadau a welir ar y coed ar ol ystorm o fellt a tharanau. Mae’r taranau a’r mellt yn Australia yn hynod fawreddus a dychrynllyd. Gwelir y ffurfafen weithiau yn barhaus, am rai oriau, fel un len oleu o fellt tanbaid, a’r taranau cryfion fel cynifer o fagnelau ofnadwy yn ymarllwys, a’u twrf dychrynllyd yn ddigon a pheri i’r mwyaf anystyriol grynu. Ni welais ac ni chlywais fellt a tharanau yn Brydain erioed y ddegfed ran mor gryf. Ar ol i’r ystorm fyned heibio a’r awyr ysgafnhau, teimlir yr awyr yn hynod o bur ac ysgafn, a chlywir swn a llais dynol am bellder mawr. Weithiau, yn amser taranau a mellt, disgyna llawer iawn o wlaw, yr hwn sydd yn dra gwerethfawr a maethlon, ac yn peri adfywiad hoyw i natur braidd wedi ei llwyr orchfygu gan wres tanbaid yr haul, a’r llwch annyoddefol yn misoedd yr haf, yn nghyda llenwi aml bwll i ddisychedu y teithiwr lluddedig. O! y mae dwfr yn werth amhrisiadwy mewn gwlad boeth ac anial. “Rhof ddwfr yn yr anialwch, ac afonydd yn y diffaethwch.”—Esaia. |
Although the lightning is very powerful and bright, little harm is done to men and animals; the chief location of their destruction was still the forest; and great is the havoc and carnage to be seen in the forest after a thunderstorm. The thunder and lightning in Australia is awesome and frightening. The sky sometimes appears, for several hours at a time, as one bright sheet of fiery lightning, and the mighty thunderclaps are like so many dreadful cannons emptying themselves, their frightful roar enough to cause the most impassive to tremble. I have never seen nor heard in Britain lightning and thunder a tenth part as powerful. After the storm has passed and the air lightened, the air feels remarkably pure and light, and sounds and human voices can be heard over a great distance. Sometimes, during a thunderstorm, a great deal of rain falls, which is very valuable and nourishing, and produces a lively revival of nature, almost entirely subdued by the fiery heat of the sun and the insufferable dust in the summer months, as well as filling many pools to refresh the weary traveller. O! water is of priceless value in a hot and desert land. “I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”—Isaiah.30 |
POETHWYNTOEDD YSTORMUS.Peth arall tra hynod yn y wlad hon yw y poethwynt ystormus tua diwedd mis Chwefror, neu ddechreu Mawrth; pan chwytha y gwynt dros anialwch y wlad, y coedwigoedd mawrion a’r anialwch yn grasboeth eisioes, teimlir y poethwyntoedd hyn bron yn annyoddefol, ac uchaf fyddo y gwynt, mwyaf annyoddefol fydd y poethwynt. Ar yr amserau hyn mae y wlad yn cymeryd tân, yr hwn a ddifa bob peth o’i flaen yn anwrthwynebol, a’r unig feddyginiaeth a gwaredigaeth rhagddo yw symudiad y gwynt; a phan chwyth yr awel o For y De, fe oera y wlad drachefn yn fuan. |
HOT, STORMY WINDS.Another very remarkable thing in this country is the hot, stormy wind about the end of February or the beginning of March; when the wind blows over the wilderness of the country, with the great forests and the wilderness already parched, these hot winds feel almost unbearable, and the higher the wind, the more insufferable the heat. At these times the country catches fire, which destroys everything in its path unopposed, and the only remedy and deliverance from it is the movement of the wind; and when the breeze blows from the Southern Ocean, the land cools again quickly. |
CORWYNTOEDD Y DEAU.Dygwydda corwyntoedd y deau weithiau yn rymus a chryfion hynod; clywir eu swn am filltiroedd o ffordd, yn ymrwygo o’r Deau trwy’r coedwigoedd mawrion, fel sen dyfroedd lawer; ac fel y nesa yr ystorm fe gryfha y twrf; weithiau, dryllia y coed yn ddychrynllyd yn llwybr y gwynt, ac ymweithia o amgylch pebyll a thai coed, gan eu dwyn ymaith yn rhwydd. “Efe a gerdd gyda chorwyntoedd y deau.” |
THE WHIRLWINDS OF THE SOUTH.Whirlwinds sometimes occur in the south with remarkable strength and power; the sound of them can be heard from miles away, tearing through the great forests from the South, like the rebuke of great waters; and as the storm approaches the howling increases; sometimes the trees are torn up dreadfully in the path of the wind, and it rebounds around tents and wooden houses, bearing them effortlessly away. “He shall go with whirlwinds of the south.”31 |
DARLUNIAD O DREF MELBOURN.Mae tref Melbourn wedi ei hadeiladu ar làn yr Afon Yara, yr hon afon sy’n fordwyol o’r môr am ddwy filldir o bellder i lestri ysgafn. Mae wedi ei chynllunio yn bedair ongl, pob heol yn dechreu yn y wlad yn union fel y saeth, ac yn cyraedd i’r wlad y pen arall; lled pob heol yw 22 llath. Yr amser yr adeiladwyd Melbourn gyntaf, gwnaed hi braidd oll o goed; ond ni chaniateir adeilad coed yn y dref, rhag perygl tán, ac y mae braidd yr holl adeiladau naill ai o gerig, pridd-feini, neu haiarn. Mae ynddi lysoedd barn gorwych, eglwysi pinaclog, a thai addoli gan sectariaid hynod dda a helaeth. Gwelir yn cerdded ei heolydd braidd bob cenedl dan y ne’, gyda’r gweddeidd-dra mwyaf, oblegyd ni oddefir y radd leiaf o annhrefn gan yr hedd-geidwaid sy’n lluosog yn tramwy ei heolydd. Mae Eglwys St. Paul wedi ei hadeiladu yn 1853, yn adeilad disyml a chadarn, a chlochdy ysgwar iddi; ar ei gonglau, gogledd, llun ŷch; dwyrain, llun eryr; de, wyneb dyn; a gorllewin, wyneb llew. Y mae dwy filltir o Melbourn i lan y môr, sef y beech, a’r porthladd a elwir Hobson’s Bay, yr hwn sydd yn llawn o longau ardderchog a gwerthfawr hynod. |
DESCRIPTION OF MELBOURNE TOWN.The town of Melbourne is built on the banks of the river Yarra, which river is navigable to light vessels from the sea for two miles. It is set out on a square plan, each street beginning in the country and reaching the country at the other end in a line as straight as an arrow; the width of every street is 22 yards. When Melbourne was first built it consisted almost wholly of wooden buildings; but wooden construction is no longer permitted in the town, for fear of fire, and almost all the buildings are of stone, brick, or iron. It has splendid law courts, steepled churches, and the houses of worship for dissenters, remarkably good and abundant. Walking on its streets can be seen almost every nation under heaven, with the greatest propriety, since not the least disorder is permitted by the police who patrol the streets in numbers. St. Paul’s Cathedral was built in 1853, a dignified, solid building, with a square belfry: and at its corners, on the north, the image of an ox; on the east, the image of an eagle; on the south, the image of a man; and on the west, the image of a lion. It is two miles from Melbourne down to the sea, that is to the ‘beach’, and the harbour called Hobson’s Bay, which is full of the most splendid and valuable ships. |
DARLUNIAD O PORT PHILLIP.Port Phillip sydd borthladd manteisiol, yn 45 i’r Heads fel ei gelwir, neu y fynedfa i’r môr mawr, a 35 o led, a braidd yn lled grwn wedi ei greu felly, a gollyngiad o hono o ddeutu milltir o led i fyned i’r môr. Mae yn un o’r porthladdoedd mwyaf yn y byd, a thra hardd, a phan ddaw y llong ymfudol i mewn iddo a’i llwyth gwerethfawr o ddynolion, cyfrifent eu hunain yn ddiogel. Mae ei ddyfroedd yn dra phur a dilwgr, ac o liw gwyrdd; ond nid ydyw yn ddiogel ymdrochi ynddo, o herwydd amlder y sharks peryglus. Mae ynddo lawnder o bysgod gwerthfawr a bwytadwy, ond eto ychydig maent yn ddal o honynt, gan eu bod yn rhy brysur gyda gorchwylion ereill. Mae, er yn ddiweddar, nifer o bobl wedi ymffurfio yn gwmni o bysgodwyr, a dysgwylir bellach y caiff pobl Melbourn y cyfryw, sydd wedi bod yn dra amheuthyn iddynt fwyta pysgod. Yr holl dref a gyflenwir â dwfr o’r afon, yr hwn a gludir gan gerti yn meddu trwydded (lisence), telir 6 swllt am un farilaid; cynyd yr holl dân a losgir yn y dref yw coed wedi eu hollti yn barod, a gludir yn mhell o’r wlad. Mae llwyth ceffyl o’r cyfryw danwydd yn werth £2, yr oedd pris y glo yn 1854, o ddeutu £6 y dunell. |
DESCRIPTION OF PORT PHILLIP.Port Phillip is an advantageous harbour, 45 miles in length from the north to the ocean passage, or the Heads, as it is called, and 35 in width; it is fairly round in form, the outlet to the sea being about a mile across. It is one of the largest harbours in the world, and very beautiful, and when the emigrant ship enters it with its valuable cargo of human beings, they should count themselves safe. Its waters are very clean and uncontaminated, and of a green hue; but it is not safe to bathe in them, because of the great numbers of dangerous sharks. There is an abundance of valuable and edible fish, but as yet they catch but few of them, as they are too busy with other tasks. There is, though of late, a number of people who have formed a company of fishermen, and it is now expected that the people of Melbourne shall have the fish which have hitherto been such a rare delicacy for them. The whole town is supplied with water from the river, which is transported on licensed carts, one barrelful costing 6 shillings; all fires lit in the town are fuelled with wood hewn for the purpose, and conveyed from the country some distance away. A horse-load of such firewood is worth £2, while the price of coal in 1854 was about £6 a ton. |
BATEMAN'S HILL.Batesman’s hill ydyw enw y côr fryn lle y planwyd y faner Brydeinig gyntaf, ar ol darganfod New Holland, gan Captain Cook. Bum yn sefyll ar y bryn, o’r lle y ceir golygfeydd prydferth ar Melbourn a’i maesdrefi, y wlad oddiamgylch i’r gogledd, Port Phillip yn amgauedig gan fryniau a thiroedd uchel; ar ochr y bryn mae lle wedi ei gau allan a 4 o feddau ynddo, dywedir i long dd’od i’r porthladd, a darfod i’r brodorion lofruddio y crew, a darfod iddynt gael eu claddu oll ar ochr y bryn hwn. Dealler trwy hanes mai yn Rhagfyr 6, 1786, y sefydlodd y brenin a’i gynghoriaid fod New Holand, neu Australia, yn ac i fod yn golony perthynol i Brydain, a darfod i’r Llywodraeth anfon y llongau Sirius a’r Supply, cad-lewyddion Hunter a Bell, yn nghyda naw o longau ereill, i gludo ymborth am ddwy flynedd, y rhai a gludasant 778 o ddrwgweithredwyr i’w deol i’r wlad bellenig hon. |
BATEMAN'S HILL.Bateman’s hill is the name of the small hill where the British flag was first planted, after the discovery of New Holland, by Captain Cook. I have stood on the hill, from which beautiful views of Melbourne and its suburbs can be had, as well as the surrounding country to the north, and Port Phillip encircled by hills and highlands; on the side of the hill there is a fenced off place containing 4 graves, whereof it is said that a ship came into the harbour, and the crew were murdered by the natives, and they were all buried on the side of this hill. History tells us that on December 6, 1786 the king and his counsellors determined that New Holland, or Australia, should be a British colony, and so the Government sent the ships “Sirius” and the “Supply”, under commanders Hunter and Bell, together with nine other ships, to take enough provisions for two years, and to transport 778 criminals banished to this remote land. |
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27 Cf Isaiah 35:7. 28 The Plenty River. 29 Job 26:14. 30 Isaiah 43:20. 31 Cf Zechariah 9:14. |