[Editor: This untitled article, regarding the medicinal properties of gum from spotted gum trees, was published in The Courier (Brisbane, Qld.), 29 August 1862.]
[An Australian in London at the present time]
An Australian in London at the present time, whatever claim may be made upon his attention by the attractions of the Old World, can hardly fail to be struck with the promise of future greatness for these colonies, afforded by their contributions to the International Exhibition.
On the first occasion of this kind, in the year 1851, Australia made but a poor show at the World’s Fair. It required much exertion and continuous agitation to excite any interest in the subject and when, at last, something like zeal had been aroused, it was almost too late for any useful purpose. It was only when the immense success of the experiment became known — when the European journals made us all aware of the astounding influx of visitors to the Exhibition, and the absorbing interest which the whole undertaking engrossed for the time, that the colonists regretted their coolness and indifference. It will be long before such another a time can occur.
The novelty of the idea formed the main charm of the first Exhibition. The great interest manifested in it by the Queen, and the manner in which her Majesty mingled with her subjects at the Crystal Palace, were powerful adjuncts of success. These elements are now wanting.
Over the whole display there still seems to be spread a pall. The widowed Queen, while thousands are flocking to the structure where her now dead husband was expected to be the chief actor, mourns with subdued grief in the old castle of Windsor, makes melancholy pilgrimages to the Mausoleum of the father of her children, or buries herself again in the seclusion of Osborne. It is not easy to dispossess the mind of the consciousness of this change from 1851 to 1862; and it must have become painfully apparent to many when they observed the bereaved children quietly and obscurely endeavoring to obtain a few glimpses of the display in which their father had been expected to play so conspicuous a part.
It cannot be doubted that all these circumstances act as drawbacks. Nevertheless, in the one point most directly interesting to this part of the world, the International Exhibition of 1862 may be regarded as infinitely more successful than that which took place nine years ago.
The Australian Court is confessedly one of the most conspicuous objects in this great display. And here, for the first time, the colony of Queensland has a recognized place amongst British dependencies. “To judge from the great variety of products exhibited,” says the report in the leading English journal, “there are few countries blessed with a more productive soil, or a greater diversity of resources.” The cotton, wool, grain, tropical fruits, minerals, and other evidences of the capabilities of this “latest born of our Australian colonies,” are all spoken of in terms of gratifying commendation.
Owing to the inattention arising from too much confidence, we have allowed ourselves to be eclipsed on this occasion in the article of cotton, a specimen forwarded from New South Wales having carried off the palm. The combination of Queensland cotton and wool, however, has produced a fabric to which the highest praise is awarded. “If,” says the report, “there is anything in the building which rivals the softness and beauty of the cashmere fabrics, it is a dress length exhibited here by Mr. Bazley, as an illustration of the Queensland cotton and wool. It is manufactured from lace thread spun from pure cotton grown in Queensland, the wool having been spun from the finest sheeps’ wool, also grown in the colony.”
The wheat sent home to the Exhibition from this part of Australia was not, apparently, expected. It is spoken of as “a very fine sample,” and allusion is made to the long-standing and interested representations of “some authorities,” that circumstances here were so unfavorable to the growth of that cereal as to amount to a prohibition.
On the whole, in useful products and legitimate sources of wealth, Queensland has no cause to feel ashamed of the position she occupies by the side of the other Australian colonies, and can afford to look with much philosophic indifference upon that “great Victoria gold trophy,” of gilt canvass, which represents a hundred millions sterling, realised in the precious metal, since the first working of the gold mines in that colony.
Passing from our own contributions, the evidences of innate wealth afforded by the exhibitions from other parts of Australia must be a source of pride to all who claim connection with this country. Gold, silver, copper, lead, and iron; coal, timber of all kinds, from the most durable to the most beautiful; wool, cotton, and silk; wines, gums, and cereals — products the most varied and wealth-creating, are all found in the Australian department.
The new country exhibits to the view of the denizens of the old all those gifts of nature the possession of any one or two of which had once been sufficient to found the commerce of an infant nation. If the ancient philosophers who believed that the Mediterranean Sea was really what its name implies, could revisit the earth, and note the fallacy of their calculations, they would be as much astonished as were the infallible teachers when Galileo broached his theory, or as are the astronomers of fifty-year-old impressions with the modern discovery that the sun is a body of flaming chemicals. There seems to be nothing, in the whole range of human necessities, that cannot be produced within the limits of the continent of New Holland.
It is curious, as marking the very small progress yet made in ascertaining the properties of indigenous products in Australia, that the common red gum, so well known from the earliest settlement of Europeans at Sydney Cove, is now professionally recognised as a valuable medicine.
A contribution appears in the Times, from an army surgeon stationed at Shorncliffe Camp, in which the writer gives the result of his observations on this point, apropos of a sample of red gum exhibited by Western Australia. This gum he had used with great success in India, as an astringent in extreme cases. He says:— “The favorable results attending my trials of the gum urged me to submit details of each case to the Inspector-General of Hospitals at Calcutta, and, on my arrival in London, to Sir J. Ranald Martin, Physician to the Secretary of State for India, whose treatment since, of similar cases, with the red gum, has been equally successful. I am informed that three leading chemists in London have sent to the colony for additional supplies of this article.”
We may be sure that the great Designer and Provider has ordained nothing to be useless and if we do not as yet know all the properties of what we see all around us in a state of nature, it would yet be the height of presumption and folly to suppose that the bounties of Providence are to be estimated by our present limited perceptions.
Rich as Australia is known to be, it must remain for future generations to discover the full extent of her resources, and all the facilities she offers for the ultimate establishment of a great and an independent nation.
Source:
The Courier (Brisbane, Qld.), 29 August 1862, p. 2
Editor’s notes:
The same newspaper published an untitled letter, from J. C. White, regarding this article, in its issue of 2 September 1862.
See: “[Medicinal property of the gum]”, The Courier (Brisbane, Qld.), 2 September 1862, p. 2, column 4
apropos = (French) à propos, literally meaning “to purpose” (i.e. with regard to the purpose); pertinent, relevant; opportune, fitting, at the right time; with regard to the present topic, with reference to, with respect to, with regards to, in relation to
carried off the palm = carried off the prize, won a prize; achieved or gained victory (derived from the ancient custom of giving a palm leaf to the winner of a game, as a sign or symbol of victory); similar phrases are: “bear away the palm”, “carry off the palm”
the great Designer and Provider = God
home = in an historical Australian context, Great Britain; can also refer to England specifically
New Holland = the name given to the western part of Australia by Dutch explorers; it was also used for the Australian continent as a whole
Old World = Europe, Asia, and Africa, i.e. the known world before the discovery of the Americas, the latter being known as the New World (can also refer to something dating from or associated with olden times, especially something which is reminiscent of the past in a charming or pleasant fashion; old-fashioned; traditional)
Osborne = Osborne House, the former royal residence (of the British royal family) located in East Cowes (Isle of Wight, UK)
See: “Osborne House”, Wikipedia
pall = a depressing or gloomy atmosphere or mood; a feeling of gloom; a negative mood
Providence = (usually capitalised) God, or benevolent care from God; care, guidance, or protection as provided by God, or as provided by coincidental circumstances or Nature
Shorncliffe Camp = an army camp used by the British Army, located near Cheriton (Kent, UK), which was established in 1794
See: “Shorncliffe Army Camp”, Wikipedia
widowed Queen = (in the context of 1861-1901) Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, whose husband, Prince Albert, died in 1861 (they were married in 1840)
See: 1) “Queen Victoria”, Wikipedia
2) “Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha”, Wikipedia
[Editor: The quotation marks within a quotation (placed at the start of each typographical line, as a matter of publishing style) have been removed.]
[Editor: The original text has been separated into paragraphs.]
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