articles on political topics, and these are said to have been quite as good as any of his subsequent contributions to the London Times.

Mr. Martin's contributions to the Atlas were all anonymous. It may be taken for granted that they possessed no ordinary merit. Mr. Fowler wrote, in the Month, that "when the Atlas was established, Mr. Martin largely contributed to its columns, and by the dash and point of his articles proved himself a journalist of no mean powers. He was ultimately appointed editor of the paper, which he conducted most ably for two years." The same writer also states that Mr. Martin published a book of essays; that he subsequently started a magazine; and that in 1851, he wrote for a short time in the Empire.

With respect to Mr. Forster's writings, the following account of them appeared in the Southern Cross of 1860 :

"In these days it was that, during the contest of the Crown tenants with Sir George Gipps, he commenced a literary career fertile of results for the local Press. Many of the most remarkable contributions to the Atlas, the organ of the pastoral party, were Mr. Forster's. His literary vigour in those days loved to display itself in the squib; and we suspect that the merit of many of his pungent trifles was pretty generally given, by readers of the Atlas, to the Right Honourable Robert Lowe, then understood to be at the head of the journal. Those who read The Devil and the Governor (a dramatic scene, in which Sir George Gipps was made to take his diabolical highness into council), little imagined that the writer was a sallow, thin, saturnine looking young gentleman, if more remarkable for one external characteristic than another, for a remarkably unassuming manner, who amused himself in "spells" from hard backwood toil in the wild, lonesome depths of a forest, cutting as it were, rather than writing, his sarcastic couplets, on the granitic obduracy of the Gipps' administrative policy. As a writer of squibs, we think Mr. Forster, on the whole, the most successful of practitioners in that vocation which makes gibing and jeering a fine art. Other literary men in New South Wales there are, who throw off this kind of politico-literary pyrotechny in forms of higher finish, with a grace and a fancy that would have pleased Winthrop Praed, or even the great master of metrical squibbery, Tom

Moore himself; but as a squib should be as generally understood as a proverb or a party-cry, we think these learned gentlemen of the Court of Momus commit an error in art--the sarcasm is too subtle and refined for any but well educated readers.-But, as a literary man, Mr. Forster has distinguished himself in higher and graver capacities than as a writer of sparkling jeux d'esprit. In journalism, he has flung into circulation some of the soundest political thinking on leading Australian topics that our country possesses. His contributions to the elder Empire evinced, uniformly, a remarkable faculty of dealing with the principles at the root of problems in politics; and also, a masterly power, not only in showing the errors of opponents, but in tracking the train of reasoning by which they had come to the wrong conclusion. His polemics in ecclesiastical polity, in the Church Sentinel, scarcely come within the scope of our criticism, but they deserve allusion, as showing the thorough liberalism of the present Prime Minister. As a poet, Mr. Forster's efforts have not been very ambitious, principally occasional rhymes, but always origi-' nating in, or instinct with, some great purpose. Irrespective of the character of the productions themselves, it may be, talking of the poetic faculty in the abstract, that Mr. Forster ranks with none of the loftier order, but the faculty is truly poetic, nevertheless; as John Sterling said, if we recollect rightly, of Charles Lamb, 'The gold in a spangle may be as sterling as that of a doubloon.' And again, as to the question of dimensions, it may be that the thing is small, not because the artificer has no more of the precious metal in his possession, but that he has neither mood nor market for working a larger quantity up."

These remarks, written by a very friendly pen, are followed by a series of sonnets by Mr. Forster. A sonnet hardly affords a sufficient test to enable one to gauge the merit of a poet. Mr. Forster's neither rise above, nor sink below, the ordinary level of that class of compositions.

The Atlas carried on a very bitter and uncompromising war with the Governor of the day, Sir George Gipps. His policy was unfavourable to the interests of the squatters, and on their behalf the Atlas omitted no opportunity of opposing him. This opposition was conducted with better taste than that of the Monitor towards Governor Darling; but it is difficult, in the

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present day, to realise a state of society in which the supreme Head of the State is subjected to unceasing ridicule and abuse. The Atlas was, in some respects, an imitation of the London newspaper of that name; but this imitation did not affect the originality or the spirit of its contents. These were extremely varied and entertaining. Considerable space was devoted to the literature of the day, in the shape of reviews and extracts; political "squibs" in verse and prose, appeared in every number; and a couple of columns were devoted to a Punch," one half being a "Sydney ingredient," consisting of original witticisms, and the other a "London ingredient," consisting of extracts from the London Punch. The printing and the paper are both unobjectionable; and altogether, this journal may be compared with any weekly newspaper that has ever been published. Notwithstanding its merit, it failed to secure a permanent existence. It expired at the end of 1848, having lived only four years and a half.

1844. THE GUARDIAN: a Weekly Journal of Politics, Commerce, Agriculture, Literature, Science, and Art, for the Middle and Working Classes of New South Wales.

No. 1, Saturday, 16 March. 8 pages.

This paper declared itself to be the organ of a Society called "The Mutual Protection Association," and explained its political creed under the title of "Constitutional Radicalism." The following passage from its first leading article will give an idea of its character::

"The question for the middle and working classes of New South Wales to consider is this-Are the dominant influence and oligarchical sway of an upstart and selfish aristocracy of mere wealth likely to prove conducive to the interests, the liberty, and prosperity of the people?"

And again:

“It is to the working classes especially that we look for the direct and substantial support which will be immediately available for the recurring exigencies of our undertaking. The Guardian is not only their own accredited organ and special advocate, but it is their property, an engine of their creation, and dependent on themselves alone for its existence, its independence, and its incorruptibility. The system of credit has been the bane of newspaper undertakings in this Colony, and rendered it a matter of enormous outlay to establish a paper. These difficulties we propose to surmount by the simple expedient, now almost universal in England, of the news-vending system."

1845.-* BELL'S LIFE IN SYDNEY. 4 pages.

No. 1, Saturday, 4th January. Published weekly.

A sporting journal. The principal contributor for many years was Mr. G. R. Morton, a nephew of a well-known London farce writer. He possesses considerable talent for humour, and is now editor of Sydney Punch.

1845. THE SOUTHERN REPORTER.

No. 1, Saturday, 4 January.

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On the appearance of this publication, its cotemporary the Sentinel spoke of it as a sort of journal called the Southern Reporter, the object of which seems to be the support of the monstrosities of Popery, and the promotion of the favourite crotchet of O'Connell-Repeal."

1845. THE SENTINEL. 4 pages.

No. 1, Wednesday, 8 January. Published weekly.

A sectarian organ, apparently in the interest of the Church. of England. Its remarks on cotemporary "Papists" and '66 Puseyites" were rather strong. It seems to have been a continuation of Dr. Lang's Colonial Observer.

No. 1, January. Published weekly.

The only information I can obtain respecting this periodical is from a critical notice of it published in the Atlas of the 4th January, and from another in the Sentinel of the 8th. It was pronounced by the former journal to be worthless. The Sentinel speaks of it as a journal "distinguished by eminent ability and general good taste. The 'Introductory Address' is one of the most spirited and talented articles that ever issued from the Australian Press." In subsequent issues, the Sentinel abused it on the score of its religious opinions.

1815. THE EXAMINER, Political, Literary, and Commercial Journal. 8 pages.

From a prospectus published in this paper, it appears to have been a new series of another paper called the Commercial Journal and General Advertiser. It is stated to have been edited by Mr. Richard Thomson, "late editor of the Atlas."

1845.-COMMERCIAL JOURNAL AND GENERAL ADVERTISER.

4 pages.

No. 1, Saturday, 5th April.

Very well printed and edited, but not successful.

1845. THE AGE. 4 pages. Price, 11⁄2d.

No. 1, April.

A creditable attempt to establish a cheap periodical, but it met with no success.

1846. THE SPECTATOR. 12 pages.

No. 1, Saturday, 24th January. Published weekly.

A well-written weekly paper, apparently started on behalf of the squatters. Its term of existence was limited to a year

or so.