latter seem now reduced nearly to a possible minimum in consequence of the cost of transport. As those employed in it pass their time in the woods, on the roads, and in the towns when delivering their loads, the trade is not favorable to the moral development of those engaged in it. In 1860, the value of sandalwood exported was £16,360; in 1863, it rose to £35,265; in 1869, to £32,998; in 1873, to £62,916; in 1874, to £70,572; in 1876 it declined to £65,772; these estimates are made at £10 a ton, but the price has varied considerably with the demand.
The Fisheries of Western Australia should be more productive than they are, although no doubt the number of whales and seals on the coast is much less than formerly. In the early days of the Colony the whale fishers of the United States were constantly on the coast, making use of its harbors, and carrying on a trade, profitable to both, with the colonists. It was not uncommon to see six or seven large vessels in King George's Sound; the Vasse was also much frequented; sealers also searched every inlet and island for their prey, but in 1854 only 3 tons of whale oil were exported, valued at £25; in 1860, the value of the oil exported was £717; in 1865, £2,950; in 1869, it had fallen to £495; in 1873, it rose again to £1,872; the following year it was only £128; in 1874, £347, but in 1876, it rose to £6,673, showing that whales are still to be had for the seeking; this rise is probably due to the opening of the fishery on the North Coast. Another valuable oil is that of the Dugong, a marine animal found on the Coast from Shark's Bay Northward, but of this only to the value of £3 was exported in 1876, and none the preceding year. The abundance of fish and salt, on all parts of
