Edmond Marin la Meslee

“ While the wilderness is being populated and cleared, the coastal and inland towns frow and ports open their docks to the whole world's ships. The continent itself is already divided into several different states or colonies, chambers and even its own particular economy. ”

“ Good quality coal, of which Australia has a surplus, will be sent to Mauritius and Reunion which have none, and in return the islands will send to Australia more and more of their surplus sugar. It is true that Australia is now beginning to grow its own sugar cane, at least in the colony of Queensland.
Our luxury liners will carry English travellers to and from Australia. En route they will visit Marseilles and Paris and thus French and Australian people will learn to know each other better, to esteem each other and to be bound together more and more by common interests. ”

“ This country is in fact a continent. With its dependencies of Tasmania, New Zealand and Jiji it makes up what the English call Australasia — that is to say a new, a southern, an Austral-Asia. It is rich in minerals, especially gold, tin, iron, zinc, antimony, lead and copper. ”

“ England superintends this colonial development from far away, and says herself that perhaps when the fruit is quite ripe it will fall naturally from the tree and begin another life even more independent than its first. No matter — the real bonds, at least the economic and commercial ones, will endure and relations with the mother-country will always increase. ”