The feeling expressed in this resolution was instantly reciprocated in

all the colonies. Speakers at their meetings referred to the condition

and hopeless prostration of Van Diemen's Land as a general grievance. A

letter, founded on this resolution, was drawn up by Messrs. West, Du

Croz, and Douglas (dated August 26), under the instructions of the

"Launceston Association," the first formed in the colonies. It was

signed by the chairman, Rev. Dr. Browne, senior-chaplain of Launceston.

After tracing the course of the British government, it proceeded:--"As a

last resource we turn to our fellow-colonists who, united to us by the

strictest ties, are liable to the same wrongs; and who will not be

indifferent spectators of sufferings which they may ultimately share. If

you look at the chart of Van Diemen's Land you will perceive her

geographical position establishes a relation to the adjacent colonies

which no laws can disown and no time dissolve. A few hours convey

vessels from our shores to the ports of Victoria, New South Wales, and

South Australia; and a few days' sail to New Zealand, and thence to the

islands that crowd the Pacific Ocean. Her majesty's ministers have

taught the communities established in this portion of the empire that

their ultimate interests are ONE: that upon the public spirit,

intelligence, and virtue of each, in no small measure, depend the

happiness and prosperity of all. We remind you that, in twenty years

from the present moment, should transportation continue, and the annual

number remain stationary, 70,000 or 80,000 convicted persons will have

passed through Van Diemen's Land into the neighbouring colonies. They

will consist of men not only originally depraved: all will have gone

through the demoralizing probation of public gangs: they will all have

dwelt, for several years, in exclusively convict society, where every

prevailing sympathy must be tainted with the habits of crime. This

island will not be a filter; but the accumulation of moral wretchedness

will unavoidably contaminate every mind, and stamp on every character

the impression of its peculiar constitution. The sacrifice of this

colony will not, therefore, exempt the neighbouring settlements from any

portion of the mischief incident to direct transportation. They will

receive the prisoners later in life, but deteriorated in character. Evil

associations and evil men become worse and worse: such is the dictate of

reason, and such is the solemn warning written in the oracles of God.

If, then, your colony had cause to protest against the infliction of

this evil in a limited degree, how much stronger must be your opposition

to a system which will bring into your streets, your houses, your

hospitals and prisons, the crime, insanity, decrepitude, and pauperism

ever consequent on transportation, aggravated by transmission through a

country in moral ruin. Were we to appeal to a principle of selfishness

in addressing our countrymen, we might remind you that the reputation of

this entire hemisphere is compromised by the condition of Van Diemen's

Land. The nice geographical distinctions which colonists make are lost

in the distance. As your vessels enter foreign ports, the line which

divides your population from ours fails to distinguish them. We have

heard with regret, and not without humiliation, that the British name,

every where respectable until now, has ceased to insure to many, who

have never forfeited its sanction, the common confidence of foreign

nations. That a petty state, but of yesterday, has initiated laws

intended to stigmatise all the inhabitants of the southern world, and

attributing to the whole the character of convictism. A more serious

consideration is the positive injury inflicted upon the islanders of the

Southern Ocean by scattering among them desperate men who have been

perfected in all the arts of wickedness, and who are placed within reach

of an interesting and rising people, whom they too often shock by their

vices and oppress by their crimes. We submit, sir, to your humanity as a

British fellow subject, and to your discretion as a christian

magistrate, the case of this country. In the mutation of human affairs,

the arm of oppression, which has smitten us with desolation, may strike

at your social well-being. Communities allied by blood, language, and

commerce, cannot long suffer alone. We conjure you, therefore, by the

unity of colonial interests--as well as by the obligations which bind

all men to intercede with the strong and unjust on behalf of the feeble

and oppressed--to exert your influence to the intent that transportation

to Van Diemen's Land may for ever cease."

The colonial office at first did not deny, what indeed was

unquestionable, that such hopes had been given, and not until twelve

months after Lord Grey maintained that his discretion was not limited by

his promise. Mr. Jackson again remonstrated with the minister on behalf

of the colony. Earl Grey directed Mr. Hawes to assure him the government

earnestly desired to meet the wishes of the inhabitants of Van Diemen's

Land for the discontinuance of transportation (March, 17, 1849). The

opinion of British legislators of high pretensions having confirmed the

colonial interpretation, Earl Grey made another effort to recover New

South Wales. He once more instructed Sir C. Fitz Roy to reopen the

discussion (Nov. 19, 1849), and a message for this purpose was sent to

the legislature (June, 1850). A new election meantime occurred, and the

people, supposing the question irrevocably settled, had exacted no

pledges from the members. Mr. Lamb, then a crown nominee, proposed

(August, 1850), a series of resolutions confirming the previous

decision, and declaring that tranquillity could only be restored by

revoking "the order in council." The debate on these resolutions was

postponed until the 27th of September, when it was understood counter

propositions would be submitted.

The proposal to revive transportation in New South Wales was under

discussion when the speech of Earl Grey's reached the colonies. The

people were called together to consult on their own affairs and

naturally turned to the policy of government as exhibited in Tasmania.

The resolution of the 9th of August obtained an immediate response, and

gave a new aspect to the agitation. The great Sydney meeting (September

16) "pledged themselves to co-operate with their brethren in Van

Diemen's Land;" and an association then formed for preventing the

revival of transportation opened a channel of communication. The _Sydney

Herald_, the chief organ of the abolition cause, remarked, "the best way

of dealing with this and all other evasions is that suggested by the

people of Van Diemen's Land, the formation of a great Australian

confederacy" (September 16). The people of Port Phillip "tendered their

deep sympathy and hearty concurrence and co-operation," and appointed a

provisional committee to take such measures as might be deemed

necessary to obtain complete redress. The unity of the colonies became

thenceforth the favorite topic, and nothing remained but to give to this

important sentiment a practical direction. Meanwhile (1st October), the

council of New South Wales decided on the despatch of Earl Grey, so far

as related to themselves. An amendment of Mr. M'Arthur, to receive

selected exiles with three emigrants for each, although supported by the

eloquence of Wentworth, was defeated, and Mr. Lamb's motion carried

without a division. The abolitionists had made efforts to secure

unexampled demonstrations without, and to determine the question for

ever. They held meetings daily, and called into action all the agents of

political agitation. The ladies imitated the mothers and daughters of

Van Diemen's Land, and petitioned. The members on the popular side were

encouraged by the countenance of the bishops and clergy of all

persuasions. The judges gave the weight of their experience on the same

side. Five hundred persons memorialised the council in favor of

transportation. Thirty-six thousand protested against it. The Port

Phillip members who went up to Sydney on this errand alone, to secure a

majority of the side of abolition, were met by the citizens at the water

side and escorted in triumph. The debates were more prolonged than any

known before--Australian eloquence exhausted the topic, and satisfied

the public judgment for ever. Mr. Wentworth in supporting the amendment

yet declared his aversion to transportation, and his belief that nothing

but a powerful confederation of the colonies would prevail against

it.[261] The governor was neutral: the official members of the house

withdrew: but the attorney-general rose from the deserted benches, and

claiming to perform a duty as a citizen who had watched transportation

in all its stages and results, gave an irresistible testimony on the

side of social freedom.

A common interest in the liberation of Tasmania being thus avowed by the

continental colonies, it became necessary to settle the principles of

their confederation. The Rev. John West of Launceston, who had first

mooted the measure, was deputed to consult with the colonists resident

at Hobart Town. Meetings were accordingly held at the dwelling house of

Mr. Hopkins of that city during several weeks, and the whole question of

transportation in its colonial aspect was largely discussed. An

impression seemed to prevail that the theory of dispersion, as

originally propounded by Earl Grey, might have been beneficial to the

empire and desirable for the convicts, and but slightly injurious to the

colonies. It was clear, however, that the resolution of the free

colonies was irrevocable, and that the continuance of transportation

would pour an incessant and destructive stream of crime into Van

Diemen's Land. Nor was it possible to make common cause with the

adjacent communities but by supporting the object of their local

resistance. Without reference to theories no longer practicable, an

agreement was drawn up by Mr. Pitcairn, and signed by the gentlemen

present, in the following terms:--"We the undersigned, deeply impressed

by the evils which have arisen from the transportation of the criminals

of Great Britain to the Australian colonies, declare that transportation

to any of the colonies ought for ever to cease, and we do hereby pledge

ourselves to use all lawful means to procure its abolition--Robert

Pitcairn, Thomas D. Chapman, Henry Hopkins, G. C. Clarke, Joseph

Allport, John West, F. Haller, G. W. Walker, William Rout, Henry Smith,

P. T. Smith, Robert Officer."

Having thus secured concurrence in the object to be sought, the

initiation of practical measures was remitted to the Association of

Launceston. At an adjourned meeting of that body, on 10th October, the

secretary, Mr. Crookes, was instructed to propose a conference of

delegates from each of the colonies, to be held at Victoria. This

proposal was instantly adopted by the abolitionists of Melbourne: the

mayor was requested to forward invitations, and to fix the time of

meeting for January, 1851. The people of New South Wales and South

Australia found it inconvenient to comply with this arrangement, but

expressed the most cordial interest in its issue. The Associations of

Hobart Town and Launceston selected, as their delegates, the Rev. J.

West and W. P. Weston, Esq., who, for some years, had been actively

engaged in the struggle against transportation. A public breakfast was

given by their constituents at the port of embarkation, at which Mr.

Sharland presided. The delegates explained their views. They were going

forth to change the policy of a mighty empire. "We," said they, "assert

that a community should deal with its own crime; at least, so deal with

it that, in its disposal, it shall not injure those who have never

offended,--so that, at least, the honest labourer shall not be brought

into unfavorable competition with the hardened criminal,--so that, at

all events, our sons shall not be driven from their homes to seek

employment in distant lands, there to meet suspicion and contempt." They

disclaimed all intentions inconsistent with constitutional loyalty, and

all weapons but those of justice and truth. "We are a loyal people, and

have given abundant proof of our loyalty, but it is not an unalterable

principle. There is an old proverb: 'The sweetest wine makes the sourest

vinegar.'" On the departure of the delegates (Jan. 15, 1851) they were

attended by the Launceston Association and a large concourse of people.

The vessels in the harbour were decorated with their colours, and the

whole scene was imposing. Three cheers were given for the Australasian

Conference, and three for the Queen. As the vessel moved from the wharf,

the band struck up the air which well expressed the feelings of the

moment--"Rule Britannia: Britons never shall be slaves." "In a few

weeks," said a spectator, "the Australasian League will be a great

fact--an epoch in the history of Australia. We have seen the beginning

of the end."

When the delegates landed at Victoria they were warmly welcomed. An

address was read and presented to them by the mayor, Mr. Westgarth, the

member for Melbourne, Mr. Stawell, and other gentlemen of the

association. "We bid you," said they, "God speed, in the high and holy

mission on which you come. Rest assured that the colonists of Victoria

will go with you heart and hand, and they will not cease their efforts

until the emancipation of the Australian colonies from the oppression of

British crime shall be fully accomplished." "You," said the delegates in

reply, "can confer no greater honor on the province that bears the name

of Victoria, than by initiating measures which may assure the Australian

world that that illustrious name shall everywhere be the guarantee of

justice and truth." The delegates and the local association met in the

town council chamber, and concerted the plans of future action. After

several protracted sittings the terms of confederation were settled,

and a "LEAGUE AND SOLEMN ENGAGEMENT" formed for the Australian

world.[262]

This covenant bound the subscribers to reject convict labour afterwards

arriving; to employ their powers electoral, official, and legislative,

for the extinction of transportation; and to afford their utmost

assistance to all who might suffer in the lawful promotion of the cause.

Another article, pledging non-intercourse with obstinate

transportationists, was expunged on the motion of Messrs. West and

Stawell, as scarcely within the range of moral force, and needless in

the state of public feeling. To frame a confederation securing perfect

independence of action in the separate colonies, and the effective

co-operation of all, was a more difficult task. This, was, however,

fully accomplished. The members, admitted by subscription alone, elected

the provincial councils, who appointed their delegates. These formed the

general conference. This body enacted the rules of united operation;

they appointed an executive board to carry them out, and nominated

gentlemen in London to direct operations in Great Britain. The local

councils retaining control over the funds collected within their bounds

were authorised to contribute for common purposes, and to appoint paid

delegates to carry home their remonstrances to the English government

and people. Such was the constitution of the League, which may hereafter

suggest the union of the colonies under the sanction of the crown. The

delegates adopted addresses to the British and the Australian public. To

the colonies they depicted the vast moment of this agitation, and

invoked their instant and earnest aid, closing with these solemn

appeals: "Ponder deeply, fellow colonists of Australia, the prospect

that lies before you. Consider well the moral and even the merely

economical relations of the question. Reflect on the subject of the

administration of justice, not only with reference to its enormous

expense, but also as to the social effect of the ceaseless and weary

labours of our criminal courts. Reflect on the vast and gloomy gaols

that must meet our eyes in a noble and fruitful land, where prosperity

should have banished almost the remembrance of crime; on the arrays of

our police that ever remind us of the noxious elements of our

communities; and think, too, of our daily press that might edify a

virtuous public by accounts of incessant progress and well doing, but

which, faithful to the cause of truth, must ever teem with the harrowing

evidence of the depravity of our fellow-beings. And again turn to the

scene that so frequently closes upon the career of the convict. Consider

the helpless pauperism of improvidence; constitutions ruined by vice and

profligacy; asylums and hospitals overflowing with degraded and wretched

outcasts, descending to the grave without respect and without sympathy,

quitting a world which they had only dishonoured and abused."

"In conclusion, fellow colonists, with reference to this momentous

question, let us not argue with the home government either on the law of

the case, whether that be with them or with us, or on the relative power

of the contending parties. The accidents of law or force, whichever way

they might prevail, can never remedy the social disorders we complain

of. Let us then represent to the British government, to the British

parliament, and to the British public, that in the present state and

prospects of the world, it is a great moral obligation on the part of

our parent state, not to eject her criminals into other societies

already charged with their own, but to retain and manage them within

herself."

In their address to the united kingdom they united remonstrance with

warning: "We ask our fellow countrymen" said they, "to look at the map

of the world; to measure the distance between England and her Australian

dependencies; to mark their geographical relations with gigantic

empires; and to estimate aright their future importance as elements of

her wealth, greatness, and glory. If the colonists are compelled to own

that their interests may be ruined by an official despatch--that their

name and fame may be dishonoured, to relieve the gaols of Great

Britain--if their youth cannot visit any country under an Australian

flag without being made to feel that they were born in a degraded

section of the globe, we are at a loss to imagine what advantages

conferred by the sovereignty of Great Britain can compensate for the

stigma of its brand."

"We address the words of supplication, not of threatening. A few short

years, and that which is now a grievance will grow into a quarrel. By

instant concession, an act of justice will become a monument of imperial

clemency. But these colonies are solemnly pledged, each to the other, by

their mutual interests,--their future destinies,--their fellowship of

weal and woe,--and now by their League and Solemn Engagement, to achieve

the freedom of their common country."

Having arranged the plan of action, the association convened a meeting

of the Victorians. On the memorable 1st of February, 1851, the league

was solemnly inaugurated, being signed by the Tasmanian delegates, and

by the mayor, William Nicholson, Esq., William Westgarth, Esq., M.L.C.,

and Montgomery Bell, Esq., alderman, as delegates for Melbourne. This

done, a banner of deep blue, spangled with the Southern cross, adorned

with the national colors, and bordered with white on which the date of

the confederation was traced in letters of gold, was unfurled and

greeted with the loud acclamations of the assembly. A council of nine

was afterwards elected by ballot, composed of the most eminent citizens,

the mayor being president.[263]

It was determined to raise £20,000 as a league fund in the Australian

colonies. Warmed by the advice and example of Mr. Bell, the opulent

supporters of the cause resolved to take the chief burden on themselves.

The delegates for Melbourne each subscribed one hundred guineas. Mr.

Moor, the member for Port Phillip, added fifty to this sum as a special

token of his sympathy with Tasmania. Thirty houses of business followed

with one hundred guineas each. The mayor of Geelong, Dr. Thompson, set

an example of similar liberality. A thousand persons met the delegates

in that town; formed their own council, and embraced the league with

enthusiasm. In less than a month nearly £7,000 was subscribed in

Victoria alone.

But while the people were thus liberal in promoting the social freedom,

their benevolence was drawn into another channel. A mournful visitation

desolated the homes, and destroyed the lives of several of their fellow

citizens. On the 6th of February, known as "black Thursday," the

thermometer was 115 in the shade, the sun, obscured by murky mists,

looked like a globe of blood, the air was loaded with smoke and ashes,

and as the night closed in, columns of fire were seen every where in the

distance. The uninclosed country was sweept by the resistless element.

Sometimes swifter than the fleetest horse, it overtook the traveller who

could preserve his life only by facing round and dashing through its

least impervious range. The parched leaves of the forest kindled at the

first glance of the flame. Sheep and cattle fell dead--farms and stock

yards were destroyed in a few minutes. In many instances the blaze

encircled the unfortunate before the danger was perceived. A strong hot

wind bore along ashes, and carried them far over the ocean, where

falling on the decks of vessels fifty miles from land, the passengers

were terrified with vague apprehension, or thought that the end of the

world was come. The effects of this devastation were in some places

appalling. The Barrabool Hills, near Geelong, a district of romantic

beauty celebrated for its vines, and occupied by small holders, were

covered with blackened ruins. The whole family of Mr. M Leland, a

settler near Melbourne, perished. The fire suddenly seized his dwelling

and intercepted his escape. His wife and five children dropt one by one:

he endeavoured to save his little boy, but he was suffocated in his

arms; the unhappy parent was himself discovered a few hours after, by a

shepherd, in a creek, where he had found refuge from his dread pursuer.

The mayor and corporation of Melbourne, then the only representative

body in the province, presented the Tasmanian delegates with an address,

and entertained them with splendid hospitality. A banner, bought by

general subscription, was committed to their charge as a present to the

colonists of Tasmania. The ladies of Victoria graced the ceremony of

presentation. In giving this beautiful emblem of Australian re-union,

"Gentlemen," said the mayor, "I pray you to receive it in the name of

the people of Port Phillip, and may it remain nailed to the mast until

these colonies are emancipated from convictism." "We accept it, with

gratitude," they replied,--"May the flag which adorns it ever float

above it in mild sovereignty: the noble nation from which we sprung will

applaud and assist us. Such are our hopes; but whether they are doomed

to disappointment or not, we shall discharge our duty as subjects, and

then commit our cause to the righteous judgment of God. May He watch

over our proceedings; may He permit us to add another to those bloodless

victories which teach the oppressed to confide in the armour of truth

while they warn all men that against weapons of such heavenly temper the

shields of the mighty are lifted in vain."

By this time the people of New South Wales became warmly interested in

the league. No time was lost. To obtain the active assistance of that

great colony was to insure success. Messrs. Moore and Westgarth, members

of the legislature, and Dr. Thompson, mayor of Geelong, were deputed to

act in the metropolis for Victoria. The delegates of Tasmania returned

home. The banner intrusted to their care was publicly delivered at a

meeting, of which, Mr. Dry was chairman.[264] Councils were chosen for

north and south Tasmania, and several thousand pounds were added to the

league fund.

Messrs. West and Weston were commissioned to attend the conference at

Sydney. Joined by the delegates for Victoria, they landed in March. A

large concourse of citizens assembled at the Royal Hotel, where an

address, breathing encouragement and hope, was read by Mr. Charles

Cowper, in the name of the New South Wales association. The delegates,

invited to a public banquet in honor of their mission, were met by the

city members, the mayor, the principal merchants, and professional

gentlemen. The immense wool store of Messrs. Mort, decorated for the

occasion, exhibited a striking scene of luxury and magnificence.

Speeches, such as Britons make when their hearts are loyal and their

wrongs are felt, promised a hearty struggle, and predicted a certain

victory. A public meeting of the colonists assembled to recognise the

League, and dissolve the colonial association. Dr. Lang proposed another

covenant drawn up by himself. It recited the chief facts stated in that

of Victoria, but added: "And if it should be necessary in the struggle

upon which we are now deliberately entering, for the protection and

defence of our adopted country, as well as in the vindication of our

rights as Britons, ... to have recourse to the last remedy of the

oppressed, we appeal to God and the world, as to whether we shall not

have indefeasible right and eternal justice on our side. So help us

God." A league, based on moral force, and disclaiming all weapons but

those of persuasion and entreaty, was evidently at an end if armed

resistance were contemplated as the final resource. The earnest

objections of the delegates were supported by Mr. Lamb. The mercantile

and professional classes decidedly disapproved of the substitution; but

the strength of numbers might have carried the threatening clause had

not Dr. Lang consented to abandon it. Never was the league in so much

danger, it being determined by the delegates to relinquish all idea of

confederation on any terms inconsistent with constitutional resistance.

A proposal to join the league was carried amidst triumphant cheering. A

council was chosen by ballot. Messrs. Charles Cowper, Robert Campbell,

and Gilbert Wright were appointed delegates for New South Wales. The

most impressive meeting held by the delegates, was convened in the

congregational church of Sydney. A thousand persons, chiefly heads of

families, and of both sexes, listened with absorbing interest to the

appeals of clergymen, protestant and catholic, to principles familiar to

the patriot and the christian. The venerable metropolitan, in accounting

for his absence, recorded his conviction in terms suited to his office

and experience, and in a strain of reproof and warning, which no

government will venture to disregard.[265] The first conference of the

united colonies was held in the city of Sydney and closed its labours on

the 1st day of May, 1851. A permanent executive board and a London

delegation, were nominated; Mr. Charles Cowper being appointed the first

president of the Australasian League, and Mr. Gilbert Wright, secretary.

The appointment of Mr. J. C. King as the delegate for Melbourne, and

other gentlemen resident in London to act in the same capacity, was

intended to agitate the colonial cause beneath the walls of parliament,

and thus by multiplied agencies to weary the ministers into justice--to

conquer their obstinacy by a perpetual coming. It was the earnest desire

of the founders of the league to employ all possible means consistent

with loyal and constitutional principles, that the blame of ultimate

consequences, if adverse, might remain with the servants of the crown. A

letter of instructions addressed to Mr. J. A. Jackson and other

delegates by the executive board of the league and signed by the

president, stated clearly the duties which devolved upon them. "You will

bear in mind that yours is the work of testimony, that we do not hold

you responsible for the result. We are discharging by you a duty we owe

to the parent country. We wish you to state our case; to deprecate the

evils we suffer. We wish you to depict the vast resources and unrivalled

beauty of these colonies, and to insist on the injustice and folly of

degrading them to the purposes of a prison. We are anxious that you

should tell our countrymen at home, that here is a land capable of

boundless prosperity, that our whalers fish upon our coasts, that we

number our sheep by millions, that our wheat is famed in every market in

the world; that there are millions of acres over which the plough may be

driven, and where the axe is not required as pioneer. You will tell them

that we love our native country, and rejoice in our share of her

heritage of glory, that we offer our filial duty and manly affiance,

but, that we offer them on this condition, that we, and our children,

and their country, shall be _free_. This granted, every hour will

strengthen the relations already established between us; but should the

object of our League, so near to our hearts, fail us, should the British

public prove deaf or indifferent, or the minister prove inexorable, your

mission will have been discharged; and we must await, as best we may,

the development of those providential purposes which are often most

obscure when they are nearest the dawn. 'England has no right to cast

out amongst other nations, or upon naked shores, either her poverty or

her crime. This is not the way in which a great and wealthy people, a

MOTHER OF NATIONS, ought to colonize.'"

"Never has the question of transportation assumed a greater importance

than at the present moment. The colonists are fretted by the vacillation

of her Majesty's government, but they are anxious to know that their

honor and happiness are compatible with their present political

relations. The plantation of new colonies in our vicinity, the now

constant intercourse with the American continent, the discovery of gold

fields, large in extent and abundant in production, on the Western

Cordilleras of New South Wales, and the thence certain rapid influx of

population, all make the future an object of solicitude. It may be your

happiness to contribute to the achievement of this great moral victory,

to the removal of those intolerable burdens imposed by a despotic

minister, and permitted by the indifference of the British Nation,--and

thus to the establishment of a closer union between these colonies and

the parent state."

The chief reliance of the confederates, however, was on the approaching

elections. The new constitutional act demanded a fresh appeal to the

people. The constituencies of the Australian world were to decide its

fate. The issue was no longer doubtful, except where the right of voting

was conferred on few, and the influence of squatters paramount. Such

places, were however, comparatively numerous, and a hard and earnest

struggle was expected in the northern district of New South Wales. The

conference of the League terminated its sittings on the 1st of May. On

the 5th, the official corps of Victoria, the representatives and the

delegates, left the wharf of Sydney, and amidst the cheers and

forebodings of many quitted a political connection which had been often

the source of angry strife. Victoria and New South Wales were now

separate governments. The new colony, gigantic in its youth, threatened

the supremacy of the middle district, while Moreton Bay was clamorous

for a separate executive.

But on the 6th of May a discovery was announced, which changed the

fortunes of the Australian empire. The predictions of science were

fulfilled. It was stated in the _Quarterly Review_, (Sept. 1850), that

New South Wales would probably be found wonderfully rich in precious

metals. Scarcely had the conjecture reached the colony before it was

verified, and Mr. Hargraves, a practical miner, discovered the gold of

Bathurst. It was felt by the former apologists of transportation that

the policy of England must condemn its continuance not less than the

interests of the Australias. Mr. Wentworth was the first to announce the

altered position of the question. He reminded the electors that he was

originally opposed to the revival or continuance of transportation,

could it by any means be got rid of in the whole Australian group, and

that this was no longer impossible; "that a new and unexpected era had

dawned, which in a few years would precipitate the colony into a

nation." He, therefore, pledged himself to join with them in any

remonstrance intended to terminate transportation, and to prevent the

formation of any penal settlement in the southern hemisphere.[266] This

manifesto was adopted by the former advocates of transportation in New

South Wales, from the loftiest even to the least. Gold fields beyond the

dreams of oriental vision were rapidly unfolded. The relations of labor

and capital were entirely deranged, and the future became uncertain and

perplexing. A few employers who imagined that their personal interests

would be considered, grew more earnest for convict labor, not thinking

how it could be retained, or caring for the crime and misery it might

entail. But they were few. More generous spirits sympathised with the

general aspect of a change which promised to people a region as fair and

fertile, and as large as Europe. The strenuous resistance of

transportation had cleared the character of the colonists, and proved

that their feelings harmonised with the universal and unchangeable

convictions of mankind. The first news of this great discovery was

accompanied by the strongest evidence of Australian loyalty to the

common law of nations. "The success of the confederation (said the first

journal of Europe), forms a remarkable indication of a feeling in all

the Australian colonies of a more elevated character than they have

hitherto obtained credit for. It becomes more than ordinarily important

to ascertain the exact nature of that moral and social atmosphere which

so large a number of our countrymen are probably destined to breathe

(October '51)."

On their return to Tasmania the delegates were greeted with addresses

and public demonstrations. The settlers, with a manly consistency,

despite the threatened scarcity of labor, adhered to their flag and

responded with cheers to those who predicted a temporary struggle and a

bright futurity. But the agents of the convict department endeavored to

rekindle the last embers of jealousy and hate. To the employers they

predicted ruin; to the houseowners, desolation and emptiness; to the

publicans the reign of puritanism; to the emancipists the ascendancy of

the free, to be followed by unextinguishable persecution. All the

sentiments and epithets known in Irish polemics and Irish seditions were

re-arranged in the convict service, and scattered with profusion. The

League was assailed with peculiar virulence, and all its distinguished

adherents held up to scorn as religious and immoral men, as hateful for

their covetousness and contemptible for their poverty. Sometimes they

were locusts, swarming everywhere; at others they were a scattered and

miserable remnant--which the government and the convict party would

speedily sweep away. The governor himself during a procession through

the colony was cheered as the great champion of the pardoned, and

placards represented that he had defeated a scheme of the settlers to

deprive them of their votes. He entered the city in state--and while he

passed under a triumphal arch, Mr. West, the Hobart Town delegate, was

publicly gibbetted. But the Trades' Union, and an association of the

Native Youth, assembled in the evening, and in the presence of many

thousands, the well-dressed effigies of Earl Grey and the governor were

thrown into an enormous fire.

Meanwhile the league was extended to South Australia. All the members of

the legislature, except the officials, joined in a requisition to

receive Messrs. West and Bell as delegates from Tasmania and Victoria

(August, '51). All denominations warmly advocated the cause. The largest

assembly ever gathered there--and including men who had never before

united--carried the resolution, moved by the Bishop of Adelaide, "that

the total cessation of transportation to the Australian colonies is

essential to their honor, happiness, and prosperity." A meeting at

Canterbury, New Zealand, called by Mr. Godley, adopted and subscribed

the engagement (October, '51). Thus the five colonies, answering to the

stars of the Southern Cross, had raised that sign of hope and union.

The writs for Tasmania were at length issued. The day of general

nomination was remarkably brilliant. The principal candidates were

attended with numerous banners and long processions. The ladies wore the

colors of their parties, and even the children to the number of several

hundreds, marched in the train of Mr. Dry, the popular candidate for

Launceston. On one of their banners a passage taken from a pamphlet of

the day was inscribed--"The last link of despotism is broken, when the

children of the soil decree its freedom." The native youth for the first

time bore an active share in this last attempt to secure the liberties

of their country, and, in a public assembly, to petition for its

success, displayed both moderation and ability--highly creditable

considering the disadvantages under which they had labored. These

efforts were successful. The country districts were in three cases

disputed by the transportationists. They polled little more than a

hundred votes, but in Hobart Town a more serious conflict was expected.

Beside the lower class of expirees, many of the publicans and almost all

in the service of the government were in favor of transportation, or

compelled to support it. Mr. Young, a solicitor, after several

candidates had offered and retired, determined on a contest with Messrs.

Chapman and Dunn, the chairman and treasurer of the local league

council: more than five hundred votes were polled in his interest, but

the friends of freedom carried their candidates by a triumphant

majority. The election at Hobart Town, accomplished in the face of every

obstacle, demonstrated the strong and irrevocable desire of the people.

The day of nomination was memorable in British history, the day when the

signal of Nelson ran through the fleet--"England expects every man will

do his duty." The speakers did not omit to apply an example so striking.

A despatch of Sir William Denison (May, '50), recommending the grant of

lands and other advantages to reconcile the less incorruptible advocates

of abolition and marked "confidential," had just reached the colony,

having been unaccountably inserted in the blue book. The moral choice of

the people was still more strikingly manifest, when they disregarded

such offers, whether considered as compensation or bribes, and rejected

every advocate of transportation. Such appeals as the following were

not heard in vain. "Now, let our signal be--'Tasmania expects every man

to do his duty!' The first earnest of your privileges must be the utter

extinction of slavery in this your adopted land. By your most cherished

associations--by all that you hold most dear--by the love you bear your

domestic hearths--by the claims and cries of your children--by the light

of that freedom, your common inheritance, which has now for the first

time dawned upon you, which has gilt your mountains and gladdened your

valleys,--by the spirit of emancipation, and which at this very moment

is beating in unison in strong pulsations through every artery of the

island, until I can almost fancy that Nature herself heaves and

sympathises with the universal emotion,--I call upon you, adjure you, to

cast off every unworthy feeling, and remember only 'to do your duty'

towards your own--your adopted land."[267]

By a violent exertion the convict party were held together until the day

of polling:--then they disappeared with noise and riot, and were seen no

more.

The reputable emancipists joined their emigrant countrymen. They held

the balance in their hands. In the main they proved true to the

principles which hold society together, and followed the dictates of

parental affection. Many not actual members of the league supported its

principles so far as they contemplated the social freedom of the

Australian world. Thus all the preliminary steps were taken to secure

the voice of the legislative councils, and throughout the southern

hemisphere no representative of the people was found to stand up as the

advocate of transportation. The proper moment for confederation had been

found. A few months before it was unthought of--a few months after it

would have been impracticable. The speech of Earl Grey, was intended to

extinguish finally all hope of freedom, but struck out a spark and

kindled a flame which none can quench.

The representatives were true. The council of New South Wales, the

earliest to assemble, struck the first blow for Australasian liberty.

They voted, not for the deliverance of their own colony only, but for

the rescue of Van Diemen's Land. Mr. Lamb proposed resolutions charging

Earl Grey with perfidy--Mr. King sought the same object in a milder

form, and in November the whole house concurred in condemning

transportation. The Victorian legislature, on the motion of Mr.

Westgarth, adopted a similar protest, though in stronger terms.

Supported by the law officers of the crown, the resolutions passed with

perfect unanimity (Dec.), and they were promptly forwarded by Governor

Latrobe, who expressed the warmest interest in their success. Thousands

of expirees and absconders, allured by the prospect of sudden riches,

descended upon that province and filled the inhabitants with

astonishment. Hundreds who arrived in Van Diemen's Land in bondage, and

many who quitted it without leave, became by a few days spoil, masters

of from one hundred to a thousand pounds.

On the 16th December (1851), a series of resolutions were passed by the

legislature of South Australia on the motion of Mr. Hall. Thus, three

colonies, by a unanimous vote, pronounced the doom of transportation.

Their governors were silent or approving. All, whether servants of the

crown, or representatives of the people, united in one voice. Tasmania

was the last to obtain the constitutional organization. On the 30th of

December the governor met the men of the people, and found not one to

sustain the policy of transportation. Mr. Dry, the first country born

legislator, was unanimously elected to the speakership. The address

presented to Sir Wm. Denison expressed deep regret that he had not

considered it necessary to notice the all important subject of

transportation, the violation of a pledge--broken by the ministers of

the crown, or had been able to announce that his own earnest

representations had concurred with the unanimous desire of the Tasmanian

constituencies. This complaint he received in silence. On the 14th of

January, the subject was brought before the house by Mr. Sharland, who

moved twelve resolutions. They recorded the violated pledge of Earl

Grey, the protests of the colony against transportation; they professed

the warmest loyalty to the throne, and attachment to Great Britain, and

they pronounced the unchangeable opposition of the house to

transportation. The discovery of gold was stated as calculated to induce

her Majesty's ministers to comply with the petitions of the people; "but

if it should unhappily be otherwise" said the faithful representatives

of Van Diemen's Land, "it is our duty as colonists, and as British

subjects, to exert to the utmost all the power with which this council

is invested, to oppose, and if possible to defeat, every measure that

may be suggested or attempted for the introduction of criminals into

this country, at any time, or under any circumstances."

For this resolution none but representatives of the people voted;

against it, none but the nominees of the crown.

The triumph of this cause was the work of many and the labour of years.

Thousands of articles often distinguished for ability, appeared in the

colonial papers, and thus ripened the public mind to vigorous action.

Many who have toiled survive to participate in the gladness of success:

others have passed to the grave; among these the names of Archer and

Oakden will recur to colonial remembrance, A future generation will best

appreciate the value of that noble stand made against the allurements of

real or imaginary gain, and the children of Tasmania will delight to

inscribe the patriot's name in the record of their country's redemption.

But the impartiality of history demands a confession, less favorable to

the colonists at large, and which must arrest a deliberate and absolute

judgment against the ministers of the crown. The voice of employers too

long favored transportation, and their temporary interests were

preferred to their ultimate welfare. The press visited the friends of

social freedom with sarcasm and contempt, and described them as purists

and fanatics. Until the last ten years the colonial will has been

neither steady nor distinct. Emigration and time have wrought a change

in the prevailing feeling. Nor should it be forgotten that the first

colonies of this hemisphere were planted for the punishment of crime and

the reform of criminals--that those who came to share their fortunes,

necessarily inherited their dishonor, and that we require the

abandonment of a policy once thought profoundly wise, and which was

scarcely questioned for more than three score years.

The opposition of Sir William Denison to the colonial will on this

subject, his injustice to the judges, and his sarcastic delineations of

colonial character, have narrowed the circle of his friends. In future

times an opinion more favorable to his reputation may be expected to

prevail. It will then be remembered that he promoted the advancement of

science, fostered liberal education, increased the facilities of

commerce, abated the practical evils of the convict department,

advocated the principles of legislative freedom, and, by a respectable

private character, sustained the moral dignity of government. But even

then it will not be forgotten, that in perpetuating the convict curse,

he adopted any argument, however false, and tolerated any ally, however

abject.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 261: If this question had _been_ brought forward in a large

and comprehensive view before the Federal Assembly of the Australian

colonies, which is soon to be called into being, I admit that the

decision arrived at might have had some effect on the home government; I

think, even now, the wisest and safest course would be to postpone its

further discussion, and remit the whole matter to that body. Then, if

they were all as sincerely opposed as I am to transportation in any

shape, they might come to a conclusion, that convicts should come to

none of these colonies; and to such a decision the minister might

succumb. It is to such an assembly as this that a question of this

magnitude ought to be remitted, as it is a question on which all the

colonies are alike concerned. If South Australia, Van Diemen's Land, and

Port Phillip, all agreed with New South Wales, in one common

determination not to receive convicts in any shape, there would be some

hope that they might accomplish their end.]

[Footnote 262:

THE AUSTRALASIAN LEAGUE.

_The League and Solemn Engagement of the Australian Colonies,

declared by the Delegate_ in _the Conference held at Melbourne,

February_, 1851.

WHEREAS, in 1840, by an Order in Council, the practice of

transporting convicts to New South Wales was abandoned by the

Crown, and, whereas, by divers promises the government of Great

Britain engaged not to send convicts from the United Kingdom to New

South Wales, New Zealand, Victoria, or King George's Sound. And,

whereas, by an Act of the British Parliament, transportation to

South Australia was positively prohibited. And, whereas,

Lieutenant-Governor Denison, in 1847, declared to the colonists of

Van Diemen's Land her Majesty's most gracious purpose, that

transportation to that island should be discontinued. And, whereas,

the colony of Van Diemen's Land has been deeply injured by the

pouring in of enormous masses of transported offenders. And,

whereas, divers and repeated attempts have been made to depart from

the letter and spirit of these promises. And, whereas, the avowed

object of her Majesty's Secretary of State is to transfuse the

convicts disembarked in Van Diemen's Land through the Australasian

Colonies, and thus to evade the spirit of the promises and Act of

Parliament so made. And, whereas, large tracts of land have been

purchased by the colonists from the crown; many millions of capital

invested in improvements; and many thousands of her Majesty's

subjects have settled in Australasia on the pledged faith of the

Crown not to disturb their social welfare by the importation of

crime. And, whereas, the native Australasians are entitled to all

the rights and privileges of British subjects, and to the sympathy

and protection of the British nation. And, whereas, many and varied

efforts have been made to induce her Majesty's ministers and the

British Parliament to terminate the practice of transportation to

these colonies, but without success. Now, THEREFORE, the Delegates

of these Colonies, in conference assembled, do declare their League

and Solemn Engagement, to the effect following:--

1st. That they engage not to employ any person hereafter arriving

under sentence of transportation for crime committed in Europe.

2d. That they will use all the powers they possess--official,

electoral, and legislative, to prevent the establishment of English

prisons, or penal settlements, within their bounds; that they will

refuse assent to any projects to facilitate the administration of

such penal systems, and that they will seek the repeal of all

regulations, and the removal of all establishments for such

purposes.

And lastly, That they solemnly engage with each other to support by

their advice, their money, and their countenance, all who may

suffer in the lawful promotion of this cause.]

[Footnote 263: William Westgarth, William Kerr, William Nicholson,

Dalmahoy Campbell, William Stawell, George Annand, William Bell, J.

Stewart Johnstone, and John Hood, Esqrs.]

[Footnote 264: The _Raven_, Capt. Bell, was the first vessel that

carried the league flag, now floating over every sea.]

[Footnote 265: "My anxiety now is, to reiterate and give permanency to

the assurance, that my determination originated not in any feeling of

insensibility, or indifference, towards the noble object in which you

are engaged. No man, who feels as he ought to do for the country in

which not only himself but his children and grandchildren are

established, (which is my case), but must, from his heart, desire and

pray for the success of your endeavours. As having once held the

spiritual charge over all the colonies to which your league extends,

and, in a certain sense, continuing still to do so, I hope my feelings

towards them are such as become that relation; and my persuasion is,

that to extend, or resume, or continue the practice of transportation to

any one of them, must be injurious to all.... A perseverance in this

policy would tend more than almost any other cause that could be

mentioned, to weaken the respect which is now so generally entertained

for the name of England. It cannot be supported if England cause herself

to be regarded as the author of a continual wrong; and if respect be

forfeited, the principal tie of love and obedience will be severed. It

is impossible to believe that any British statesman will be found, who,

upon the ground of policy, and, still less, upon a principle of justice,

will recommend the continuance of the practice against which you are

united in petitioning."--_Letter of the Lord Bishop to Charles Cowper,

Esq., and Charles Kemp, Esq._]

[Footnote 266: Address to electors, July, 1851.]

[Footnote 267: Mr. MacDowell's speech.]

HISTORY OF TASMANIA.

* * * * *

ZOOLOGY.

ZOOLOGY.

SECTION I.--MAMMALIA.

The most perfect list of the mammals of Australia which has yet appeared

is in the appendix to Capt. Gray's _Travels in North-west and Western

Australia_, compiled by J. E. Gray, Esq., of the British Museum. Since

its publication (1841) a few additional species have been added to the

fauna of Tasmania, and a few of the smaller animals, probably, remain

still to be described; but they will not materially affect the following

list, which is compiled from the table by Mr. Gray, and a subsequent

_History of the Marsupiata_, by G. R. Waterhouse (1846):--

-------------+---------------------+------------+-----------+-----------+

ORDERS. | GENERA. | Total No. | Peculiar | Common to |

| | of Species | to | Australia |

| | in | Tasmania. | and |

| | Tasmania. | | Tasmania. |

-------------+---------------------+------------+-----------+-----------+

CHEIROPTERA | Nyctophilus | 1 | -- | 1 |

| Scotophilus | 2 | -- | 2 |

| | | | |

MARSUPIALIA | Thylacinus | 1 | 1 | -- |

| Dasyurus | 3 | 2 | 1 |

| _includes Diabolus_ | | | |

| Phascogale | 3 | 3 | -- |

| _includes | | | |

| Antechinus_ | | | |

| Perameles | 2 | 1 | 1 |

| Phalangista | 3 | 1 | 2 |

| _includes Hepoona_ | | | |

| Phascolomys | 1 | -- | 1 |

| Hypsiprymnus | 2 | 1 | 1 |

| _includes | | | |

| Bettongia_ | | | |

| Macropus | 3 | 1 | 2 |

| _includes | | | |

| Halmaturus_ | | | |

| | | | |

RODENTIA | Hydromys | 1 | -- | 1 |

| Mus | 2 | 1 | 1 |

| | | | |

EDENTATA, or | Ornithorhynchus | 1 | -- | 1 |

MONOTREMATA | Echidna | 1 | 1 | -- |

| |------------+-----------+-----------+

| | 26 | 12 | 14 |

-------------+---------------------+------------+-----------+-----------+

This makes a total of twenty-six mammals inhabiting Tasmania, exclusive

of the _Seals_ and _Cetacea_, with which our acquaintance is still very

imperfect.

From the above list it will be perceived, with the exception of the

three bats, two mice, and one water-rat, that all our mammals are either

Marsupial (pouched) or Monotrematous (a closely-allied form, to which

belong the platypus and porcupine of the colonists). Orders found in

other countries, such as the _Pachydermata_ and _Ruminantia_, are in

Tasmania wholly wanting, as they are also throughout the extensive

continent of Australia.

It is also remarkable that twelve out of the twenty-six animals are

peculiar to this small island, and have not yet been detected elsewhere.

Amongst those thus limited in their geographical range are the tiger and

devil of the colonists, the two largest indigenous Australian

carnivorous quadrupeds.

Australia is the great metropolis of the marsupial animals. Certain

species of the group are found in North and South America, and in New

Guinea, the Moluccas, and adjacent islands, but the numbers seem limited

as compared with the other indigenous quadrupeds of those countries.

Professor Owen observes:--"That the marsupialia form one great natural

group is now generally admitted by zoologists. The representatives in

that group of many of the orders of the more extensive placental

sub-class of the mammalia of the larger continents have also been

recognised in the existing genera and species:--the Dasyures, for

example, play the parts of the _Carnivora_, the Bandicoots of the

_Insectivora_, the Phalangers of the _Quadrumana_, the Wombat of the

_Rodentia,_ and the Kangaroos, in a remoter degree, that of the

_Ruminantia_."[268]

The Tiger or Hyæna of the colonists (_Thylacinus cynocephalus_, Harris)

is a very powerful animal, about the size of a large dog, with short

legs. It is of a tawny or brownish yellow color, with numerous black

bands arranged transversely along the back, from the shoulders to the

tail; hence the erroneous names tiger and hyæna, given to it by the

early settlers. The muzzle is rather elongated, the ears short and

erect, and the pupils elliptical, corresponding with its leaping,

predaceous habits; if it had the characteristic brush instead of a long

taper tail, its figure would bear a considerable resemblance to that of

the fox. The female is much smaller, but more active and supple in its

movements than the male. They prey upon kangaroos, opossums, bandicoots,

and other native animals; hunting by night, their exquisite sense of

smell enables them to steal cautiously upon these defenceless animals,

in the thick covers of the low grassy flats and scrubs, or to run them

down on the more open hill and forest land. They are not very fleet, but

follow the track with untiring perseverance, occasionally uttering a

kind of low smothered bark. They never hunt in packs, but a male and

female, or a bitch, with two or three half-grown pups, have occasionally

been seen together, in pursuit of game.

The Thylacine kills sheep, but usually confines its attack to one at a

time, and is therefore by no means so destructive to a flock as the

domestic dog become wild, or as the Dingo of Australia, which both

commit vast havoc in a single night. High rewards have always, however,

been given by sheep-owners for their destruction; and, as every

available spot of land is now occupied, it is probable that in a very

few years this animal, so highly interesting to the zoologist, will

become extinct; it is now extremely rare, even in the wildest and least

frequented parts of the island. A male and female were sent to the

Zoological Society of London during the present year (1850), and were

the first that ever reached Europe alive.

The Devil (_Dasyurus ursinus_, Geoff.), about the size of a bull

terrier, is an exceedingly fierce and disgusting looking animal, of a

black color, usually having one white band across the chest, and another

across the back, near the tail. It is a perfect glutton, and most

indiscriminate in its feeding; nothing comes amiss to it; it lives

chiefly upon carrion, the smaller native animals, and occasionally

attacks sheep, principally, however, lambs and the weakly or diseased;

even one of its own kind, caught in a snare, is attacked and devoured

without mercy. They are very numerous in some localities, and from their

smaller size will probably longer survive the war of extermination

carried on against them.

The other two species of _Dasyurus_, viz., the Tiger cat (_Dasyurus

maculatus_, Shaw) and Native cat (_Dasyurus viverrinus_, Shaw), are

similar in their habits to the pole-cat and marten of England, from

which they do not differ materially in size, and prove equally

destructive to the poultry yard. The Native cat varies a good deal in

color, many being black with white spots; but the usual and prevailing

color is a greyish tan or yellow, with white spots; and from these mere

varieties some naturalists have constituted two species. Great numbers

of Native cats are killed in some localities for the sake of their

skins, which are formed into rugs by the shepherds.

The Phascogales are small insectivorous animals, found on the mountains

and in the dense forest parts of the island, and little is known of

their habits.

The two species of Bandicoot (_Perameles obesula_, Shaw, and _P.

Gunnii_, Gray), are very common throughout the colony, living upon

insects and roots.

The Opossums usually abound where grass is to be found, lodging by day

in the holes and hollows of trees. The most common species is the

_Phalangista vulpina_ (Shaw), under which is placed both the black and

grey opossums. These animals are much sought after by the servants on

most farms for the sake of feeding their dogs with the flesh, and

forming the skins into rugs; an opossum (or kangaroo) skin rug being the

principal bedding of all the shepherds, stock-keepers, and laborers in

the more remote parts of the colony. When travelling from one station to

another, and sleeping in the open air, these men always carry a rug with

them; and wrapped in this, with his feet to the fire, the bushman sleeps

on the ground warm and comfortable, even in the coldest nights, with no

other shelter save a log or a few boughs to windward; and this was

generally all the shelter used by the aborigines. The fur on the

opossums in the mountains and cooler parts of the island is thicker and

better adapted for rugs than on those obtained from the sea coast or the

warmer settled districts. The Ringtail opossum (_Phalangista_ or

_Hepoona Cookii_, Desm.) is smaller, less common, and less sought after,

for dogs will not eat the flesh of the Ringtail even when roasted.

The Flying squirrel, or opossum of Port Phillip (_Petaurus sciureus_,

Desm.), was introduced from that colony between the years 1834 and 1839:

many of those so introduced escaped from confinement, and from the

numbers which have been killed around Launceston since that period they

have evidently increased and established themselves amongst the denizens

of our woods. No species, however, of flying opossum is indigenous to

Tasmania.

The Wombat, more commonly called in the colony Badger (_Phascolomys

wombat_, Peron.), is an animal weighing forty to eighty pounds, having a

large body, with short legs. Notwithstanding its burrowing habits, and

the excessive thickness and toughness of its skin, it is usually so

easily killed, that it is becoming less and less common.

The Kangaroo rats (_Hypsiprymnus cuniculus_, Ogilby, and _H. murinus_,

Ill.) are small animals, like kangaroos in their form and mode of

progression, but require few remarks, as they are not killed either for

food or their skins. They are not numerous anywhere. Dogs will not

usually eat them.

Our best known animals, however, are the Kangaroos, of which we have

three species, distinguished by the names of Forester, Brush, and

Wallaby.

The Forester (_Macropus major_, Shaw), the male being known by the name

of "boomer," and the young female by that of "flying doe," is the

largest and only truly gregarious species,--now nearly extinct in all

the settled or occupied districts of the island, and rare everywhere.

This species afforded the greatest sport and the best food to the early

settlers, an individual weighing 100 to 140 pounds. It is much to be

regretted that this noble animal is likely so soon to be exterminated.

It was usually hunted by large powerful dogs, somewhat similar to the

Scotch deer hounds; and when closely pressed had the remarkable

peculiarity of always taking to the water where practicable. A modern

kangaroo hunt has been thus graphically described by the Honorable Henry

Elliot, in Gould's splendid work on the Macropodidæ:--

"I have much pleasure in telling you all I know of the kangaroo-hunting

in Van Diemen's Land. The hounds are kept by Mr. Gregson, and have been

bred by him from fox-hounds imported from England; and though not so

fast as most hounds here now are, they are quite as fast as it is

possible to ride to in that country. The 'boomer' is the only kangaroo

which shows good sport, for the strongest 'brush' kangaroo cannot live

above twenty minutes before the hounds; but as the two kinds are always

found in perfectly different situations we never were at a loss to find

a 'boomer,' and I must say that they seldom failed to show us good

sport. We generally 'found' in a high cover of young wattles, but

sometimes we 'found' in the open forest, and then it was really pretty

to see the style in which a good kangaroo would go away. I recollect one

day in particular, when a very fine 'boomer' jumped up in the very

middle of the hounds, in the 'open:' he at first took a few high jumps

with his head up, looking about him to see on which side the coast was

clearest, and then, without a moment's hesitation, he stooped forward

and shot away from the hounds, apparently without an effort, and gave us

the longest run I ever saw after a kangaroo. He ran fourteen miles by

the map from point to point, and if he had had fair play I have very

little doubt but that he would then have beat us; but he had taken along

a tongue of land which ran into the sea, so that, on being pressed, he

was forced to try to swim across the arm of the sea, which, at the place

where he took the water, cannot have been less than two miles broad; in

spite of a fresh breeze and a head sea against him, he got fully

half-way over, but he could not make head against the waves any further,

and was obliged to turn back, when, being quite exhausted, he was soon

killed.

"The distance he ran, taking in the different bends in the line, cannot

have been less than eighteen miles, and he certainly swam more than two.

I can give no idea of the length of time it took him to run this

distance, but it took us something more than two hours; and it was

evident, from the way in which the hounds were running, that he was a

long way before us; and it was also plain that he was still fresh, as,

quite at the end of the run, he went over the top of a very high hill,

which a tired kangaroo never will attempt to do, as dogs gain so much on

them in going up hill. His hind quarters weighed within a pound or two

of seventy pounds, which is large for the Van Diemen's Land kangaroo,

though I have seen larger.

"We did not measure the length of the hop of this kangaroo; but on

another occasion, when the 'boomer' had taken along the beach, and left

his prints in the sand, the length of each jump was found to be just

fifteen feet, and as regular as if they had been stepped by a sergeant.

When a 'boomer' is pressed, he is very apt to take the water, and then

it requires several good dogs to kill him, for he stands waiting for

them, and as soon as they swim up to the attack, he takes hold of them

with his fore feet, and holds them under water. The buck is altogether

very bold, and will generally make a stout resistance; for if he cannot

get to the water, he will place his back against a tree, so that he

cannot be attacked from behind, and then the best dog will find in him a

formidable antagonist.

"The doe, on the contrary, is a very timid creature, and I have even

seen one die of fear. It was in a place where we wished to preserve

them, and as soon as we found that we were running a doe we stopped the

hounds, just at the moment they were running into her. She had not

received the slightest injury, but she lay down and died in about ten

minutes. When a doe is beat she generally makes several sharp doubles,

and then gets among the branches or close to the trunk of a fallen

tree, and remains so perfectly still that she will allow you almost to

ride over her without moving, and in this way she often escapes.

"A tolerably good kangaroo will generally give a run of from six to ten

miles; but in general they do not run that distance in a straight line,

but make one large ring back to the place where they were found, though

the larger ones often go straight away."

The Brush kangaroo (_Macropus [Halmaturus] Bennettii_, Waterh.) is

universally distributed over Tasmania, and in some localities was

formerly very numerous indeed, but the war of extermination constantly

waged at all seasons against this species, for the sake of its skin,

has, in many places, entirely destroyed it, and rendered it scarce

everywhere. Many thousands of skins have been annually exported from

Launceston alone, and nearly all the leather used in the colony for

ladies' and gentlemen's boots and shoes is made from the skin of the

brush kangaroo, which is thicker and better than that of the larger

species.

The Wallaby (_Macropus [Halmaturus] Billardieri_, Desm.) is the smallest

species of kangaroo, and inhabits thickets; and although described by

Mr. Gould as being gregarious, is never seen in flocks, as is the

forester kangaroo.

All the different species of kangaroo are admirable food, and are now in

much request by the residents in the towns as a delicacy, having in soup

a flavor somewhat similar to that of hare. No others of the indigenous

quadrupeds are usually used for food, although occasionally bushmen eat

the wombat and echidna, and, more rarely, the bandicoots and kangaroo

rats.

The Platypus (_Ornithorhynchus anatinus_, Shaw) has for many years been

so great a subject of interest to the zoological world that little is

left to detail. It is still not uncommon in the pools and small streams

on the table land of the western mountains; at the source of the river

Derwent, Lake St. Clair; and in most of the rivers and streams in the

more remote parts. Those who feel any interest in the peculiar structure

of this very remarkable animal, and its congener the Porcupine (_Echidna

setosa_, Cuv.), can find full details in Professor Owen's very elaborate

and admirable paper, in the _Cyclopædia of Anatomy and Physiology_, on

the _Monotremata_.[269]

Nearly all the Tasmanian quadrupeds are nocturnal in their habits, or,

when not strictly so, feed principally during the morning and evening

twilight: and as few of our mountains exceed four or five thousand feet

of elevation above the sea level, most of the animals are distributed

over the whole island, being merely influenced in their range by the

greater or less abundance of food.

All the larger species of indigenous mammals will rapidly diminish under

the united efforts of Europeans and their attendant dogs. No species is

protected, and no species spared. As the _Marsupialia_ are not prolific,

the extinction of several species may soon be anticipated, from the

circumstance that the unsettled parts of the island, to which they have

been driven, are comparatively destitute of grass, and unfit for the

support of graminivorous animals.

It may here be observed that the Dingo of New Holland never inhabited

Van Diemen's Land; and although wild dogs were at one time troublesome

in a few districts, yet they were merely the domestic dogs become wild

(many having from time to time been abandoned by their masters--aborigines

and convicts), and were soon destroyed. European rats and mice are now

common all over the island: the domestic cat, also, has in many localities

become wild, and proves very destructive to quails, and those birds which

are much on the ground.

SECTION II.--BIRDS.

Unlike the mammals, there is nothing in the general aspect of the birds

of Tasmania to distinguish them from those of other countries; there

are, however, some peculiar forms, but they are not of such a nature as

to strike the eye. Many of the birds of Europe are represented here, as

the hawks, owls, swallows, snipe, ducks, &c., and not a few have

received English names, from the real or fancied resemblance which they

bear to their British prototypes, as the magpies, wrens, robins, &c.

Mr. John Gould, in his splendid and elaborate work, _The Birds of

Australia_, has so completely illustrated and described the birds of

Australia, including those of Tasmania, that little remains to be done

by those who follow him. Whether we look at this magnificent work for

its beauty, or its accuracy, we cannot help feeling rejoiced that so

interesting a portion of the natural history of Tasmania should have

been so ably illustrated. According to Mr. Gould's work, Tasmania

possesses 170 species,[270] of which only a few, so far as at present

known, are _peculiar_ to it, that is, have not yet been found in any

other part of Australia. In the 170 are included some occasional and

rare visitants to our shores, but several others will, no doubt, have

hereafter to be added; this is, however, a close enough approximation

for all ordinary purposes.

The 170 birds may be divided into the following orders and genera:--

ORDERS. No. of No. of

Genera. Species.

RAPTORS 11 13

INSESSORES 46 62

RASORES 4 6

GRALLATORES 20 30

NATATORES 29 59

110 170

From the above table the ornithologist will form an idea of the

character of our birds; but it will be well to proceed a little more

into detail.

Among the thirteen raptorial birds the eagle (_Aquila audax_, Lath.)

takes the foremost place. It is about the size of the golden eagle of

Europe; and being destructive to young lambs in some localities, a

constant war is waged against it by the shepherds, and it is becoming

rapidly scarce.

The beautiful white hawk (_Astur Novæ Hollandiæ_, Cuv.), erroneously

called an albino by Mr. Gould, once very abundant, is now becoming rare,

having been nearly extirpated for the sake of its skin by the zeal of

bird collectors. The other raptorial birds possess little to distinguish

them from those of other countries.

Many of the genera of the perchers are peculiar to Australia; and the

brush-like tongues of many species, formed for extracting the honey

from flowers, have been classed amongst the Australian anomalies. The

parrot tribe is the most attractive to strangers, and eleven species,

belonging to not less than eight genera, are found in Tasmania. The

green and rose-hill parrots (_Platycercus flaviventris_, Temm., and _P.

eximius_, Shaw) occur in immense flocks in some places, and prove very

destructive to the ripe grain in the fields, as also injuring the roofs

of corn stacks in the barn yards. The white cockatoos (_Cacatua

galerita_, Lath.) were at one time to be seen in immense flocks, but are

now becoming scarce. Many of the parrots have beautiful plumage, and the

white cockatoo and rose-hill parrot have occasionally been taught to

speak.

Two pigeons and four species of quail are all the rasorial birds in the

island; the true gallinaceous birds being wholly wanting.

Of the thirty species of grallatores the most remarkable is the emu.

Very few individuals can now exist in the island, and it is to be feared

that its total extinction will be effected ere it can be ascertained

whether the Tasmanian bird is identical with that of New Holland. Tame

emus are common in the colony, but the original stock of most of those

now domesticated was introduced from Port Phillip.

The fifty-nine species of swimming birds include many sea birds which

inhabit the Antarctic, Southern Indian, and South Pacific Oceans. That

"_rara avis_," the black swan, once so common that rivers, bays, points,

&c., received their names, but a few years ago, from its abundance, is

now becoming truly a _rara avis_ in the settled parts of the island,

having been driven from its old haunts by that great intruder, the white

man. Ducks are numerous, of many species, and form admirable articles of

food. The sooty petrel (_Puffinus brevicaudus_, Brandt.), or mutton

bird, occurs in immense flocks in Bass' Strait. Captain Flinders, in his

_Voyage to Terra Australis_,[271] says that when near the north-west

extremity of Van Diemen's Land he saw a stream of sooty petrels from

fifty to eighty yards in depth, and of three hundred yards or more in

breadth. The birds were not scattered, but flying as compactly as a free

movement of their wings seemed to allow; and during a full _hour and

a-half_ this stream of petrels continued to pass without interruption,

at a rate little inferior to the swiftness of the pigeon. On the lowest

computation he thought the number could not have been less than a

hundred millions. This bird burrows in the ground, forming what are

called by the sealers in the Straits, _rookeries_; and a considerable

trade was at one time carried on in their feathers, eggs, and salted

bodies.[272]

With the exception of the pretty but gaudy parrot tribe, our most

beautiful birds may be said to be the wren (_Malurus longicaudus_,

Gould), the grosbeak (_Estrelda bella_, Lath.), the king-fisher

(_Alcyone Diemenensis_, Gould), the diamond birds (_Pardalotus_

species), and the satin fly-catcher (_Myiagra nitida_, Gould). None of

the birds equal the songsters of Europe, although many have sweet notes,

and some are musical, as the magpie (_Gymnorhina organicum_, Gould),

that lively bird whose cheerful notes delight the ear of every traveller

at early dawn in the settled districts of Tasmania, to which it is

restricted.

The distribution of the birds of Tasmania is very partial, differing in

this respect remarkably from that of the animals. The supply of the

peculiar food suitable to particular genera and species necessarily

affects their range, and as one half of the island is still covered by

the dense primæval forests, so in that portion few of the birds

inhabiting the settled districts are to be found. Several of them follow

the footsteps of man, and as his clearings take place in the remote

wilds, and corn-fields spring into existence, so many grain-eating birds

make their appearance. This is entirely irrespective of the regular

annual migrations of numerous species from New Holland to Tasmania,

which, in this respect, follow the same law which governs the migrations

of species inhabiting similar latitudes in the other hemisphere. The

snipe and swallows usually arrive in Van Diemen's Land during the first

week in September; and during that month most of those birds which

migrate for the purpose of breeding also make their appearance. In

April, or soon after, the various summer visitants take their departure

northwards. Mr. Gould observes:--"There are also periods when some

species of birds appear entirely to forsake the part of the country in

which they have been accustomed to dwell, and to betake themselves to

some distant locality, where they remain for five or ten years, or even

for a longer period, and whence they as suddenly disappear as they had

arrived."

The only birds shot as game in the colony are quail and snipe. Quail

shooting commences on 1st April, and snipe shooting about 1st September.

SECTION III.--FISHES.

Sir John Richardson has described many species of Tasmanian fish in the

_Transactions of the Zoological Society_, and, more recently, some

additional species in the _Zoology of H. M. S. Erebus and Terror_. To

these works we must refer for scientific details, but many are still

undescribed, and of the habits of our fish in general but little is

known. Every season new species are brought to market at Hobart Town and

Launceston, and no doubt many more species yet remain to reward the

zealous fisherman who will explore the various banks off our coasts. The

depth of water throughout the whole of Bass' Strait, and between the

numerous islands which dot its eastern and western extremities, ranges

between twenty and fifty fathoms only, the latter being the greatest

depth. In such localities, and more especially amongst the islands,

where numerous currents occur, fish may be expected to abound; but as

yet no attempt has been made to extend the fishing beyond the shallow

smooth water at the mouths of our rivers and estuaries.

Not only are many of the Tasmanian fish admirable as articles of food,

but there is every reason to believe that they might be caught in

sufficient numbers to form a valuable export to those countries where

salt fish is esteemed. The best for this purpose would be that commonly

known as the "king-fish" (a species of _alepisaurus_), about the size of

a cod, the _habitat_ of which is still unknown, but which comes

regularly every season, during the months of May to July, into the

shallow waters along the coasts, to spawn. It most probably permanently

inhabits some of the banks in Bass' Strait.

The species considered finest for the table is one called the Trumpeter,

found commonly in the estuary of the Derwent and Storm Bay, but which is

rarely caught on the northern coast. Flounders, gar-fish, gurnett

(_Sebastes maculatus_), and several other species of sea-fish, a bare

list of which would convey little information, are frequently and

usually brought to market.

The rivers of Tasmania are not so well supplied with fish as those of

many other countries. The largest, except an eel, is one called the

black-fish, which, in some of the rivers which discharge themselves into

the sea on the north coast, attains a weight of six to eight pounds.

This fish, it is said, does not exist in the river Derwent, or in any of

its numerous tributaries. The mullet (or fresh water herring) is a fine,

well-flavored fish, weighing usually about five ounces, and is the only

one affording sport to the angler. These, with a species of trout, two

lampreys, and, perhaps, two or three very small species not usually

noticed, complete the list of those which inhabit our streams and lakes.

The colonists are now anxious to introduce the Salmon into the Tasmanian

rivers, for which they seem admirably adapted. Hitherto the attempts

have been made from Scotland, and failed; but it is supposed that the

west coast of North America would afford a more favorable and accessible

station from which to introduce the salmon of that country, which,

although not so highly flavored as the Scotch species, would still be a

most desirable acquisition.

Some species of fish are poisonous at all seasons, as the toad-fish

(_Apistes marmoratus_); others are only occasionally so; and the degree

of poisonous effect would seem to depend not only upon the state of the

fish, but to vary very much in different persons who partake of them at

the same time. There is nothing, however, in these properties of the

Tasmanian fish to distinguish them from those of many other countries

where similar peculiarities exist.

SECTION IV.--REPTILES.

It will not be necessary, in a work like the present, to do more than

notice in very general terms this and the subsequent departments of

zoology, upon none of which have any separate works been published.

Snakes exist all over Tasmania; all are believed to be poisonous, and

some are well known to be so. They inhabit all localities, from the

level of the sea to the summits of the loftiest mountains (about five

thousand feet). The number of species is still undetermined, but there

are believed to be at least ten, although it is probable that the young

of some kinds may have been mistaken for distinct species. The largest

are usually four to five feet long, attaining occasionally, though but

very rarely indeed, to a length of six feet. The greater number,

however, are very much smaller, and are very various in color.

Comparatively few instances have occurred wherein the bite of the snake

has proved fatal to human life, and this, considering the immense number

of snakes throughout the island, may be deemed remarkable. Numerous

instances, however, of the death of horses, cattle, sheep, and dogs,

have been recorded; but the particular species causing death in each

instance has not been noted with precision; so that there are

considerable doubts with many well-informed persons whether some

innocuous kinds may not, like the ringed snake of England, be classed

amongst their poisonous congeners, and indiscriminately killed with

them.

Next to man the hawk tribe are their most powerful and persevering

enemies; and it would be wise on the part of the colonists if they

forbade their servants to destroy those beautiful and, in this respect,

most useful birds. Lady Franklin, during the government of her husband,

Sir John Franklin, with her wonted liberality and kindness of heart,

offered a reward of one shilling per head for every snake killed

throughout the island. During the first year she paid about £700, for

nearly fourteen thousand snakes killed. Subsequently she discontinued

this reward, having ascertained that it would not, at that time, prove

permanently beneficial, as from the very great extent of waste and

unoccupied land, where snakes could breed undisturbed, they were brought

down in vast numbers to the inhabited parts of the island by the flooded

streams and rivers; but it now becomes a question, when so much more of

the island is occupied, whether our local legislature might not wisely

renew the offer of a moderate reward for the destruction of these

obnoxious and much dreaded reptiles.

Lizards and frogs, of various species, are common, but possess no

peculiar interest. A species of turtle has been occasionally washed

ashore upon the east coast, brought, no doubt, from the east coast of

New Holland by the current which sets from that direction towards Van

Diemen's Land.

SECTION V.--INSECTS.

No work on the entomology of Tasmania has yet appeared, although few

countries offer a wider or better field to the zealous entomologist, and

it possesses many most interesting species.[273]

There is a great preponderance of _Coleoptera_ over the other orders.

Some European forms are common; and several species, as the weevil,

apple aphis, slug, &c., have been introduced, and prove most injurious,

as they increase with unusual rapidity. The domestic bee was brought to

Van Diemen's Land from England by Dr. T. B. Wilson, R.N., in the year

1834; and so admirably does the climate of this island suit this

interesting insect that in the first year sixteen swarms were produced

from the imported hive! Since that time they have been distributed all

over the island, and have been sent to all the adjoining colonies; all

those in Australia having been derived from the one hive. In Tasmania

they are becoming wild in great numbers, spreading themselves rapidly

through all the forests, even to the summits of the western mountains.

SECTION VI.--MOLLUSCA.

Of the mollusca inhabiting the shores of the island many are highly

interesting, and several are very beautiful. The rare _Cypræa

umbilicata_ (Sowerby) inhabits Bass' Strait, as also _Trigonia

margaritacea_ (Lam.), _Valuta papillaris_ (Swainson), _Venus lamellata_

(Lam.), _Crassatella kingicola_ (Lam.), _solenimya Australis_ (Lam.), a

species of _Terebratula_, and many others most interesting to the

conchologist, and not less so to the geologist, as some forms are now

found living abundantly in the Australian seas which are only known in

the old world as occurring in a fossil state.

Our Argonaut, or paper nautilus (_A. tuberculosa_, Lam.), is quite

distinct from the European species, and scarcely less beautiful. It is

occasionally washed ashore in considerable numbers on the islands in

Bass' Strait. The beautiful _Janthina fragilis_ has been washed ashore

with its inhabitant on the east coast.

Although many forms are almost purely Australian, there are,

nevertheless, a great number of European types, such as species of

_Mytilus, Venus, Pecten, Ostrea, Patella_, &c.

The only kind of shell-fish commonly consumed as an article of food and

brought to market is a species of oyster. With the aborigines, however,

shell-fish formed a very considerable and important article of diet. La

Billardiere[274] describes their diving for _Haliotis_ at Recherche Bay;

and abundant remains of their feasts still exist all along the coasts,

and, in some places, many miles inland, the shell-fish having been

carried in baskets by the women, to situations where fresh water was to

be found. The sites of these aboriginal feasts are usually easily to be

distinguished from raised beaches, or those accumulations of shells

caused by change in the relative levels of sea and land. They may be

known by their isolated character and position; by their forming, in

many instances, round mound-like heaps, or tumuli; by the shells being

injured by fire, often broken into small pieces, intermixed with

fragments of charcoal; and from the fact of no small species of shell,

not likely to form an article of food, being found intermixed.[275] The

species of shell-fish consumed by the aborigines were numerous, and

varied according to the locality in which each shell abounded. Those

commonly used were the two species of _Haliotis_, _Mussels_, a _Turbo_,

and _Oyster_: several of the smaller _bivalves_ and _univalves_ were,

however, occasionally used, but it does not appear that the _aborigines_

of Tasmania ever eat the _Unio_, so far as can now be traced; in this

instance exhibiting a remarkable difference from those of New Holland,

with whom the _Unio_ forms an important article of diet.

The land shells are inconsiderable in number, not amounting to more than

about six species. The freshwater kinds, including those inhabiting

ditches, ponds, &c., are more numerous; but, except the _unio_, all are

small and insignificant. Some species occur abundantly in situations

which are perfectly dry for at least six months of the year, and seem,

like many snails, to have the power of sustaining life for a long period

in a dormant state.

SECTION VII.--CRUSTACEA, ECHINODERMATA, &c.

Crabs of numerous species are common, and one species, occasionally

caught on both the east and west coasts, attains to a gigantic size. A

craw-fish is abundant on the coasts, and is much prized by epicures, and

another inhabits the rivers which run into the sea on the north coast.

Many other crustaceans, still undescribed or but little known, are to be

found in all favorable situations.

There is little in the character of the _echinodermata_ to call for

special notice. Species of many genera of star-fish and sea urchins are

most abundant. _Acalephæ_ and _polypi_ are equally numerous, and a most

extensive and little-explored field lies open in this colony to the

naturalist in these most interesting branches of zoology. Our

_infusoria_, too, are still undescribed, though numerous; but they call

for few remarks in this place.

In closing this chapter upon the zoology of Tasmania it must not be

forgotten by the reader that its productions are still, in a great many

cases, comparatively unknown; the notices of those described are

scattered throughout an immense number of works, and in this island no

museum or public scientific library yet exists, of such a character as

to afford any aid to the compiler. It is not, however, to be expected

that a general history of Tasmania should contain a minute history of

all its varied and most interesting natural productions. It has been

deemed sufficient, in the present slight sketch, to give in general

terms merely those leading features which were likely to prove

attractive to the general reader; leaving it to the student who may

desire further information to refer to the works which have been noticed

under the different heads.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 268: _History of British Fossil Mammals and Birds._]

[Footnote 269: It may be as well, also, to observe here that the learned

Professor's article on the _Marsupialia_, in the same work, leaves

little to be desired by the student who desires fuller information on

the comparative anatomy of the marsupial animals.]

[Footnote 270: Mr. Gould, in his introduction, says 181 species, and his

table shows 172; but we think he has erred in placing some birds under

the head of Van Diemen's Land, which in the body of his book do not

appear ever to have been found in it.]

[Footnote 271: Vol. I., introduction, p. 170.]

[Footnote 272: For a very full and excellent description of the habits

of this bird see a paper by R. H. Davies, Esq., in the _Tasmanian

Journal_, Vol. II., p. 13.]

[Footnote 273: Two hundred and sixty-two species of Tasmanian insects

were described by the German entomologist Erichsen, in _Wagner's

Archives_ for 1842. The Rev. T. J. Ewing, of New Town, the most zealous

and able Tasmanian entomologist, in a paper in the _Tasmanian Journal_,

vol. iii., p. 456, quotes the following works, where descriptions of

Tasmanian insects may be found.--_Leach's Zoological Miscellany,

Entomological Magazine, The Entomologist, Transactions of the

Entomological Society of London_, and _Annals of Natural History_.]

[Footnote 274: _Voyage in search of La Perouse._]

[Footnote 275: _Vide_ a paper by R. C. Gunn: _Tasmanian Journal_, vol.

II., p. 332.]

TASMANIA:

PRINTED BY J. S. WADDELL, LAUNCESTON.

* * * * *

NOTES AND ERRATA.

Transcriber's Note: the following errata have been corrected in the text

above.

Page 4, for "Charles II." read "Charles I."

Page 14. This veteran was at the Exhibition of 1851, pointing out the

natural productions and conversing with great zest with any person

interested in this colony.

Page 29, for "did not visit," read "did not convey the settlers."

Page 41. The state of Van Diemen's Land may be inferred by the following

evidence of Lieutenant Lord (1812), before the Committee of the Commons.

"During eight or nine years we entirely depended on the woods. We had

2lbs. of biscuit weekly for thirteen months;"--"We had not a single

death." "I have often myself been glad to go to bed for want of bread."

Mr. Lord was sometime acting lieutenant governor--the writer has, during

a long voyage which his gentlemanly deportment made pleasant, often

heard him narrate the difficulties of those early days.

Page 56. The following extracts from various documents will bear out the

statements in the text, in reference to the government proceedings of

that day:--

Crossly, the government lawyer, was transported for putting a "fly in a

dead man's mouth"--making a forged will. He drew up the early

indictments. He got his pardon this way: he drew bills (£2000), on a man

of straw in England. They were returned, but as a convict he could not

be sued; therefore Governor King, to protect the creditors, gave him his

pardon.--_Judge Adkins' evidence on Johnstone's trial._

A person was ordered 500 lashes for sedition--_Gazette_, March 1807.

Bakers using flour above 20 per cent. were threatened to have their

ovens demolished.--1806.

"A breach of regulations, made at the sole will of the Governor, was

punished with 500 to 1000 lashes,"--_Report House of Commons Committee_,

1812.

"A man threatened to be as troublesome as Tom Pain, sentenced to 100

lashes, and to wear a label on his back with 'Thomas Pain,' written in

large characters."--1806.

The following is Bligh's character of Judge Atkins--"He has been

accustomed to inebriety--he has been the ridicule of the community,

sentence of death has been pronounced in moments of intoxication, his

determination is weak, his opinions floating and infirm, his knowledge

of the law insignificant and subject to private inclination; and

confidential cases of the crown, where due secresy is required, he is

not to be trusted with." (Letter to Secretary of State.) Yet Atkins

was his principle adviser.

Page 65. Major Abbot said, "people err greatly in reference to my

court--some think it is a court of law--_but it is not a court of law_;

some think it is a court of equity--_but it is not a court of equity_.

It is a court of justice and right."

Page 76, for "100,000," read "10,000."

Page 107, The following is an example of the pipe system:--"_Free

Pardon._--Whereas on the days of Thursday and Friday last, copies of a

paper usually called A PIPE, were circulated in the town of Sydney, one

being thrown over the wall in George-street, opposite the

Lieut.-Governor's house; another at the Provost Marshall's; another at

Mrs. Macarthur's; another outside the walls of the Queen's Hospital,

opposite the quarters occupied by D'Arcey Wentworth; each paper

separately addressed to the above persons, and containing a false,

malicious attack on his honor the Lieutenant Governor--it is hereby

notified that his Excellency will _give a free and unconditional pardon,

and in addition, two hundred pounds sterling_, offered by the officers

of the 46th regiment, to any person or persons (not the actual authors

of such paper) who will give information that may lead to the conviction

of the offenders. May 4, 1816."

Page 109, for "Lord Goderich," read "Sir G. Murray."

Page 119. This passage was in type before the bill for an elective

assembly passed.

Page 135, for "quit-rents 2s.," read "2s. per 100 acres."

Page 143, for "one never cultivated," read "one cultivated."

Page 152, for "£50,000," read "£5,000."

Page 152. The actual discoverer of the Burra Mines, Thomas Picket, a

labourer, was burned to death in a state of intoxication in 1852.

Page 172. In this trial the jurors could not agree as to damages, to

they set down each a sum, and adding the whole, divided by twelve,

which they gave as a verdict.

Page 173, for "an even number," read "an ancient number."

Page 183, for "154," read "148" (note).

Page 249, for "deliberate," read "deliberative."

Page 267, for "annulled," read "unsettled."

Page 284, for "July, 1848," read "July, 1847."

Page 297, for "two monstrous," read "too monstrous."

Page 303, for "object to," read "object of."