TASMANIA AND THE TASMANIANS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2069, 19 October 1893, Page 35

TASMANIA AND THE TASMANIANS.

By Jamks Riciiakdson. (ll'rillcn specially for the Otcu/o JJailj/ Times.)

The "old identity" New Zealander, with memories of visitiug whalers, and of tbe handy men of doubtful history who ia bhe early days found their way over here from Van Diemen's Land, has nrobably a hazy idea bhat Tasmania is a land of hardwood, freedmen, and fruit. If a reader of the Witness, he is possibly aware that Bischoff and Beaconsfield shares are_ worth having, and that there is somewhere in the island a place called Zeehan, where much New Zealand capital lies buried without x^rospect of recovery. He will almost certainly express an opinion that the Tasmanians are a sleepyheaded lot. The younger representative of Muoriland, who has perhaps stayed a few hours in Ilobart, knows just as much aboub Tasmania as tho English tourist who calls at Auckland knows aboub the grain-growing south ot our southern scenery.

Ou the othc-r hand, the average Tasmaniau kuows next to nothing about New Zealand. Tho working man (whose information is obviously gained from perusal of the Seddonian journals, so strongly in evidence on the readingroom tables) is under the impression that " New Zealand is a grand country " — which is true — and that, thanks to tho iiciminiitriition of the Liberal Oove-rnment, all round retrenchment, and cassation of borrowing, "the colony is booming," which is — well, a conce-ption of our condition scarcely warranted by facts.

Numbers of men asked the writer's advice about emigrating to our colony, bub finding that in every case they had employment yielding enough to house, clobhe, and feed their families, he advised them to leave well aloue. They were very surprised to learn that even the Britain of the Socth has its contingenb of unemployed.

A wise man— Solomon or some other fellow — said "live and learc," an adage with which "travel and be taught" may nob inaptly be coupled in theee modern timts. " Freed men'' are scarce in Tasmania. The writer only caw one during his stay there. Certainly the specimen in question had been a "real bad 'un" — a murderer of the deepest dye — but he i 3 quibe harmless now ; in fact ib would be impossible to long remain really wicked in a beautiful conntry blessed with a perf<ct climate and a something indescribable which in the south renders the temptation to •'tfike it t-asy " almost irresistible. As regards convictism, the truth is so~ many jears have elapsed since the penal establishment was broken up tirab the rising generation of Tasmanians know little more of tho dark days of the colony than is to b Q . gathered from books. When it is remembered thab in the early parb of the present century men were bransported for poaching a broub or a rabbit, one may readily conceive thftt the majority of the prisoners sent oub were by no means hardened criminals according to more modern ideas, and thab on emancipation a large number probably became worthy culonists of Australasia. Lovely

PORT ARTHUR, the scene of horrors and hardships so vividly described by Marcus Clarke as to render the reading of "His Natural Life" almost unbearable by anyone of sensibive bemperament, is now settled by retired officeis and others. It must be no bed bhat Tasman's Peninsula, the locale of Port Arthur, is bub a fractional part of Tasmania, and bhat elsewhere the island has been peopled by ordinary immigration, commenced before the country was selected as a dumping-ground for British law-breakers.

The prevailing idea that in Tasmania the •women largely outnumber the men is nob borne out by statisbics. The figures for 1891 are as follows :— Unmarried males, 52,195; unmarried females, 4-3,736. In bhe bwo large cibies, no doubt, there is a considerable excess of the fair sex, a condition of affairs obtaining in mosb colonies.

It will no doubt surprise many readers to learn that although including suburbs Dunedin is mere populous than Hobart, the labter ciby has bhe largest population within city boundaries, the figures being : Hobarb, 28,860 ; Dunedin, 22,376 ; that the agricultural laud of the norbh-wesb equals in fcrbility the pick of New Zealand and is. worked by pioneers unsurpassed in enterprise and energy ; that the island is even richer than New Zealand in minerals ; that ib abounds in charming scenery ; and lasb, bub nob least, that although we loyally believe our Antipodean Peddlington to be the hub of the universe, and that we are fully capable of " teaching our Old World grandmother to suck eggs," whether in matters social or political, we may yet learn a writikle or bwo from our insular neighbours, as will appear laber on.

STATISTICAL.

As the object ot these notes is to give the uninitiated reader a general impression of Tasmania and its people, it will be necessary to touch briefly oa matters statistical before proceeding to lighter topics. . Tasmania proper is about as large as the province of Obago, being 230 miles long by 190 milts wide, and haviDg an area (omibtiug island dependencies) of 15,571,000 acres, of which only 4,730,000 are alienated. The followiug comparative tables, for the year 1891 will prove interesting :—

Of the total value of Tasmanian exports wool represented £4-18,500, minerals £188,300, and produce £325,500. Whilst Tasmania proved a market for £4-2,750 worth of New Zealand produce, we bought from her bo bhe extent of £29,170. The Hand is almosb hcu't-2hapcd, bub has an exceedingly irregular outline, tho coaf b beirg indented by numberless bays and e&tu-iics. Ib is for bhe mosb parb mountainous in character, bub large plateaus of pastoral and agricultural land exist in the north aDd north-west and in parts of the interior. The whole island is, more or less,

COYER* D WI'JII liU.SH,

the " o^on land" marked on bhe maps proving on acquainbance to be country where the trees are sufficiently wide apart to permib of grass growing freily. The native kangarco grass is very similar to our tupf ock ; bbere is al'O a ptorber and finer growth dissimilar to any of the New Zealand g.'as-jcs. On tlid central table lfnd, at an altitude of aboub 1000 t, are several lakes— the largest having an area of 28,000 acres, and being known a? "The Grea'j Lake." The depth, as compared with the lakes of Otago, is io&ignificaub— being only somelsfL.

CLIMATE,

The climate of Tasmania is proverbially beneficent, but (as in New Zealand) varies considerably according to localiby. The mean temperature is stated as 55 41 Fahr., but is

probably higher on bhe coasb and lower in the interior, as sub-tropical plants flourish freely in Ilobart, whilst in bhe norbli-wesb we experienced frosts in labe summer, although bhe days were warm. Tbo absence of high winds during harvest is a very noticeable feature, and one duly appreciated by tho farmers, s\s ib permits of bhe crops being allowed to become dead-ripe before cutting. The estuary of

IJIE RIVER DEBffE> r,

by which Ho'oavb is approached, may be briefly described as a magnificenb expanse of water some 50 miles in lengbh by a varying breadbh of from ben to two miles, and deep enough to accommodate vessels of the first magnitude.

Steaming in from the basaltic-columned Cape Pillar the harbour narrows rapidly, and numerous indentabions of the shoreline are developed ; large bays, small bays, everywhere dark blue water, crystal clear, rippling on pretty beaches backed by wooded hills, and dotted here $>nd thtre with cosy homesteads, speaking of peaceful retirement, and inducing in the mind of the commercial observer a reflection as to whether the inhabitants of these rural retreats do not find more of true happiness and contentmfnb than falls to the lob of bhe mosb prosperous of ciby money-makers.

uonAHT. Arrived at the wharf at a Dunedinite finds his admiration of bhe harbour tempered by envy. Here is a 6000-t m P. and O. steamer lying moored with her sbern almosb bouchiug the street line. Had she a bowsprit ib would overhang bhe cabs in waiting. No dredge No. 222 has contributed to this comfortable state of nautical alLiirs. Nature, in all things bountiful to the little island, has provided such a haven a3 would make the fortune rf any city having sufficient agricultural backing bo conduce to a full use being made of shipping facilibies probably unequalled in Ausbralasia. Unfortunately for Hobarb and the Hobartonians, the major porbicn of pi'oducbive Tasmania lies in bhe norbh, and finds an outleti ab Lautcesbou, where the dirty Tamar has to be con&tanbly dredged to accommodate vessels of moderate draught.

THE CITY OV HO BOUT itself isj&trikingly picturesque. Rising gradually from the water tho houses are losb in wooded middle distance, bshind which towers the imposing Mount Wellirgbon, looking higher than it really is.

Tho city proves on acquaintance to be albogether unlike any New Zealand bown, which at first is matter for surprise, a surprise only temporary, because later on one finds that the two colonies sic dissimilar in almost every respecb. Towns, buildings, people, social habits, and political affairs— neatly all thiDgs Tastnanian — strike the New Zealander as unfamiliar, and pet him wandering how it is that places within three days' steam of each other, and inhabited by people of the same nationality, can present so m?.ny distinct characteristics.

The capital town proves on acquaintance to be essentially

ENGLISH IN APPEARANCE — a mixture country town at d seaport — bub with here and there a suggestion of eastern countries in bhe fatoue-strewn hillsides and solid dwellings, and of tropical clinics in bhe trellised greeneries and cub-tropical flowers and shrubs which flourish in the open air.

The houses are for the mosb part builb of sandstone or bricks, of a fashion new to New Zealand eyes, and suggestive of the old world rather than the new.

THE TUBLIC BUILDINGS cannot fail to be admired. The museum and arb gallery, the municipal buildings (including a beautifully decorated town hall, furnished with a fine organ and a

FREE READING ROOM and library of 1200 volumes), and bhe Governmenb offices are all imposing sbruebures of brighb saudsbone. Handsome banks and insurance offices occupy posibions in the immediate neighbourhood of the public buildings. There is

NO BOND STREET in Hobart. Merchants' offices are few and far between — probably on account of the proximity of Melbourne. The retail establishments are distinctly inferior in appearance to those of Dunedin, one or two excepted, but the better class of private residences are as distinctly superior both as regards architecture and surroundings. A feature of Macquarie street which strikes a new arrival is the extraordinary succession of doctors' residences, exemplifying the old adage aboub " birds of a feabher."

MUNICIPAL.

With the exception of notoriously defective drainage, matters municipal are well looked after. The ocly sewer in Hobart is the Rivulet, a dirty, open creek running through the centre of the city, and the home of numberless frogs, which make night hideous wibh croaking chorus.

THE STREETS are well kept, although in some parts the unevenness of the worn flags of sandstone proves very annoying to the strange pedestrian. Tte jerks resulting from now finding the pavement meeting one's foot half-way, and now failing to find terra Jirma where one would expect ib to be, are apt to provoke sharp ejaculations from the profane wayfarer.

The streets are all 'numbered, and fairly well lighted by gas, tho works having a present capacity of 665,000 ft. Sppakiog of bhe I'ghting reminds me bhat we mighb wibh advantage adopt the Hobarb practice of painting 1 tbe

NAMES Ol- SI HERTS ON CORNETi LAMPS, as well as on the houses — an appreciably boon to travellers on dark nights.

ELECTUIC TRAMS are now running, the difficulby wibh the telephone department having apparently been surmounted since the writer's visit. The polP3 carrying the wires arc not unsighbly, and the cars arc both handsome and comfortable.

"WALK ROUND THE CORNER."

Every stranger to Hobarfc is puzzled by observing on a board attached to miny of the lamp-posts the direction " walk round the cornet*." At first he thinks it must bo a ctetp advertisement, kindly permitted to some tradesman in the next street ; bub only once did a literal compliance with the invitation bear out this supposition, and in tbat casts a " private bar" c ntran< c di&clrtsed itself. Ib turned out upon h.quiry that tho inscription is a command to drivers of vehicles to slow down, and a tourist who, during tho writer's visit, failed to grasp its significance was fined 10s, aud costs I think the authorities might have let him off. The

PUBLIC CONVEYANCES are worthy of special commendation. Cabs (other than hansoms) a~e here replaced by bright looking broughams and three - horse 'busses, drawn by animals well fed and well groomed. The farps a»'c very moderate, the charge for the carriages being lg for the first mile ail cl 6d for each additional mile; return fares one-half.

ODD.S AND ENDS

Although musical capacity is by no means lacking in Hobatt, one misses the sequence of piano thumping audible during a perambulation of Dunedin back streets. Whether it is that the sellers of instruments lack push or that the Hobartonian tyros get through their five-finger exercises before the general public

are astir deponent sayeth not. The almost universal use of the old

•jULVHUH MATCHES instead of the wax vestas must be attributed to a staunch conservatism. An inquiry as to the reason for sticking to the evil-smelling light only elicited the reuly that " people prefer ife."'

A notice board in the Anglican Church intimated :

" IS U'll&Ms AT 8 P.M." It struck the writer that such Spartan-like treatment of infantile humanity was a fit subject for abolition by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Visitors desiring a good cheap lunch can have it at Fail's Restaurant, where for Is the bill of fare offer 3 a choice of three soups, eight varieties of joints and entrees, and eight pastries, with lemonade thrown in.

The charge for city and suburban telegrams is only 6d and the offices are open till midnight.

TUB PUBLIC GARDENS, situated in the extensive park known a3 the Domain, are the pride of Hobart, and justly so. They are supported by an annual Government grant of £800, and their condition reflects the highest credit on the curator, Mr Abbot. Thanks to a suitable climate, the capacity for acclimatisation is almost unlimited.

THE BATHS in the Domain are the property of the Hobatt Bathing Association, and are a credit to the city. In addition to extensive salt water swimming baths, hot and cold fresh water are provided, and everything is delightfully clean and tidy.

the nosrirAL is situated near the railway station, on a site as manifestly unsuitable as that occupied by our Dunedin institution ; but it has one marked advantage, convalescents being able to sit or walk about in a shady garden, from which, through the iron railings, they are able to see all that goes on in the street, aud thus to pass the time more pleasantly than would otherwise be the case.

TIIR MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY occupy a fine building in Macquarie street, and are under the charge of Mr A. Morton, F L.S , a well-known scientist, who i^ also secretary of the Royal Society, and a member of the Fisheries Commission, taking an active interest in acclimatisation matters. The museum is not to be compared, as regards the number of exhibits, with those at Christchurch and Duuedin ; but has an extra, in the shape of

AN AQUARIUM stocked with local sea fishes. The Government; grant £500 annually towards the maintenance of the institution.

Hobart society would appear to bo divided, like ancient Gaul, into three parts. The numerous private carriages, the

FOUR-IN-HAND COACHES,

tooled by the owners, to bo. seen on race dry?, and the handsome mansions in spacious grouuda, evidence the presence of a large number of wealthy people. Officials and profpssioual men probably combine to form an intermediate stratum between these and the retailers and mechanics. As regards social ethics, Hobart is by no means elastic or democratic. Each section, so far as a casual observer can determine, keeps to itself ; but once introduced, a stranger will have no cause to complain of a lack of hospitality or cordiality. In the writer's search for information he found everyone ready to assist, and everywhere met with a kindness which will not readily be forgotten.

AN ENVIABLE PHILOSOPHY is one of the most striking characteristics of the Tasmanians. Notwithstanding the comparatively recent failure of the Bank of Van Diemen's Land caming widespread financial disaster, one hears but litfclo complaint, and the presence of considerable abject poverty in Hobart (necessitating the furnishing of constant aid by various charitable organisations) does not reveal Uself to the uninitiated visitor, who only notes the general air of contentment which marks the people. The only croakers are the frogs.

MODERATION OF LANGUAGE is a marked and pleasant feature of (the Hobartouians If you stop in the street and listen to a group of men confabbing it will be found that an absence of expletives and exaggeration distinguishes their conversation from that of similar groups in other Australian colonies. At the wharf one day the writer watched the arrival of a fishing boat. A disengaged salt assisted the craft into the inner dock, and then inquired "What luck hasb bad, Bill?" "A dozen right trumpeter, Jack," replied the fisherman. "You don't say so, Bill; now where did 'c catch 'em ? " replied the man on the bridge. Now, the dozen [right trumpeters constituted an unusually lucky haul, and that being the case one can readily imagine the embellishments which elsewhere would have interlarded Jack's expression of astonishment.

The amateur fishermen on the wharves furnish excellent proof of Tasmanian phiU osophy. The writer, from afar off, for nearly an hour about a dozeu men and boys fishing. Each was equipped with a trout rod and gear. Having failed to observe a "take," he went round and inquired sympathetically whether there were any fish about. " Oh, ye 1 ?, sir," replied the dif ciple of old', Isaak ; " there's plenty of sea perch and other sorbs." "Do you ever catch any ?" "Oh yes, sir. Why Bill, there, got q perch less nor an hour ago ! " On inspection the said perch proved to be about the size of one's hand. The reader will please to note that this angler did not lie, nor did any expressions of impatience fall from aiiy of the party. They are probably sitting there still, with empty baskets and contented minds.

Tasmam v. New Zkai. vNr Population 152,61!) 626,058 l'lililicdelit ...£7,110,291) £118 713.08S Iteveuuo £883,198 £1,146,2:31 Kxpovts £1,440,818 £S\,sM>,'M Imports £2,051,!)61 £(i,503,84!) Debt per head . . . £4U 11s 9d £58 Ss Ocl "£3,283, U00 has been expended on railways. D.