VAN DIEMEN'S LAND (From the Empire's Correspondent.)

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XII, Issue 834, 26 June 1855, Page 1 (Supplement)

VAN DIEMEN'S LAND (From the Empire's Correspondent.)

The Tamar, tug, ordered some two years ago by the Government, for this port has just arrived at Hobart Town. It brought from Rio Janeiro through a French frigate just arrived there news to the effect tkat Sebastopol had been taken and Lord Raglan killed, 'ihis new* has been published in all the papers, but with the intimation from the Editors that it it could not be relied Go.. It gave iise at first to considerable excitement. It is expected that £2000 will be contributed in Launceston to the Patr iotic Fund. Subscriptions are still in, course of collection. That foul and barbarous paper signed an American Celt, has been transferred to our papers. Its author merits expulsion from the pale of civilised society. ! The Secretary and Committee " of Masters' and Servants' Act Association" are to be entertained at Hobart Town at a public dinner as a testimony of public appreciation of their services. The committee formed at Launceston have met, and entered into th-3 necessary arrangements for obtaining signatures to the petition to , the Legislature. Their success is sure. The public ', feeling has been deeply and painfully mored. It will now act of itself. Our late Chief Justice, Sir John Pedder, has advertised for sale his beautiful property, on the south of the | island, named Newiands. Sir John is about to sail for I England, where in all probability he will soon be j gathered to his fathers, for in patriarchal phrase he is ] now old and stricken in years. His name will long be remembered here with sincere gratitude and profound respect. His official career has been distinguished by | eminent efficiency. His sterling integrity has never been impeached, his private worth never qmestioned ; like few pubic men he seems to have made uo enemies, i Sir John saw Tasmania in her days of penal thraldom and social debasement, and he has had the privilege of rejoicing with other true hearted colonists in the dawn of her political freedom and social progress. A meeting has been called at Hobart Town to re-con-sider some of the clauses in the new Constitutional Act. One of the many benefits which arise from the es tablishment of City Missions is that many children who were allowed by their reckless parents to grow up untaught and undisciplined ale sought out by the missionaries, and eventually have placed within their reach the opportunity of receiVing religious and secular education ; a pleasing instance of this has lately occurred at Hobart Town. Notwithstanding the existance of denominational and national sohools in the city it was was found by the missionaries thai; a very large proportion of the children never attended any school. Hereupon steps were taken to meet this evil — a Ragged School was established, and I am happy to bay it i-> now in a flourishing state Notwithstanding the eiibrts that have b en made in ail the colonies for tiie education of the rising gcneraUoi./my nrm impression is that a Lrjje amount ot educationul destitution still e:Jst5. 'i he evidences of it are many and grievous. Tl.e litt r iruits of this evil will yet be seen and felt to our cose. The responsibility rests with us. ! I am happy to say that our sanguine anticipations j •with regard to the coal fields,at the River Mersey on the j Northern coast, along which to Circular Head we have now weekly steanTcommunication, will no doubt be realised. Recent intelligence is to the effect that the supply is inexhaustible and its quality unsurpassed by any coal yet discovered in the southern hemisphere. j It has long been the conviction of many acquainted with the navigation of the Straits which separate the little isl2 of Van Diemen's Land from the unbounded territories of our continental neighbours, that if there had been a light house on King's Island, many of the fearful wrecks which have carried hundreds of our fellow creatures prematurely to the ocean's depths in that neighbourhooi would have bee i averted. Impressed with this conviction the Launceston Chamber of Commerce addressad a letter to the Chamber of Commerce at Melbourne, requesting their co-operation in the erection of the needed safe-guard, but I am sorry to say that the answer was an unqualified refusal. Our Melbourne friends, while they fully concur in the necessity for » light house on the desolate island named, are of opinion that the erection of it is clearly and solely the duty of the government of this colony. Whether the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce are right or wrong as to thenentire irresponsibility in this matter I will express no opinion. The want is notorious, and unless it be met speedily, we ntay ere long, hear of some dreadful catastrophe that will awaken the sympathies of the whole circle of the colonies and fill every just and generous mind with burning indignation. I trust that the subject wiil be taken up at an early date by the Legislature, and pressed upon the government of this colon y in such a manner as its importance imperatively demands. The Bank of Australasia here has hitherto carried on its extensive business in a miserable building, of cottage proportions and form, originally inhabited as a private dwelling house, In this respect it has not differed from ax y of onr local banks. The proprietors are now about to erect a new bank which, from what I have heard will be an ornament to the town, When this is done, and the long projected Mechanics Institute is finished, (it is not began yet, though it has been talked about for years past) ws shall have at least two respectable and ornamental public edifices to boast of in our small and slowly progressing city. The expense of building is still enormous — but rents are also enormous. Our new building society has ushered into existence very many small cottages for the accommodation of mechanics and newly arrived immigrants. When we see and hear of the good that has arisen through this society, we are astonished it was not established long before. I am glad j to say that the immigrants arrived "by the last vessels, through, our own appointed agents, have metrwith ready and remuerative employment. They are though, in ' many cases, burdened (as the phrase iR) with families of i a Tery superior description, a fact which shows the »dyantage of sending home our own agents, men of character and colonial experience, instead of entrusting the expenditure of our money to irresponsible and reckless commissioners who kifiow nothing about us and (as the Irishman said) care less. We have now one agent at home, and it is rumoured that Mr. Drake is about tojbe employed on a second mission. He has shown himself eminently fitted for the office, alike by the class of people he has introduced among us and the confidence and regard they evidently entertain towards him. Some time ago, I informed you that the potato crop !n this colony has sustained a vry great injury. Fields upon fields, as the farmers say, from which it was expeSted tons would be dug, and no inconsiderable sums

realised, have proved to be next to worthless. It was supposed that the potatoes throughout the island were similarly aflected, but though the injury has been very general, I am happy to say, there are a few pre-emi-nently productive localities, such as the Huon district, 40 miles from Hobart Town, that have escaped intact. As the potato crop had never been known to fail ia this colony, several people had sold their crops before hand at a very remunerative price for exportation to Melbourne, as soon as fit to dig. The present failure has : led to considerable pecuniary embarrassment ia many, eases. I

Launceston, May 15. This paper has been detained unexpectedly from the irregularity of the mail from Melbourne. The meeting on the Constitution Bill was held yesterday. The at- j tendance was scanty. It was evident that only a vague idea was entertained as to the objects for which the meeting was called. Several speeches, however were made, ia which it was strongly objected, that no retiring allowances should be bestowed on the AttorneyGeneral, the Colonial Secretary, ami the Colonial Trea- ' surer, a" now provided for under the Constitutional ' Bill. Arrangements were made for calling a public meeting at an early date. This movement ought to have taken place -long ago. When the Bill was passing] through Council, the public were dumb with regard to | it ; though urgently importuned by the press to proi nounce an opinion. But better late than never. The 1 present movement will, I have no doubt, be productive of good. The deficit in the revenue for the first quarter of the present year is £27,000. It is anticipated that a proportionate diminution will take place throughout 1 the year. Surely, therefore, Sir Henry Young is wise I in the adoption of vigorous means to retrench the expenditure ?