Hawkes Bay Herald. MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 1890. TASMANIA FIFTY YEARS AGO.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8562, 6 January 1890, Page 2

Hawkes Bay Herald. MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 1890. TASMANIA FIFTY YEARS AGO.

In the November number of the Ninettenth Century Sir Henry Elliot gives some interesting particulars of Tasmania as it was halt a century ago. At that time the entire population of the island was under 40,000. More than a third of the number were convicts, while of the rest a considerable proportion were men whoso sentences had expired, so that there were not above 20,000 who had arrived in the colony as free settlers. These had for the most part done extremely well, the Government having been liberal in giving grants of lands to immigrants, who had been enabled to improve the land and make it productive through the abundant supply of convict laborers assigned to them as servcnta. Sir Henry Elliot gives * brief account of one of these oarly settlefe, who was living in a large stone house with a tieanfciful natural park in the middle ef a magnificent property producing fully £7000 a year. The man had been the skipper of a small Isle of Man vessel, engaged mostly in smuggling, and had borrowed £400 with which to go out to Van Dieman's Land, and though he had quickly made a "fortune," as he termed it, he would not pay olt'the loan, picferring to pay interest npon it as "it hud brought him luck." Sheep and cattle farming was his chief source of profit, for although he grew a considerable quantity of corn any rapid development of the production was impossible on account of the great difficulty and expense of clearing the land of the enormous trees which stood closely on all the best) land. This was the case with nearly all the settlers, and it was only open park-like land that could be profitnbly laid under the plough, and then chiefly by those who were content to farm in the roughest possible fashion. Bushranging was very nfc in those days, and not long before the blacks also had been very troublesome, and it was a matter of common complaint that a settler could not leave hts home tor a couple of days without the risk ot finding on his return his house burnt and bis wife aad children murdered. But at the time of Sir Henry Elliot's arrival in Tasmania —or Van Dieraan's Land, as is was then called — though bushranging still continued, all danger from the blacks had ceased, the whole of them having been removed to Flinders Island in Bass Strait. Their number in Tasmania had never been very great, and it had been much reduced by years of wars with the settlers, who were gradually exterminating them till Sir George Arthur, for the protection of the blacks themselves, organised a vast expedition, consisting of some thousands of settlers, soldiers, constables, and convicts, in the hope of capturing in one sweep the few remaining hundreds of aborigines and removing them to Borne place where they would at the same time be out of the reach of persecution and be unable to molest the settlers. The attempt totally failed, and lighting between the blacks and the whites went on us before. What, however, the whole force of the Government and of the colonists had been unable to accomplish was effected by one man — to all appearance a very commonplace map — of the name of Kobertson, a brickmaker by trade, of a serious and religions turn of mind, who was scandalised at the cruel treatment of the blacks by the settlers, and believed that, if he were allowed to go among them, he would be able to persuade them voluntarily to consent to leave the main island, where they were being exterminated, and to follow him to another island where they would be protected and maintained. His project was of course laughed at as visionary, nobody believing that it could lead to anything more than his being tomahawked for his pains ; hut he expressed confidence and resolved to go, if he were allowed to pledge the faith of the Government for the safety and future maintenance of the blackß, which assurance he was at last authorised to givfi. " A more hopeless and at the same time a more gallant enterprise," says Sir Henry Elliott, " has seldom been undertaken, for Kobertson went alone and unarmed into the midst of a set of savages to whom every white man was a mortal enemy; but his success waa complete, and in a very short time he was able to announce that the whole ot the black population were willing to follow him to the place selected (or their location. And without the slightest dillicnlty or resistance they were removed to Flinders Island, and Tasmania was freed from all ' further danger from them. The Governor paid a visit to this native settlement i a year ar two after my arrival, and fonnd that, in spite of all care, the blacks were already rapidly dying ont ; and this could ' not be caused by the introduction of spirits and European diseases— to which the disappearance of aboriginal races before the white man is commonly attributed—for no spirits were admitted at Flinders, and ! the only whites were the few officials at the head of whom was Kobertson himself whose atteution tp the interests of his lock was unremitting. Few children ,vere born, find of these very few survived • iind from one cause or another the grown! Ip people died fast. They were comfortibly clothed and housed, and were well ed— very possibly toowoll— for they were if the lowest class of savage, accustomed o go entirely naked, not making anyhing of the nature of a hut, and Saving o work long before securing a meal trom t kangaroo, opossum, or bandicoot, while ,t Flinders they sat clothed and idle in a rarm house, getting their food withont xertion or exercise, and if they telb nwell they would say there was a bad piril in the house, nnd throwing off very rag of clothing they would Jenvo it nd go stark naked into the bush without iielter from rain or cold. The small umber of births among them W9s not a ling to regret, though it was nielancbc 3 ) see grown wen and women dying tfi

even though they suffered no ill-treat-ment, but whether these poor creatures were happy or not it is impossible to say ; tUey.oertainly looked so, and were verymerry on the occasion of our visit, ■which was of course a great event in their monotonous lives. Lady Franklin, in spite -of the previous failure of .such attempts, determined to try whether by removing some of them while young from their own people they might not be made fit for civilised life, and a boy of about 12 was sent to Government House at Hobart Town, where all that was possible was done to moke, him prefer his new life to his old oue, but it wos all to no purpose, ami nothing could be made of him. He had a uoat littlo room given to him, hut ho used to bo found sleeping in the iitraw with my dogs, where ne was more at home, and he pined so .'much that, at last he had to be sent back to Flinders, as much of a little savage as ever. The last survivor of the aboriginal inhabitants has now heen long dead," On the fourth page will be found articles entitled "A Bigoted Parson," and " A Magnetic Plant." AWanganiii paper publishes among a lint of wines "Schnndnm port," " Sheery," Rnd " Constanted." The Municipal Council will <lo well to gut somu repairs to France-road carried out, as they are needed. Owners of horses are reminded that nominations for the Danevirke Jockey Club's autumn meeting close with the secretary at 9 o'clock this evening. Captain Sturroek, of the High School Cadets, and Lieutenant Pram, of the F Battery of Artillery, left by the Maoapoun yesterday for Dr.nedin to take part in the Exhibition shooting contests to be held there. In order that the performers in '• Time and Tide " may become acquainted with the positions of the scenery, &c, it has been deemed advisable to have a rehearsal to-night at 7.30 o'clock sharp, at the Theatre Royal. Owners are reminded that nominations for the Hawke's Bay Cup of 400 soys, 1} miles, and Railway Stakes Handicap of 100 soys, six furlongs, to be run at the Hawke's Bay Jockey Clnb's autumn meeting, will close with the secretary at the Criterion Hotel at 10 o'clock tomorrow (Tuesday) night. In a dunce competition at Palmersion on New Year's Day Mr Gordon Gillies, of Napier, was very successful, winning the prizes for Highland fling and sword dance, and being placed second in the sailors' hornpipe. As a result he has been challenged by local men to take part in another competition on the 22nd insi. The long-needed alterations to the district school are now in hand. The <lesi^'iis of the architect, Mr R, Lnmh, are being carried out under his supervision, and the Tesults should be pleasing to both school committee and the teaching staff, as increased accommodation and easier access to the vanoas rooms will be provided At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr J. H. Vnutier, J.P., John M'Keonin was fined 5s and costs for drunkenness. John Page, for being drunk while in charge of a cab and two horses, was fined £1 and costs, the alternative being seven days' hard labor. Defendant was allowed till Tuesday to pay the fine. The cricket match that was to have been played on Saturday did not take place, on account of some of the players on the bank and law side being unable to play at the last moment. The Cricket Association are going to have a meeting early this week to make fixtures, and it is to be hoped that this will cause more interest to be taken in cricket than la the case at present. Mr Philip Vanderbyl, of tl.e firm of Messrs Retlfern, Alexander and Co., and Mr N. W. Levin, formerly of New Zealand, are on the board of directors of a company which is just being floated, called the Metropolitan Trading Association (Limited). The capital of the company is £250,000, in £10 shares, and the object is to charter cargo steamers to carry on the trade in meat, and especially frozen beef, between London and tha southern parts of the United States. A meeting of contributors to the funds of the Napier hospital will be held on Thursday next, at the Town Hall, to etect ten trustees — oue in the room ot Mr M. R. Miller, who retires by rotation, but ia eligible for re-election, and an additional trustee to which the contributors arc entitled from the liberality of their subscriptions during the past year. All subscribers from January, 1888, to the Bth of January instant are entitled to nominate and vote at this meeting. Mr John Begg remains in office for another year as a contributors' trustee. Sir Francis Bell, in the name of New Zealand, has presented to the French museums and local institutions all the mineral exhibits sent by the New Zealand Government to the Paris Exhibition. He has likewise presented the model figures ot the Maoris in native costumes to the ethnographical Museum at the Troca<lero. The cereals have been sent to' the Nutural School of Agriculture, at Grignon. M. Tirard, the French Premier, has written a very nice letter to Sir Francis Bell, thanking him for this consideration. Some of the companiesexliibiting minerals have also authorised that their collections should be presented to the French School of Mines at Paris. Among these are the Champion and the Waihi gold companies. At the ninth annual meeting of the shareholders of the Northern Investment Company of New Zealand, held in Edinburgh the other week, the chairman, Mr J. Balfour, noted with gratification that during a year of peculiar exigencies on the part of the colony, when it had been pacing through troublous times as young countries were apt to do, and while other cninpinics hnd felt the strain of these times, ilifir own company had been remarkably prosperous. The first thing that attracted attention in the report was that they had foreclosed no properties, and had not a single property oa their hands ; the next was that they had no arrears of interest, and the third was that their stock in the market was at par. For all this they were much indebted to their Board in New Zealand and to their manager there. The year's profit was ' £12,169, out of which a dividend was declared at the rate of (5 per cuut, £5500 was placed to the credit Of the reserve fund and £6G9 carried forward to next year. ' Our Hastings correspondent writes under Saturday's date.-— The SeymourWaUhe company gave a capital representation of "Maritana" last night, Mr Walshe playing Don C;esar de Uazan I with the spirit and abandon which the ■ character demands. Miss Sey ntfmr played Maritana with a finish and expression which were highly appreciated by the majority of the audience, although some vulgarians in the back seats kept up such an incessant talk, talk, talk, as to drown the piano passages of one of her host songs, and compel her to pause until an approach to silence could be obtained ! It is a pity that the manager did not pluck up heart of grace, and direct the constable present to turn the offenders out. I fear onr visitors will carry away a very unfavorable impression of Hastings manners. Miss Ethel Mackay as Lnnarillo, Mr England aa Don Jobe, and Mr Scoata ns the King of Spain, did ample justice to the music allotted to them. The other parts were well filled. I wonder that this company never play "Tlio Beggars' Opera." It is tuneful ami witty, and gives a good idea of the manner* ami customs of a past age. Mr Walshii would make a capital Machuath. Mr Geo. ltymor on Saturday morning received from Auckland another addition to his already very extensive coaching plant, in the shape of a largo 'Inif, built by Messrs Cousins and Aitkins. Mr Rymer drew tho (.pecificationa, and his knowledge and oxporiouco have resulted (in the production of oue of tho most comfortable coaches yet put on tho Napier roada. It is licensed to carry 28 persons, and that number can bo enrriud without causing the slightest inconvonienco to any of the passengers. The inside of tho 'bus is richly furaialied in maroon plush, with two large mirrors for the bcnollt of Hioko wishing to " see how wo are " on the road to town. Another improvement is a window in front by which passengers win give instructions to tho driver, or hand up a letter or fares without having to stop. Ample widtli has been provided between the seats, and tho step is placed low for the pnrpose of affording invalids all possible aid in getting in aud out. On the top a rail runs right round, which will be a great boon to youngsters when oh the road to and from a picnic party. Mr Rymer informs us that the 'Ims wili turn in its own length in any street in Napier, and altogether he expressed himself well pleased at the way his instructions have been carried out by the makers.