FROM GISBORNE TO MELBOURNE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1118, 9 August 1882, Page 4

FROM GISBORNE TO MELBOURNE.

[Written for the Poverty Bay Standard.] No. XV. {Continued from our Last.)

Shortly after the more recent events recorded in my last letter, Col. Collins died rather suddenly. Amongst his successors was a Capt. Murray, during whose administration Governor Macquarie visited the island of Tasmania ; inspected and approved of the site for the town of Hobart, and nomenclatured its principal streets. At this time there were about 1,500 settlers there, and it is stated as a remarkable coincidence, that there was just about 1 acre per head of wheat under cultivation at tne time, namely, 1,500 acres. During the next two years (1810-11) the settlers began to move on towards Launceston, a better quality of land being found there for cultivation. I have already remarked on the difficulties most pioneer settlers experience in money currency. In 1848 Mr Macandrew and Johnny Jones, in Dunedin, issued “ shinplaisters." In 1860, onwards, Capt. Head, of Poverty Bay, drew cheques on the General Government, through his friend Mr Donald McLean,

and issued a money paper currency of his own. History, therein, only re peated itself; for we find that in the primitive days of Tasmania the principal part of the business transacted had its paper currency, also, in the shape of P.N.’a varying in sums from sixpence to a dollar—these were largely devised by a “ witty merchant,” printed in red ink, and were readily accepted in payment for goods. The Government at that time, had become a general storekeeper on a large scale, in order that provisions should be fairly and economically meted out. Consequently Her Majesty was, representatively, a big merchant selling provisions to the settlers, on the rather liberal terms of P.N.’s payable in three years, in either money or kind. People in business, that is those who have to get their living by it, will understand what such terms meant, and will not be surprised to find that some years after, the Government had some thousands of these bills on hand, most, or all of which were worthless and attempts at levying on the defaulters’ stock and cattle were ; attended with an indifferent success. Hobarton, or Tasmania, is an instance i inwhichit wasnot absolutely necessary, I as in these later days, to have a man j of diplomatic refinement as ruler, i for, under the Lieutenant-Governor- j ship of Colonel Darcy, of coarse and rough habits, and who paid but little respect to the conventional rules that characterise the upper class generally, the colony is said to have progressed pretty rapidly. In 1816 the first exportation or corn took place, and whaling became an industry. A new journal named the “ Hobartown Gazette and Southern Beporter,” was also published, in June of that year, which, by the way, lived only a few years. In 1817 Colonel Sorrell assumed the governorship and (though not as a consequence) bushrangers made their appearance, and committed many depredations. In 1818 a census was taken, showing the population to have swelled to the respectable number of 8240. Up to this time prisoners had

been sent thence to Sydney for trial, but in 1819 the first Circuit court was held in the Colony, presided over by Judge Wylde. In 1820 the first importation of merino sheep took place. In 1821 the population as per census had 9000 itself, while increase of stock had been making marked progress. The following are from Parliamentary papers : —Settlers, 7400; sheep, 182,468 ; cattle, 34,790 ; horses, 650; land under cultivation, 14,940 acres. Industries of this kind, which gave promise of permanency, opened the door of commerce, and drew the attention of shippers to the port; the visits of vessels became frequent, and goodly parcels of grain were exported. These, m turn, gave rise to increased facilities for inter-communication. About this time a weekly post was established between Hobart and Launceston, and the arrival of the first passenger ship direct from England was chronicled. But what strikes one as peculiar is, that in the course of 2 or 3 years (1821) after the census was taken, and with the fifth of a million of sheep on the farms, the first shipment of wool direct to London was only ticelve bales,

realising 7d per lb. One can only suppose that the impecunious state of the sheep-farming class necessitated their disposing of their elips to the Other “ witty merchants” in the colony, who made the bulk of the profits. In 1820 the Wesleyan body took the initiative in the assembling of themselves together, the first numbering of their people producing only eight. The Presbyterians followed suit the following year, likewise the first Sunday schools were established. Civilisation and settlement brought in their train the usual accompaniments, and industrial pursuits. Thus we find in 1823 breweries and distilleries flourished, and Courts of Justice, with extended jurisdiction, were introduced, the Chief Justice being Mr John Lewes Pedder, and Mr J. G. Gellibrand, Attorney-General. Colonel Bum'll, mt rt’imguishing tlin Governorship in 1824. was presented by the settlers with a testimoninl.aooompanied by n douceur of £750, ns a mark of their appreciation of his services: They likewise petitioned against his recall, but the petition was received too late to be effectual. Colonel George Arthur now assumed the reins of Government, having previously been Superintendent at Honduras. It is from this epoch that tho

Government of Tasmania can be said to have had anything like a wellregulated, or constitutional form. Hitherto its peculiar circumstances, and position in relation to the settlers, rendered it necessary that the Civil and Military Departments should be welded into one. As a consequence most, if not all, orders and notifications were issued by and from the garrison, the local administrators coloring them according to their fancy or their humor. Tyranny took the place of justice; and arbitrariness usurped the thorne of reason. Rulers ruled without either law or warrant, “ detained in custody and flogged English freemen ; levied illegal duties ; imposed unconstitutional restrictions, inflicted cruel punishments for offences invented by themselves ; while torture, to extract confession, was not uncommon, Judge Wylde declaring that the legislative authority of the Governor was equally binding as Acts of Parliament.’ 5 (To le continued-)