FROM GISBORNE TO MELBOURNE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1161, 28 September 1882, Page 2

FROM GISBORNE TO MELBOURNE.

WRITTEN FOR THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. ’ ( Continued from our Last.) HOBARTON (Continued). 1 remember some dozen years ago, when the Caledonian shares were tipped at £206, having risen from about half that sum in a. few days, on the strength of reports that reached Auckland direct from the mine, every day. This yield was said to be inexhaustible ; i quartz was no longer impregnated with, the j metal, for there were literally nothing but I blocks of gold being dug out (a Jhe xb/z/Ve ! of one of these, of about a ton measurement, is now on exhibition in the Melbourne museum) ; a rich pateli was, undoubtedly, struck, and up went the mercury—the leading sharks sold out at top ‘prices, and in less than a fortnight .I*ls could not begot for the stock. So if may be with the Bischoffs. Of course there arc many other valuable tin mines in the Colony, but one's breath gets so i exhausted over the burning glow of this one, | that he has not sufficient left for anything : else. Nearly all the mineral products are found on the West Coast, about 100 miles ! from Launceston, and it is as well, perhaps, that the locality of these ephemeral pursuits is circumscribed, for they beget enough temporary insanity amongst the male population, as it is. 'Those whose minds are not engrossed with other cares, or wiiose occupations i give them leisure to attend to matters of the ! “ share-breaking " world, positively do nothing, or little else, but read, and talk, and

dream of tin mining, while it is almost a s lying that one’s superior intelligence is principally gauged by his intimate acquaintance with the (roguery of the) mining market. As a set off, on the debit side, to the grand suc- | cess of the Bischoffs and other mines, 1 may mention that many speculators, with little experience, large confidence, and mere cash, burnt their digits over the “ Royal Tasman ’’ mine, some time ago. The “thing" was in any but good hands, and the sharks ate of the pilot fish. In an incredible short space of time the shares rose, with a kind of mercurial celerity, from £1 to £7 ; there was much fire in consequence, but very little warmth, and now zero is reached, and holders arc begging to sell at 3s ! That the gold mining interests are not extensive may be gathered from the fact that in 1880 the number of mines in Tasmania was only 1,653, of whom 794 were engaged in alluvial, and 859 in quartz mining, with plant estimated at £67,000. Alluvial gold fetched £3 17s 6d per oz., and the quartz £.3 13s lOd. Bismuth, copper, lead and antimony have, also, been discovered, and are being worked with varying success ; while diamonds, it is said, have been found. Goal, too, is abundant in the north-east of the island and other parts, and limestone is favorably spoken of. Extensive quarries of stone for building purposes are being worked, and large exportations are constantly made to the Victorian markets, many of the principal buildings in Melbourne being constructed with it. In all, so far as I can learn, the following quarries and mines were being worked in 1879 : —8 coal, 2 flagstone, 11 freestone, 2 ironstone. 3 lime, 2 limestone, 1 slate, and 4 tin ore, which raised in 1880 as follow: —lronstone. 3,987 tons ; coal, 12,219 tons ;

flagstone, 1,500 cubic feet; freestone, 160,028 cubic feet, and 160 tons ; lime, 28,970 bshls.; limestone, 1,050 tons : and though last not least, tin ore, 5,844 tons. Altogether there are now 113 mining companies in the Colony, divided as follow :—Gold, 65 ; iron, 1 ; copper, 2; slate, 1 ; tin, 38; besides prospecting and smelting companies. The value of Tasmanian timber is so proverbial that it is almost unnecessary for me to do move than note the fact of its being very plentiful—that of the Eucalyptus, or gum, being extensively used for buildingpurposes, generally, and railway sleepers—in fact, where strength and durability are of consideration, that is the timber, par excellence. Pine is also much used for ornamentations, furniture, &c., and Wattle bark is exported in considerable quantities, for turning purposes. The discursiveness of the catalogue of works, indigenous to this colony may be noted, for at the Melbourne Intercolonial Exhibition of 1875, the number of specimens to be seen there were no less than 240 ; and, generally, I may say that, at the Melbourne Exhibition of 1880, Tasmania obtained silver medals for wool, shot, whaleboats, casks, barley, oats, and hops; and bronze medals for peas, beans, grass seeds, sandstone, wattle bark, and oils: and a “certificate” equal’in value to a|si Ivor medal, for tin.

Tasmania holds her own pretty well in the shipping business of the Colonies. In the year 1880 I find that no less than 207 sailing vessels, and 15 steamers, were registered there; and, in the twelve months of that year, 654 vessels, representing a tonnage of 205,217 tons, entered inwards. 'The whale fisheries also receive some considerable home attention. There are ten vessels engaged in that industry, and for the same year brought into port 219 tuns of sperm oil, valued at £12,000. The Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company own half-a-dozen fine steamers, which trade regularly between Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, and ports. The regular visits of the Union Company’s boats, also, tend materially to sustain the prestige of the island.

'The revenue returns for 1880, according to the published reports, were held to be tolerably good, but nut so much as one would have thought. They are thus stated : — Revenue, £444,845 12s 4d ; expenditure, £427,712 6s 2d. The returns for 1882 are estimated to be slightly in advance of this. The imports for the same period were—£1,369,224; exports, £1,511,931. At the end of the year 1880 the public debt of the Colony was £1,943,700, and the amount of interest paid thereon during the year was £97,602. The indebtedness per head of the population stands at £l6 8s 8 ; /d. Native industries and manufactories, also, have a large claim on the notice of the outside world. Malting and brewing may be regarded as two of the most prominent, while the cultivation of hops is essentially native, and “to the manner born.’; The Tasmanian ales are proverbial for their quality ; so much bo, that but very little else is drunk there, while their export to New South Wales and Victoria is somewhat consider able. Now, if there is one thing I have a weakness for—and I think 1 have many—-it is a glass of good beer. In fact, after some years earnest apprenticeship in the tasting line, I regard myself as a fair judge ; and, this being so, I must give the palm to the Hobarton article. There are splendid ales in Victoria—notably the Castlemaine brews—but, par excellence, give me that of the neighboring island. During our stay at Hobart, Mr White, late of the Roseland Hotel, and I drove round the town of Hobart for a couple of hours, and requested our Jehu to shew us all that was worth seeing in as short a space of time as possible: The man of ribbons was very communicative, tolerably intelligent for his class, and a little bit of a wag; but, although he didn’t drink beer himself, he naturally concluded that we did. Perhaps, he thought, as I and my friend have been told since, that anyone might : know we came from New Zealand, and, didn’t drink whisky, because we looked fresher and mere like beer-drinking men than most of the half washed-out specimens of bipeds generally found in Melbourne City. If I remember rightly, your respected ’ townsman, Mr F. J. Piesse, was with meat : St. Kilda or Brighton when the foregoing took pl.'uu, and lie may recollect the circumstiOKv. ami pardon my allusion to it at the , siun?, tinui But tu jraaced. ttfcbljy <

asked us — air White and I - if we would like to see one of the wonders of Hobart? Of course we would, and he, thereupon, drovens to the “Harvest Home a snug little hostelry on the wayside, and about two or three miles in the suburbs. The “wonder” was the landlord himself, and he certainly was and I “r.st. still is as great a wonderof tiic giant. stamp as 1 ever saw or heard of. I had heard of the celvbrale*! I'auici Lumbert, when I was;: hoy. ami i used to ga/.e with delight upon the rubicund iac:? as depicted in the. portraits of the j day. I have also seen in the flesh, the. then. celebrate. I “Cernrm Brown.” who k. ;,t a i “nub” at the Thorndmi «md of Wellim.gon, some ’.lb years ago, and he was considered to be a ’‘wonder:” but. to my idea, neither of them came up to mine host of th.? “ Harvest Home.” I did not wish to gratify my curio-

sity at the expense of the Lnhllord*:'feelings, though 1 felt much incline I to get his measurement throughout, or overall ; but to an enquiry of my companion, he informed us that he was loxii.y Jicsii, still he. could turn the scales even now at foiti' and twenty stone! 1 felt small !

•• Smaller bj degrees, and beautifully less What a ponderous piece of human mechanism, thought I ' But, nevertheless, active withal, for the size. His age could not be more than about 45 ; fresh colored, hale and hearty. He ate little, he said, but his habits i were temperate, am! regular : he. took plenty 1 of exercise, and drank Tasmanian liver! i There was the secret ; and a better standing advertisement the brev.cr.s of the Colony | could not !:avu. ?J- ns :. v.a 5 r , p I tear l have digres-.cd from die straight i path (and who has not ?) so oi'.\ a. that • conclude :hi • portion of i»y - übmet. That there arc 14 breweries in the T.tsm.inian ' Colony, is sufficient proof of the qv.anticy of i beer consumed. Then these are 26 tanneries, i 4 soap and 6 caudle factories. 7 jam ditto, 45 | sawmills, 36 agricultural implement works, : 2 brass foundries, .14 coauhbuilding factories, | 77 felhnongeries, 23 steam flourmills. 33 ■ wa.ter ditto, 4 potteries, and 1 new factory [ for woollen cloths, blankets, etc. The GovI eminent of the Colony is representative. The Legislative Council consists of 16 members, of not less than 30 years of age ; and the House of Assembly consists of 32 members, whose special qualification is that of being 21 years of age, and subjects, of course, of the Queen. The former are elected for 5 years, and the latter for six years. 'Die elections take place by ballot, and the GovI ernor is appointed by the Crown, and holds supreme, and sole, executive power. (To be continued')