Star.
London, England, 1824-10-11 00:00:00

FAN PIEMEN'S LAND, APRIL, 1824. • '
I was well received by the Governor, who, after a
short acquaintance, I found disposed to serve me; my
grange made of the first class, 2,000 acres, and allowed
me to fix on the Government reserve. lam nominated
a Magistrate of the District, a situation of some im-
portance here, which entitles me to provisions for my-
self and family, together with four servants perma-
nently, added to some patronage and mucje influence
in the country; in civil cases at law I am assessor of
damages as a Magistrate, and my rank- is the navy
makes me Foreman of the Jury in criminal ones, hold-
ing the oldest commission, I understand, in the island.
We remained as short a time as possible in Hobart-
town, and proceeded up the country—or, as it is termed
here, got into the bush as soon as we could ; we bought
wir bullocks and carts, hired others, and departed,
pitching our tents by the road side at night ; we had
not to encounter the inconvenience of living in a tent
after our arrival, as the Governor lent us the Go-
' vernment-house, close to our grant. We soon broke
up twelve or fourteen acres of land, and got in some
wheat; barley, oats, peas, and potatoes. H— and
C— working hard at a garden, which soon repaid
their labours. Almost all our seeds succeeded. Build-
ing our house, and fencing land is now our occupation ;
while this is going on, our sheep increase, our cows
furnish calves, and we shall now make butter and
cheese; with mutton, therefore, and beef, potatoes, peas,
turnips, kangaroo soup; tea at 2s. 6d. per pound;
sugar, from the Isle of France, at2irl.—we cannot are
ill. The convicts I find much better servants than I
expected; the climate is healthy, the advantages equal
to what I anticipated, and last, though not least, H.'s
health, I think, even by a few months' residence, per-
fectly restored. I need hardly observe, there are those
who are dissatisfied everywhere, and under any circum-
stances; we lave, therefore, our grumblers. I, how-
ever, feel all the luxury of my situation, and feel every
day the absence of rent, rates, and taxes ; my horse
costs me nothing for his keep—my land is my own—
the light of Heaven is admitted to our dwelling gratis—
I can ride twelve miles round my own land, and no-
body accuses me of trespass. lam satisfied, and enjoy
more happiness than I have done for years ; let not any
reports of distress in this country render you uneasy on
our account, we shall do well—and my only regret is,
that I did not get out here some years sooner. I can
imagine nothing more independent than our situation;
I have everything about me that I want, with the ex-
ception of tea, sugar, wine, dm which may be had in
exchange for our fleeces.
The advantages of breeding sheep are certainly great
—land for nothing ; 100 ewes will give you in twelve
or fifteen months 200 lambs, which at twelve months
old produce lambs themselves; judge then in what a
rapid manner your capital increases by the increase of
your stock, independent of the wool; your 100 ewes
would give you 400 lbs. of wool at Is per lb. in one
year, this you perceive is 20 per cent. per annum,
merely by the fleece, on the capital embarked (100/4 It
occurs to me that I have given you a flattering account
of the commercial prosperity of this place, and at the
same time tell you remittances cannot be made; the
reason is this, there is a Bank establishing, and the cir-
culating medium here is almost entirely withdrawn ;
hitherto every shopkeeper and tradesman issued notes,
and there has been scarcely anything else received;
the prospect of a Bank has induced people to refuse
this kind of payment. The notes are for one or more,
dollars on demand; these are now presenting for pay-
ment, and as many have issued without having dollars,
much distress is occasioned, and houses, stock and pro-
petty, of all kinds, are selling to take up the notes, and a
general distrust prevails, this will subside when the
bank is established, and we learn by the new Commis-
sary, that the premium on Treasury Bills will be re-
moved. We are all well, and I repeat, that I rejoice
that I came to this country.

MANUFACTURZIL.--.A merchant of Gottenburg has
invented a machine which can manufacture 10,000 nails
in a minute. A patent has been granted to this mr
chanic, whose name is Umgewitx.
The river Yokulsa, in Iceland, is crossed in the follow-
ing terrific manner. Two ropes are suspended from
the edge of the precipice on either side, on which a
basket or wooden box is hung sufficiently large to con-
tain a man and an ordinary horse-butthen. Into this
box the traveller must descend, and pull himself by
means of a rope, over the yawning abyss • while, owing
to the looseness of the main ropes, the box sinks with
rapidity till it reaches the middle, and threatens, by the
sudden stop it there makes, to dislodge its contents into
the flood. The principal danger, however, attends the
passage of the horses. They are driven into the river
a little higher up ; and, if they do not swim to a cer-
tain point formed by the projection of a sock, they
are precipitated over a dreadful cataract, and lost.
One night, during SINCLAIR'S performance in Edin-
burgh, a curious incident occurred. After the crowd
of coaches at the box-door had diminished, and left the
portal clear, an old woman from the causeway-side,
dressed in a clean mutch, a.red cloak, and white apron,
after the fashion of poor Scottish women on gala occa-
sions, moved slowly and decently up to the box-keeper,
whom it appears she took for an elder " herd in the
penny," and thus addressed him—" Oh, Sir, is there
ane John Sinclair sings here?" " Ay, ay," quoth Cer-
berus. " A weel, aweel, I'm glad I've fund him at last,
after sic a lang tramp. But. Sir, where's your brode?
I dinna see't here, and troth I maun put in a bawbee or
a penny, for auld acquaintance sake wi John, for ye see,
Sir, I kend John langsyse, when he was just a bit cal
Rant, rinnin skirlin about the doors amens our ain
bairns ! Deed, Sir, I was at John's kirsinnang I" Se
saying, she rummaged the " gulf profound" of a pouch
hung by her side, which resembled in shape and size Mr.
Hunter's violoncello, and was about to affront the ben
-
keeper with the offer of a douceur, when that worthy '1
gruffly told her to be gone about her business, and cll-,
rected a police-officer to turn her out of doors. The'
poor woman of course exclaimed loudly against this
treatment, and said something about seeing "John him-
sel ;" but the harsh order was rigorou'ly enfoi ced.—
However, a Gentleman, who was then entering the'
'theatre, and heard the whole proceeding, interested him-
self in her cause, and though he could not in etiquette
introduce her to the boxes, generously made her happy
by a ticket to the lower gallery:
STREET CHARITY.—" Thousands," says Mandeville,
" give money to beggars, from the same motive as they
pay their corn-cutter—to walk easy ; and many a half-
penny is given to impudent and designedly persecuting
rascals, whom, if it could be done handsomely, a man
would cane with much greater satisfaction. Yet all
this, by the courtesy of the country, is called charity."