, 1853-12-10
Ian Dieman'S Land.

oC C,lico.ui, and th, suhS7oueui d,>coy,ry
oc ,olI.;n Ar.,,,Iia ,hs isllnds IF ,bo Pa
o;fc and osn..;,I,y ,Io.o ad;,c.r, IN New
Unrl,nJ b,r., ,,ro,yp iuio an irpo,tonr, in
,br;r rsr,,;o,. with S,n Fr,nc'.,o wbi,b
,,n,;,,o avon IN. Ic,., oe,hcm IN csp.c;,I re-
ma,L w. Lars =, ,;r,rs rircn opr rgode,s
conJcrscd Jcscri,tiots of several of me most
interesting. coll .c,ed from intelligent ship
masters ,yho nav. ,G,rl.d n mass or infor-
ma,;on a, oncs yaInaI 10 and ;nirrrs,inr.-
Arorr ,L,, ,,.o., ;n,nor,,nt or tL,..e island.
i ,ba, or Van T;sma,.,s Land LAYING of'the
s,n,Lorn sv,r.n,i,v oC,ho ,na;, land oC Ans.
,,ali, rom which il il scpar,icd Lv A
channel about IaO miles bro,d. called Bass'
Straits. The lcnotb of the island is about
ON niles and lis breadth l5O, II was
discovered in 1912 by the Dutch navigator
Tasman. and received is name from him
! in honor If the Governor of the Dutch East
Indi, nosses,iops. Nothing, however. re-
spl,eo frcm its discovery and for upwords
of one hundred years ibe island was lost
sioht If Fnrneau and Cook visited it in
I573-77 but il was not until 1909 that
any settlement was made upou il. 1t was
then formallv taken possession of by the
Euoli,b and made a branch penal s,ttle-
ment from Pot Jackson, in New SouIh
Walls. In 1919 il was thrown omen io
free settlers. since which time lis proiress
las beon extremely rapid. The trade of
his beau,ifnl island with California during
1870 and 1881 wns very extensive Great
ouoD,;,;.s of grain. corSoes of polatoes and
d,Lsr nroduce-,be Weld or lis fe,,il- val
Icys-srnrl;cd tho demand far these oni-
clts crcated bv the vast influx of popula-
ion ;n,o o,r Si,,c Af,er tho cold d;scov-
o,;". ~ Ans,r l;a ,be s.ms s,,,c or ofyairs
L.oama nrev,lon, in Van D;em,n's Land
,ha, ov;s,sJ bsre at ,bs same crisis Eve.
rybo1~ r,na;red a, onco Io Tho mines and
a. Ia ,Lo s,g,c;,v 70 rcmo;n and snonIv
,Lo w,n,s Of ,ho Increasing nonnlot;on bv
",s0na os ,rr;cnl,mro Jbs cors,nus,ro
,ros ,b,, ,b. gr..i sL;nmsn,s nj nroducc IN
liz conr,rv sndJsnlv ccos,d. and vhat wa,
ra;sod won, ,cro,s Rass, S,ra;,e IN Mel.
Lonrno SvI,ov and pnr, tacLson Tb;s
oC co,r., n ov.d Of ,Jv,n,ace N ,ur o,yn
C,rmcrs and sbrI ofr, nor.rGnl comnc,;,ion
,cros, the occon Tbers is n,ob,blv nat a
go d,l;sb,f,I spo, in ,be world ,6on His
;I,ra A,no,;oans wLo n,.,s,re ,L.;r
ro,ss,.;ons N, ,Lo ,bon.ord nils and in
nnL;ng a mental suryev Of their counIrv
I"nnJ ,bs;r oo1ebv br ,wo oceans ,rc an,
20 Sorrc, ibat fnf awnv. many ,lousond
u,;s. ,owords The set,ing sun. there sxisIs a
n"..d;so ,yhsre n con,,pun;,v lives who
i,non;no themselves the bonns., and most
s'"G.nd IN croa,ion. TL. pnnoor,ncr ol
Van D;smon's and from ,he ssa ia OK.
coed;nslv niciurssoue. prescn,inr nm cnd-
ioss succession of Infiy mountains. covered
10 ,ho;r srmmits with wood while ,oll ro,ks
and rrcciniccs. Vlens and hills. contribu,.
A. ;norsose ,be ;n,ersst oc ,his romantic
Ill A ncar.r ;nsr.c,;on co,rohora,os
a.. ,;ov offord,d from Tho co,
n, ,,avers;no Tho ;sIand. i, ;s C,und IN
-, cons,s,t succ.ss;on Of hin and
{ H. In occas;onoI Ais or rla;rs no, nm.
7 ill., ,bs nrn;r;ss bo-lc,ing On Ibs Raw oI
San Franc;sco TLs coun,rv. lhoncb M,
Iii wo,srsd has ,evs,al extensive laLc,
so,,,orod ,brougbout ,ho inie, ;or and NOS.
+ scssss = con.iderablc number of rivers
TLo ;sland has also numerous snlcnJid bar.
hors c.nabIe of Containing ,he combined
sL;nn;ng oI Tho world The snr(ace ia eli
/, oJ1n,od IN pas,nrage and obon, one.,bird !,
g, rrr cnl,iva,;on Sneaking Of tho clima,e
of Von Disman,s Land an Enclish writer
assarls Thai no part of Europe offers sucb
f nm rnv.r;od sah,br;,v ne this island n l.
not subject 10 extreme heat or cold The
ssa,ors arc rornlar. mild and ,orceaLl. ,b.
a,mosnherc constantly pure and elastic thc
.ty clrar. uncloudcd and brilliant The
oyerage ~ number of days in which rain CaIls
dur;nS tho wear is from 6lty to sixty. The
trees are tall and Straight, branching onIy
n, the ion. and are all syerqreens. Appl,s
pears, plu"s' 'nu .'u", 70 cii wn'en ,''e w"'ln''
climate % nus'.I,,r aI y u'l'",o,1o' 1I W a'e r'o,