New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-27
THE SWATAKA'S VOYAGE.

cYxFgAL GRANT-THE GERMAN OBSERVERS ON !
AUCKLAND ISLAND - GRoUNDLksS AFfkEhEN-
sioNs-THR NEw-ZTALAND AMP CHATHAM INLAND |
PARTIES TAKEN ON BOARD "A BALL TO THE
swArARAs oFHCRRs--sPoRrs AZ HOBART TOWN. !
fYRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT or rue 1Rin. MI
HoBART Town, TASMANIA, FEB IL
Ne,ry three months have passed since wrote inc iaS
latter The switara had landed a the parties OF onsor
x.,on and rrinrrei 10 this place TO rcft After tWo
vees had passed and the painting and scruoDhg were
finished the ship looked ike new PIN ana hoo"''
Town claimed the her own The officers were
welcome at the houses of the citizens. ana teS IN
came on board whenever it suited them. and hospitality
and kjnauessos were exchanged. Tho Grew were also
granted liberty shore. and the sailors received sh
complments for their good conduct sailof-hke 'hty
mounted horses aud amused the people 10y their quaint
horse manshp but they entered into no excuses ana 70"
cases of drunkenness occurred German astronomer
Marty for the observation Of the Transit Of Venus was
sent ont 10 occupy station on Auckland isn"a'
400 miles south OF the southern portion oil New@er.
,rbis Marty was under Chief Astronomer DE- hhSh
seecr an astronomer OF note in Europe ana hUa'"cu
toit were Capt Becks aud Lieut. scgcl OF tho impera
Navy who had charge OF magnetic and meteoroiosic"
observations The party came by steamer as Tar rs
Melbourne and there chartered French sainnS Ne7e'
fo convey them TO Auckland Island. The idea was,
that as soon the party landed the NesSei "ouu
run back to Bluff Harbor Newzcaland. and there com
pare chronometers with Major Palmer, ehei OF the III
glish parties IN NeW-Hcalanu, anu ~ - - -
chief Of the American party there. Nearly TWO inon
nassau ana no tidings OF TIE AieXanihlhi' VIC
French vessel thai chartered The Australian he"s
naper expressed fears for the safety OF inc party an"
when Capt Chandler heard that there was chance o
that party being wrecked on Auckland isllhu' nc
telegraphed 10 the German Consul at Melbourne anu
asked him If he had any apprehensions OF their sae'y
The Consul said that he had fears ~ nothing hao
been heard Of them for very long time Under he CIR
cumstancos the captain concluded TO go down anu ooN
after the party.
The snip had inst returned from beautiful harbcr 40
miles from Hobart Town. where the convict station 10
s,,patcd No oonvicts have been sent 10 TASMANIA
from the mother country for 10 or IA years. ana the
arc only about 200 Port Arthur now VINO were son
fenced for life long forms Of years IL IL the custom
for the members OF the Ministry TO 60 TO Port Arthur
once year. the prisons and listen TO sucn OF te
"a wish 10 appeal TO them have any grev-
ances or petition for remission OF sentence Inc puu
jnes are substantially constructed with room enough Tor
1000 prisoners and several hundred acres OF lana re-
sery cd for prison purposes
In return for the hospitality that had been extended ana
received by all board the swatara the captain mVteo
the members OF the Ministry to down TO POf Arthur
IN the instead Of the little schooner when mere
tofore they bad been obliged to use ana which was
sometimes three days in making the IMP Ihe mNiou
WA accetcd and on the 10th OF December all being on
board the ship sailed, and reached Port Arthur az p
m. OF the day neat cottage, nesting among
thick shade trees and with porch on three sides was
the Prison Governors abode; but that official having
taken another cottage the prisons this one mas oee
Rent furnished Of the Ministry on their annual
visits Near by is a handsome chapel with surrounding
grounds neatly laid out and kept in order ana one
nde of the chape, nearly covered with English IVY
creeping to the very roof and remn dng one OF nome
In fact the whole establishment is kept in perfect order
but number Of prisoners is yearly growing less so IN
few years the convcts Of Tasmania will have enirey
Disappeared and the prisons that held them gradually
In model prison. where refractory prs
opcrs are kept appears a lingering death. For weeks
and months the inmates nobody, hear NOBODY save
the chaplain Sundays Food is passed In through
small trap door, aud when they arc marshaled INTO
chapel tight mask Is first put on by Themselves
small eyehoe through which the keepers satisfy Them
selves that these men arc just the trap
and when prisoners reach the chapel they go INTO
boxes opening toward the reading desk, and are shu
An one by one being able to see either the right OF e
neichbor When all in, an unseen Keeper gives the
order Go unnlask ad the service is read Under the cir
czmsfanees II Is question whether devotion hnS The
soul OF whether malice towards mankind and hatred To
a created things take its place The return 70 the Cells
"A conducted In the way is tie entrance 10 IDe
chapel amusing thing to hear those con
victs tell their story 10 the Ministry and appeal for
remission Of their senences To look at them and bear
their voices would think them saints descended
possessing holy horror of knife or biudgeon yet
nearly all had blood of victims upon THEN hands ana
come the itfeblood of several
GERMAN OBSERVERS VISITED.
One dar was passed at the convict station, and early
on 18th Hobart Town reached 1t was then that
approximations IN regard TO the Germans were felt and
ON day. the 10TH the ship pointed for Auck
land Island. After clearing the land the steam
was allowed to 70 down and the ship sped away
with a fair wind On the night Of Dec % steam was
raised the day before Christmas the island was
seen and the ship entered the harbor called
"sarals Bosom" A wilder and desoate spot In
seldom This the island where the ship General
Grant and lost with nearly all on
board Eve OF six years ago She bound from Aus
tasa to En- gland with large amount ~ gold and mum
Der of plssengers and in calm drfed in to the land
no anchors could stop her, as the water
vas so deep and she drifted into this immonse
cavern and ground 10 pieces the rocks only
boats escaping. AS the Swatara entered the
barbor every eye sought the shore No ship was in the
port but as approached group OF houses and obser
yatores came In and the flag Of Germany aoaed
over them. AS anchored boat came from
tie shore with several Of the Germans in it, looking fat
hearty, and when they told what brought the
bSatars 10 that deOlate spot they quite moved
The that the French vessel did not go back TO
NewZealand was that they had much work 10 do in
putting NJ their houses and observatoes that they de-
tanned the ship to make Of her and when they
had finished few days remained before the that
they determined 10 keep her until after that She
had sailed for Buf HaTbOr about week before
arrival and came back again on Christmas Day.
Our Christmas ii very merry one although one
party went In of tine boats fishing, and the other
went OF the adjoining islands bunting wild hogs.
Al IN the afternoon of Christmas Day babe adieu
German friends who had made very excellent
servations Of the transit Of Venus. aud left the island
for Zealand Scarcely had tho Swatara set before
black fog settled gloomy silence island
ke pail AMI shut ont al signs OF land That evening
al,fr