The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1889-03-30
TASMANIA.
Description of This Important
Little Island.


Little Island.
Its Strange. Wild History-Thc Name 1t
Used to Go By-Convicts of Former
Days-Terrible Forest Tales
Extinct Natives.
Lying some $50 miles south of the
Australian continent is an island
which figured in the biographies over
which pored in New England
country school-house some thirty years
ago as Van Diemen's Land. At its
southern extremity, looking toward
that part Of the Pacific which stretches
to the unknown lands around the
austral pole, was a dot which stood
tor the capital Of this remote Common
wealth, by name Hobart Town. Very
lonely and out of the world looked this
island and city; nor was it deemed
worth the "schoolma' am's'' while to
teach any thing about either Such,
however, is not now it's title, and has
not been for some score of years.
Originally named in honor of General
Anthony Van Diemen, Governor of the
Dutch possessions in the Indian Archi-
pelago, by the man whom he had sent
out to explore the unknown coast of
''the Great South Land" as Australia
was then called, the bold navigator,
Commodore Abel Jams Tasman, it now
bears officially the name of its discov-
error and is called Tasmania.
The island Of Tasmania is about one
hundred and thirty miles long from
north to south, and nearly as wide
from east to west. Comparatively a
small portion is settled--much of It'll
unexplored. IT. is noted in Australia
for the fine breeds of nerino sheep
which it raises for the improvement of
the tlocks of the main land, and is be-
ginning to attract much attention from
the evident richness Of it's mineral re-
sources. These are as yet undevel-
oped for the most part. The almost
utter inaccessibility of the regions
which give the greatest indications of
treasure, owing to the density and
strange formation of the forests, of
which l shall presently speak, have
thus far rendered any thorough pros
pecting quite impossible. The country
is known to abound in gold, silver, and
tin; several gold mines OF great rich
ness are now being worked, and some
prodigiously productive silver depos-
its have been discovered in regions so
formidable that the cost of getting the
ore to market would more than con-
sumo it's value.
Hobart is as quiet and picturesque a
town as one would wish to see. It is
admirably situated, near enough to the
mouth of the sound-like river Derwent
to admit vessels of deepest draught to
her wharves, and far enough inland to
be protected from storms and to form
an excellent port for interior products.
Launceston, some thirty miles from the
sea, on the river lamar, is the north
ern port, and is reached from Mel
bourne by the swift and well-equipped
steamers Of the Tasmanian Steam Nav
igation Company.
The journey from Launceston to Ho-
bart is made over q railway 1888 miles
long, and consumes six hours-colonial
train-systems being invariably leisure
~. Tho road is Of narrow gauge and
one Of the crookedest in existence.
Astounding in deep grades and sharp
curves, and running through rich,
picturesque and interesting country.
The carriages are unique, and worth a
brief description. They were shown
to me with great pride by one of the
officials before leaving Larnceston as
"American carriages, built Dy the
company, and the only ones of the kind
in the colonies" devoutly hope that
they may long remain SO, since they
resemble nothing else than an elon-
gated American horse-car, both in size
and arrangement of seats, which run
lengthwise of the carriage instead of
across it. They are, moreover, divid-
ed into two Or three compartments,
connected by a swinging door, which,
if you have the corner seat, for whoss
possession every body rushes, bangs
your knees or shins painfully every
time tho guard" Or any other person
enters. sa...... -..- ......
Hobart and the country back of it
have seen some strange and stirring
times. In it's experience with the con-
victs who were transported to Van Die
mans Land as penal colony, and in its
relations with the aborigines, it fur
hishes attractive material for the his
torlan and novelist. The history of
England's penal colonies is everywhere
somber and tragic, and nowhere moro
SO than at Tasmania. Port Arthur, the
famous convict station, now tumbling
INTO ruin, is some thirty miles below
Hobart, on what is known as ..Tas-
man S Peninsula, and is connected with
the main mai land by a narrow spit, which
was guarded in convict times by con-
stables and soldiers, and by savage
eogs whose chains allowed them to