The St. Johns herald., 1889-02-28
PARADISE OF HORRORS.
The Convict Days Of the Beautiful
 Island of Tasmania.
Although Ono of the Earth's Most Favored Spots, Its Inhabitants Preferred Death to Living Port Arthur and Its
 Charming Surroundings.

The Island of Van Dieman's Land, as it was originally called, CT Tasmania, as it is now termed, was first discovered by the navigator T25man, who landed or the pen ln5ula which still bears his name in the year 1642. This peninsula is joined to the main land by ail lSthnuS called Eagle Hawk Neck, and here is shown on the hard rock the impression of boot and round hole side by side, supposed to have been made by the disccvcrer's left foot and right wooden leg respectively.
 That TO footprints appear leading from the shore inland is accounted for by saying that Tasman was so overcome by the beau ty of the scene before him that he fell back ward, says a correspondent of the San Francisco Chronicle. The scenery of the peninsula is certainly very fine. In sev- cral places arc found tessellated pavcments as regular as though constructed by Roman builders. These arc the bases of basaltlc columns which have now disappeared under the influence of wave and storm.
 At the neck in the oId days when Tas- mania was used by the British as a convict settlement, was placed strong guard of constableS, who were further assisted in their work of keeping his MaJestys prison CTS secure by numbers of large and fero- cious dogs, who were kenneled at various suit2Olc spots, often on stages erected in the water.
 When any prisoner attempts to escape by thls neck, the only way to the main land, the dogs parked loudly and alarmed the cOnstables on guard, who put out in boats manned by convicts of known good char acter, and cut off the prisoners retreat. Besides the dogs On tho stages erected in the water, others were chained at the narrow est part of the isthmus in such way as just to meet, thus rendering it impossible for one to pass without being torn to pieces.
 Sentrics, tCo, were always at hand with loaded guns.
 To render escape by swimming impossl= bic, the sharks, which haunted tho waters, were well-fed daily so as to keep them to the spot, A terrible description, chiefly drawn from official reports, diaries of chap lains rote-b books and other official data is given of the life of the convicts in the old days of Marcus Clarkcs weird and horri bic, but powcrfullywritten story; "In the Term of His Natural Life"
 Port Arthur was the central convict sta- tion On TaSman's Peninsula, and was a place of great natural beauty. Eucalyptus trees have been found n the bush thCrc of I-J animals that live on tho island arc to be found in abundance. On the western side of the island is another old convict station, called MacQuarie Harbor. This was a most dreadful spot. The entrance to the harbor was called Hclrs Gate, and the penal settle ment itself Upon-Earth, and well do these il!-oInencd names seem to have been deserved.
 It is related that the tortures and priva- tions of convicts were so intolera5le that many of them committed murder in order that they might be executed, and thus re- leased from their misery.
 Unlike the peighborhood of Port Arthur, the country around Iacquarie Harbor was utterly devoid of all sustenance for mon, and bodies of desperate couvicts sometimes banded together to escape, and when want of food prevented theIr proceeding further cast lots which of them should be killed, and sustained life little while longer on the flesh of their murdered comrade.
 Ono Pearce escaped from Macquarie Har- bOr and got as far as Hobart Town, but was there arrested and sent back He and man named Cox worked together in tho same gang Cox often begged Pierce to run away with him from the settlement, put for long time Pearce refused, At last Cox managed to procure a knife, somc tish-hooks, an axe and some burnt rag for tinder, and he and Pcarce made their escape together
 For some days they strayed through the forest, and on the fifth day arrived at Kings rlver. In the woods near this river they stayed for some days in order to avoid tho pursuit of the soldiers who were search ing for them, and during all this time they were cntirciy without food. Pearce at last determined to take lis comrade's life and killed Cox with blow of the axe while he lay asleep.
 The soldiers having gone off in another direction, Pearcc lived for few days in the hut abandoned by them upon the flesh of his | murdered Companion; but unable to bear his own life, he returned to tho settlement | and signalcd for the pilot, who took him | back to Macquaric Harbor, where he con- | fesscd his crime to the commandant and | signiiied his willingness to die.
 In 1o12 there were still few hundred i convicts left in Port Arthur, the penal set clement on Tasman's Peninsula. This pen | insula is covered with dense scrub and 1 gigantic gum trees, and formerly there were ,everal thousand convicts there. Commu- nication was kept up all over the peninsula Dy Sen2pAoreS, or posts WlIn Gr1nS- Each of these was in charge of trust worthy convict, who had code of signals,
 Port Arthur and it's neighborhood arc very pretty, and now that convlcts arc no longer sent out there it is rapidly becoming a fa- vorlte holiday resort and a fashionable watering place, and numbers of honest, en- crgetc settlers arc clearing away the brush and forming homesteads. The name of Port Arthur, linked with dreadful associa- tions as it was, has wisely been changed to that of Carnarvon, and under the new re- gime the once hated spot now furnishes home for scores of happy families. The old dungeons and prison building arc fast fall ing into decay.and soon all but a few traces, to antiQuarians, of the former use of the place wlll be obliterated.
 Steel Lace for Summer.
 You would never guess to look at a girl