Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-01-05
AUSTRALIA 10y
It's Discovery, settlement by Convict=' Later
Growth and Present Appearance
Elders Labor- Reported.


household word in the colonies, and the
Muncchausen stories from the Western
Australian golddelds have caused a
great rush westward. During the
months OF August and September the
New Zealand steamers were crowded
with eager fortune hunters, and "Gold.
Goldl Cold" was the all.prewiling
topic. on September i7lh and 18Th,
three large steamers len Auckland load'
ed with passengers TO their utmost
capacity. The S. S. Mararoa had ablui
FIVE hundred passengers aboard, aud the
whafvcs were crowded with friends and
relatives who were not deferred by the
cold, drilling rain from bidding their
associates and kindred goodbye and
wishing them success In the golden
west.
Al 7.5o -. m. the last signal whistle
was blown, and the stately vessel slowly
moved away from the wharf, Twas
pleasant sight to witness the hundreds
Of waving hats and handkerchic's, and
to hear the cheering farewell greetings
from the lusiy Threats OF the cnthusias.
tic multitude ON shore; aud even the
humble Mormon Elder reioiccd to know
that amongst that eager. happy throng,
were a few honesi.hcancd souls, wIsh-
ing him God speed" on his mission Of
love.
After a pleasant sail OF nearly five
days. the rock.nbbed shores OF Aus.
tralia were dimly seen in the distance.
Many Of the readers Of the NEws. pro.
badly, have no idea Of the vastncss OF
this great continent IN the Southern
Pacific, and the illimitablc resources Of
It's five colonies, Queensland, New South
Wales, Victoria, South Australia aud
Western Australia, containing nearly
three million square miles OF territory.
History says that the coast was hut
sighted by Portuguese mariners ~ 1870,
but to the Dutch belongs the honor OF
publishing the first authentic account,
and In t6ii they named Il Terra Austals,
or Great South Land, More than
century later, the brave and intrepid
English mariner Captain James Cook,
explored the eastern coast and claimed
the country for tho British crown. II
was an oppouune discovery, having
been secured while England was hope.
lessly struggling to retain control OF her
American colonies, and Il served to con.
sole and compensate her, To- some cx-
tent, Tor the loss OF an empire. Il Is
claimed 10 be the noblCst reward Of
Butain's maritime enterprise. The &C.
cession differed from other colonial
conqucsts, In the fact that It was gained
without the sword. II proved TO be
great extension Of English borders with.
out the bloodshed and aanguinary battles
which too often mar her victories.
Neither was Il a conquest obtained by
fraud, or violence. The cOnqucTers
were not ruthless and bloodthlfsty
warriors, but courageous and determined
explorers, at whose advent the degraded
and debased aboriginal cannibals He'd in
terror inland, crying 'Waua, Warra, "
(go away, so away.l
In i77o, Captain Cook reported def
mite information with regard to the land
then known as New Holland. having
approached Il through Torres Straits ON
the north, and explored down the east
coast. Seventeen years later England
commenced to utilize her new dominuns
by founding penal settlements at Botany
Bay, the scene OF Cooks principal ex.
plorations. With the arrival OF the first
cargo OF conyicts in 1855 the beautiful
hafbor OF Port Jackson was discovered.
On disembafking, the new population
was found TO consist OF 1850 individuals,
nearly all conylcts, and the entire live.
stock, three months later, consisted OF
hive horned stock, seven horses, forty
eight sheep and goats, seventy.iuur pigs,
besides a limited supply Of turkeys.
geese, ducks etc.
II Is not advisable TO detail the suffer.
ings and hardships endured by such
system OF colonization. Flour and other
provisions had TO be imported. The
convicts were almost uncomfortable, as
they were g1aded TO desperation by
innumemble acts OF cruelty. IL must
not be supposed that these eXic8 were
all hardened criminals. Al that period.
the criminal laws Of England were very
severe, and for the most trliling uutnscs
some Of the nublcst and best British
blood was branded with a convict stain
What are classcd as indiscretions today
were then hcinous crimes, punished with
penal seryltude Tor lite No wonder
that many OF these innocent victims OF
spite, jealousy aud trcachery should
resist the inhuman tasks imposed upon
them by unpuncpIud waries and
officers. The lyuChlngs In the Southern
States pale into iusEuIicancc when
compared with the blood Guiding afro.
cities perpetated here. 10 tuu name of
law and justice, and it will require Gene
turie, 10 Ctace this blot from the British
escutchcon, Ii Is TOO soon for oMgious
English committees 20 inquire into the
supposed shortcomings OF their neigh
b1B, ne Southern States lyughmgs.-
and Il savOr5 too much of llaTislsm
and the 'Whited sgpulghfc" The
scenes OF wholesale whppnE and
hanglngs are still notorious landmarks.
causing one To- shuditr 40 the thought
Of mans inhumauity TO man." We'll
may colonial writers endyayur 10 draw
veil over this dark page of what may DE
termed the convict period. They
frankly confess that they Cannot Afford
TO stir too deeply the mud ol rur.y.lly
brutality" aud all concur boo letting tbg
dead past bury De- dead.
For many years alter the FIRST landing
there were no coluuIsts iu Australia
but cOnNgls, and no proper settlers but
uckct-u leave men some of whose
descendants are now found amongst fu.
wealihlyat and WlslucIuC CLASSES lu ,He
COLONIES, Thirty years later New South
Wales, which then embraced tue whole
eastern seauoard OF Australia, possess
ed a population ul 2g,5a5, but three
louuhs OF these were uouvCls. Since
then the colonies of Victoria and
Queensland have been Iormed oul of