Van Diemen's Land.
The Times, 1824-10-05T00:00:00

A series of Gazelles from Hobart-town, Van Diemen's Land, fro:n January SO to the 21 of April inclusive, was received yesterday at the New England Coffee-bouse. This colony continues to make rapid advanmc in improvement. Owing to the fineness of the climate, all the fruits and plants of Europe are gradually bringing into cultivation there. Grales, in particular, had succeeded beyond ex- peectation, aind the produce in that fruit was exvpectedI to be greater thtan in any season since the fornmation of the colony. Othier fruits, of whiicl the crops had been ex- trernely productive, were the green gage and all sorts of plunms In great abundance; cherries, apples, raspberries, and walnuts. Titiz latter' fruit, it was supposedi, would not come to perfection in this climate; butt the experience of the presenit season, in whichi the walrnut-trees bave borne for the first time, has proved the contrary. All the dif- ferent species of clover answered perf ectly in the soil of Van Diemen's Land; and it is remarked, that clover sown in the latter eudl of Septe.ber had seeded in the beginning of February-a rapidity of growth thxtremely uncommon. The agricuiturists in tne neighbourhood of Hvbart-town hadl succeeled in rcaaing the lidigo plant. The common hollyhock, or rose-mallowv, which las lately been discovered to vieli a blue dye equal in beauty anid p ertnanence to the best indigo, was also growing in several parts of the island in the greatest luxluiance: In the rearing of live stock, and in the improvement of the existing breeds of cdttle and of sheep, the settlers are also proceeding prosperously.- In the last accounts ftrom this colony it wvas stated, tChat several cargoes of Mieriato slheep, through wan:t o;' 'rroper care and atEtention, hadl died on the voyage out, to the great disappointment of' thosc to whom they werc consignedj. this evil hal, hofwever, been reuleditd. By the I'llia?n Sktand, which arnived at Hfbart- town early in February, the colony had been again ben- fittedl by an inmpot tatioli of no Iss thani s2S fine ewes and( rams o0 the pure Merino breed, tnmst of themn shippeti frotm the flock of Sit John Sebright, whose attention to this subiAect is well knowvn ;o Engli!O agrivullurisLts 'I'here hadt alo been irmported by anothler vesscl, 80 full- grown pure Merino sabet p. Out of the wholt nunib"r broug!ht by both these vestees, nlt ten died2 on the passage. I'he natives of Van Dieince's Land continued, unfortu- natel,', to annioy th- settlers. Two instances had occurred witi.in a short periidl, 0o' persons appointed to wvatcl. lic flocks atid herds in distant piaces, having been inuroter'l by theni. Several expeditions had been planned, oi were actually in progress, for exploring the interior of V ani Diemen's Land, for the purpIs-e of ascertaininig the course of' the rivers, or of' iscovering ihe dif.erenit natUral productions of the country. Camtaitn Rolland, of the Buffs, whO were sta- tioned at Port Dalrvtnple, and Mr. liardwicke, of Norfolk Plaiis, had recentlv returneJ from excursions-the fotniir by Ian(, anid the la:ter by Bass's Straits-to exzamile the north-west extremlitv of' the island. Mr. Hobbs, of coal River, was engage(I itl anotlher voyage, with two weil- equipped boats, to circumnavigate the island, withlestrub - ntions to examine carefullv the vwholc roast, proceeding by the soutlh and west, and to penetrate wherever a favourable prospect :ppearcd. Thuse expd(litions, it was believe(l, would lead to the discoverv of a considerable portion of va- luable country ltO the north-west, by which the capabi'itv of grazinv, and probably of future seitlement. wnuld be en- larged. The Trilou, tla iirst ship sent out by theAustralasian Company whicb has been itacorp'rated in Englanrd, arrived |at Hobart-town in the tlater end of January ; and duriingf its stay there, MIr. 13ushbv, who had come out in that vesct- as mineral surveyor, wVas enmlloyed in examining the coun- try in the neighl'ourhood of' Coal River. He ascertained that that valuable article, coal, was proluced there in very large quantities. an! bemug near the surface, that mints cou'd be formicl and w*vrk-d at a very modlerate ex;ensc. Sonic of the speciTIen's produced were dtficitnt in biwu- italcOus matter, and thelrefore burnt wvith difficulty, but that was supposed to be itacidleintal only to miae strata of coal that lay nearest to the surface, and that the deiect in quality"would not be found to exist on penezratiug deeper. His' Majestv's ship Ters sailed from Hobart-town carly in February on a cruise to N'ew Zealand ; during her stay in the hlarbotir, Mr. Fieldier, the purser ot that shiFp, unfor tunately foll overboard and was 'lroNnedL Tiie first an I tlii(t Lieutenants imnmediately after the accident leaped into the water, but thiir attemnpts to savc himn wvre with- out sulccess. The charter of incorporation of a bank at Hobart-tovi, alt acconalrnodation long uanted bv the inhlabiants. hiadl arriveil, anid its notes wvere put in circulatipn ota the 15th of March. In the latter end of February, a niew township w?as laidl out, in the cdistrict of Coal River, advantareously situ- ated! on the baiak of' that streami, and the Lieutenlant- GTovernor, who presided on tha occasion, had given it tbe namne of Ric,mcin,d The Royal charver appointing a separate Court of J ustice, and granting other privileges to Van Itiemen's Land, arrived from2 Emlmahtwd in the Hibernia transport in thme iniddlc of March 'Mr. Justice Pedder, who had been appointed Judge of die Supreme Court of Vaii Diemen's Land, had arrived out im that versel. Oni the 31st ot March, the Royal charter ahove alludecl to, vas read at Goveriament-house by the Provost Alarshial, in the presence of the Licuteiiant-Governor, and the principal officers ancl inliabitants of the colonv ; atnd a salute of 21 guns was fired on the occasion. M!r. Forbes. the new C1ihcf Justice ot' New SouLh Wa!es, arrive(d at SYdney in the beginning of March. 1'AN DWEMEN'S LAND.