A Half-caste Tasmanlan. 3 



" Kangaroo Island, at the entrance of the Gulf of St. Vincent, 

 is 80 miles long east aind west, and about 24 miles broad, resem- 

 bling in shape the Malay Cris or dagger, with its handle to the 

 eastward. The land is of good elevation and well wooded. 



Kangaroo Island is becoming settled as an agricultural area. 

 The fairmers are located mostly about the eastern part of the 

 island, at Antechamber Bay, Hog Bay, Eastern Cove, and Kings- 

 cote. They are a very orderly and healthy community. Town- 

 ships are forming at Nepean Bay, and jetties are being con- 

 structed. 



There is a scattered population settled along the banks uf the 

 Three Well or Cygnet River, and some land has been taken u}) 

 for agi'icultural purposes along the course of Hog Bay River, on 

 the south coast. 



There ai-e settlers at Emm, Smith, Dashwood, and Stokes 

 Bays, and the barley fields at Snellings Beach were conspicuous 

 marks from the sea during the survey (1863-73). There are also 

 settlers at Ling Cove, at D'Estree and Vivonne Bays. 



Barley is the staple product of the island, which prows the 

 best in South Australia. 



The island is well watered, but from Kingsoote westward 

 is mostly covered with thick scrub ajnd unfit for either sheep 

 or wheat farming." 



In addition to the foregoing, there have also appeared some very 

 readable articles of a more popular nature in the columns of the 

 morning press of Adelaide, which have since been reproduced in 

 pamphlet form. (4). 



Such being Kangaroo Island, it is now necessary to sh(jw what 

 connection this island has with the distant land of Tasmania, 

 and how it comes about that a descendant of the original native 

 population of the latter island is now to be foimd on the fornier. 



Prior to the year 1835. when the colonisation of the island 

 may be said to have commenced with the fcmndation of the town- 

 ship of Kingscote, " the island was tenanted by a few nomads, 

 who had either deserted from vessels which had previously called 

 there, or had come m boats from Tasmania. Their histories 

 need not here be recounted." The chronicler does well to sup- 

 press them. " One of them, who enjoyed the sobriquet of 

 " Wally," was said to have arrived from Tasmania in 1819, 



