6 THE EARLY T ASM AN IAN PRESS, KTC. 



discovery ships to Hobart. In the issue of 31st May we 

 read: "Yesterday morning His Imperial Russian Majesty's 

 Discovery Ships, the Creuzer and the LaJoga, put into our 

 port to refresh, having been three months from Rio de 

 Janiero.'" The visitors stayed three weeks, during which 

 time they were banquettexi by the military officers and 

 merchants, and, eventually, on the 21st June, they "pro- 

 ceeded in prosecution of their voyage of discovery." Where 

 the discoveries were to be we are not told, nor does the 

 subsequent histoiy of Australia give any record of a Rus- 

 sian attempt to annex any part of the continent. But it 

 is quite possible that this Russian roving commission was 

 allied to the fear of French schemes on West Australia, 

 which brought about the English settlements at Albany 

 and the SNvan River in 1825-1831. 



One of the chief interests of the Gazeiie lay in chronicl- 

 ing the progress of the island, and the discovery of its 

 latent resources. Bent and his editor were ardent be- 

 lievers in a "Big Tasmania." They were convinced that 

 Van Diemen's Land possessed all the necessaries required 

 to make it a second England, and their columns were al- 

 ways open to any corresj3ondent who had news or sugges- 

 tions likely to assist in the development of the colony. 

 Tlius, in the second issue, we are told of the discovery 

 of a fine coal seam on the Gordon Rivei ; the seam is six 

 feet thick, providing "an inexhaustible mine of coal," the 

 mouth of which could be within ten yards of the water's 

 edge. Having published this account, the editor goes on 

 to survey the known mineral resources of the colony. Coal 

 has been found in many pails, slate and limestone are at 

 our very doors, whilst marie a.nd lime, invaluable for 

 farmei^, are here in abundance. On the strength of these 

 discoveries, the writer compares Tasmania's resources with 

 those of New South Wales: — "These are natural advan- 

 tages the country of Port Jackson doth not possess, and 

 which will enable the Agriculturalists of Van Diemen's 

 Land to carry on their Agriculture to much greater suc- 

 cess than the Inhabitants of Port Jackson will ever be able 

 to do, as neither marie nor limestone have hitherto been 

 found on the eastern side of the Blue Mountainsi" (12). 

 This strong sense of the superiority of our island over New 

 South Wales was to a great extent justified at the time. 

 Tasmania had been eminently successful in the production 

 of wheat, and in nomial years produced far more than was 

 necessary for its own requirements. It seemed very pro- 

 bable that the colony was destined to be the granary of 

 vVustralia, and possibly the workshop as well. Witness 

 Ihe editor's comments on Juno 29, 1816 :— "25,000 



