1829.] 
@ ARG) 
MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE, DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN. 
—— 
The Present State of Van Dieman’s 
Land, by H. Widowson; 1829.—Of a 
country so recently and already so exten- 
sively colonized, it is desirable to have ac- 
counts following each other pretty frequent- 
ly. Though numerous descriptions of New 
South Wales have been published within 
these five or six years, nothing has appeared 
relative to Van Dieman’s Land, since Mr. 
Carr’s book, which though, on the testimony 
of Mr. Widowson, it was accurate enough 
at the time it was written, is now very de- 
fective, and must give an imperfect notion 
of the island, and can be of no use at all to 
emigrants: The especial object of Mr. 
Widowson’s performance is to furnish in- 
formation for such as contemplate a removal 
to these antipodes, and the book is, accord- 
ingly, filled with practical directions, which 
can be of no interest to the general reader. 
He will, however, find every thing relative 
to the history—the climate—the soil—the 
colonists—the natives—the convicts—the 
towns—the settlements, and the govern- 
ment, which can be demanded for the gra- 
tification of common inquiries. 
Mr. W. has himself recently returned, 
after surveying the whole of the ‘‘ located 
country,’ in his capacity of agent to the 
agricultural society established there. It 
was, to him, he says, a matter of pleasure to 
investigate the capabilities, peculiarities, ad- 
vantages, and disadvantages of this new 
world, and to compare them with similar 
and different things at home, as regards 
agriculture, grazing, and other affairs of the 
field. The whole is delivered in a spirit of 
‘moderation and fairness. It was not his 
purpose, he adds—and we may safely trust 
‘the tone of the work—to tempt those who 
can live well at home, to go to Van Die- 
man, or any where else, beyond the limits 
of their own happy island. He speaks of 
things as he found them—a mixture of 
good and evil, such as are found, though 
not in the same proportion, every where. 
Van Dieman’s Land is not a paradise, where 
‘we may eat and drink of the abundance of 
nature, without the sweat of the brow, or 
Some equivalent sacrifice. The “ thistly 
‘curse”’ is not repealed, and the man who 
migrates there, expecting to live and prosper 
without labour, in some shape, will find 
himself miserably disappointed. But there 
is ample room, and abundant opportunity ; 
‘there is a benignant sky above, and a fruit- 
ful soil beneath ; there is, since the extirpa~ 
tion of the bush-rangers (run-away convicts) 
protection for life and property; and the 
emigrant who carries with him moderate 
means of beginning, habits of industry and 
skill, will soon acquire competence, &c. 
Of the Aborigines scarcely any thing 
seems known— 
So little is known (says Mr. W.), of these chil- 
M.M. New Series.--Vor. VII. No.40. 
dren of nature, and still less has been done to 
gain any knowledge of them, that not much can 
be offered as to their present numbers or con- 
dition. From what I have seen and read, the 
natives are unlike any other Indians, either in 
features, mode of living, hunting, &c. There are 
many hundreds of people who have lived for years 
in the colony, and yet have never seen a native, 
The stock-keepers, and those who frequent the 
mountains and unlocated parts of the country, 
now and then fall in with then; and sometimes a 
tame mob, as they are called, visit the distant 
settler, to beg bread and potatoes. An Aborigine 
has occasionally been seen in Hobart Town, bu 
not of late years, ; 
No mercy has been shewn to the bush- 
rangers, and, of course, none could be shewn 
with any regard to the safety of the colonists, 
and they appear now to be completely sup- 
pressed. ‘* I am by no means,” says Mr. 
W., “ ambitious of the character of a pro- 
phet, but I will*venture to predict, that 
bush-ranging is never likely to be carried on 
again in Van Dieman with the same de- 
vastation as before. The country is now 
more explored, the settlers are daily be- 
coming more respectable, and the police 
decidedly more efficient—the plan of dis- 
seminating suspicions of each other amongst 
the respective gangs, is also perfectly un- 
derstood.” 
Though not a matter relative to Van 
Dieman, the author has furnished some in- 
formation not generally known concerning 
the fate of La Perouse, the French nayiga- 
tor, who was supposed to have been wrecked 
‘in 1788. While at Hobart’s Town, in 
April 1827, a vessel, the Research, carrying 
16 guns, and 78 men, commanded by a 
Capt. Dillon, came into harbour for pro- 
visions, which vessel had been fitted out by 
the government at Calcutta, for the purpose 
of ascertaining the fate of La Parouse. The 
year before, Captain Dillon had looked in at 
Tucopia, an island in lat. 12 S. and lon. 
169 E., where thirteen years before he had 
left, at their own desire, a Prussian, and a 
Lascar and his wife, to see if they chanced 
to be still living. This Lascar had an old 
silver sword-guard,’ which he sold to the 
sailors for some fish-hooks, and which, on 
examination, was found to haye the name of 
La Perouse upon it. This, it appeared on 
inquiry, he had obtained from the natives, 
who were, he said, in possession of many 
articles, apparently of French manufac- 
ture—all which had been obtained from 
one of the Malicolo islands, situated two 
days’ sail, in their canoes, to the leeward, 
where, it was understood, there were many 
more, and also the wreck from which they 
were procured. This intelligence determined 
Capt. Dillon to go to the Malicolos, and 
examine the wreck; but unluckily, on 
nearing the land, it fell a perfect calm, and 
continued so for seven days. Provisions 
3H 
