

T A S 89 



fain Maconochie quotes returns of the convictions befor 

 the supreme court and quarter-sessions, on which he re 

 marks : l>t. that the ratios throughout to the whole popu 

 lation are enormous, convictions in England being scarcel 

 1 to 1000 inhabitants, and in Scotland only 1 to 1300 

 those for Van Diemen's Land being, in 1835, 1 to 105^ 

 2ml. the extreme vigilance of Van Diemen's Land polic 

 tends to prevent the commission of great crimes, while 

 the latitude given to its summary jurisdiction makes i 

 unnecessary to bring medium offences under the cogni 

 zance of the higher courts; 3rd, the pecuniary prosperity 

 of Van Diemen's Land is advancing, which shows tha 

 dissipation, not distress, leads there to crime. Comparing 

 the state of petty crime in the colony to that in London 

 it is found that "in Van Diemen's Land, for drunkenness 

 alone, the convictions among the free population are 

 about 14 per cent. ; whereas in London, for every descrip- 

 tion of petty offence, they are little more than 5 per cent. ; 

 and Captain Maconochie remarks that the returns in Van 

 DicniiM's Laud refer to a mixed population of agricul- 

 v.ell as town residents, which makes the com- 

 parison still more disadvantageous. As general charac- 

 teristics, he mentions dissension, bitterness of feeling, 

 improvidence, and a reliance upon authority, instead ol 

 moral influence, in the relations of master and servant. 

 He remarks also that there is a low standard of moral 

 principle, a characteristic which, though not so obvious, 

 is radically more detrimental than great occasional vices, 

 and one which it is more difficult to correct. But as he 

 frequently points out in his interesting work, and as there 

 is a necessity of remarking here, in strictness a social cha- 

 racter can scarcely be predicated yet in reference to the 

 population of Van Diemen's Land ; the colony is not old 

 enough to have moulded the character of its inhabitants ; 

 and, amid much that is painful in the aspect of society, 

 there is also much of an opposite character individual 

 l,ciicvolence and public spirit. 



ni-nt. Van Diemen's Land is administered by a 

 lieutenant-governor, who is assisted by two councils. The 

 lieutenant-governor has the initiative of all laws. The 

 conn :illed the Executive and the Legislative. 



Dormer is composed of official members, and the latter 

 of official and non-official : all are appointed by the crown, 

 and removable at the governor's pleasure, with the sanc- 

 tion of the crown. If two-thirds of the legislative council 

 : posed to any act proposed, it cannot pass : the rea- 

 "f dissent are entered. Practically however this pro- 

 vision is of no value, for half of the council are salaried 

 (dicers of the local government. Laws passed by the 

 il must, within seven days, be enrolled in the Su- 

 preme ( 'ourt ; and fourteen days from such enrolment, un- 

 ihe jndycs declare them to be repugnant to British 

 law or the charter, or letters patent of the colony, they 

 come into operation. In case of objection being made, 

 the irmrrnor and council re-eonsider the act. The laws 

 .'land, so far as they can be applied, are recognised, 

 and embodied in local enactments. 



The judicature consists of a supreme court, having two 

 judges, of courts of quarter-sessions, and courts of requests, 

 which last are sometimes called courts of conscience, and 

 have jurisdiction in matters to the extent of ten pounds. 

 ( 'liminal offences are tried in the Supreme Court by seven 

 military officers as a jury ; civil cases, by a judge and two 

 magistrates of the colony appointed by the go- 

 vernor, and who are open to challenge by the parties, the 

 challenge being determined by the judge": if the assessors 

 do not a^'i-ee. the judge has a casting vote. The Supreme 

 <'ourt may, on the application of either party in an action, 

 summon a jury to try it. This court declares insolvencies 

 and distributes effects : it likewise possesses equitable 

 and ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The total estimated ex- 

 penses of the judicial establishment for the year 1839 was 

 I.VJM;/. 7*. erf. 



In all the most populous districts of the island there are 



nint'istiates, who sit daily for the trial of petty 



offences: their decisions are subject to the approval of the 



nor, who is advised by the chief police magistrate. 



A larsfe constabulary force is maintained, composed chiefly 



of convicts. The total police estimates of Van Diemen's 



Land for IKV.i exceeded 2(>.(M>/. 



Tin. 1 ecclesiastical provision is of the most liberal cha- 

 nominatious, the Kpiscopalian, 

 in. and Roman Catholic, reccuc alien 1 .: 

 ' V. <_'., No. 1499. 



T A S 



from the state. They are equally provided for in propor- 

 tion to the respective number of their bodies, and the 

 clergy of each have the same political status. In the 

 towns the subscription of two hundred adults (three chil- 

 dren or pei-sons under a specified age being considered equal 

 to one adult) to a paper, intimating their connection with 

 one of the denominations named, desiring to have a church 

 erected for the use of such denomination, and the contri- 

 bution of at least 300/. towards its erection, are the con- 

 ditions on which the government erects such church and 

 provides for the maintenance of worship in it. In the 

 rural districts the fulfilment of these conditions by eighty 

 adults, residing within a radius of ten miles, is required. 

 The sum expended by the government on the erection of 

 a church is equal to that raised by private contribution. 

 The stipend allowed to the clergy in the towns is 250/! 

 annually, and to those in the rural districts 2001. A glebe' 

 and ten acres of land are also allowed, and in certain cases 

 a further sum of money for the feed of a horse. The Wes- 

 leyans have an annual grant of 400/. voted in their favour 

 by the legislative council. 



The Church Act has stimulated the erection of churches 

 in the colony, so that there is now no deficiency, compa- 

 ratively speaking, except in the districts in which there is 

 a very limited population. The estimated expenses of the 

 ecclesiastical establishment for the year 1839 amounted to 

 70551. 14*. lid.; but the Church Act had not, at the period 

 it which that estimate was made, exerted so much in- 

 luence as it has since done, and at present it is certain 

 hat the ecclesiastical outlay is considerably above the 

 sum stated. Numerous places of worship have been erected 

 throughout the settled districts of the island by Protestant 

 denominations, not embraced in the government scheme 

 )f support. The government assists in the maintenance of 

 Sabbath schools in connection with the different churches. 

 Liberal provision is made for juvenile education, on the 

 >rinciples chiefly of the British and Foreign School Society ; 

 and, besides a collegiate institution, founded and maintained 

 yy the government, one has been projected by the colo- 

 iists, for which subscriptions have been raised. The site 

 )f the first is at New Norfolk : the second is to be esta- 

 jlished at Campbell Town. These institutions are to be 

 n the first instance superior grammar-schools ; and gra- 

 ;ually, as professors can be obtained, and there is a de- 

 mand for the higher brancnes of learning, they are to 

 eceive the character of colleges. 



In the estimates of the expenditure of Van Diemen's 

 -and for the year 1839, a sum of 4000/. is put down for 

 chools; and an additional sum of 275 1/, for the ' Orphan 

 Schools,' in which the offspring of convicts are educated 

 nd maintained. The expense of the collegiate institution 

 8 not included in the sum of 4000/. : its foundation had 

 ot been laid at the date of that estimate. 

 The revenue of the colony is derived from duties on 

 pirits 10*. per gallon on brandy ; 7*. Gd. on hollands or 

 eneva, West India Rum, or British gin ; 1*. Gd. per 

 ound on tobacco : from licences 251. per annum for 

 cence to sell spirits ; 31. 3*. for auctioneer's, and 41. 4s. 

 or marriage licences : from the fees of public offices, 

 nes, &c. It has increased progressively for many years. 

 n 1826 it amounted to 34.G55/. 0*. \\d. ; in 1830 it was 

 2,018/. 7s. 8i</. ; in 1835 it was 91,320/. 19.. 9Jd. (Stalis- 

 ical Report of the Colonial Secretary.) "With the addi- 

 on of the revenue derived from the sale of land in these 

 ears, it amounted to G5.178/. 17*. Wjii. in 1830; to 

 06,6407. 8*. 2d. in 1835; in 1840, the revenue, il was 

 stimated, would amount to 200,000/. Part of thU revenue 

 i appropriated to the immigration of labourers, and the 

 est to the civil, judicial, ecclesiastical, and miscellaneous 

 \penses of the colony, which are not borne by Ire 

 Jntish government. The expenditure of the year 1837 

 mounted to 136.85G/. 1*. tid. ; for 1K38 the estimated 

 otal was 124,143^. 14*. 4d. ; for 1K39. 11K770/. (Ali- 

 Inirl. dated July 5th, 1838, Colonial Secretary's Office, 

 fobart Town.) 



NatircK. The aborigines of Van Diemen's Land so 

 osely resemble in physical character those of Australia, 

 s to leave no doubt of their origin being the same. [Aus- 

 RAI.IA.] M. Pcron says that, the Tasmania)! has a law 

 cad, especially remarkable for the great length of the 

 ne from the chin to the sinciput, and thai the head of 

 ie New Hollander is less bulky, and is compressed in the 

 ack part, while that of the Tasmania)) is elongated in 



VOL. XXIV. N 



