674 



VAN DIEMEN'S LAND DIEPPE. 



however, its amount of population is comparatively 

 small, comprising in nil only about 650 souls, and of 

 these no fewer Uuui 550 are convicts, leaving only 

 150 free settlers for the whole district. 



tforftlk Plains District embraces the shores of 

 Bass's Stmit, and comprises 2250 square miles, or 

 about 1,500,000 acres. This division of the island 

 is generally mountainous and barren. About 123,000 

 acres liave been here located, and of these 5500 

 are under cultivation. The population of this dis- 

 trict amounts altogether to about 1000 580 free 

 persons, and 420 convicts. 



Launccston District occupies the north-eastern 

 corner of the island, ending at Cape Portland, having 

 Mass's Strait on the north-east, and the Pacific Ocean 

 on 1 1 ic east, with a coast line on the former of about 

 seventy miles, and on the latter of about fifty-five. 

 It is estimated to contain 3800 square miles, or 

 about 2,500,000 acres. The greater part of this ex- 

 tensive district is barren and mountainous, and in 

 many places altogether inaccessible. Notwithstand- 

 ing of this, however, it is considered the next in im- 

 portance to the Hobart Town district, from the cir 

 cumstauce of its possessing the second largest town 

 in the island, viz., Launceston, situated at the head 

 of the navigable portion of the river Tamar, which 

 discharges itself into Bass's Strait, about forty-five 

 miles below the town. Launceston contains about 

 2100 inhabitants. The chief exports from Launces- 

 ton are wheat, bark, wool, and whale oil. 



The convict population of Van Diemen's Land 

 amounts altogether to from 10,000 to 12,000. Though 

 under a very strict surveillance, and severely punish- 

 able for comparatively slight offences, every induce- 

 ment, consistent with the ends of justice, to amend their 

 lives, is held out to them by government, and, with 

 this view, the whole convict population on the island 

 has been classified. The first are those who, from 

 especial good conduct, are permitted to sleep out of 

 barracks, and are allowed the whole of each Satur- 

 day to work for themselves. The second are allowed 

 the latter, but not the former. The third are those 

 employed on the public roads, and are relieved from 

 work every Saturday at noon. The fourth are the 

 refractory, who work in irons, under the sentence of 

 a magistrate. The fifth the incorrigibles : these are 

 also worked in irons, but, as a further punishment, 

 are kept entirely separate from the other prisoners. 

 The sixth and seventh are those sent to the different 

 penal settlements, where they are again classified by 

 the respective commandants of these establish- 

 ments. When assigned to a settler, each convict is 

 furnished with a complete suit of slop clothing, which 

 the former is obliged to pay for, at the rate of one 

 guinea for each suit : his master must afterwards fur- 

 nish him with two suits of slop clothing, three pairs 

 of boots of a particular description, four shirts, and 

 one cap or hat, per annum, with comfortable lodging 

 and medicine, and medical assistance when neces- 

 sary. The island used to be much annoyed, and 

 still is to a considerable degree, by bush-rangers. 

 These are convicts who have run away from their 

 employment, and, taking to the woods, live by plun- 

 dering the settlers, whom they often murder as well 

 as rob. The great improvements which have taken 

 place in the police regulations of the island, and the 

 superior footing on which it is now placed to what 

 it was formerly, have now nearly put an entire stop 

 to this desperate trade. 



The following particulars respecting the colony 

 are extracted from the Hobart's Town Almanac 

 for the year 1829 : The island is under a lieu- 

 tenant governor, assisted by an executive and le- 

 gislative council ; a supreme court, having civil, 

 criminal, and ecclesiastical jurisdiction ; a court oi 



requests, &c. There is a grammar-school at Hobart's 

 Town, the seat of government, and several king's 

 schools, for the education of all classes of children. 

 The government have herds here. Cattle thrive 

 excellently, and the wool of the island promises to 

 je very line and very abundant : great quantities 

 mve been already exported to England. In IN*!!), 

 the island contained 500,000 sheep and 70,000 horned 

 cattle. We were struck with finding, in the statis- 

 tical statements respecting this new and thinly set- 

 Jed colony, a characteristic trait of British usages, 

 in the shape of a list of annual pensions. The amount, 

 is by no means small, being .1972 10s., divided 

 among fourteen people, among whom are a retired 

 lieutenant-governor, with .500 ; a deputy judge- 

 advocate, with 400 ; some retired pilots, with -25 

 each ; retired constables with iO, &c., annually ! 

 The following numbers are drawn from the most au- 

 Jientic sources, as statistics of Van Diemen's I. ami, 

 January 1, 1829. The statistics given in the body 

 of the article show the rapid advances the colony has 

 made even since that recent period : 



Inhabitant* of Hobart's Town, . . . 5,700 



Launceston, . . . 1,000 



settled districts and townships, 13,000 



Circular Head, . . 300 



Total number of inhabitant*, . . 20,000 



Of whom there are male adults, . . 12,000 



Female adults, 4,800 



Children at school, 1,21111 



Children classically educated, . . 120 



Total territory, in acres, . . . 15,000,000 



Pasture 0,000,000 



Arable land 1,500,000 



Kocky and thickly. wooded hills, . . 7500,000 



Total amount of acres granted, . . 1,131,348 



Acres not yet granted, . . . 13,378,452 



Total amount of acres cultivated, . 30,150 



Total of imports in 1828 300,000 



Total of exports in 1828, . . . 100,000 



Expenditure of government, . . . 170,000 



Total circulating medium, . . . 100,000 



Colonial interest, 10 per cent. ; insurance to or 

 Prom England, three guineas per cent. The mail 

 bag is mostly carried on foot. The coins of Britain, 

 the East Indies, and Spain, are current. 



DIEPPE ; a seaport town of France, in Upper 

 Normandy, in the department of Seine-Infe'rieure, 

 situated 100 miles N. W. of Paris, at the mouth of 

 the river Arques or Bethune, on the shore of the 

 English channel. Its streets are tolerably regular : 

 the principal public buildings are the parish church 

 of St James, and the old castle on the west side of 

 the town. There are here several small squares, and 

 the ramparts form a pleasant promenade. The har- 

 bour, though tolerably commodious, is narrow. It is 

 formed by the mouth of the river, and is of a semi- 

 circular form, with three fathoms at high water, and 

 capable of containing about 200 small vessels. Two 

 moles, built of brick, facilitate the loading and un- 

 loading of vessels. The commerce of Dieppe is con- 

 siderable. Being the best inlet for Paris, it is the 

 great depot for colonial goods, and the resort of fo- 

 reign ships, especially of those from America. It 

 has several manufactures, but principally of the kind 

 connected with the equipment of ships. It was found- 

 ed by fishermen, in the fourteenth century. Canada 

 was discovered by the inhabitants of Dieppe, and 

 the first French settlers on the coast of Africa were 

 also from this place. It was from Dieppe that Wil- 

 liam the Conqueror sailed with his forces for Eng- 

 land. The town has frequently suffered the vicissi- 

 tudes of war. In 1694 it was bombarded by the 

 English, and again in 1794, on both of which occa- 

 sions it was almost entirely destroyed. Dieppe is 

 only sixty-six miles from Brighton, and steam-packeta 

 sail daily between the two places during the summer 



