48 THE EARLY HISTORY OF MARIA ISLAND, 



In 1841 Lord. Stanley's Probation System came into 

 force and the stiation was again occupied under tlie new 

 scheme for dealing with the convict population. The 

 stttlement wae extended, and in 1845 there wei^ei about six 

 hundred prisoners on the island, these being divided into 

 four classes. The main buildingg at Darlington, in which 

 the convicts were housed, consisted of six large rooms con- 

 taining 66 men each, 20 huts of various sizes, capable of 

 holding from 3 to 24 men each and about 100 separate 

 apartiments (30). The poaition at the settlement at this 

 time does not appear to* have been at all satisfactory. (3i) 



Among the people exiled to the isle were several of 

 the Maori chiefs who had been concerned in the New Zea- 

 land rebellion. At a later date some were allowed to- rei- 

 turn to their native land, but) one at least died on the is- 

 land, for in tbe neglected cemetery of the old station may 

 be seen a stone stating that — 



Here lie the remains of - 

 HOHEPA TE UMUROA 

 a native of AVanganui, Neiw Zealand, 

 who died July 9th, 1847. 



There are seveiral other interesting epitaphsi in this old 

 graveyard, whicli is situated on the north-western point of 

 the island. The spot is unfortunately much neglected and 

 many of the graveis are ovexgrown with boobialla. At the 

 present rate of progress it will not be ma-ny years before all 

 trace is lost, except perhaps for a, few of the larger tomb- 

 stones, of the reooirds of those who died and were buried at 

 the settlement of Darlington in the early days of its his- 

 tory. 



' On October 29th, 1849, the brig Sivift, 360 tons, 6 

 guns, commanded by Captain Aldhaim, arrived at Hobart 

 from London. She had on board several of the Irish State 

 priisionersi. Among the number was Smith O'Brien, an.d 

 as he refused to accept a ticket-of-leavo, Grovernor Denison, 

 who had visited Darlington in January (32)^ decided to 

 send him to Maria Island. Here O'Brien apparently tried 

 every means of making a martyr of himself, and his friends 

 devised a plan for his escape. A priest communicated the 

 details to O'Brien (•5^), and he wasi ready when the schooner 

 Victoria anchored off thei coast and sent a boat ashore. Be- 

 fore O'Brien could reach tihe boat, however, a. constable 

 appeared and arrested the boat'si orew at the point of his 



(30) Boyd to Hampton, 31st Dec, 1S45. 



(31) Syme.— Nine Years in V.D.L., p. 270. 



(32) Denison.^ — Varieties of Vice-Eesal Life, p. 104. 

 (83) Denison.— Varieties of Vice-Eesal Life, p. 144. 



