244 THE DESCENT OF MAN 



\jf . the old moralists would have mused over the event; but 

 Kjy I there is no lament in any writer of that period over the 

 ^ I perishing barbarians."" The most potent of all the causes 

 of extinction appears in many cases to be lessened fertility 

 and ill-health, especially among the children, arising from 

 changed conditions of life, notwithstanding that the new 

 conditions may not be injurious in themselves. I am much 

 indebted to Mr. H. H. Howorth for having called my atten- 

 tion to this subject, and for having given me information 

 respecting it. I have collected the following cases. 



When Tasmania was first colonized the natives were 

 roughly estimated by some at 7,000, and by others at 

 20,000. Their number was soon greatly reduced, chiefly 

 by fighting with the English and with each other. After 

 » the famous hunt by all the colonists, when the remaining 

 natives delivered themselves up to the government, they 

 consisted only of 120 indivi duals," who were in 18S2 trans- 

 ported to Flinders Island. This island, situated between 

 Tasmania and Australia, is forty miles long, and from 

 twelve to eighteen miles broad: it seems healthy, and 

 the natives- were well treated. Nevertheless, they suffered 

 greatly in health. In 1834 they consisted (Bonwick, p. 250) 

 of forty-seven adult males, forty-eight adult females, and 

 sixteen children, or in all of 111 souls. In 1835 only one 

 hundred were left. As they continued rapidly to decrease, 

 and as they themselves thought that they should not perish 

 V^ so quickly elsewhere, they were removed in 1847 to Oyster 

 , rv Cove, in the southern part of Tasmania. _ They then con- 

 V^ sisted (December 20, 1847) of fourteen men, twenty-two 

 J^. women, and ten children." But the change of site did no 



/ ' good. Disease and death still pursued them, and in 1864 



one man (who died in 1869), and three elderly women alone 



86 Bagehot, "Physios and Politics," "Fortnightly Eeview," April 1, 1868, 

 p. 455. 



^' All the statements here given are taken from "The Last of the Tas- 

 manians," by J. Bonwick, ISVO. 



^ This is the statement of the Governor of Tasmania, Sir, W. Denison, 

 "Varieties of Vice-Eegal Life," 1810, vol. i. p. 61. 



c 





