May  i,  1893.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
TASMANIA  REVISITED. 
By  Old  Colonist. 
I have  an  intense  rJieliko  to  the  gentleman  who 
a'ys  *'  I told  you  so,”  and  I am  not  going  to  commit 
the  oontemptible  offence  of  bantering  people  in  their 
adversity.  Tasmania  like  the  rest  of  Australia  bas 
fallen  upon  bad  times,  and  deserves  our  sympathy 
in  its  present  effort  to  surmount  the  calamity. 
Owing  to  the  labour  difficulties  capitalists  have  been 
frightened  away  with  tbeir  money  end  confidence 
the  consequence  being  a bad  falling-off  in  the  trade 
returns.  The  public  revenue  has  fallen  by  l/5th — a 
very  serious  matter  in  itself ; aDd  all  officials  from 
the  Governor  downwards — in  this  somewhat  over- 
governed  colony — are  submitting  with  the  beet  grace 
they  can  to  a considerable  reduction  of  salary.  All 
pnblio  works,  not  absolutely  necessary  for  present 
requirements,  have  been  stopped,  and  the  strictest 
economy  is  being  enforced  in  all  departments. 
Fortunately  at  this  juncture,  as  Sir  Robert  Hamilton 
remarked  the  other  day  in  Edinburgh,  tbe  coloDy  has 
now  at  the  helm  of  the  Treasury  a more  than  ordi- 
narily competent  and  clear-headed  man  in  the  Hon. 
John  Henry,  whose  faith  in  its  recuperative  powers 
continues  unabated.  Though  no  one  more  regrets  the 
ridioule  that  has  been  brought  upon  the  island  by 
pa->t  mismanagement,  and  the  absurd  booming  by 
unscrupulous  adventurers  at  borne.  We  had  a good 
laugh  over  a recent  article  in  Blachwood  (for  Oct.) 
60  outrageously  inaccurate  as  to  beharmle-s. 
Hobart  has  changed  but  little  during  tbe  last  six 
years,  but  what  little  change  there  is,  is  for  the 
better.  Tbe  streets  are  decidedly  clean,  and  one  or 
two  fine  buildings  add  much  to  the  beauty  of  the 
city,  particularly  a corner  building  on  Collins  St. 
and  the  grand  Coffee  Palace. 
The  general  business  of  the  place  is  sick  as  siok  can 
be,  but  one  or  two  new  ventures  form  a pleasing 
exception.  Ceylon  Tea  is  teing  pushed  with  marked 
success ; and  the 
DISTILLING  OF  EUCALYPTUS  OIL, 
by  Gould,  is  a nfost  promising  indus'ry.  The  former 
is  ruuning  the  Cascades  Brewery  very  hard,  while 
the  oil  is  beatiDg  ‘Jacob’s’  out  of  the  market.  Not 
only  is  it  found  to  be  a powerful  disinfectant  but 
taken  inwardly  or  outwardly  it  is  said  to  be  a specific 
for  numerous  ills.  Old  Homoepathy  with  his  petit 
pills  still  drives  hia  wonted  rounds,  sitting  erect  as 
ever,  but  finds  the  sturdy  folks  of  Hobart  so  seldom 
getting  ill,  that  he  has  had  to  take  to  other  occupa- 
tions, such  as  the  supplying  of  “undiluted”  milk 
and  the  growing  of  fruit  for  the  market.  I am  specially 
interested  in  his  orchard,  having  seen  it  when  newly 
plauted  some  7 or  8 years  ago  when  I had  many 
interviews  with  the  very  intelligent  gardener  then 
in  charge.  Needless  to  say  he  is  no  longer  there,  but 
Jth  part  of  the  garden  is  still  fairly  flourishing  ; the 
rest,  I am  sorry  to  say,  as  Billy  Rudd  said  of  Saffra- 
gam,  is  all  “ vind,  veeds,  and  valking-stioks.” 
Passing  out  the  Augusta  Road  I was  interested  in 
aieing  the  effeot  of  seven  years  upon 
THE  ORCHABDS 
familiar  to  me  in  1886.  Trees  then  in  their  prime 
are  unquestionably  n >w  in  the  sere  and  yellow  leaf, 
confirming  my  previous  formed  notion  that  16  or  20 
years  will  sum  up  the  profitable  life  of  an  average 
apple  tree  here.  Young  trees  are  however  taking  the 
place  of  the  old,  and  on  the  whole  the  industry  is  ad- 
vancing. New  gardens  have  been  planted,  and  some 
really  beautiful  villas  erected  in  this  most  delightful 
suburb  of  Hobart,  with  views  of  the  Derwent  valley 
unsurpassed  by  anything  of  the  kind  in  this  isle  of 
beauty.  Travelling  onwards  we  enter  the  Kangaroo 
Valley,  the  larger  portion  of  whioh  is  still  in 
the  same  condition  as  when  Captain  Cook  landed 
on  the  island,  or  when  Lady  Franklin  loved  to 
ramble  amongst  its  fern-trees ; bnt  there  is  one 
little  fairy-like  spot  that  has  a peouliar  interest  for  me. 
H*re  the  apple,  pear  and  plum  trees  seem  to  rejoice 
under  their  enormous  loads ; the  freshly  blown  flowers, 
725 
hue  the  rosy  children  ; run  wild  with  joy,  while  around 
this  little  paradise  ripples  as  pretty  a burnie  as 
ever  “ wimplad  through  a clacbau  ” nere  1 once 
more  visited  my  Irieu  frae  Kirriemuir-a  veritable 
“®tlIve,?'  .'\Thf,ums.”  happier  ihae  ever  an  “ Auld 
I.ich1  Minister  could  have  made  him  yonder  Here 
too,  I met  one  who  was  long  a resident  in'Caylon! 
whose  father  w^s  one  of  the  most  energetic  but  ill- 
requited  ot  men,  that  dame  fortune  ever  tantalized  in 
jour  island.  Poor  J.  W.  H„  it  seems  but  yesterday- 
thougb  well-nigh  30  yeare-since  I saw  him  land,  at 
Galle,  f u 1 of  fe-snle  schemes  a Grand  Hotel  at 
Buona  Vista,  then  Paradua,  after  which,  Saw-mills 
m Colombo— a 1 submerged.  Then  contraots  for 
irrigation  works,  ditto  for  hotels,  auctioneering,  &c. 
&?.,  always  on  the  very  brink  of  rivers  of  wealth,  but 
as  often  did  the  mirage  vanish  from  bis  sight.  Tig 
passing  strange  that  the  same  fatality  seems  to 
attend  the  family.  As  far  as  I can  ga  her,  the  only 
daughter  married  an  immensely  rich  squatter,  who 
soon  after  died,  settling  however  £70,000  upon  her 
with  which  she  promised  to  endow  her  brother  liberl 
ally,  and  upon  the  heads  of  this  he  married  a sister- 
in-law  ot  my  “Thrums”  friend.  The  lady,  how- 
ever, took  a trip  to  England,  followed  by  a clerer 
man  of  business  who  got  her  to  make  her  will  all 
in  liis  favour,  and  then  suddenly  died.  There  the 
matter  rests,  the  poor  brother  having  got  nothing. 
Another  gentleman  I met  in  Hobart  will  long  be 
remembered  in  Ceylon  as  the  valued  henchman  of 
Mr.  Faviell,  who  out  of  27  Assistants  to  start  with 
was  the  only  one  who  survived  to  see  the  tiain 
enter  Kandy,  bis  own  brother  being  the  first  to  be 
swung  over  the  “Sensation  Rook,”  and  was  fatally  in- 
jured tnereby. 
Mr.  Alan  Stewart,  who  now  looks  the  picture  of 
robust  health,  came  to.Tasmania  seven  years  age,  and 
has  dine  some  admirable  survey  work  in  a country 
where  -urveymg  and  road-tracing  has  ever  been  the 
weakest  point  of  the  most  deplorably  incompetent 
Works  Department  ever  a poor  colouy  was  cursed 
with.  But  a fiat  went  lately  forth  that  all  uncoveuauted 
surveyors  must  piss  an  examination,  aud  quite 
characteristically,  they  would  begin  upon  Mr.  Stewart! 
Well  might  he  ask— “Bat  who  is  to  examine  me  iu 
Tasmania  ? ” It  is  simply  anoiher  example  of  pandering 
to  the  cry  “Tasmania  lor  the  Tasmanians”  which  I 
fully  hope  the  present  adver.-ity  will  cure.  Meanwhile 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ste  vart  go  home  by  the  “ Ooeaua  ” will 
visit  Cey Ion  en  route,  and  if  your  Government  do  not 
give  item  a free  pass  over  the  railway,  he  helped 
so  ably  to  construct,  then  I shall  onoe  more  blush 
for  shame  ! 
COTTONSEED  OIL  PRICES. 
The  Baltimore  Manufacturers’  Record  says  : “ The 
present  position  of  cottonseed  oil  is  no  less  interesting 
than  the  phenomenally  short  cotton  orop.  Tbe  small 
yield  of  cotton  and  the  unusual  demand  for  oil  to  sup. 
plement  the  scanty  supply  of  lard  have  given  to  cotton 
seed  proJucts  an  importance  never  before  reached 
Last  summer  cottonseed  sold  at  $7  per  ton  and  less  in 
some  localities,  but  now  the  mills  are  buying  all  they 
can  get  at  upward  of  #20  per  ton,  $22  being  about 
the  ruling  figure.  Refined  oil  is  now  selling  at  60c.  and 
upward  per  gallon,  as  compared  with  20o.  a year  or 
two  ago.” — Bradstreet’ s . 
THE  BIGGEST  CARGO  OF  CEYLON 
PRODUCE, 
From  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  Circular  we 
find  that  the  largest  oargo  in  a Liner  taken  from 
Colombo  was  that  by  the  s.s.  “ Oheshire  ” 
(Bibby  Line),  whioh  oleared  on  Feb.  3rd  last,  viz., 
2 397  tons,  120  tons  of  which  was  steel  tyres, 
964  000  tea,  and  the  balanoe  1,313  tons  Ceylon 
produoe. 
The  “ Gapella  ” (Harrison)  oomes  seaond  in  tea, 
926,000  lb. 
