Number of Cattle slaughtered in Sydney from ary, 1,068; March, 1,105; April, 1,074; May, 1828 to 1836: 1830, from 1st June, 4,772; 1831, 1,129; June, 1,102; Total first six months, 6,383: 10,308; 1832, 13,109; 1833, 13,568; 1834, 15,476; | July, 1,406; August, 1,643; September, 950; Octo1835, 13,162; 1836, 13,095: total, 83,490. ber, 852; November, 922; December, 939; Total Number of Cattle slaughtered in Sydney during last six months, 7,712. cach month of the year 1836: January 905; Febru Return of Fisheries, carried on in Vessels, belonging to, or sailing from the Colony of New South Wales in 1886. [B. B.] 4940 6315 1834 25 Ditto 73 4015 Ship 399 21 7 Decem. 1835 28 Black 150 3000 Barque 265 31 15 Nov. 1834 9 Feb. Sperm 100 5500 Ditto 222 30 7 Feb. Total amount of purchase-money, 123,0491.; deduct, Remissions to officers of the army and navy, and discharged soldiers, 2,4197.; amount to be received in 1837, 16,4731.-18,8924.; Total amount of proceeds of lands in 1836, under regulations of 1st August 1831, recived up to 31st December 1836, 104,1571.; add deposits forfeited, 9921.; Interest, 131. =1,0051.; Total revenue from land sales in 1836, 105,1631. W w w w w w ww 164 117 179 125 81 64 43 33 20 125 113 78 33 34 15 W w w w www w w w w སྒ།ཌ༅། Paterson 10 20 10 10 26 10 174 127 189 135 91 74 53 43 30 135 123 88 43 44 25 10 Maitland 122 30 16 w ཚྭ༅།ཙ༴|༄ |164 117 179 125 81 64 43 33 20 125 113 78 33 34 15 wwww www W w w w w w w w w w w Darlington 31 43 31 61 31 31 47 31 195 148 210 156 112 95 74 64 51 156 144 109 64 65 46 31 w Merton 35 66 78 66 96 66 66 82 66 230 183 245 191 147 130 109 99 86 191 179 144 99 100 81 66 www W www W www Invermein 79 44 75 87 75 105 75 75 91 75 239 192 254 200 156 139 118 108 95 200 188 153 108 109 90 75 W ཚུ w W W w W w w W W W w w w w w W w w w The figures signify the distance by land, and with the letter w, in addition to water carriage; w, alone, wholly by water. The distance is given by the route the mail travels. *An examination of this table will shew the extent of surface over which the colonists are spread, and by a reference to the map, a more complete idea may thus be formed of the distance and direction of the different settlements or towns from the capital (Sydney). Other post towns have been added since the annexed return was received, owing to the rapid spread of population and industry. CHAPTER II.-VAN DIEMEN'S ISLAND, OR TASMANIA. SECTION I. Van Diemen's Island is situate on the S. E. coast of New Holland, from which it is separated by Bass's Straits, between the parallels of 41. 20. and 43. 40. S., and the meridians of 144. 40. and 148. 20. E. It is of an irregular heart-shape: and its greatest extent from N. to S. is estimated at about 210 miles, and from E. to W. 150 miles (calculating the degrees of longitude in that parallel at the average of about 50 miles each), and covering an extent of surface of about 24,000 square miles, or 15,000,000 of acres; being nearly the size of Ireland. II. It was in honour of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, Anthony Van Diemen, that the island received its name; its occasional appellation of Tasmania, is a tribute to its first discoverer, Tasman, who in 1642 first visited the coast, in the course of an eastward voyage from Mauritius; but it was up. wards of 120 years before the knowledge of its existence was followed by any event of the slightest importance to its annals. Captain Cook, as well as his companion Captain Furneaux, in the course of their voyage of circumnavigation in 1773, and again in 1777, visited the shores of Van Diemen's Land without discovering its insularity. In 1803, it was formally taken possession of by the English; a small detachment under the command of Lieutenant Bowen, having arrived from Sydney, with a view of forming a penal settlement for convicts transported from that colony. Risdon or Restdown, as it is sometimes called, on the eastern bank of the Derwent, a few miles up the river, was the spot selected for the settlement; but beyond this, little was effected at that time. Early in 1804, Lieutenant-Governor Collins, who had recently left England with a considerable expedi tion, having in view the formation of a settlement at Port Philip, on the south east coast of New Holland, altered his destination after a short experience of the difficulties attending a settlement at that place, and arrived in the river Derwent, when the island was formally taken possession of in the name of His Britannic Majesty; and after various surveys of the Derwent, the present site of Hobart Town was decided upon for head-quarters (the name was bestowed in compliment to Lord Hobart, at that time secretary of state for the colonies). Lieutenant-governor Collins had about 400 prisoners under him, with about 50 marines to secure them. The colony at times suffered great hardships; for the first three years the inhabitants being wholly dependent upon foreign supplies for the most common articles of food, were occasionally reduced to great straits; so much so, that we hear of eighteenpence per pound having been given for kangaroo flesh, and that sea-weed, or any other vegetable substance fit for food, was purchased at an equally high rate. After the island had been settled about three years, sheep and cattle were introduced. Until 1813, the island was a place of transportation from New South Wales, and all communication except with England or New South Wales interdicted. In 1821 emigration commenced, and the progressive civilization of the island will be seen by its statistics. III. The general face of the interior is very diversified, but decidedly mountainous, not however in ranges, but rather in isolated peaks, varied by lofty table land, and extensive fertile valleys or plains. Around the coast are numerous bays and harbours, that afford secure anchorage. The entrance from the |