this additional evidence on the subject:-" "I have known individuals," he says, "who have committed crimes to get to New South Wales, and, I think, I have known of people, who have endeavoured to induce their relatives or connexions to commit crime, in order to get them out."

Now, this is tolerably plain and sufficiently intelligible, and we naturally ask, is it true?-Unfortunately it is too true, and we can bear testimony from our own personal experience, to its correctness and accuracy. We know for a positive fact, that in nine cases out of ten, transportation is not regarded with that salutary terror which can alone render it a means of punishment; and, however irksome and uncomfortable may be the situation of the convict in this Colony, he has but a very imperfect idea of its wretchedness before he is fated to experience it. But this has little to do with the point at issue between our Prisoner Discipline gentlemen at home, and the Editor of the Van Diemen's Land Almanack for 1833; this question being briefly and simply this :-Is transportation to this Colony in all cases a punishment, adequately proportioned to the magnitude of the convict's offence? This one subject presents so much scope for discussion, that we dare scarcely trust ourselves with the few cursory remarks, which the limits of an article like this will alone permit us to make. Much, indeed, may be said on both sides; and it does appear to us, that, in very many instances, the punishment of transportation is not adequate to the crime of the offender. True it is-and no less lamentable than true, that in very many cases, the convict, by his once inherent or inveterate viciousness, entails upon himself the utmost severity of penal discipline: but, in other instances, the sentence is certainly rendered as light as possible; and, perhaps, deservedly so. We firmly believe, that the present local Government is, at all times anxious to mitigate the severities of the convicts' doom, and to hold out to him every inducement to reformation and repentance. So far, then, so good, but may not benevolent minded-men be, occasionally, imposed upon, and persuaded to grant indulgencies to those who do not deserve them? That such has been the case, here and elsewhere, is evident enough; and, although, we are the last persons, who would advocate undue severity, or, indeed, severity of any kind, towards the prisoner population, still we would have the meritorious convict alone rewarded; and the incorrigible reprobate, properly and adequately punished. There are individuals in this Colony, bad, and blackhearted enough, for any villany; and roughly would they riot therein, if they had the courage or the chance of doing so undetected: but, thanks to the vigilance and power of our most excellent police, their base desires are rendered nugatory and of no avail,-and, therefore are they, apparently, subordinate. On the other hand, there are many-we hope and believe, very many, men whose crimes, in the first instance, were not marked by any atrocity; but who, nevertheless, rendered themselves painfully amenable to the injured laws of their country. To such men-whatever may have been

their original sentence if they apply themselves resolutely and heartily to reformation, in the name of all that is just and good, let every indulgence be granted. But let not the pseudo-philanthropist, from the exercise of such indulgence, deduce a misapplication of the favorable and amiable attributes of mercy! Let him not, from this just and exemplary exercise of beneficial power, stigmatize the penal discipline of transportation, as a measure of none effect-and even imbue it with objects of encouragement and attraction. Alas! Let him spend a single twelvemonth in Van Diemen's Land, and he will then, and not till then, form a correct and unbiassed opinion of the mode in which these important affairs are managed: we will undertake to affirm, that his opinion-then formed from experience -will acquit the Local Government of all undue and deliberate partiality; and that he cannot but perceive the excellence-even with all its drawbacks-of the penal discipline, so justly pursued in this Colony.

There is one point connected with this subject, which we do not find illustrated in the Almanack. We allude to the very important one of "Female Prisoner Servants." Every one will admit, that he has infinitely more trouble to manage his female, than his male assigned servants. We frankly acknowledge, that this is our case, as well as that of our friends and neighbours. And why is this? The answer is simple enough:-Because you have no adequate means of punishing refractory females. You take a young lady of this description before a police magistrate; and tell him she has behaved very ill-been saucy to your wife,-burnt, scalded, or otherwise injured your children,-finally, that she has got gloriously drunk, and refused to work-in legal-or rather, in Quarter Session phraseology-that she has been guilty of "insubordination." Well, what follows? The "Court," very properly, adjudge her to be "guilty," and she makes no defence. How is this young lady to be adequately punished? All that can be done is, to send her to the Factory-put her in the "crime class" for six months, (which, she will tell you, she can easily "bowl off,) and perhaps, in an extreme case, shave her head! And this is all-positively and actually all-that you can do to a very gorgon-a hyæna―a shetiger! And, then, there is this drawback, even upon so slight-so silly a punishment as this. Instead of being rigidly confined in the crime class, for six months, this furious termagant will very frequently, be "assigned," in less than the same number of weeks, and sent out of the Factory accordingly-the quiet and amiable superintendent feeling wonderfully rejoiced at the opportunity of so good a riddance! And, who can blame him? No one, certainly for of all plagues on earth, or under the earth, an unruly woman is the worst! as any one, who has lived in the Colony a single month, will have abundant opportunities of discovering.

Truly has the Editor styled the Aborgines a very interesting portion of his subject. It presents many melancholy points for reflection, and comprises sad and horrible examples of the atrocity

and cruelty of man-under circumstances of the most trifling import. We doubt, and ever have doubted, the moral right, even under every circumstance of provoking aggravation, of destroying systematically, and by wholesale, the Aborigines of this country. As to the expediency,-nay, we will say, the actual necessity of such a course, we are free to admit, that it was rendered urgent and imperative, by the sedulous and skilful aggressions of the natives; but, then, a simple but startling question obtrudes itself" What was the cause of these aggressions ?” We could write a volume in answer to this; we will, however, content ourselves with merely recording a simple anecdote. During the first ten years of the Colony, the vicinity of the Coal River was much infested by the natives; they, probably, found that district congenial to the purposes. of their simple subsistence, and, attached to the spot, did not like to leave it. But then, the "white man," of all tyrants the most tyranical, came to "settle" there, with his flocks and herds, his family, and his stock-keepers. The native regarded the intrusion with distrust—it may be with displeasure-but he offered no molestation he did not even point his spear at the dog, which was wantonly sent to worry him. Well; the "white man" settled on the banks of the river-his flocks and herds were turned out to graze on the "run," and his stock-keepers had each his duty assigned to him. Of all brutes wearing the human form, and assuming its attributes-some of the early stock-keepers were the most brutal, and the most diabolical. No atrocity was too horrible -no deed too dark and sanguinary for their depraved and debased debauchery; if ever the enemy of mankind possessed the human form-he revelled, to his hearts content, in that of these villanous stock-keepers. One of these scoundrels on the Coal River, named Carrots, since dead-(and the wretch died in his bed, we believe,) -"took a fancy" to the wife of one of the natives of course, he was determined to possess her-and, in his attempt to carry her off, he found it convenient to kill her husband. This was a matter of no consequence then-but what did the brute do? How did he aggravate his crime, for his black heart, satiated as it was with similar outrages, wanted some additional stimulus ?—he actually cut off the dead man's head, hung it round his neck, and compelled the unfortunate widow to accompany him to his hut-thus diabolically decorated!-Nor was this all; the beast boasted of his brutality-boasted of it to men wearing the garb of humanity-but most probably, wanting all its best and dearest attributes! What followed this base and abominable outrage? What might have been naturally expected; he plunder of thesettler's flocks and herds-and, then, was the tocsin sounded for the extermination of the natives, systematically and by wholesale!

We could multiply these examples an hundred fold-but Ex uno disce omnes:-they all present the same disgusting picture of human nature, in its most depraved, its most brutal form. And who would like to contemplate such truths? It is far better to

throw over them the veil of oblivion; and, now, that we are happily exempt from a repetition of their occurrence, to regard them only as matters of tradition-over the narrating of which we can only shudder and weep.

There are some observations on the "State of Society," with which we shall not at present, concern ourselves, as we anticipate some interesting and able papers on this subject, from a gentleman perfectly well qualified to delineate to the life, all its varieties. The "Advice to Emigrants" is good, but scanty-it might have been enlarged with advantage. In conclusion, we repeat our hearty commendation of this amusing and useful work, which we sincerely declare, ought to find a niche on the book shelves of every sensible person in the Colony.

ON TAVERN BUFFOONERY.

"Want of decency, shows want of sense."

Amidst the almost countless varieties of folly, perhaps, there is no one variety more cruel, more common, or more contemptible, than the practical indulgence of what is termed a jocular propensity. Nor is the exhibition of this indulgence confined to the subordinate grades of society for the pages of History illustrate, that in more than solitary instances it has disgraced a palace, and sullied the lustre of a regal diadem! But, even royalty cannot consecrate what is wrong, or convert a derisional departure from decorum into a respectable example; neither can the frequent repetition of a bad precedent justify its being acted upon. Nevertheless, it is almost impossible to enter any mixed public society, either in England or its Colonies (more especially in Van Diemen's Land), without encountering in one's own person, or seeing encountered in the person of another guest, the petty annoyances of some paltry addlepated pretender to the character of a wit-a Buchanan, or a Yorick. It may likewise be observed, that in almost every instance, the unmannerly jackanapes so pretending, is scarcely removed by half a shade from the sheerest idiot, who can tie a cravat tonishly, and dance a quadrille without egregious inelegance; but, on the contrary, one of those human PUPPIES, who are, to use Lord Chesterfield's expressive phrase, “had into company," because they can

bark lasciviously, and keep each other recreant from decency in countenance! To a JOKER of this description, the most amiable deportment of a sensible, upright, and (because upright) unsuspecting man, affords irresistible temptations. To make him a BUTT, becomes a paramount consideration. If he attempts conversation, the trick is, to repeatedly interrupt him with questions, as to what he may have said last? The enquirer, with an overstrained show of unreal, because unmeant politeness, apologising "for being a little deaf, through the effects of a recent cold;" and then winking at as big and as brainless blockheads as himself (for all who encourage a fool, are fools!) with preposterous exultation at having perpetrated a wanton, impertinent, and an unpardonable falsehood. If the BUTT, animated by gratitude for what he considers to have been a sincere compliment, rises to return his acknowledgmentsthe joke is, to endanger his life and wound his sensibility, by secretly withdrawing his chair, and then loudly protesting, upon honor! previous ignorance of its removal. To mix brandy in his wine, is another very favorite amusement; and, in short, (not to teach any amateur coxcombs more ways, than are already stated, of rendering themselves conventional nuisances), to outrage all those principles by which a gentleman is dignified, and made proudly contra-distinguishable from a vulgar ruffian-to pervert each opportunity for social intercourse, into a medium of inhuman indulgence, unmerited insult, and pusillanimous dissimulation;— and, lastly, to attack the divine image, in the reasoning faculty of their confiding brother-man, although not brother-votary of meritorious merriment, would appear to constitute the cardinal aim and gratification of those silly, contemptible, self-nominated, jesters, and vainly-would-be wits, for whose exposure to the mirror of conscience, and for whose ultimate reform, this article is written. SENEX.

A DAY'S FISHING IN THE PLENTY.

"Of recreation there is none

So free as fishing is alone;

All other pastimes do no less,

Than mind and body both possess:

My hand, alone, my work can do,

So I can fish and study too."-IZAAK WALTON.

Most courteous of readers! Art thou a fisher? We do not mean a mere bobber for jolly-tails, or black fish, but an enthusiastic, hearty angler, one, who is "born to it," as Izaac Walton hath it;

E