Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/765

 AREA AND POPULATION. 729

61,368 acres in 1866. The number of grants in 1860 was 255, of which 237 for less than 100 acres, and 18 for grants of between 100 and 500 acres of land.

The public debt of Tasmania, on Dec. 31, 1869, amounted to 1,314,000/., which sum included a loan of 400,000/., raised, in the spring of 1868, for the construction of a line of railway. The whole bear interest at 6 per cent.

Area and Population.

Tasmania, once known as Van Diemen's Land — in honour of a governor of the Dutch East Indies — was discovered by the navigator Tasman in 1642 ; and afterwards partially explored by Captain Cook. The first penal settlement formed here was in 1803; and till 1813 it was merely a place of transportation from Great Britain and from New South Wales, of which colony it was a dependency. Transportation to New South Wales having ceased in the year 1841, Tasmania, to which had been annexed Norfolk Island, became the only colony to which criminals from Great Britain were sent ; but this ceased in 1853, when transportation to Tasmania was likewise abolished.

The area of the colony is estimated at 26,215 square miles, or 16,778,000 acres, divided as follows: —

Acres!

Area of Tasmania, exclusive of islands and lakes. . 15, 571, '300

Islands in Bass's Straits, north-east group: —

110,000

20,000

27,000

North-west group : —

272,000

24,500

Three Hummock

19,000

18,400

1,700

All others ....

1,900

7,000

Maria's Island

24,(101)

Bruni Islands, north and south

90,000

All other islands ....

2,500

Lakes — discharging southerly

65.500

„ northerly

10,000

Total area of Tasmania.

16,778,000

Area of alienated land

3,413,810

13,365,810

Area of unalienated land, including lakes

13,468,971

The quantity of land under cultivation on January 1, 1865, was 252,164 acres.