Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/72

* TASMANIA. carnivorous uuirsupials, the Tasmaiiian wolf and the Tasiiiauian devil. See Dasyube. The central table land and the western and southern portions consist mainly of Arclupan granites, crystalline schists, and quartzitcs over- laid by nuah eroded Paleozoic rocks. Toward the coast Mesozoic and Tertiary formations ap- pear, chiefly as sandstones, while throughout, but especially in the east, there are extensive volcanic outpourings, dikes of porphyry and greenstone, and large fields of basalt of Tertiary age. The latter, capping and protecting the softer sandstones, are largely responsible for the rugged and irregular nature of the surface. Considerable beds of coal and lignite appear in the Paleozoic and Mesozoic formations. Rich iron ores occur along the north coast, and tin, lead, plumbago, and some gold have been found in various parts of the island. Copper is predominant. Beginning in 1S90, the copper-mining developed rapidly, until in lilOO the value of the blister copper mined was £907,288 and copper ore £G3,.589. The production of gold more than doubled between 1891 and 1900. being valued at £316,220 in the latter year. The yield of silver ore in 1900 was valued at £279.372, which was much in excess of the average annual yield. The value of tin mined for the same year was £209,833, and of coal £44,227. The tin pro- duction exceeds that of any other Australian State. The lode mines of Jlount Bischoff have become famous, but elsewhere the tin is got from alluvial deposits. The total area under cultivation in 1901 was 560,151 acres. The cereal crops included: wheat, 51,825 acres; oats, 45,073 acres; corn, 9839 acres; and barley, 4502 acres. There were also 23,068 acres of potatoes, 306,181 acres of green fodder, and 61,541 acres of hay. There was an average yield of 18.9 bushels of cereals per acre for the decade ending with 1901. The island is ex- ceptionally well suited to temperate zone fruits, and in 1901 there were 7888 acres in apples alone. The State is well adapted to stock-raising, but the industry has not shown much progress for several years. In 1901 the number of sheep was 1,683,556, cattle 165,516, and horses 31,607. At the beginning of 1901 there were 546 miles of railroad in operation. Of these 108 miles were private lines, and the remainder were in the hands of the Government. The imports in 1901 amounted to fl. 909. 199 and the exports to £2,945,757. The bulk of the trade is with Vic- toria, Great Britain, and New South Wales. Copper is the most important export, other ex- ports being silver ore, tin, wool, fruit, and potatoes. In 1900 the tonnage of vessels enter- ing Tasmanian ports aggregated 618.963. Ho- bart and Launceston are the leading ports. Strahan has a large export trade. There is a Governor appointed by the British Crown, who is assisted by a Cabinet of six re- sponsible members. The Legislature (Parlia- ment) consists of a Legislative Council of 18 elected members and a House of Assembly of 38 elected members. The seat of government is at Hobart. The total receipts from taxation in 1900-01 were £644,510, of which £466,218 were collected from customs duties and the remainder by ex- cise taxes, land taxes, income taxes, etc. The land revenue for the same year was £67,498 ; the 52 TASMANIA. revenue from reproductive public works, £299,- 468; from other sources, £43,504; making a grand total revenue of £1,054,980. The interest on public debts, £320,151, was the largest item of expenditure. The debt of the State was £8,- 511,005, of which £7,480,250 was borrowed in London. The population increased from 24,279 in 1830 to 145.290 in 1890, and to 182,509 in 1899, and then decreased to 174,233 in 1901. In the latter year there were 89,624 males and 82,851 females. Almost the whole of the population belongs to the British race. In 1900 the emigration was in excess of the immigration. In 1901 the popu- lation of Hobart was 31,317; Launceston, 21,- 046. In 1901 the members of the Church of England numbered 83,812; Catholics, 30,314; Wesleyans, 24,901; Presbyterians, 11,523; besides these there were a number of minor sects. School at- tendance is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 13. Small fees are charged. Children who reside far from school are carried free over the State railroads. Religious in.struction may be given only after school hours. In 1901 there were 319 primary day schools, with 18,693 in average enrollment, and 14,007 in average at- tendance. The State extends no aid for secondary education, Ijut there are two State technical schools and a school of mines. The University of Tasmania has its headquarters at Hobart, but gives lectures also at Launceston. Etiinology. The aboriginal inhabitants of Tas- mania, who are now e.xtinct, were of doubtful racial affinities, having been regarded by differ- ent authorities as being variously connected with the Papuan, Melanesian, and Australian races. They were of relatively low stature, with broad, prognathous faces, very flat broad noses, dark skins, and frizzly hair, the last named feature be- ing the chief difference from the Australians. In culture the Tasmanians were probably on approximately the same level as the more primi- tive tribes of Australian aborigines. The tale of the extermination of the Tasmanians, who never numbered more, perhaps, than five or six thousand, is one of the blackest pages in the history of European colonization. The European settlement began in 1804, and by 1824, when the first census was taken, there were only 340 natives alive. These had dwindled down to four by 1865. The 'last Tasmanian,' a woman named Tinganina. is said to have died in 1876. Hl.STORY. In 1642 the Dutch navigator Abel Janszoon Tasman (q.v. ) discovered the island now known by his name, supposing it to be the main- land of the southern continent, and called it Van Dicmen's Land, in honor of his friend and patron. Anthony Van Biemen, Governor of the Dutch East Indies. It was visited by Cap- tain Cook in 1777. The next recorded explora- tion is that of George Bass, a young English surgeon, who explored the strait which bears his name in 1798, and thus discovered that Tas- mania was not a peninsula, but an island. Later in the year he returned and surveyed the entire coast. No colonizing was attempted until 1803. In that year Captain Collins brought out 400 convicts from England, and in 1804 laid out Hobart Town — so called in honor of Lord Ho- bart, Secretary of State for the Colonies — the present capital of Tasmania. In the same year