Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

13 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

.y-LAUGHARNE ECHOES.

LAMPETER BOARD OF GUARDIANS.

? LAMPETER.

-------LLANDOVERY BOARD OF…

THE MAGAZINES.

NEW QUAY NEWS.

PRIMROSE LEAGUE MEETING,

[No title]

ROUND THE WORLD.—XI.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

ROUND THE WORLD.—XI. Before proceeding further, it may be well to give some general account of the Colony of Tasmania. And for accurate information we are indebted to an old friend, Mr C. P. Lucas, of the Colonial Office in London, and chair- man of the Emigration Committee. Before leaving England we were supplied by him with the Government official handbooks for the use of emigrants, and also with Mr Lucas' own book entitled Historical Geography of the British Colonies." This latter we found quite invaluable. It is not long, but lucid, interesting, and accurate, with a good number of coloured maps up to date. And as our short account will be not only of incidents of travel, more or less exciting, and our own personal observations, but will also include some accurate statistical information, we fed that we owe this acknowledgment to Mr Lucas. I Tasmania is an island nearly the size of Ireland, situated at the southern extremity of Australia, from which it is divided by Bass' Straits, 120 miles wide. It was discovered by the Dutch navigator, Tasman, in the year 1643, and by him named Van Diemen's Land. At the end of the next century it was visited by Cook and other voyagers, but was not inhabited by Europeans till the year 1804, when some colonists from New South Wales settled in the south of the island. Tasmania is, therefore, the oldest, next to New South Wales, of the Australian Colonics. From that time, its progress, though less rapid than that of the sister colonies, has been steady. Being much smaller than any of them, the amount of land available for sheep runs was far more limited than in the other colonies. Hence properties are smaller, the population is more scattered over the country, and the villages are more frequent. The whole surface of the island is diversified with forests, rich valleys and plains, and mountains rising to 4,000 and 5,000 feet, while running streams abound in all parts. With the exception of the western part of the island, which is for the most part densely wooded, and where the coast is rugged and exposed to storms, the country is more or less dotted over with settlers. In some parts, notably in the north-west, the soil is very rich, and only requires clearing of timber to become excellent agricultural land. The northern part of the island is generally the most favourable for agriculture. Tasmania has an area" of lo £ millions of acres. About 4! million acres have been sold or granted to settlers by the Crown, and over a million acres are leased by -settlers for sheep runs or other purposes. In 1887 over 55,000 acres of Crown lands were sold to selectors at an average price of £, I 6s 5d per acre, and 478 acres of town and suburban lands at an average price of £ 6 10s 6d an acre. These siles indicate substantial pro- gress in the Colony. The climate is very healthy and genial. The winters are much warmer than in Eng- land. Snow seldom falls, or remains on the ground more than a few hours, except in high situations. If we remember rightly, we were told that snow had not been seen falling in Hobart for the last five years. Children were said to be highly amused and horses greatly astonished at the strange phenomenon. a The summers, though rather hotter, from a the greater power of the sun, than in England, are much cooler than in Australia, and the air is dry and seldom sultry. The summer mean temperature is 61 degrees and the winter 45 degrees. The greatest heat in Hobart is about 103 degrees in January and the lowest 30 degrees about June. The rainfall is very variable: that at Hobart is about the same as at Greenwich, and rain falls on Lalfthe days in the year. Many diseases which in England are often serious are comparatively slight here. The Australians fully recognize the pleasantness of the Tas- manian climate, and a great number of persons from Melbourne and Sydney go there every year to escape the heat and dust of the continent.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN WALES.

LLANSTEPHAN.

BORTH (GER ABERYSTWYTH).

ABERTEIFI.