Cite: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2446928

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2 corrections, most recently by cjbrill - Show corrections

The Green Bag.

We understand a Green Bag (as to which Ifthe celebrated one in the Queen's case is

JbiiifX. trifle) is in course of manufacture, Jfor\ transmission to His Majesty's Ministers, las to the licentiousness, immorality, and other Ideadly sins of Tasmania. ' We. have heard somewhat of its contents, which are so mi ;'nute, that the President's speeches at the i'Sorell and the King's Birth Day Dinners, with

he necessary animadversions thereon, occupy >7 pages ! The Attorney-General's affair of ¿course is a most important feature. But the

Colonial Times !" Alas for this proscribed Journal ! It is some comfort, howevei, that £by the same conveyance, a Black Bag will be "forwarded to the same destination, tolerably Well authenticated. Its effects may be ex- pected to be seen in about 12 months. Do the " confidential" suppose that-,the friends of Tasmania are asleep. This^°«ould be ^worse drivelling than their ow«J. No, no. The Black Bag will take the Gieei» Bag for its Text. We shall anxiously await the*- re- sult of the commentary.^^^ '

We are extremely sorry to announce to the Inhabitants of Hobart Town, that we-have received information, which we believe to be authentic, that it is the intention of Govern- ment to remove tho» whole of the establish- ment of the Lumber-yard to New Norfolk in the couise of a very shoit time.-Thus is the long threatened removal of the Seafyof Govern ouout td be parried into effect. We have no room this week to insert the necessary con- siderations which cannot but aiise upon this important measure, not more objectionable

as a public one, than as injuiious'to the pri- vate interest of this large and increasing town. We have heard, that it is the intention of the Government to raise the salary of Mr. Hoa'e, from the sum of ¿Ê400 (at which it was fixed by the British Government) to £600 per annum» We connot believe this report to be well founded, not even in refer- ence io the " arrangement" by which it is to

pe accompanied, and as co which we are not ¡altogether uninformed. Should, however, |the contrary be the case, we shall submit to *the Public our reasons for considering this addition improvident; and we shall accom- pany them by " documentary evidence" which [will abundantly justify our^objections.

We lament to hear, that Mr. J. P. Deane will no longer gratify the admirers of Church Music by his admirable performances upon the Organ of St. David's Church. We have heard certain causes assigned for this, which

we are quite disposed to give credit to, frqm what we have seen of unassuming meekness

and mild moderation. That the serv'ices of so accomplished a musician should be lost to the Public, from any circumstance, is an evil not easily remedied, in this remote corner of the globe. There are people here « licen- tious" enough to prefer the Organist to the Pastor: of course they exhibit lamentable morals, and worse taste; and are in a fair way to be _____

Sir Thomas Brisbane, amongst numerous other philanthropic acts, previous to his de- parture ft oin Sydney, gave, as a donation towards erecting the Roman Catholic Chapel in that town, the sum Of four hundred pounds. He was not only a Governor, but a Christian ! We tecollect that about two years ago, Sir

Thomas also sent to a Gentleman of this town the sum of .£10, towards instituting a Reli f;ious Tract Society ; but we know not what

las become of this gift« as no accounts have been published of ¿hat Society.

The Cape Barley Harvest is finished in \ most parts, which has been very abundant ; bot will not, we are sorry to state, realize the expectations of the Settler, there being at present no demand in Hobart Town for it, owing to the great quantity of Indian corn brought down from Sydney some time since, on Government account, at a most enormous

expencp, and now sold out of His Majesty's Stores to' any casual buyer from Is. öd. to ás. 3d. per bushel._

It has been suggested tous, that a Meeting of Settlers will be speedily convened, in or- der to offer a reward of some magnitude, for the arrest and conviction of the persons con- cerned in that most atrocious and unprece- dently barbarous murder committed in Oc- tober last, on Mr. Alexander Simpson, a most respectable Settler at Pitt Water; respecting   which, as we before stated, no official or private notice, offering a reward, has been yet published.

We congratulate the Public on the return of Sterling Payments in the Sister Colony. Vew wheat was received in the Commissa- riat Stores on the 22d ult. at 7s. sterling. This' should be the lowest price, in order at «li to remunerate the Agriculturist, whose expences are so enormously great.

- We regret to announce the death of that respected Colonist, John Grant, Esq., of the firm ,of Bethune and Grant. He depart ed this life, on the ,11th ult. at Sydney. He was an honourable and anthonest man, and we consider his death a Colonial loss.

We perceive, that in the<Sister Colony all ¡fines levied by the Magistrates are, agreeably to an Act of Council, published in the News- papers, for the iatisfaction of the' Public. But not so in this Colony. All fines during the last twelve months at least ought to be forthwith accounted for to the Public, and appropriated; as directed, for the improve- ment of the roads aud streets where they are levied. When we reflect~on the unac- countable difference that exists between the two Colonies, in the manner of doing busi- ness in many of the public departments, we really cannot account for the obstinate perse- verance in the present order of things. In fact, we may almost say, that we are not upon equal terms with our Sydney brethren. Tl^re^every individual appears to be per fecí)J|$ab¿ent. We wish we could'firid our selves\oJtáré%» Now that the Colony is Inde penderit,%nöw that we have an Executive and Legislative Council, surely we ought,

after so long^ a period, to expect to witness

some alteration.

We make the following"extract from the official Sydney Gazelle, of the 12th ult.-We know not whether Mr. Howe meant to libel the Tasmanian Goverumenment, but it looks very like it. We make no comment ; it re- quires none :-" In our present columns the Public are furnished with a statement of fines, &c. which have been exacted by the in- defatigable Superintendent of Police. The publication of such a document must have a good effect in various ways, but in none inore so, than in exhibiting, in a striking point of view, the openness and honesty of that Go- vernment which invariably manifests a wish to have its most minute actions blazoned forth to the view of a criticising and enlightened Public. This information, in future, will ap-

pear quarterly."

Mu. Thomas Horton James.-We have

before alluded to a production of some per- I son bearing this name, who inveighed with the most sentimental purity against smug- gling tobacco in Van Diemen's Land, to which abominable offence, Mr. Thomas Hor- ton James attributes (like the American war apple woman) much of the abominations

w hich he states he witnessed in our Island. When we before quoted this writer, we mentioned that some person, bearing also the same name, but of course it could not be our tobacco smuggling abominator, had been accused of being concerned in this very self- same abominable offence. It is nevertheless a strange coincidence. The Morning Chroni- cle has again given to the world another pro- duction, which is generally supposed to be from his old friend of tobacco smuggling sen- sibility. This new article of two whole co- lumns in length, teems with the most outrage ousabuseof Van Diemen's Land, and with pro- portionate admiration of the Sister Colony. 4?Ve shall trouble our Readers with two little extracts, which may be tákeu as a fair sam Ele of the whole, according to the old school

oy figure, pars pro toto. Mr. Thomas Hor- ton James, after expatiating at great length, and in a most empassioned tone, about the blessedness of New South Wales, proceeds as I follows :->" Nobody can take an hour's walk

through Sydney, without thinking of JVapoleon and the return of the Bourbons ! - Every thing substantial, or conpenient, that recommends the town, and lhere are many such things, has been done by Governor Macquarie.*' Now so far so good. But let us observe how beautifully this accurate jw/jter. cfh use the figure An- tithesis;.;-let Lus" see how, by placing the jftynunr of his idolatry iu contradistinction

to our humble Island, he can sink us to ir- redeemable infamy. After a climaxof praise

of the universal good to be found at Syun.erfl he says :-u CawUffia Dienieu'*^an^rffffefàny[ of these advantage?* TJidjeui^mn^fVithevery^ inducement tqxevtatn'íhere, a gp4toC¡superior-to atiy" personas in the -Island, with town allot- ments, Sfc, all fjr nothing, I have %eUnquished them all, because Sydney is so superior. Ho- bart Town is a perfect sink of debauchery and blackguardism ; there are Hardly any re- spectable f emules in the place, with the excep- tion of the civil and military officers' ladies ¡ I and he is the greuieit man who can drink most. ' The climate is nothing to lins, and yet the poor devils have been andaré so infatuated, that they continue to believe the lying books that are written in Us praise."-This is certainly a highly drawn picture.. Let us enquire a 'little of the' worthy author, be he who he may, as to adherence to truth as respects him- self. We can judge a little of him in other particulars. He states, "that he had a grant superior to any person's in the Island, with town allotments, &c. all for nothing." Now we have enquired at the proper office, and we cannot learn that any person so desig- nated ever held a grant or any town allot- ments in Van Diemen's Land. But that// was superior to^any other person'sis so ridiculously laughable, that we cannot help pitying the weakness of the poor man, whoever he was. who ventured to gull his friends in England

with such a flourish as this. As to the sink of debauchery and blackguardism, elegant phrases, which he applies to Hobart Town, and the gallant compliment which he be- stows upon every female in Tasmania, " at one fell swoop," the Civil and Military Offi- cers' ladies of course excepted, as a man who received so large a grant, and such.excellent town allotments^ was of necessity compelled to do, of these proofs of the good, breeding and superiority of this 'person over us poor Tasmanian " devils" we, think it necessary, to say nothing. We hope and trust' Mr. T. H. J. of the Morning Chronicle, ia not the Mr. Thomas Horton James of the Sister Co-

lony. We consider such to be impossible.

Since writing the above, the Sydney Papers to the 22d have come to hand. We find that the production which called forth the pre- ceding remarks, has also been noticed in The Australian. The author is said to be a resi- dent at Sydney ; but nq notice beyond a mere dry insertion of an extract from his letter, strongly reflecting upon Sir Thomas Brisbane* is taken of this extraordinary communication. We'nre sorry"for this. -

Commissioner op Lands.-We have been informed that Mr. Roderic O'Connor 1s to be appointed to the above office, conjointly with Mr. Murdoch. This is quite in keeping with the whole system. What can be expected from the services of strangers in offices which .require very extensive local information to be filled usefully. If this appointment really takes place, we shall consider it necessary to bring the subject fully under consideration.

Trial by Jury.-We extract thç follow- ing passage from a very well written article in the Sydney Gazette of the 15th December. " Trial by Jury and Taxation by Representa- tion arejhe only two blessings nest lo that of an impartial and firm Governor) which we now need." We in Tasmania heartily unite with the Sydney Gazette in this sentiment.

Mr. Howe's Embarras.-The Sydney Ga- zette is rather posed about the title to be now given to Colonel Arthur. That Journal of the 10th December, in an article of sick-

ening fulsomeness (Mr. Howe is all honey or ' all gall), addresses our Lieutenant Governor as " His Excellency Governor Arthur)" with a salary of ¿Ë3000 per anuum ! Good. On the 22d December, General Darling having arrived, and Mr. Howe having become rather better informed, has the " licentiousness" to reduce Colonel Arthur from this high estate, and addresses him by the old appellation of " His Honor Lieutenant Governor Arthur." How is this, Mr. Howe ? This is certainly an embarras into which you have fallen. Ulrum horum ? which do you^stand by? We shall shortly see how matters go.

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