men together in large bodies is a premium upon crime, ast they concert every imaginable villany and fraud. Whereas, by the assignment system (ay, that is the transportationmongers' chosen theme), convicts were made good servants, good tradesmen, and, very frequently, good members of society.". This may be all very true, but it yet remains to be shown whether or not the probation system will not achieve as much. The measures at present in force are indubitably the best. These gangs are opening up many invaluable locations, and creating settlements of infinite importance. Until they were placed upon it, Tasman's peninsula was either unknown, despised, or deemed too densely wooded for any individual to adventure upon. There are now four flourishing stations thereon, roads are forming to connect them with each other, piers are constructing for the shipment of produce, and large openings are making in the forests; so that, discontinue the system a couple of years hence, and even then Tasmania will have gained a vast accession of richly productive agrestial territory.

Our Thursday's tour ended at the coal-mines, a station semiprobationary, semi-penal. It contains an extensive stone penitentiary, to which large additions are about to be made, a military barrack for thirty men, officers' quarters, commissariat store, and sundry other stone edifices. The scenery around is superb. We landed at seven in the evening, dined, and took up our quarters with Lieutenant Barclay of the 96th. Next morning I descended the main shaft, along with Captain Booth. It is fifty-two yards deep. The winch was manned by convicts under punishment; one stroke of a knife might sunder the rope, and then-However, it has never been tried, deeds of ferocity being very infrequent. A gang on the surface worked the main pump, and another below plied a horizontal, or slightly inclined draw-pump, which threw the water into the chief well. The seam has been excavated 110 yards from the shaft, having also several chambers diverging right and left; the height of the bore is four feet. The quality of the coal partakes much more of anthracite than bitumen, flying a good deal, but producing intense heat. The

mines are esteemed the most irksome punishment the felon encouuters, because he is not a practical miner, and because they labour night and day, eight hours on a spell. The continued stooping and the close atmosphere caused our party to be bedewed with perspiration. As matter of curiosity, it may be all very well to see a mine; but to me, who am no glutton in such respects, once is a perfectly sufficient dose. I cannot, therefore, wonder at the abhorrence of the compulsory miner in loathing what I conceive to be a dreadful vocation,-a vocation I should think that those who had once been forced to would in future, when relieved, most earnestly avoid. After breakfast we walked across the tongue of Slopen Main, and shaking my kind host, Captain Booth, cordially by the hand, embarked for Ralph's Bay Neck in his boat. After a four hours' dead pull to windward against a strong breeze and heavy sea, we landed on the farther shore of Frederic Henry Bay. From this a walk of seven miles, through Rokeby and Clarence Plains, conducted to Kangaroo Point. Here we again took boat, and in another half-hour trod the shores of Sullivan's Cove, where I shall for the present call a halt, hoping that the reader may have derived profit, if not pleasure, from my excursion to Port Arthur

7

Every society, every ship, every corps, every grade has its established butt. Paid, liveried fools have given place to the fool, par excellence, of the present age, the easy, goodnatured fellow, who takes every jest kindly, every practical joke as a matter of course, and almost fancies himself slighted when no one condescends to turn him into ridicule.

Jemmy Thompson was a griffin (i. e. a new-comer from Europe), and Jemmy was a goose. Jemmy, however, was one of the best-tempered fellows alive, so every one played off their tricks on him,

Now it so happened that a ship had just arrived in Diamond barbour, on its way to Calcutta from the Levant, and, as the plague was said to be raging at the latter place, the said vessel had been ordered to perform strict quarantine for forty days. The sentries on shore had received orders to shoot any one who dared to land from her, and, under pain of death, every one was forbidden to approach her. Of these circumstances Jemmy was profoundly ignorant.

Our friend Jemmy had annoyed several of the members of a reading club in Calcutta, by daily seizing the-(the daily

VOL. IV.

47

paper), and pestering every body to know if the William and Mary, » a ship which he had reason to believe was bringing him out some Madeira, had arrived?

Thus stood matters, when one day, on his entering the club, and making the usual inquiries, Captain Molloy quietly arose, and assured him that the wished-for vessel had arrived, and was even now lying down at Diamond Harbour, taking care to describe the exact position in which the tainted ship was moored. Jemmy ran home, ordered his palanquin, and arrived that evening about eight o'clock at this semi-sea-port. Impatient to convince himself that his treasure had arrived, he did not hesitate, even at this late hour, to order a boat, and instantly caused himself, to the no small surprise of the persons who looked on from shore, to be rowed to the plaguestricken ship.

When he approached near her, a person from the deck desired him to keep off. This Jemmy did not understand. He had no idea of having taken all this trouble for nothing, so he drew still nearer; nor was it till he was assured that his boat would be sunk, and the fact explained to him that the vessel had just arrived from Turkey, that he consented to sheer off When, however, he learnt these little facts, he was just as eager to return to shore as he had been to board the merchantman.

What was Jemmy's horror and indignation on beholding, as he approached the strand, a musket levelled at his head. by a sturdy sentinel, who 'swore, in tolerably round terms, that if he attempted to set foot on shore, he would instantly blow out his brains.

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Here's a go! quoth Jemmy; «and, pray, why am I to be thus treated ? »

"

You come from a plague-ship; my orders are strict; advance nearer, and I fire. »

Under these circumstances Jemmy thought it would be better to retire; so he ordered his dandies to pull up the river. Here, however, he was instantly stopped. If he attempted to force his way up, a gun, protruding its ugly head through an embrasure in the fortress, was instantly to be discharged

at him. The boats of the board of health forbad him, on peril of instant destruction, to proceed down the river. What was poor Jemmy to do? He bad but one chance. He quietly approached a man-of-war, that was lying at anchor. Seemingly unobserved he came close to her, when, lo! a sudden report, and a ball knocked off his hat into the river! Jemmy roared loudly. His boatmen took the hint, and sheered off. What was now to be done? Thompson had neither had tiffin nor dinner. He had no covering for his head, no place of shelter The weather was stormy; the waves began to knock him about, and bring on sickness. It was the rainy season, and the poor little fellow was drenched to the skin. Yet here he must remain, here abide, or run the risk of being sent into the next world by a musket-ball. tainly did not relish either alternative; but alas!

He cer

All that night, and until noon next day, did our wretched little friend remain exposed to the elements, rowing about in despair, fearing that, like the flying Dutchman, he was destined to cruise here for ever.

About noon one of his quizzers, perceiving the scrape he would be in, obtained an order, by which Mr. J. Thompson was allowed to land. The little gentleman instantly called his facetious friend out, and shot him through the leg, inflicting a wound which lamed him for life. Jemmy himself was laid up with a severe rheumatism and ague for nearly three months, and the whole affair finally turned out, like every other practical joke, a subject rather of sorrow than of fun

THE MICROSCOPE.

It is now many years ago since Mr. Clarke was sent out by the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge. to Bengal, in order to convert as many of the benighted Indians to Christianity as possible. His talents were of the highest order, his zeal well known; it was, therefore, most sanguinely expected that his mission would he crowned with