powerful force, and
his was not the only one of the kind; the result was that, for a long
time, the country was unsettled and trade was paralysed. Seeing no other
course open, Governor Arthur offered a pardon and a free passage home to
those who surrendered. So many were thus induced to submit peaceably
that, at length, Brady was almost alone; and whilst he wandered in a
secluded valley, without followers, he was surprised by John Batman,
who, several years after, assisted in the settlement of Victoria. Brady
surrendered and was executed; the bushrangers, by degrees, disappeared,
and the colonists once more breathed freely.

#10. Separation.#--Hitherto Tasmania had only been a dependency of New
South Wales, but in 1825 it was made a separate colony, with a Supreme
Court of its own. In 1829 it received its first legislative body,
fifteen gentlemen being appointed to consult with the Governor and make
laws for the colony. For some years after, the history of Tasmania is
simply an account of quiet industry and steady progress. Hobart Town, by
degrees, grew to be a fine city, with handsome buildings and well kept
streets. The country districts were fenced in and well tilled, good
roads and bridges were made, and everything looked smiling and
prosperous. The only serious difficulty was the want of coin for the
ordinary purposes of trade. So great was the scarcity of gold and silver
money that pieces of paper, with promises to pay a certain sum--perhaps
a sixpence or a shilling--were largely used in the colony, in place of
the money itself. At the request of Governor Arthur, coins to the value
of a hundred thousand pounds were sent out from England for the use of
the colonists.

Governor Arthur's period of office expired in 1836, and he left the
colony, greatly to the regret of the colonists, who subscribed L1,500 to
present him with a testimonial. He was succeeded by Sir John Franklin,
the famous voyager, whose history will be related in a subsequent
chapter.

CHAPTER VI.

NEW SOUTH WALES, 1808-1837.

#1. Governor Macquarie.#--In 1808 the English Government held an inquiry
as to the circumstances which had caused the expulsion of Governor
Bligh; and though they cashiered Major Johnstone, and indeed ordered the
whole of the New South Wales Corps to be disbanded, yet, as it was clear
that Bligh had been himself very much to blame, they yielded to the
wishes of the settlers in so far as to appoint a new Governor