his complaints on the consideration of the American consul, and demand justice. I will merely relate a case that happened at the American Consular Agent’s Office in Hobartown, (the agent, by the way, was not an American,) to wit: At Flores we received aboard a Portuguese, without an agreement. He remained with us, as one of the crew, up to the time of our arrival at Hobartown, and had become a pretty good seaman. One liberty-day, as he was going ashore, the captain said to him he wished that he would accompany him to the consul’s office, and have his name put upon the ship’s articles. The Portuguese assented; but, previous to this, the shipping agents of the town had conferred with him, and, discovering that he was not bound to the ship, had offered him a seaman’s wages to sail in their employ; consequently, he imbibed a notion of the real value of his services, and when taken to the consul’s office and offered a landsman’s lay by the captain, he demanded a greater proportion of the vessel’s earnings--one commensurate with his services. His remonstrance was answered by a box on the ear; and he was taken to the wharf, put in a boatman’s charge, and conveyed to our vessel; from which time he was not allowed to go ashore again whilst we remained in the harbor. It may be seen, from the result in this instance, that men have but little encouragement to apply to the consul. What, then, shall they do? The English courts will not receive an American seaman’s complaints--stating that they have no jurisdiction in such a case; but, at the same time, they will grant to the captain of a vessel warrants for the arrest and detention of any of his crew who may desert. Thus, both these avenues to justice and right are in a measure closed against the sailor; but, even were they open, I doubt whether Jack would resort to them. Taught by experience, as well as from the prejudice of ignorance, he cherishes a strong antipathy toward both the law and its executors; for which reason, he does not care to prefer a complaint in a court of justice, but would rather forswear its promised shelter, and take the seemingly shorter and easier method offered by desertion, to gain a release from tyranny or exemption from unbearable wrongs. In adopting the latter course, however, it not unfrequently happens, that, instead of having improved his condition, he finds, to use a homely adage, that he has jumped out of the frying-pan into the fire. But I must resume my narrative, and speak of the colonists, among whom there is a generation now rising who have been born on the island. They are known as Van Diemanians or Tasmanians. The males are large, fine-looking fellows, and the females generally possess some beauty and intelligence.