Observations on Tasmanian statistics for the decennial period 1844 to 1853,(compiled from official sources, and published by Authority)

Since the date of the last published statistics of this colony in 1849, upwards of four years ago, the changes that have taken place in the fortunes of Australasia, by the magnificent gold discoveries in New South Wales and Victoria, and slightly shared in by Tasmania, have invested the authentic records of the progress made by even the smallest and weakest of the group with an interest, not only in the eyes of those locally concerned, but in the estimation of the whole civilized world. Secondary as she may be in point of size, and comparatively insignificant as she certainly is in extent of population, yet it may be affirmed that, of all the colonies planted in this hemisphere, Tasmania more fully displays the verisimilitude which would justify the appellation of the Britain of the South