Talk:Van Diemen's Land

Earlier conversations
Who was Van Diemen that the land was named for? see http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/rkfadol/vandiemen.htm

he named the island Anthoonij van Diemenslandt in honor of Anthony van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies who had sent Tasman on his voyage of discovery in 1642.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Diemen's_Land

Irish Prisoners
The prisoners shipped from Ireland to Van Diemen's Land included not just criminals, but also political prisoners or those who were in any way associated with armed insurrection. The hatred of the Anglo-Australians was, at least to a large part, fuelled by the fact that many of the prisoners were "rebels," and worse Roman Catholics.--PeadarMaguidhir 10:04, 9 July 2006 (UTC)

True, it wasn't only or even mostly regular convict types. Don't forget the people who were kidnapped from Ireland, usually on specious charges if any, and sent to Van Diemen's land as well as to places such as Barbados. Whole villages were emptied in that way. JBDay 18:53, 12 September 2006 (UTC)

No governor mentioned?
Large song texts, and the dreaded cancer of a 'in popular culture'section and not one of all the notorious governors of the time dont even crack a mention - yet it belongs to the tasmania history category, nah, go on.... SatuSuro 15:55, 24 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Added see also for the moment SatuSuro 02:16, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Van Diemen's Land or Van Diemens Land (being pedantic)
I would like to hear peoples opinion on the spelling of Van Diemen's/Van Diemens Land. Am I wrong or just pedantic? As and example you take a look at this map from 1644, the map does not use the apostrophe.
 * The word you are looking for may be apostrophe rather than hyphen. BrainyBabe 12:20, 25 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Oops, I have fixed my mistake. I forgot to sign my post as well. Macr237 12:36, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

The 1852 map (right) appears to have an apostrophe. The earlier maps are not annotated in English, so might follow different grammar rules. That said, Geoscience Australia do not put apostrophes on any names (eg Ayers Rock, not Ayer's Rock). --Scott Davis Talk 11:10, 26 August 2007 (UTC)
 * So we have an impasse. So does that mean either will do? --Macr237 11:21, 26 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Do you have any English-language references of the time when that was the name that do not have an apostrophe? --Scott Davis Talk 15:17, 26 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Well it seems that James Cook, Watkin Tench and David Collins all use apostrophe s, so it looks like we have a winner. --Macr237 07:53, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

In the language Dutch, two seperate words are generally joined together with a "joining letter" (often a "s"). So, 'Van Diemensland' is the land of Anthoony van Dieman. I guess that would imply the posessive, and an apostrophe would be, in English, correct.

Popular culture
section is becoming unwieldy with ad hoc addition - proposing to either remove the section in to a new article - or at least alphabeticise the named characters in the lists lest the article transmorgifies and runs screaming into WP:NOT without looking in any direction SatuSuro 04:27, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Van Diemen's Land (Northern Territory)
Apparently the western half of Arnhem Land was also named Van Diemen's Land in early Dutch records and maps.

From Major, Richard Henry (1859), Early Voyages to Terra Australis, p. cxv: ""Flinders remarks upon this account, 'What is here called the west must have been the north-west coast,' and he is right; for in the report here printed, the country is called 'Van Diemen's Land,' lying, as we know, on the north-west coast of New Holland, already in this introduction frequently referred to in distinction from the island more generally so known, and now called Tasmania.""

From Malte-Brun, Conrad (1822), Universal Geography, p. 565: ""The east part of this coast has got the name of Arnhem's Land, a name which some think should comprehend the whole coast from Cape Van Diemen eastward, in order that the name of Van Diemen's Land, as applied to the westernmost portion of it, may be abolished, and become exclusively appropriated to the island now so famous on the south of Bass's Strait.""

Hesperian 01:36, 3 August 2010 (UTC)

VD Land?
This just popped into my head out of left field. It never occurred to me before, but I'm wondering if calling the place "VD Land" is a common practice. --  Jack of Oz   [Talk]  12:24, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

Currency
Does anybody know which currency was used in Van Diemen's Land? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.211.205.109 (talk) 20:02, 22 October 2013 (UTC)
 * While the purpose of a WP talk page is to improve the corresponding article, it's a bit of a shame when a not especially off-topic query gets ignored this long. The answer in this case is arguably "none of the above" in the senses that

I hope i haven't cast a worse pall over the discussion than that cast by the recent years of silence! 90.41.135.153 (talk) 18:23, 12 July 2017 (UTC)<br
 * (1) the transported probably have no place to spend currency until they escape or finish their term
 * (2) why would anything but the currency of them that transported you be more plausible than any alternative?
 * (3) "What do you not get about transportation combining most of the advantages of slavery and summary execution?" and
 * (4) What base fee, and what percentage of the royalties on the publication you plan on, are you offering?
 * oh dear ... none. Before 1788 nothing. after, nothing. After establishment of the Tasmanian penal settlement, perhaps rum? Dave Rave (talk) 11:33, 13 July 2017 (UTC)

The money currency in general use in Van Diemen's Land was British sterling (pounds, shillings and pence).

Other foreign money was also used, with exchange rates varying. On of the most popular of these was the Spanish dollar, which had a basic exchange rate of around 4 shillings and sixpence or five shillings Sterling, though the rate varied according to place and time.

Convicts certainly had opportunity to spend money, and to earn it too. Indeed in the earlier days of the colony convicts who were not on Government stores were EXPECTED to earn money for their own upkeep. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cynwidion (talk • contribs) 04:26, 15 November 2021 (UTC)

Ralph Darling as Governor of Van Diemen's Land
The text states that "Major-General Ralph Darling was appointed Governor of New South Wales in 1825, and in the same year he visited Hobart Town, and on 3 December proclaimed the establishment of the independent colony, of which he became governor for three days."

Ralph Darling was Governor of Van Diemen's Land for a lot longer than three days. He continued to be Governor of Van Diemen's Land during his entire tenure as Governor of New South Wales, i.e. until 1831.

Subsequent Governors of New South Wales were also Governors of Van Diemen's Land, right up to VDL independence in 1855.

However, in practice the Governors of Van Diemen's Land from 1825 onwards left the administration of government almost solely to their Lieutenant Governors.

This is why George Arthur, William Denison, etc. were styled "Lieutenant Governors", because the actual Governors were up north in New South Wales.

Cynwidion (talk) 04:22, 15 November 2021 (UTC)