Twain spends much of Chapter 27 discussing the harshness of the environment, particularly in terms of convicts trying to escape a penal colony at Macquarrie Harbor and the efforts of George Augustus Robinson in bringing in the last of the native Tasmanians to “civilization”. Twain thinks very highly of Robinson's efforts but also seems to realize that his efforts were in vain and in fact brought about the destruction of these people.
Tasmania (/tæzˈmeɪniə/ abbreviated as Tas and known colloquially as "Tassie") is an island state of the Commonwealth of Australia. It is located 240 km (150 mi) to the south of the Australian mainland, separated by Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th-largest island in the world, and the surrounding 334 islands. The state has a population of over 517,000 (as of September 2015), almost half of which resides in the Greater Hobart precinct, which forms the metropolitan area of the state capital and largest city, Hobart.