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Books > Humanities > History > Australasian & Pacific history > General
In 1852 William Howitt (1792 1879) set sail for Australia with two
of his sons in order to try his luck in the goldfields of Victoria.
By then he was already a prolifically published author of both
prose and verse. He was only moderately successful as a
gold-digger, but his account of life in the new colony, published
in 1855 after his return to England, provides an extraordinary
snapshot of the rapid early growth of Melbourne. Volume 1 covers
Howitt's first impressions of Australia, his experiences on the
journey to the diggings at Bendigo, the throngs of prospectors, the
exorbitant prices charged by profiteering merchants, and the
miners' protest over high government licence fees. He describes the
hard life endured by the diggers and warns against women coming to
the colony.
In 1852 William Howitt (1792 1879) set sail for Australia with two
of his sons in order to try his luck in the goldfields of Victoria.
By then he was already a prolifically published author of both
prose and verse. He was only moderately successful as a
gold-digger, but his account of life in the new colony, published
in 1855 after his return to England, provides an extraordinary
snapshot of the rapid early growth of Melbourne. Volume 2 considers
the effects of the influx of a great number of immigrants and the
continuing presence of convicts. Howitt also reflects on government
policy and the draft constitution, and describes visits to Sydney
and Tasmania. His colourful account includes descriptions of birds
and flowers, extreme heat, and how to cope with flies.
English-born Thomas Morland Hocken (1836-1910), doctor, historian,
and bibliographer, arrived in New Zealand in 1862 after abandoning
his career as a ship's surgeon. After establishing a general
practice in Dunedin, Hocken began to take a keen interest in the
country's recent past. Published in 1898, this book was Hocken's
first major work on New Zealand. The book focuses on the history of
European settlement in the southern province of Otago in the years
preceding the gold rush. Hocken begins with an account of the first
pioneers' arrival in New Zealand, and the 'Wakefield Scheme' of
assisted passage. The book describes the lives of the founding
fathers of Dunedin, the migration of settlers to the area and the
establishment of churches, and ends with the discovery of gold.
Hocken wrote several other accounts of New Zealand history and was
elected Fellow of the Linnean Society for his contribution to
botany.
Joseph Beete Jukes (1811-1869) was a geologist who studied at St
John's College, Cambridge under Adam Sedgwick (1785-1873) and,
after many field expeditions in England, was appointed to a survey
of Newfoundland in 1839. In 1841 he joined the H.M.S. Fly as a
naturalist for an upcoming expedition to chart the coasts of
Australia and New Guinea. He also made some inland investigations
on Java before returning to England in 1846. The following year he
published this two-volume account of his journey. Blackwood's
Magazine described Jukes' work as 'scientific without being
abstruse, and picturesque without being extravagant, [Jukes] has
made his volumes a striking and graceful addition to our knowledge
of countries highly interesting in themselves'. Volume 2 focuses
mainly on Java, where Jukes visited sugar and coffee plantations
and industrial sites. The appendixes contain vocabulary lists for
several indigenous languages, and notes on marine life and snakes.
Best-known for the scandalous circumstances surrounding his suicide
in 1893, Francis Adams (1862 1893) enjoyed a reputation as a
proficient, if unpredictable, writer producing a large volume of
work in his relatively short life. Adams moved to Australia in the
early 1880s, remaining there for several years. Finding the news of
Australia in England 'inept', Adams wrote from a desire to educate
the English public properly on the Australian people. His work,
published in 1893, is divided into two parts. The first describes
the geography, culture and society of the 'Pacific slope', the
ribbon of settlements along the east coast of Australia. The second
half, focused on the eastern interior, deals with the more
controversial issues of land ownership and the Aboriginal
population in the rural areas in the country. Much of the book
draws on Adams' series of articles on Australian life, previously
published in the Fortnightly Review.
Sir Timothy Coghlan (1855 1926) was the statistician for New South
Wales from 1886. He produced the world's first example of national
financial accounts, and is regarded as Australia's first
'mandarin'. His advice was sought by state and federal governments
on matters as diverse as tax, public sanitation and infant
mortality. In 1905 he took up an appointment as a New South Wales
government agent in London, remaining there for the rest of his
life. First published in 1918, this monumental book is Coghlan's
very personal history of Australia, embracing materials, population
growth, trade and land. In Volume 2, covering the period to the
late 1860s, Coghlan again highlights population growth, and in
particular the role of the state and colonies in organizing
immigration, as a key factor in the development of the economy. A
theme throughout this volume is the growing independence and
confidence of each individual state.
Sir Timothy Coghlan (1855 1926) was the statistician for New South
Wales from 1886. He produced the world's first example of national
financial accounts, and is regarded as Australia's first
'mandarin'. His advice was sought by state and federal governments
on matters as diverse as tax, public sanitation and infant
mortality. In 1905 he took up an appointment as a New South Wales
government agent in London, remaining there for the rest of his
life. First published in 1918, this monumental book is Coghlan's
very personal history of Australia, embracing materials, population
growth, trade and land. Volume 3 covers a turbulent period. Coghlan
examines the depression of the 1890s and the banking crisis of
1893, which saw the Federal Bank fail. He also devotes a large
section to detailing labour and wages in this period, which saw the
unprecedented Maritime Strike of 1890.
When George William Rusden (1819-1903) was fourteen, his family
emigrated from England to Australia, where he later became a
prominent educationalist and civil servant. Already an author of
numerous books and pamphlets, he began work on his History of
Australia after his retirement, and it was published in 1883 in
three volumes. Although the work is considered sympathetic to the
Aboriginal people of Australia, it is also infused with Rusden's
Tory politics, infuriating his critics - one wrote that the volumes
were 'as untrustworthy as a partisan pamphlet well can be without
deliberate dishonesty'. Despite initial criticism, these
wide-ranging volumes form an important early contribution to the
writing of Australian history. Volume 3 is mainly devoted to
political matters, especially the Constitution Act of 1856 and the
relationship between the colony and Britain. Rusden also gives a
brief sketch of the governors who took office from this period
onwards.
Published in 1891, Henry Roth's translation of Crozet's narrative
provided the first English account of the infamous French
expedition to the South Pacific. The ship left France in 1771 under
the command of Marion De Fresne (1724 1772). After exploring
Tasmania (the first Europeans to do so), De Fresne's party set out
for New Zealand, arriving shortly after Captain Cook. Crozet (1728
1782), took over command of the expedition when De Fresne and
twenty-six crew members were killed and allegedly eaten by local
Maori in the Bay of Islands. While much of the book is concerned
with the exploration of New Zealand, Roth's translation begins with
the origins of the expedition, the journey through the Pacific
islands, and Tasmania and the discovery of people there, ending
with descriptions of Guam and Manila. The work also includes a
preface and discussion of the literature of New Zealand by James R.
Boose.
John West (1809 1873) was an English-born minister who received a
Colonial Missionary Society post in Tasmania in 1838. West became
an outspoken opponent of the ongoing government policy of
transporting convicts from Britain to Tasmania. Around 1847 a
wealthy supporter approached West to write the colony's history,
although it had been a British territory only since 1803. West
accepted the task and, amid his campaigning and other
responsibilities, completed this two-volume work which was
published in 1852. It is divided between a straightforward
narrative of events and thematic issues such as the treatment of
the Aboriginal peoples and the issue of the convict transport
system. In Volume 2, the first ten sections discuss the early
encounters with Europeans and the subsequent mistreatment of the
native people in Tasmania. The remainder of the volume considers
the island's development as a penal colony.
The prolific writer William Howitt (1792 1879) embarked for
Australia in 1852 and spent two years there travelling and panning
for gold. His experiences resulted in several books that appealed
to the Victorian public's avid interest in Antipodean exploration.
Published in 1865, when New Zealand had only been recognised as a
country for a generation, this two-volume work describes 'scenes of
danger and of wild romance, of heroic daring and devoted deaths,
such as few countries have to show'. It gives a valuable account of
early European exploration and settlement in Australia and New
Zealand as well as insights into European travellers' responses to
this previously unknown continent. Volume 1 covers the early
voyages of discovery to the Antipodes made by explorers including
Abel Tasman and Captain Cook, and later expeditions up to the
1840s, including Fitzroy and Darwin's voyage around Australia and
New Zealand aboard the Beagle.
Captain James Burney (1750 1821), the son of the musicologist Dr
Charles Burney and brother of the novelist Fanny Burney, was a
well-travelled sailor, best known for this monumental compilation
of voyages of discovery in the Pacific Ocean. After joining the
navy in 1764, he sailed on Cook's second voyage between 1772 and
1774, and was also present on the ill-fated third voyage. He
retired from the navy in 1784 and turned to writing works on
exploration. These volumes, published between 1803 and 1817, and
regarded as the standard work on the subject for much of the
nineteenth century, contain collected accounts of European voyages
of discovery in the Pacific Ocean between 1492 and 1764. Burney
provides summaries of Spanish, Dutch and English accounts, which
include descriptions of voyages to China, Micronesia and Australia.
Volume 5 covers voyages between 1724 and 1764, including Commodore
George Aston's circumnavigation.
Joseph Beete Jukes (1811-1869) was a geologist who studied at St
John's College, Cambridge under Adam Sedgwick (1785-1873) and,
after many field expeditions in England, was appointed to a survey
of Newfoundland in 1839. In 1841 he joined the H.M.S. Fly as a
naturalist for an upcoming expedition to chart the coasts of
Australia and New Guinea. He also made some inland investigations
on Java before returning to England in 1846. The following year he
published this two-volume account of his journey. Blackwood's
Magazine described Jukes' work as 'scientific without being
abstruse, and picturesque without being extravagant, [Jukes] has
made his volumes a striking and graceful addition to our knowledge
of countries highly interesting in themselves'. Volume 1 describes
Jukes' voyage up the coast of North Queensland, his observations of
the Barrier Reef, his exploration of the Torres Strait, and his
arrival in the Sunda Islands.
Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell (1792 1855) was an acclaimed
surveyor and explorer of Australia. After attending the University
of Edinburgh Mitchell joined the British Army in 1811. He took part
in major battles of the Peninsular War and difficult military
surveys in the Pyrenees. In 1827 he was appointed Deputy Surveyor
of New South Wales, and he became Surveyor General in 1828. This
fascinating two-volume work, first published in 1838, contains
Mitchell's illustrated account of his three expeditions into the
then unexplored interior of modern eastern Victoria and southern
New South Wales between 1831 and 1836, for which he received a
knighthood in 1839. Drawing on Mitchell's personal journals, Volume
1 describes in vivid detail the difficulties and dangers of
exploring the Kindur and Gwydir rivers, and provides valuable
first-hand descriptions of the lives and society of the indigenous
Australians his expedition encountered.
Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell (1792 1855) was an acclaimed
surveyor and explorer of Australia. After attending the University
of Edinburgh Mitchell joined the British Army in 1811. He took part
in major battles of the Peninsular War and difficult military
surveys in the Pyrenees. In 1827 he was appointed Deputy Surveyor
of New South Wales, and he became Surveyor General in 1828. This
fascinating two-volume work, first published in 1838, contains
Mitchell's illustrated account of his three expeditions into the
then unexplored interior of modern eastern Victoria and southern
New South Wales between 1831 and 1836, for which he received a
knighthood in 1839. Drawing on Mitchell's personal journals, Volume
2 describes in vivid detail the difficulties and dangers of
exploring the Murray Darling river systems, and provides valuable
first-hand descriptions of the lives and society of the indigenous
Australians his expedition encountered.
Ernest Scott (1867-1939) emigrated to Australia in 1892, settling
in Melbourne where he worked as a journalist. In 1913 he was
appointed Professor of History at the University of Melbourne. This
volume, first published in 1910, discusses the aims and outcome of
the survey of the south Australian coast performed by Nicholas
Baudin's French expedition between 1800 and 1804, and established
Scott's reputation as a historian. Scott traces the path of
Baudin's expedition along the then unexplored south coast of
Australia, estimating the amount of original surveying performed by
the expedition to address the accusation that the French expedition
plagiarised British surveys of the same coastline. Scott also
discusses the origins of the expedition to investigate possible
political motivations behind the survey. This detailed and
meticulously researched volume presents a valuable revised view of
Baudin's expedition.
When George William Rusden (1819-1903) was fourteen, his family
emigrated from England to Australia, where he later became a
prominent educationalist and civil servant. Already an author of
numerous books and pamphlets, he began work on his History of
Australia after his retirement, and it was published in 1883 in
three volumes. Although the work is considered sympathetic to the
Aboriginal people of Australia, it is also infused with Rusden's
Tory politics, infuriating his critics - one wrote that the volumes
were 'as untrustworthy as a partisan pamphlet well can be without
deliberate dishonesty'. Despite initial criticism, these
wide-ranging volumes form an important early contribution to the
writing of Australian history. Volume 1 begins with the arrival of
Europeans in Australia, and then examines each colonial governor,
starting with Arthur Philip (1738-1814), who was the first, and
ending the volume with Thomas Brisbane (1773-1860) in 1821.
Sir Timothy Coghlan (1855 1926) was the statistician for New South
Wales from 1886, and is regarded as Australia's first 'Mandarin'.
His advice was sought by state and federal governments on matters
as diverse as tax, public sanitation and infant mortality. In 1905
he took up an appointment as New South Wales government agent in
London, remaining there for the rest of his life. First published
in 1903, this was one of the first comprehensive histories of
Australia, and it benefits greatly from the author's extensive hard
statistical data. In contrast to his later Labour and Industry
(also reissued in this series), Coghlan and his co-author, T. T.
Ewing (1856 1920), discuss the politics behind progress as much as
the economics. Charting the country's development from penal colony
to urbanised democracy, they conclude with a wealth of statistical
data to endorse the assertion that 'the possibilities for
Australia's future are tremendous'.
Sir Timothy Coghlan (1855 1926) was the statistician for New South
Wales from 1886. He produced the world's first example of national
financial accounts, and is regarded as Australia's first
'mandarin'. His advice was sought by state and federal governments
on matters as diverse as tax, public sanitation and infant
mortality. In 1905 he took up an appointment as a New South Wales
government agent in London, remaining there for the rest of his
life. First published in 1918, this monumental book is Coghlan's
very personal history of Australia, embracing materials, population
growth, trade and land. Population growth and its importance for
economic prosperity had always interested Coghlan. In Volume 1, he
emphasizes the initial difficulties presented to economic growth by
a population consisting mostly of convicts. With many statistical
data, he also explores early immigration, trade, land distribution
and attempts at agriculture.
The first prominent advocate of Australian republicanism,
Scottish-born John Dunmore Lang (1799-1878) is an important figure
in the history of his adopted country. This two-volume work,
originally published in 1834, presents a series of chapters
illustrating Australia's history and its condition in his own time.
Written during a voyage from New South Wales to Britain in 1833,
the book promotes what Lang deems to be the best interests of the
New South Wales colony, by encouraging the emigration 'of reputable
families and individuals to its territory'. Volume 1 sets out the
historical background and discovery of the coastal areas, leading
to the establishment of the New South Wales British colony, and
presents accounts of its condition and progress under various
governments. The reader will be mindful of Lang's aim in writing
the work - to tell the truth 'fully and fearlessly' in order to
secure Australia's general welfare and advancement.
John West (1809 1873) was an English-born minister who received a
Colonial Missionary Society post in Tasmania in 1838. West became
an outspoken opponent of the ongoing government policy of
transporting convicts from Britain to Tasmania. Around 1847 a
wealthy supporter approached West to write the colony's history,
although it had been a British territory only since 1803. West
accepted the task and, amid his campaigning and other
responsibilities, completed this two-volume work which was
published in 1852. It is divided between a straightforward
narrative of events and thematic issues such as the treatment of
the Aboriginal peoples and the issue of the convict transport
system. Volume 1 covers the development of the colony, starting
with the arrival of the Dutch in the seventeenth century, who named
the island Van Diemen's Land, through to British control and its
subsequent settlement as the colony of Tasmania.
A new interpretation of imperialism and environmental change, and
the anxieties imperialism generated through environmental
transformation and interaction with unknown landscapes. Tying
together South Asia and Australasia, this book demonstrates how
environmental anxieties led to increasing state resource
management, conservation, and urban reform.
Edward Jerningham Wakefield (1820 1876) was the son of Edward
Gibbon Wakefield (1796 1862), who was the driving force behind the
early colonization of New Zealand and South Australia, founding the
New Zealand Association in 1837 with the aim of creating a colony
in that country. His son was appointed secretary of the first
settler expedition to New Zealand in 1839, and remained in the
colony until 1844. This volume, edited by Sir Robert Stout and
first published in 1908, contains Wakefield's account of his stay
in New Zealand. He describes in detail the social conditions during
the founding of the colony and its explorations in New Zealand, and
includes detailed first-hand ethnographic information concerning
the Maori tribes the expedition encountered. This volume provides a
valuable and fascinating insight into the society and development
of one of the earliest colonies of New Zealand.
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