AUSTRALIA: COLONIAL LIFE and SETTLEMENT Parts 1 to 3
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AUSTRALIA: COLONIAL LIFE AND SETTLEMENT Parts 1 to 3 AUSTRALIA: COLONIAL LIFE AND SETTLEMENT The Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825, from the State Records Authority of New South Wales Part 1: Letters sent, 1808-1825 Part 2: Special bundles (topic collections), proclamations, orders and related records, 1789-1825 Part 3: Letters received, 1788-1825 Contents listing PUBLISHER'S NOTE TECHNICAL NOTE CONTENTS OF REELS - PART 1 CONTENTS OF REELS - PART 2 CONTENTS OF REELS - PART 3 AUSTRALIA: COLONIAL LIFE AND SETTLEMENT Parts 1 to 3 AUSTRALIA: COLONIAL LIFE AND SETTLEMENT The Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825, from the State Records Authority of New South Wales Part 1: Letters sent, 1808-1825 Part 2: Special bundles (topic collections), proclamations, orders and related records, 1789-1825 Part 3: Letters received, 1788-1825 Publisher's Note "The Papers are the foremost collection of public records which relate to the early years of the first settlement and are an invaluable source of information on all aspects of its history." Peter Collins, former Minister for the Arts in New South Wales From the First Fleet in 1788 to the establishment of settlements across eastern Australia (New South Wales then encompassed Tasmania and Queensland as well), this project describes the transformation of Australia from a prison settlement to a new frontier which attracted farmers, businessmen and prospectors. The Colonial Secretary's Papers are a unique source for information on: Conditions on the prison hulks Starvation and disease in early Australia Control of the convict system The relationship of the colony with its distant 'home-land' Relations with the aboriginal population The exploration and development of new territories The environmental impact of new settlement Commercial development and trade licensing Control of government stores and commodity prices The issue of currency and bank regulation Public health issues, liquor control and diet Labour laws, convict labour and wage rates The maintenance of public order Mustering troops and militia Establishing a new judicial system The range of subjects covered is not surprising. The Governor was responsible for almost all aspects of the inhabitants' lives and these activities had to be recorded. The Papers take the form of letters sent by the colonial government, memoranda, regulations, proclamations, petitions, reports, returns and letters received. These document the arrival at Botany Bay, the relocation to Sydney, the initial struggles for survival under the governorship of Arthur Philip, the administrations of John Hunter and Philip Gidley King, the open rebellion that broke out during the governorship of William Bligh, and the more settled administrations of Lachlan Macquarie and Thomas Brisbane. In The Fatal Shore Robert Hughes bemoaned the lack of research into and acceptance of Australia's convict past. The evidence gathered here will open up a fresh wave of research. There are details of clearing gangs, corporal punishment, escapes, executions, the 'female factory', the health of convicts, mitigation of sentences, rations, road parties, ships, solitary confinement, transportation and wages. There is also much on the development of what has been seen as the biggest social experiment of all time. The social life of the colony is described as well as material on the importance of women for the success and development of the colony. There is much on the planned and unplanned aspects of urban development in areas such as Parramatta, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sydney and Van Diemen's Land, and scholars may wish to compare this with sources documenting the development of other colonial settlements in Africa, the Americas and Asia. Part 1 covers the out-letter books or 'letters sent' from the Governor and his principal aide, the Colonial Secretary to others within the colony or to 'foreign parts', which included England and other colonies. The letters date from 1808 to 1825 and tell us much about the way in which the colony perceived itself and the demands that were placed upon it. Part 2 covers the 'special bundles' of documents, each relating to a particular subject or topic, in many cases reflecting the administrative importance of the matter at the time. Sample topics include: The massacre in New Zealand of the crew of the Boyd Correspondence with Charles Throsby regarding the discovery of new country and the building of roads Medical Comforts shipped in London for the use of convicts Returns of cattle and settlers due to receive government stocks Minutes regarding orphan institutions Part 3 comprises the main series of letters received by the colony from Government officials and private individuals, 1788- 1825. In addition, this series includes copies of agreements, despatches, general orders, instructions, ordinary regulations, proclamations, memoranda, reports and returns. AUSTRALIA: COLONIAL LIFE AND SETTLEMENT Parts 1 to 3 The papers also benefit from the existence of a massive web-based index. Every letter and bundle has been analysed, resulting in more than 200,000 searchable entries, including c40,000 names of individuals and c2,600 subjects. Sample subjects include Aborigines, Banks and Banking, Convicts, Distilleries, the East India Company, Employment, Fines and Punishments, Hospitals, Inquests, Kangaroos, Land, Livestock, Manufacturers, Medical Supplies, Merchants, Minerals, Pilots, Potatoes, Religion, Russians, Ships and Shipping, Tolls, Victualling, Whales and Wheat. The web index is available at: Col Sec - introduction Please note that the index refers to reels 6001-6072. These correspond exactly to reels 1-72 of this microfilm publication. References to microfiche in the index are to Memorials and Petitions, which are not included in parts 1-3 of this publication. AUSTRALIA: COLONIAL LIFE AND SETTLEMENT Parts 1 to 3 Technical Note Our microfilm publications have been prepared and produced in accordance with recommended and established guide-lines for the production of microform of superior quality. These conform to the recommendations of the standard guides to good microforming and micropublishing practice. Attention should be drawn to the nature of the original material. A few manuscript documents consist of faintly legible correspondence and records written with a variety of inks and pens and on paper which has become severely discoloured or stained, or which is so thin that there is show through that renders the original document difficult to read. Occasionally volumes have been tightly bound and documents are obscured in the inner margin. These original characteristics present difficulties of image and contrast which stringent tests and camera alterations cannot entirely overcome. Every effort has been made to minimise these difficulties. The Public Record Office have exercised the most responsible care in the filming of this unique collection and this microfilm publication meets the standards established by the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). AUSTRALIA: COLONIAL LIFE AND SETTLEMENT Parts 1 to 3 Contents of Reels - Part 1 [N.B. The number in square brackets following each entry is the microfilm frame reference] (N.B. The letter/number code in round brackets is the manuscript reference) REEL 1 - Letters sent from Lt Gov Foveaux, administering the Colony, to Governor Bligh, (SZ760, pp1a-55a), 28 Jul 1808 - 5 Jan 1809, [7] - Letters sent from Lt Gov Foveaux, administering the Colony, to Sec of State (SZ760, pp1b-153b), 4 Sep 1808 - 7 Nov 1809, [36] - Copies of letters sent and received by Lt Gov Paterson (SZ757), Dec 1808 - Nov 1809, [118] REEL 2 - Letters sent, local and overseas (4/3490B-D and 4/3491), 28 Dec 1809 - 28 Dec 1813 REEL 3 - Letters sent to Van Diemen’s Land, Newcastle and Norfolk Island (4/3490A and 4/3492), 6 Jan 1810 - 16 Dec 1813 REEL 4 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3493 - 4/3494), 1 Jan 1814 - 19 Jun 1816 REEL 5 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3495 - 4/3497), 20 Jun 1816 - 24 Jan 1818 REEL 6 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3498 - 4/3500), 23 Jan 1818 - 28 Oct 1819 REEL 7 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3501 - 4/3503), 30 Oct 1819 - 18 Apr 1821 REEL 8 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3504 - 4/3504A), 19 Apr 1821 - 8 Mar 1822 REEL 9 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3505 - 4/3506), 8 Mar 1822 - 28 Nov 1822 REEL 10 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3507 - 4/3508), 28 Nov 1822 - 1 Aug 1823 REEL 11 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3509), 31 Jul 1823 - 18 Dec 1823 REEL 12 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3510), 18 Dec 1823 - 26 Apr 1824 REEL 13 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3511 - 4/3512), 26 Apr 1824 - 11 Nov 1824 REEL 14 AUSTRALIA: COLONIAL LIFE AND SETTLEMENT Parts 1 to 3 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3513 - 4/3514), 11 Nov 1824 - 8 Jul 1825 REEL 15 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3515), 8 Jul 1825 - 18 Nov 1825 REEL 16 - Letters sent within the Colony (4/3516, pp1-276, 295-301), 19 Nov 1825 - 31 Dec 1825 - Copies of letters sent and received mainly within the Colony (Document Book 1) (4/5781), Feb 1821 - Mar 1822 REEL 17 - Copies of letters sent and received mainly within the Colony (Document Book 2) (4/5783), Feb 1821 - Feb 1824 - Copies of letters sent and received mainly within the Colony (Document Book 3) (4/5782, pp1-408), c1817- 26 Nov 1825 REEL 18 - Letters sent outside the Colony (4/3521), Jan 1814 - Oct 1823 REEL 19 - Letters sent outside the Colony (4/3522, pp1-193), 30 Dec 1823 - 17 Dec 1825 - Letters sent to Melville Island (4/3792, pp1-10), 14 Aug 1824 - 14 Nov 1825 - Letters sent to Moreton Bay (4/3794, pp1-15), 27 Aug 1824 - 29 Sep 1825 - Letters sent to Norfolk Island (4/3821, pp 1-11), May 1825 - 18 Nov 1825 - Letters sent to Port Macquarie (4/3864 - 4/3865, pp1-27), 28 Jun 1822 - 31 Dec 1825 AUSTRALIA: COLONIAL LIFE AND SETTLEMENT Parts 1 to 3 Contents of Reels - Part 2 [N.B.