17 Massov, A. Ia. The Flag of St Andrew Under the Southern Cross

One of the most important and significant scientific results of the presence of Russian seaman in Australia was the collecting of geological, botanical, and zoological collections, all of which found their way into the museums of Russia. The assembling of collections of so-called rarities constituted one of the duties of certain participants of all the round-the-world expeditions, regardless of the objectives of the latter. The collecting process would continue throughout the voyage. It would certainly not be an exaggeration to assert that, within the context of the early 19th century, items from Australia and Oceania made up one of the most interesting and valuable parts of the material in question.

The greater part of these and other such collections were assembled by the mariners themselves; only seldom were items bought or received, already prepared, as gifts from others. This was the case, however with the Herbarium, of a specially rare varieties of Australian flora, presented by Governor Maquarrie to M.N. Vasiliev to be transferred subsequently, as a present, to the dowager empress Maria Fyodorovna. In the second and third decades of the 19th century, large quantities of material suitable for biological collections were still to be found in the immediate vicinity of

European settlements. Captain M.N. Vasiliev even found himself obliged to issue an order banning the shooting of birds around the tents of the shore station, set up on the north shore of Port Jackson.

The activity was not without some risk for the men undertaking repairs to the sloops. V. Ogievskii writes in his memoirs that the officers of the ship's Krasier and Ladoga hunted for parrots with great success in the vicinity of Hobart, furnishing him with several specimens of a great variety of species.

It is true, however, that towards the end of the 1820's the situation changed and various effects of the husbandry already being undertaken by the white settlers became evident. Midshipmen E.A.

1 Barens of the ship Krotkii, visiting Sydney in 1829, complained that around that town itself there were no longer any birds. "They say that the birds have flown off to Broken Bay, where they are exceedingly abundant". (Morskoi Spornik, 1903, Number 2 page 54.)

Significant collections from the animal and vegetable kingdoms of New Holland were taken to Russia by the expedition commanded by F.F. Bellingshausen and P.M. Lazarev. Among the objects collected were stuffed Australian birds and marsupials. "A regular museum of curios," writes Captain Vasiliev, "was put together by participants in the round the world expedition of the sloops Otkrytie and Blagonamerennyi." To judge by the materials from this expedition, no less than

45 drawers and five boxes full of material were submitted in St Petersburg, and among the items were "various stuffed items, plants, and the like." D.I. Zavalishin reports that the expedition of the frigate Kriser and the sloop Ladoga first brought to Russia from Tasmania black swans, a white hawk, and other things, as well as "two huge drawers containing corals of every conceivable type".

(Moskovskie Vedomosti, 21 January 1884). Most of these early collections were submitted to the museum of the Admiralty department, subsequently finding their way thence into the museums of the Academy of Sciences. Many items remain to this day in the zoological and botanical museums of that academy. The mineralogical collection, herbarium, and collection of stuffed animals brought from Australia by I.M. Simonov, (which contained unique specimens), were submitted by the scientist himself to the "cabinet of curiosities" and the Museum of Natural History at Kazan

University. At present, the items in question remain in the keeping of the geological and zoological museums of Kazan State University.

Together with these natural historical collections, particularly important assemblages were formed by members of these Russian expeditions in the field of ethnographic study. The value of

2 the contribution made by Russian mariners to the development of ethnography as a science has been widely acknowledged in the literature. Let us note in this connection the works of Elya Shternberg,

B.A. Lipshits, L. Volokhova, B.N. Komissarov, S.A. Tokarev, and L.A. Shur. (See Shternberg's

Little Monograph, Ethnography: The Pacific Ocean. Russian Scientific Investigations, Leningrad

1926; B.A. Lipshits, Ethnographic Investigations on Russian Round-the-World Expeditions in the first half of the 19th century. Studies in the History of Russian Ethnography and Anthropology,

Volume 1. Moscow 1956; L. Volokhova, "Russian Ethnographic Observations in Oceania in the

Early 19th Century", Scientific Proceedings of the Chita State Pedagogical Institute, Number 2.

Chita 1958; B.M. Komissarov, Brazil in the First Quarter of the 19th Century; Descriptions by

Russian Mariners. Leningrad State University Herald, 1961, Number 14; by the same author,

Russian Sources for the Geography, Ethnography and History of Brazil, Leningrad 1975; L. Shur

"Diaries and Memoirs of Russian Travellers as Sources for the History and Ethnography of

Countries of the Pacific Ocean: First Half of the 19th Century", Australia and Oceania. Moscow

1970)

In the opinion of Soviet specialists, "the ethnography of Russian round-the-world voyages was distinguished by the breadth of it's scope and the depth of it's generalizations. They significantly prepared the way for Russian ethnographic research in the later 19th century" (B.

Lipshits, op.cit., page 322). Russian ethnography in Australia, as in Oceania, had moreover a particular value, in as much as it was largely undertaken in the pre-colonial period of the history of the native peoples in that part of the globe. Consequently, "much of what was observed was later entirely lost, under European influences". (L. Shternberg, op.cit., page 167.) Particular aspects of the ethnographic work of participants in the round-the-world expeditions in Australia have also been

3 properly valued, in the Russian language literature. The ethnographic legacy of I.M. Simonov, for instance, has been studied with some thoroughness. On this topic, the reader may consult N.I.

Vorob'ev, E.P. Busygin and G. Iusupov "The Ethnographic Made by I.M. Simonov on the Pacific

Islands", proceedings of the All-Union Geographical Society , 1949, Volume 8, Number 5; also I.N.

Alexandrov, "Professor I.M. Simonov, Participant in the Antarctic Expedition of F. Bellingshausen",

Learned Proceedings of the Kazan Pedagogical Institute: Faculty of Natural History, Volume 9.

Kazan 1950, A. Massov, "A Russian Investigator of Australia: Towards the Bi-centennial of the

Birth of I.M. Simonov", Proceedings of the Russian Geographical Society, 1994, Volume 126,

Number 1".

The scientific significance of the collections illustrating material culture, assembled in the course of these Russian visits to Australia and the island of Oceania, have likewise been justly appreciated. Today, these materials form the basis of the capitalized division of Australia and

Oceania in the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

(On this, see N.A. Butinov, in SMAE, Volume 35, Leningrad, 1980; also T.K. Shafranovskaia and

A.I. Azarov, "The Catalogue of Collections in the Sector of Australia and Oceania in MAE", SMAE,

Volume 39, Leningrad 1984." I.M. Simonov's own collection of ethnographica remains in the keeping of the relevant museum at Kazan State University.

The attention paid by Russian round-the-world mariners to the aboriginal peoples of countries visited, including the Australian aboriginals, was by no means a reflection of idle curiosity.

Nor was it even the consequence of the pursuit of one line of scientific inquiry or work within one area of science. As noted, the study of the aboriginal peoples formed a part of the basic program of scientific tasks of the expeditions in question, and ethnography was required when new lands were

4 discovered even in the course of commercial voyages. The commanders of Russian ships, for their part, invariably encouraged members of their companies to acquire from native peoples items that could form part of incipient collections. In one of his instructions, for instance, the commander of the sloop Otkrytie, Captain M.N. Vasiliev directly enjoined "all persons serving aboard the sloop

Otkrytie to obtain whatever may be of interest ... during our sojourns amongst savage peoples".

(RGAVMF, f213, op.1, d27, l18.)

Contact between Russian seaman and Australian aboriginals had begun even at the time of the Neva's visit to Sydney in 1807. Unfortunately, we do not know how well acquainted the crew of that sloop were able to become with the native inhabitants of the fifth continent: the captain of the Neva, L.A. Gagemeister, left no notes whatever on that matter. It is known, however, that a small ethnographical collection was made by the crew of the ship while Neva remained at anchor in Sydney. That small assemblage formed part of the collection of ethnographica put together, during the course of the voyage of Neva, "from places where there had been no Russian ships before us". (GAPO, f445, op1, d58, L11/obv.) In his inventory of the collection, drawn up by L.A.

Gagemeister himself, we find in the "Australian" section: "arrows, for war games, simple and not jagged, 2; arrows for military use, 4; for fishing, 1. Also one board, with the aid of which arrows are cast. Also clubs for close in-fighting, rounded but straight, 2; smoothand bent, 1. Also two shields". (GAPO, f445, op1,d58, L12) The arrows referred to by the commander of the Nev'a were in fact spears, (the Australian aboriginals were ignorant of the bow and arrow), and the "board", was evidently a spear-thrower the collection put together by the crew of Nev'a would unquestionably be of extra-ordinary scientific interest today. It's Australian items would be the earliest of any collected by Russian mariners on the fifth continent. Alas, that collection has not survived to the present day

5 or, at least, it's whereabouts is not known.

The first detailed description of aboriginals of Australia comes to us from a member of the crew of the ship that visited Australia after Nev'a, that is, the Russian-American Company ship

Suvorov. The description lies in the diary kept by navigator A. Rossiiskii. Many members of subsequent Russian expeditions visiting Australia likewise left their own descriptions of the indigenous inhabitants of Australia. Reference may be made to notes on the aboriginals that found their way into the materials published by M.N. Vasiliev, F.F. Bellingshausen, I.M. Simonov, P.M.

Novosil'skii, and A.P. Shabel'skii. (See M.N. Vasiliev, "Notes on the Fitting Out of the Expedition and it's Progress as Far as Port Jackson. RGAVMF, f213, op1, d102, L31-32; Bellingshausen, F,

Repeated Investigations ... Part 1, 1830, pages 245-46, 287-291; Part 2, pages 106-122; I.M.

Simonov, The Sloops Vostok and Mirnyi, pages 123-126, 144-148, 151-153; P.M. Novosil'skii, The

South Pole ... pages 38-42; Shabel'skii, A.P. "The Sojourn of Mr Shabel'skii in New Holland", pages

56-58. Even in the very short diary kept by Leading Seaman Kiselev of the Vostok, which is the only such document that has come down to us from a member of the lower deck on a round-the- world expedition, most of the remarks concerning the stay in Australia are in fact given over to the native people. (The Diary of Seaman Egor Kisilev may be seen in the periodical Vokrug Sveta,

1941, Number 4)

Russian round-the-world mariners provide us with detailed information about the physical appearance of the Australian aboriginals, their way of life and customs, their dwellings, ornaments, diet, implements, and weaponry. As a rule, the data are embedded in florid accounts of the aboriginals daily life, scenes from which were glimpsed by Russian seamen in the course of walks in the woods that surrounded the shore encampment on the north side of Port Jackson. In the second

6 and third decades of the 19th century, that territory was still occupied by the Cameraigl Tribe, and the Russian seamen often visited the natives or, conversely, received them in their own shore base.

Often enough, the aboriginals' visits had a character. I.M. Simonov, for example, writes that he,

"would often walk entirely unarmed into their assemblies", with a view to observing the behaviour of the Australian natives. The bulk of the information acquired by the Russian round-the-world voyagers regarding the Australian aboriginals thus rested not on the accounts of Englishmen, but rather on direct contacts with the natives. In itself, this allows us to view the data collected as having some degree of reliability and precision.

Special mention must be made of the Russian seaman's word sketches of the family of

Bungaree, whom the English had named "Chief" of the Cameraigl Tribe. Bungaree was one of the first aboriginals to cooperate and collaborate with the whites, performing various services for them and facilitating relations with the local natives. He had also taken part in English expeditions led by Matthew Flinders and Philip Parker King. The accounts of meetings with Bungaree given in the works of F.F. Bellingshausen and I.M. Simonov, together with the portraits of Bungaree and his wife

Matora painted by P.N. Mikhailov, significantly add to the information that we possess about that remarkable aboriginal from Australian sources. (See F. Bellingshausen, Repeated Investigations ...,

Part 1, pages 287 ff; Part 2, pages 111, 119-120; I.M. Simonov, The Sloops Vostok and Mirnyi ...

, pages 125-126, 144-146; Bellingshausen, Atlas ..., page 23).

The Australian part of the ethnographic legacy of the early Russian circumnavigators is by no means limited to empirical observations of the natives way of life or to the mere collecting of specimens of material culture. Equal or greater interest attaches to the Russians' attempts to comprehend what they had seen. Some such efforts had not lost their importance even today. The

7 most productive work in this regard was done by the astronomer onboard the sloop Vostok, I.M.

Simonov. He analyzed the ethnographic data that he himself and others had collected whilst in

Australia. And, although he had been professionally trained only in the fields of physics and mathematics, he was sufficiently learned to conduct his ethnographic inquiries on a sound scientific footing. He was a many-sided and competent young scientist, always ready to satisfy whatever ethnographic curiosity might be shown by members of the crews of Vostok or Mirnyi. On the basis of the results of his Australian observations, Simonov posed the question of the provenance of the

Australian aboriginals. he was one of the first to do so. It was his suggestion that they were related with the indigenous population of India. Modern anthropological research has confirmed the racial link between the Australian aboriginals and a number of tribal groups of India and Southeast Asia.

Also interesting are Simonov's ideas concerning the social organization of Australian aboriginal society, it's religious understanding, it's composition, and the hierarchy within hordes.

Captain Bellingshausen made an attempt to explain the social and cultural backwardness of the aboriginals in comparison with the stage of development reached by peoples in other parts of the world. He saw the reasons for such backwardness as lying, on the one hand, in the isolation of the

Australian natives from the other populations of the earth and, on the other, from natural conditions within Australia itself. Those conditions, he saw, are in many respects analogous with those characteristic of other tropical zones, the populations of which likewise distinguish themselves by their backwardness in comparison with the inhabitants of temperate climes. "The aboriginals' lack of skill in manufacture," writes Bellinghausen, "would seem to be the result of several factors: the extraordinary expanse of territory that they have oocupied, the want of populace communities, infrequent relations with neighboring groups, the adequate sustenance that they have obtained with

8 neither intellectual effort nor great physical labour, nor with any difficulties from even the climate".

(Reiterated Explorations ... Part 1 pages 290-291.) Nonetheless, the great majority of Russians who visited Australia in this period of course fully recognized the possibility of bringing the indigenous natives into civilization. "The natives of New Holland are quite capable of being educated," emphasized Bellinghausen himself, "despite the fact that many Europeans, sitting in their armchars, have denied that they possess any such capability," (ibid, Part 2, page 120.) "It should not be supposed," observes A.P. Shabelski moralistically, "that these savages are the very worst element in humankind... . They must certainly be regarded as capable of inclusion among the thinking beings." (Shabelski, Sojourn in New Holland..., page 57).

At the same time, we should not idealize the attitude taken toward the Australian aboriginals by Russian curcumnavigators. Some of the seaman were certainly possessed of rascist prejudices.

Young officers aborad the ship Blagonamerennyi, A.P. Lazarev and N.D. Shishmarev, compare the indigenous Australians with monkeys in their diaries. (On this, see the holograph of A.P. Lazarev's subsequently published work, "Notes Regarding the Voyage of the Armed Sloop Blagonamerrennyi, held in RGAVMF, f203, op1, d111, L83ff. This comparison was actually ommitted from the published book. cf Lazarev's Zapisky... Moscow 1950, page 153. Shishmarev's remarks on this matter may be consulted in manuscript form, under archive reference RGAVMF, f203, op1, d7305,

L31.)

Even in the work of I.M. Simonov, one may find a comparison of the aboriginals with "ugly savages", "black semi-devils", and even beings with "a certain similarity to orangutans". (Simonov

I.M., The Sloops Vostok and Mirnyi, pages 145, 153, 158/obv.) Lieutenant M.K. Kiukhel'beker, of the Apollon considered the Australian aboriginals to be "more like wild beasts thatn people".

9 Kiukhel'beker's letter to his mother, Iustina Yakovlevna, nee Lomen, are preserved in the manuscripts division of the Russian State Library in St Petersburg, under archival reference: f449, box 2, number 18, page 4ff.) I.M. Simonov certainly exaggerated the then widespread prejudice that cannibalism was much in evidence among the Australian natives. So much is clear from his "report on the voyage of Captain, now Captain-Commander, Bellingshausen..., page 30; it is also reflected in the aforementioned work, the sloops Vostok and Mirnyi, page 147. It must be borne in mind, however, that rascist views of these kinds were themselves widespread in the European science of the period. Despite the varying attitudes taken towards the indigenous population of Australia by Russian visitors, not a single conflict occurred between Russian sailors and natives. Indeed, contact with the aboriginals were of an entirely friendly nature. Russian seaman also took a positive interest in the attempts of the English colonial administration to persuade the aboriginals to adopt a settled way of life by opening schools for the native children. "The intentions of the governor are most laudatory," wrote Captain M.N. Vasiliev in that regard. "God grant that he may succeed in persuading these natives to adopt a better life. I believe... that it is necessary to educate them in that spirit from early childhood, and that if this were done it might be possible to attain success".

Vasiliev's "notes on the fitting out of the expedition and voyage...", in which these observations are embedded, are preserved under archival reference RGAVMF, f213, op1, d102, pages 32-33.

These early voyagers also fully recognized the negative aspects of the ongoing white colonization process, and fully understood that it was leading to the degradation and even the extinction of the aboriginals. All, with one voice, reported with deep disapproval on the drunkenness and spread of venereal diseases, so widespread among the indigenous population, and censured the attempts of white settlers to provoke inter-tribal friction and hostility among the

10 aboriginal population. A. Rosiiskii, writes for instance with indignation of something like a gladiatorial battle between aboriginals, which was actually organized by the English for their

Russian guests. "Any sensitive person would shudder at the sight of that bestial conflict, but the

English far from attempting to deflect the savages from collisions, attempt toexacerbate them one against the other. It is terrible to think how inhumane they can be! The spectacle of their fellow's torment has been made an entertainment". Rossiiskii's observations "on the sojourn of the ship

Suvorov in New Holland offers these lines in Book 11, pages 138-139.

The humane attitude taken by Russian mariners towards the native populations of Australia and the Pacific Islands has been widely acknowledged in the literature. That attitude was a reflection not only of personal or temperamental preference among the majority of naval officers, but was also, in it's own way, a part of Russian official policy. In his instructions to F.F.

Bellingshausen, the naval minister I.I. de Traversay enjoined the servants of the Admiralty Fleet "to show the greatest amity and humunity towards the inhabitants of such lands as may be visited, at the same time avoiding to the extent that avoidance may be possible all occasion for insult or dissatisfaction". The relevant orders are inlcuded in the "collection of instructions issued at various times to commanders of Russian vessels departing on distant voyages", page 69. In 1828, Captain

L.A. Gagemeister received a typical set of instructions on the eve of his departure with the Krotkii, and was ordered, "while making all possible efforts to develop friendly relations with the savages, to put aside even the thought of launching any attacks on them". (See RGAVMF, f283, op1, d772, page 53). In the same spirit, the commanders instructed their subordinates that they should avoid all occasion for conflict with the native groups. M.N. Vasiliev, for instance, expected that his subordinates would "treat the inhabitants as gently as possible..., and, in the event of some possible

11 loss being detected or some small insult being sustained, in no case to attempt vengeance. Certainly, to make no use of firearms against those same natives". (RGAVMF, f213, op1, d138, page 1/obv.)

Azvariety Fitsharding justly observes in her article "Russian Ships in Australian Waters, 1807-

1835" (Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, 1965, Vol 51, Part 2, page 142), only the

Russians among all the Europeans preserved their reputation unstained, where the aboriginals were concerned.

As the process of English colonization advanced, so the aboriginals of Australia found themselves pushed deeper into the interior of the ocntinent, their numbers in New South Wales having fallen very significantly. Even in 1929, Midhshipman E.A. Barens of the Krotkii was commenting on the diminishing numbers of aboriginals in the area of Port Jackson. By 1835,

Lieutenant V.S. Zavoiko of the America could speak of their complete disappearance. Barens comments appear in published form in the journal Morskoi Spornik, 1903, Number 2, unofficial section, page 56. Zavoiko's Impressions of a Seaman in the Course of Two Voyages Around the

World appeared in St Petersburg in 1840. The remarks in question appear on page 60. After the late

1820's, it was already practically impossible for Russian navigators to establish direct contact with

Australian aboriginals. Thereafter, their descriptions were based mostly on the accounts of English colonists and therefore lost much of their scientific significance.

Among the real achievements of the Russian circumnavigators, where study of Australia is concerned, was the provision for posterity of detailed descriptions of the state of affairs in New

South Wales and analyses of the process of white colonization on the Australian mainland. There are excellent grounds for declining to view these careful descrioptions as mere tourists impressions.

For they are better viewed as the result of purposeful inquiry and analysis of relevant statistical and

12 factual materials.

The commanders of these expeditions were, furthermore, required by their instructions to collect data on the political, social, and economic situations in countries visited in the course of their missions. Typical, in this regard were the aforementioned instructions given by de Traversy to

Captain M.N. vasiliev. They may be found in the manuscripts division, Russian State Library, f17,

107 (papers of A.V. Viskovatyi), Vol 11, pages 119ff. In addition to the data collected on the state of the economy and trade, political structures, mutual relations between different social groupings within the local society, and the like, much attention was paid to the situation in New South Wales with regard to shipbuilding and navigation, defence and military progress generally. It was natural that descriptions of Australia in these areas had a special improtance for the naval authrities in

Russia. Sydney and Hobart, after all, were practically the only European settlemetns between the

Indan and Pacific Oceans, in the first third of the 19th century where ships transporting goods to distant parts could revictual and find respite. And, of course, Australia was still a relatively little known land, and whatever was occurring in the convict colonies of England was of the greatest interest in St Petersburg...

The genuine enthusiasm obvious in Russian descriptions of the Australian colony and more specifically of the lifestyle of it's white residents, was a reflection in part of a particular, Russian point of view; but it must not be forgotten that these circumnavigators were mostly seeing the grand facade of the new English possession. Nor should it be forgotten that, after a long and exhausting passge across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans or even among the Antarctic icebergs, the crews of

Russian ships could only experience particular pleasure from that comfort with which they were surrounded while in Australia. I.M. Simonov, in a letter written in Sydney on 23 April 1820, reports

13 to his friend in Kazan, M.L. Magnitskii, that he can hardly exress the delight he felt on reaching Port

Jackson.

Still, we should not exaggerate the subjectivity of these Russian descriptions. They consiitute a relatively valuable albeit supplementary source for the history of the first few decades of the English colony in New South Wales. Let us also note the role played by early Russian accounts of Australia in the familiarizing of Russian society at large with various aspects of life on the fifth continent. At least until the mid-19th century in fact, the publication of materials provided by round-the-world mariners remained one of the main sources of informationa bour Australia for the Russian reader. By our own calcualtions, such publications comprised approximately one-fifth of all the works printed in Russia, between 1807-1850 that were wholly or partly given over to

Australian matters. The offerings of seamen were gladly accepted for publication both in popular and in scientific journals of the day. Among the former were such periodicals as Son of the

Fatherland, Northern Archive, Notes of the fatherland, and the Northern Bee. Extracts from A.

Rosiikiis journal were even reprinted in a journal for children. They appeared with appropriate commentary in the New Children's Library for 1831, Book 3-7, 9, 11, 14 and 19. The editor was

B. Fyodorov. The greatest number of published works regarding visits by Russian seamen to

Australia appeared in the 1820's and very early 1830's. Subsequently, Australian materials were sometimes declined, and this must certainly be seen as a reflection of the fact that the reading publics appetite for Australian exotica had already been fully satisfied. So it was that the memoirs of Midshipman K.K. Gils'sen of the ship Blagonamerennyi, which apeared in Notes of the

Fatherland in 1849, actually started with the author's departure from Port Jackson. His account of the sloop's voyage may be found in the aforementioned periodical for 1849, Vol 66, Section 8.

14 Nonetheless, it is plain from the extant archival materials that Gils'sen's original draft of his narrative contained an extensive chapter on the Russian visit to New South Wales in 1820 (RGAVMF, f205, op1, d258,page 13/obv.)

The materials published by Russian visitors that concerned their sojourns in Australia consisted not only of plain observations, but also extracts from other journals, articles and books.

As for F.F. Bellingshausen's monograph, repeated explorations in the Souther Icy Ocean, it was a regular encyclopedia on Australian questions. Having provided a full acount of the stay of the sloops Vostok and Mirnnyi in Sydney he provides a sweeping section headed "brief information regarding the colony in New South Wales" (op cit, part 2, pages 93-151.) Therein he examines in some detail the political, legal, and administrative conditions in the English settlements, and surveys the social and economic situation in New South Wales. Detailed information is adduced on the geography flora, and fauna of the colony. Another full and circumstantial survey of various apsects of the English colonies in Australia is to be found in A.P. Shabelskii's sketch, published in the journal Northern Archive for 1826, part 23, numbers 17-18, pages 43-61. "Taking into account that

Shabelskii was not in Sydney for more than two weeks, " writes the translator H. Hotimsky, "the accurace of his descriptions and observations is striking". This translation of Shabelskii's own narrative may be found in Melbourne Slavonic Studies, 1967, Vol 1, Number 1, it is there entitled

" A Russian Account of New South Wales in 1822." No less detailed or all-embracing is the account of the establishment and early development of the English colony on tasmania provided by Andrei

P. Lazarev in his book, The Voyage Round-the World of the Sloop Ladoga St Petersburg 1830, pages 54-80. These and numerous other publications deserve to be viewed with some trust, as the accounts of eyewitnesses; but they also attracted the reader, in their day, by their literary merit.

15 Such Australian materials, submitted for publication by Russian circumnavigators played an important role not only as a reliable source of information, but also as a formative factor in the growth of Russian attitudes toward various sides of Australian reality. There can be no doubt that it was under the influence of the views of such naval visitors that there developed, in Russia, a distinct empathy with the Australian aboriginals. In 1829 for example, several periodicals reported with much indignation on news received from Australia that aboriginals were being wiped out with the aid of poison. Such items appeared in Historical, Statistical and Geographical Journal for 1829,

Part 4, Book 3, page 189. Others apeared in Son of the Fatherland, for instance, in part 125 for

1829, Vol 3, Number 18, page 247.

It may justly be said that these Russian descriptions of Australia and it's inhabitants provided one of the very few impulses that brought Australian and , more generally, South Pacific issues within the intellectual and cultural orbit of Russian society. The same may certainly be said of the results of the scientific inquiries undertaken in Austarlia by members of Russian round-the-world expeditions.

16