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This series focuses on Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region from the arrival of European seafarers and missionaries to the early twentieth century. Contemporary accounts document the gradual development of the European settlements from penal colonies and whaling stations to thriving communities of farmers, miners and traders with fully-fledged administrative and legal systems. Particularly noteworthy are the descriptions of the indigenous peoples of the various islands, their customs and their differing interactions with the European settlers.

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107 results in Cambridge Library Collection - History of Oceania

Page 5 of 6

Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia, and Overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound, in the Years 1840–1
  • Volume 2
  • Edward John Eyre
  • Published online:
    05 October 2012
    Print publication:
    08 November 2011
    First published in:
    1845
  • In 1832, aged just seventeen, the future colonial governor Edward John Eyre (1815–1901) set sail from London for Australia. The farming life that awaited him laid the foundations of an enduring interest in the topography, anthropology and zoology of his adopted homeland. Following an initial expedition in 1839, in 1840 Eyre set out on his pioneering trek from Adelaide to Western Australia. The year-long adventure financially ruined the explorer, but won him the coveted gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society for discovering Lake Torrens. Published in 1845, this two-volume account of the expedition made Eyre a household name in Britain and fuelled popular interest in the former penal colony. Volume 2 leads readers through various dramatic episodes including the plundering of the camp, a 'night of horrors', forced marches, and hunting kangaroos. It concludes with a fascinating account of the celebratory aborigine reception that awaited the survivors.

Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia, and Overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound, in the Years 1840–1
  • Volume 1
  • Edward John Eyre
  • Published online:
    05 October 2012
    Print publication:
    08 November 2011
    First published in:
    1845
  • In 1832, aged just seventeen, the future colonial governor Edward John Eyre (1815–1901) set sail from London for Australia. The farming life that awaited him laid the foundations of an enduring interest in the topography, anthropology and zoology of his adopted homeland. Following an initial expedition in 1839, in 1840 Eyre set out on his pioneering trek from Adelaide to Western Australia. The year-long adventure financially ruined the explorer, but won him the coveted gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society for discovering Lake Torrens. Published in 1845, this two-volume account of the expedition made Eyre a household name in Britain and fuelled popular interest in the former penal colony. Including eleven engravings, Volume 1 opens with the origins of the expedition, but quickly leads readers into the darkest moments experienced en route, including conflicts within the party, desperate searches for water, and the murder of an overseer.

Notes and Sketches of New South Wales
  • During a Residence in that Colony from 1839 to 1844
  • Louisa Anne Meredith
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1844
  • Louisa Anne Meredith (1812–1895) had published poetry, journalism, and books on flowers before emigrating to Australia in 1839. Her account of her journey there and her early impressions of the people were somewhat derogatory, and caused considerable offence in Sydney, although the book was widely read both in Australia and in England. However, her lyrical descriptions of nature were extremely popular, and she was also a talented illustrator of her own work. She published some twenty books, and many other writings, making her one of the most commercially successful women writers in Australia. Her My Home in Tasmania (1852) is also reprinted in this series. Her books remain valuable as a source of information on the social history of Australia in the mid-nineteenth century, and also on natural history. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=merelo

Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, during the Years 1837, 38, and 39
  • Volume 2
  • George Grey
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    23 February 2012
    First published in:
    1841
  • Educated at Sandhurst, Sir George Grey (1812–98) became Governor of South Australia when he was not yet thirty. Later he served as Governor of New Zealand and High Commissioner for South Africa, and in the 1870s he enjoyed a period as premier of New Zealand. Although he liked to portray himself as 'good Governor Grey', some of his contemporaries found him ruthless and manipulative. Like many other Victorian administrators, he was convinced that the 'savage' natives needed to be 'improved' in order to become more like Europeans. In this 1841 publication, Grey writes about two expeditions to North-West Australia that took place under his leadership in 1837–9. Both expeditions encountered difficulties, and Grey himself was seriously wounded. In Volume 2, Grey focuses on the language and culture of the native Australians, and reveals his plans for 'raising' the Aborigines to what he regards a 'civilised' level.

Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, during the Years 1837, 38, and 39
  • Volume 1
  • George Grey
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    23 February 2012
    First published in:
    1841
  • Educated at Sandhurst, Sir George Grey (1812–98) became Governor of South Australia when he was not yet thirty. Later he served as Governor of New Zealand and High Commissioner for South Africa, and in the 1870s he enjoyed a period as Premier of New Zealand. Although he liked to portray himself as 'good Governor Grey' some of his contemporaries found him ruthless and manipulative. Like many other Victorian administrators, he was convinced that the 'savage' natives needed to be 'raised' properly in order to become more like Europeans. In this 1841 publication, Grey writes about two expeditions to North–West Australia that took place under his leadership in 1837–9. In Volume 1, he tells of the difficulties that the expedition encountered while seeking a site for settlement, including an incident when the spear of a 'coloured man' wounded him and he shot the 'wretched savage'.

New Zealand
  • Being a Narrative of Travels and Adventures during a Residence in that Country between the Years 1831 and 1837
  • Volume 1
  • J. S. Polack
  • Published online:
    05 October 2012
    Print publication:
    24 November 2011
    First published in:
    1838
  • J. S. Polack (1807–82) lived in New Zealand during 1831–7 and 1842–50. An enterprising businessman and land speculator, he traded in timber and flax, and in 1835 set up the first brewery in the country. He also learned the Maori language, and warned against the destructive effects on Maori society of unorganized European settlement, while arguing for the benefits of systematic colonization. This two-volume work, published in 1838, was the first of two successful books by Polack about his experiences in New Zealand and is still regarded as an important and impartial source about the period immediately preceding the Treaty of Waitangi. Volume 1 outlines the discovery of the islands, their climate, geology, topography and fauna. It contains vivid descriptions of the Maori and their customs (including an account of an energetic haka) and details about family life, social status, food, tapu prohibitions, dress, and tattooing.

Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia
  • With Descriptions of the Recently Explored Region of Australia Felix and of the Present Colony of New South Wales
  • Volume 1
  • T. L. Mitchell
  • Published online:
    05 February 2012
    Print publication:
    05 May 2011
    First published in:
    1838
  • 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.

Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia
  • With Descriptions of the Recently Explored Region of Australia Felix and of the Present Colony of New South Wales
  • Volume 2
  • T. L. Mitchell
  • Published online:
    25 October 2011
    Print publication:
    05 May 2011
    First published in:
    1838
  • 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.

New Zealand
  • Being a Narrative of Travels and Adventures during a Residence in that Country between the Years 1831 and 1837
  • Volume 2
  • J. S. Polack
  • Published online:
    05 October 2012
    Print publication:
    24 November 2011
    First published in:
    1838
  • J. S. Polack (1807–82) lived in New Zealand during 1831–7 and 1842–50. An enterprising businessman and land speculator, he traded in timber and flax, and in 1835 set up the first brewery in the country. He also learned the Maori language, and warned against the destructive effects on Maori society of unorganized European settlement, while arguing for the benefits of systematic colonization. This two-volume work, published in 1838, was the first of two successful books by Polack about his experiences in New Zealand and is still regarded as an important and impartial source about the period immediately preceding the Treaty of Waitangi. Volume 2 focuses on Maori material culture and craftsmanship, traditional beliefs and rituals, and warfare (including lurid reports of cannibalism), as well as the early interactions of Maori and Europeans through trade, missions and whaling.

The British Colonization of New Zealand
  • Being an Account of the Principles, Objects, and Plans of the New Zealand Association
  • Edward Gibbon Wakefield
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1837
  • Edward Gibbon Wakefield (1796–1862) was a controversial colonial advocate and political theorist, who was the driving force behind the early colonization of New Zealand and South Australia. Barred from entering parliament after serving a three-year sentence in Newgate Prison, Wakefield read widely on contemporary economic and social questions before forming the New Zealand Association in 1837, with the aim of creating a colony in the country based on his theories of systemic colonization. This volume, first published in 1839, contains a detailed description of the New Zealand Association's plans for the formation of a British colony in the country. Published to attract new members and potential colonists to the Association, this volume discusses the natural resources of New Zealand and describes the Association's method of colonisation together with a proposed system of government, providing a valuable practical example of Wakefield's influential theories of colonization.

New South Wales
  • Its Present State and Future Prospects
  • James Macarthur
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    15 December 2011
    First published in:
    1837
  • This 1837 book was ghost-written by the young Edward Edwards (1812–86), later a key figure in the development of British public libraries. It contains two petitions requesting closer British government involvement in the transition of New South Wales from a convict colony to a well run society of respectable emigrants. It includes the names and, unusually for that period, the domiciles of all the petitioners, together with supporting arguments and detailed statistical documentation about the population, economy, laws and governance of the colony. The publication was supervised by the wealthy Australian-born landowner James Macarthur (1798–1867), who was becoming increasingly influential in the political and economic development of New South Wales. He aimed to secure 'the best interests of the Colony, strengthen the ties to the Parent State and render it in every way worthy of its British origin', by elevating 'the moral character of its society'.

The Felonry of New South Wales
  • Being a Faithful Picture of the Real Romance of Life in Botany Bay
  • James Mudie
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    08 November 2011
    First published in:
    1837
  • In 1822, an ambitious but bankrupt mariner named James Mudie arrived in Australia. With the support and patronage of the Colonial Office he was appointed justice of the peace and went on to acquire a reputation as one of the harshest and most brutal magistrates in New South Wales. Published in 1837, as a gesture of protest against Sir Richard Burke's relative leniency, Mudie's account of the 'social, moral and political condition' of the penal colony terrified British readers. Using dramatic imagery and anecdotes to support his argument, the author recommends a three-pronged attack on the 'depraved appetites and vicious courses' of convicts. Advocating strict discipline, the subjection of the will of the prisoner to that of the master, and 'religious impression', Mudie's treatise reveals not only the challenges facing nineteenth-century magistrates, but also the brutal treatment that awaited those whose punishment began with transportation to Australasia.

The History of the Island of Van Diemen's Land, from the Year 1824 to 1835 Inclusive
  • Henry Saxelby Melville
  • Published online:
    05 April 2012
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1835
  • Van Diemen's Land was the name originally given to the island known today as Tasmania, Australia, and it was settled by the British in 1803 as a penal colony. Before writing this history of the island, the author, Henry Saxelby Melville (1799–1873), a journalist, was imprisoned in 1835 for contempt of court over an article he wrote about an ongoing trial. While experiencing the prison system at first hand, he completed this work, which examines the history of Van Diemen's Land, focusing on the period from 1824 to 1835, and offers harsh criticism of the colonial administration and penal reforms enacted by lieutenant-governor Colonel George Arthur (1784–1854). Melville also includes an essay of his views on the island's system of prison discipline. He initially had the book printed on the island, but later smuggled copies to London where it could be freely published and read.

An Historical and Statistical Account of New South Wales, Both as a Penal Settlement and as a British Colony
  • Volume 2
  • John Dunmore Lang
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    04 May 2011
    First published in:
    1834
  • 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 2 investigates the distribution and character of the convict population and stresses the advantages of New South Wales to emigrants, finishing with an analysis of the practicalities of emigration and settling in Australia. 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.

An Historical and Statistical Account of New South Wales, Both as a Penal Settlement and as a British Colony
  • Volume 1
  • John Dunmore Lang
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    04 May 2011
    First published in:
    1834
  • 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.

Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia, during the Years 1828, 1829, 1830, and 1831
  • With Observations on the Soil, Climate, and General Resources of the Colony of New South Wales
  • Volume 2
  • Charles Sturt
  • Published online:
    05 October 2012
    Print publication:
    08 November 2011
    First published in:
    1833
  • Charles Sturt (1795–1869) was a British soldier, sent to New South Wales in charge of convicts in 1826. In 1827 Governor Darling appointed him to lead the first of two expeditions into the interior, in search of pastoral land for settlement and a navigable river system. Sturt's two-volume account of his journeys was published in 1833. Volume 2 describes how in November 1829 Sturt left Sydney to trace the Murrumbidgee River, which led him to the Lachlan, and ultimately the Murray. The ship which was supposed to be waiting for the party on the south coast had left, and the explorers were forced to row 900 miles back up river on low rations, an experience which permanently damaged Sturt's health. Despite these hardships, Sturt made careful records of the topography and flora of the region, as well as his encounters with the local, occasionally hostile, Aboriginal tribes.

Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia, during the Years 1828, 1829, 1830, and 1831
  • With Observations on the Soil, Climate, and General Resources of the Colony of New South Wales
  • Volume 1
  • Charles Sturt
  • Published online:
    05 October 2012
    Print publication:
    08 November 2011
    First published in:
    1833
  • Charles Sturt (1795–1869) was a British soldier, sent to New South Wales in charge of convicts in 1826. In 1827 Governor Darling appointed him to lead the first of two expeditions into the interior, in search of pastoral land for settlement and a navigable river system. Sturt's two-volume account of his journeys, published in 1833, begins with a description of the colony. Volume 1 focuses on the expedition of 1828–9, when Sturt and a small party travelled on horseback down the Macquarie River until it turned into marshes. Skirting the unhealthy swamps, they eventually discovered and named the Darling River, but were forced to turn back due to drought and a lack of fresh water, as the Darling was salt. Sturt describes the topgraphy, vegetation and wildlife, as well as his encounters with groups of Aborigines concerned for the party's welfare despite their own harsh living conditions.

A Narrative of a Nine Months' Residence in New Zealand in 1827
  • Together with a Journal of a Residence in Tristan D'Acunha, an Island Situated between South America and the Cape of Good Hope
  • Augustus Earle
  • Published online:
    05 October 2012
    Print publication:
    24 November 2011
    First published in:
    1832
  • Augustus Earle (1793–1838) was a professional watercolour artist specialising in colonial themes. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from the age of thirteen and in 1815 travelled to the Mediterranean. He spent the next fifteen years touring the world and in 1832, when this book was published, was briefly employed by Darwin on H.M.S. Beagle, though he left that expedition in Montevideo owing to ill health. The first part of the book describes Earle's experiences in New Zealand, where he observed in detail the lifestyle of the pre-colonial Maori and the early European settlers. The second part tells how in 1824 Earle, travelling from Rio to Cape Town, found himself left behind on the Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha and spent eight months sharing the simple life of the tiny British community there and tutoring their children until finally a rare passing ship took him on board.

Voyage of HMS Blonde to the Sandwich Islands, in the Years 1824–1825
  • Captain the Right Hon. Lord Byron, Commander
  • Compiled by Maria Callcott
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    31 October 2013
    First published in:
    1826
  • George Anson Byron (1789–1868), cousin of the famous poet, was a naval officer and the seventh Baron Byron. When the king and queen of Hawaii died of measles in July 1824 on a visit to England, Byron was chosen to lead the voyage that returned the bodies to their native land. Prepared by Maria Graham (1785–1842), known later as Lady Callcott, this work was published in 1826 and organised into two parts: the first gives a brief history of the islands, culminating in an account of the fatal visit; the second and larger part is compiled from the journals of those on board HMS Blonde. Engravings made from the drawings of the ship's artist, Robert Dampier, complement observations about the geography of Hawaii, its people and their customs. The remarkable journey home involved the first European sighting of Malden Island and the rescue of survivors from a shipwreck.

A Statistical, Historical, and Political Description of the Colony of New South Wales, and its Dependent Settlements in Van Diemen's Land
  • With a Particular Enumeration of the Advantages Which These Colonies Offer for Emigration, and their Superiority in Many Respects over Those Possessed by the United States of America
  • William Charles Wentworth
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    15 December 2011
    First published in:
    1819
  • The politician, landowner and journalist W. C. Wentworth (1790–1872), was an energetic and controversial character in the early history of modern Australia. Together with Gregory Blaxland and William Lawson, he was the first to cross Australia's Blue Mountains. A well-known public figure in the colony of New South Wales, he founded a newspaper called The Australian (in 1824) and campaigned, among other things, for a free press, trial by jury, rights for emancipated convicts, public education, and a representative government. He also became extremely wealthy. In this book, first published in 1819, Wentworth argues that the Australian colonies are a better choice than the United States of America for European emigrants. The book contains a vast amount of information about the colonies of New South Wales and Tasmania, together with Wentworth's suggestions for the improvement of their government, and remains an important source for historians.

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