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The French in Van Diemen's Land, and the first settlement at the Derwent

Walker, James Backhouse 1888 , 'The French in Van Diemen's Land, and the first settlement at the Derwent' , Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania , pp. 97-126 .

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Abstract

Some two years ago, the Tasmanian Government of
which the Hon. James Wilson Agnew, Honorary Secretary
of the Royal Society, was Premier following the good
example set by the Governments of New South Wales,
Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and New Zealand,
directed search to be made in the English State Record
Office for papers relating to the settlement and early
history of this Colony. The idea originated in a suggestion
from Mr. James Bonwick, F.R.G.S., the well-known
writer on the Tasmanian Aborigines, who had been
employed for years on similar work for various Colonial
Governments, and to him the task was entrusted by Dr.
Agnew. Mr. Bonwick searched, not only the Record
Office, but the papers of the Admiralty, the Foreign
Office, the Privy Council, and the British Museum, and
discovered and copied a large mass of documents relating
to the early days of Tasmania, in the early part of
this year, these copies, extending over some 640 foolscap
pages, were received in Hobart, and the present Premier the Hon. Philip Oakley Fysh obligingly allowed me
to peruse them. I found them to be of great interest.
They threw quite a new light on the causes which led to
the first occupation of this Island, gave a complete
history of Bowen's first settlement at Risdon Cove
and supplied materials for other hitherto unwritten

Item Type: Article
Authors/Creators:Walker, James Backhouse
Keywords: Royal Society of Tasmania, Van Diemens Land, VDL, Hobart Town, natural sciences, proceedings, records
Journal or Publication Title: Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
Collections: Royal Society Collection > Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
Additional Information:

In 1843 the Horticultural and Botanical Society of Van Diemen's Land was founded and became the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land for Horticulture, Botany, and the Advancement of Science in 1844. In 1855 its name changed to Royal Society of Tasmania for Horticulture, Botany, and the Advancement of Science. In 1911 the name was shortened to Royal Society of Tasmania.

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