'AUSTRALIA ILLUSTRATED' Early Non-Illustrated Lettersheets & Periodicals
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1088
Symbol: C
NEW SOUTH WALES: 1846 4pp lettersheet with printed Resolution of 6.3.1846 re soliciting funds for 'The School House and Teacher's Residence, Kent-street, South, in connection with St Andrew's Scots Church...' over the name of 'J M'Garvie DD', with lengthy letter headed "Sydney 15 October 1846" & signed by the same "John McGarvie", to Scotland with underinked 'PAID SHIP LETTER/[crown]/OC*19/1846/SYDNEY' d/s, rated "3" in red, boxed 'GLASGOW/3APR1847/11-AM' d/s & rated "1/-". Carried per Toulmin Packet 'Berkshire' ex Sydney 7.11.1846 via Cape Horn, arrived Cherbourg (!) 2.4.1847. This was the only Toulmin sailing that deviated from the required landing at an English port: see Colin Tabeart at page 106-7 where he notes the average passage in 1846 was 129 days. This voyage took 146 days. [The writer blames "church disputes here" for his failure to write sooner. He refers to "the bigotted fury of our friends of the Free Church who have no mercy for those who oppose them...our Body have resolved to remain in connexion with the Established Church of Scotland...I have got a very handsome School house erected attached to my Church...I am also now getting a Manse erected...Our new Governor [FitzRoy] has arrived..."]
NEW SOUTH WALES: 1850 printed part-entire headed 'Conditions under which Sales of Lease of Crown Lands are held by Public Auction...', endorsed "OHMS" to Gosford with exceptional & rare franking of Sydney Views Plate II (Horizontally Lined Background) 2d bright blue pair [Pos R1/3-4] with Circle Intersecting Fan on both units & the R/H unit also with No Whip SG 24c & d (margins close to large with outer framelines except at left; Cat £1300 as single stamps) just tied by barred cancels of Sydney (b/s of JY*16/1850), a superb First Issue cover & one of the finest Sydney View covers we have handled. Ex Ludwig Baetgen (9.3.1994). Ben Palmer's Census #167 & illustrated by him. [4d was double-rate. It appears that a second page - probably an application form - was detached & there may also have been an enclosure]
SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 1841 (Dec 1) 'The South Australian News Letter' Issue Number 1 tabloid-size, 4pp (one blank) with three pages of dense information & statistics about the Colony & imprint of A Macdougall Adelaide at the end, edited by James Allen, folded & addressed to London "pr Emma to Sydney" with no South Australian markings, light but obvious oval 'PAID SHIP LETTER/JA*19/1842/SYDNEY' d/s in red, British 'SHIP LETTER' h/s & London capsule '8NT8/MY23/1842' b/s both in red, mercantile letter headed "Adelaide/22nd Dec 1841" refers to "nine bales [of wool] weighing together 2408 lbs". A very early South Australian entire that incluydes a list of the seven current post offices & the mail schedule with Port Lincoln stated to be "Occasionally". [We could find no library catalogue entries nor any other online references to this publication]
SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 1856 (Apr 21) entire 'ADELAIDE PRICES CURRENT' for Edward Stirling with a page of shipping movements & a full-page market summary, folded for sending through the mail to Oxfordshire "per Oliver Lang/via Melbourne" with a fine London Printing 6d dark blue SG 3 (almost full margins) not tied by the circle-in-bars cancel of the GPO but it clearly belongs, 'PAID/AP23/1856/ADELAIDE SA' cds alongside in red, Liverpool tombstone transit of JY27/56 across the fold & London cds obscuring the Adelaide cds, a couple of minor problems that don't detract from what is a very attractive Classic item. [Edward Stirling was a partner in the business that eventually became Elder Smith Goldsborough Mort & Younghusband. He was also a member of the Legislative Council. The town of Stirling, in the Adelaide Hills, was named after him. At this time, ships for England bypassed Adelaide so mail was first sent by coastal ship to Melbourne]
SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 1857 (Jan 19) entire 'ADELAIDE PRICES CURRENT' for Samuel Dixon & Co with shipping movements & a full-page market summary, printed for a sailing of the 'Oneida' to England but folded for sending through the mail to Sydney endorsed "forwarded by Saml.Dixon & Co" with Adelaide Printing 2d blood-red SG 8 (margins just touching to huge) tied by the circle-in-bars cancel of the GPO with 'PAID/JA19/1857/ADELAIDE SA' cds alongside in red, superlative 'SHIP LETTER/ C /JA*29/1857/SYDNEY' arrival b/s, minor blemishes. [The inter-colonial shipletter rate was 3d but there was a concessional rate of 2d for printed papers]
TASMANIA: 1858 government papers No 16-27 being mostly petitions on various subjects but including 8pp of Regulations for Tasmanians sitting Examinations for Cambridge & Oxford Universities, folded three times vertically for posting to the Launceston Examiner with scarce solo franking of an enormous & superb Imperf 1/- bright vermilion SG 41 tied by light BN '61 of Hobart, boxed 'PRE-PAID/24SP24/1858' b/s in red, a couple of insignificant blemishes.
TASMANIA: 1866 entire being a largely-printed Tasmanian Fire Insurance Company request for annual premium with Experimental Separations Perf 10 1d brick-red SG 57 tied by light bars cancel of Hobart with a light but fine strike of the scarce boxed 'PRE-PAID/4 O-CLOCK/16JA16/1866' d/s in red below, light overall discolouration on the address panel which is not obvious when the item is folded. A very attractive town letter.
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1095
Symbol: C
Cat No: 69 (faded
TASMANIA: 1869 large-part entire being a largely-printed Cornwall Fire & Marine Insurance Company request for annual premium with Experimental Separations Perf 12 1d dull vermilion SG 69 (faded) tied by lindistinct cancel of Launceston, superb diamond 'PRE-PAID/15DE15/1869' d/s in red below, minor blemishes.
VICTORIA: 1841 printed 'A Plan for the Wesleyan Methodist Preachers and Prayer Leaders/of the Melbourne Circuit/1841' with imprint 'Shanly, Printer...Melbourne', showing eight places of worship with some manuscript enhancements at the sides that identify "New Town" as 1 mile from the city, "Brickfields" (1 mile) & "Forest" (5 miles), all references that are lost on us who think we know our Melbourne history rather well, the lengthy letter headed "Port Philip/Australia Felix/1841 May 12" & signed "J Ankers Marsden" states "The accompanying sheet is a copy of the first Wesleyan Plan ever printed in Australia Felix & the only one of the size it was struck off at my earnest request [for you]...", to Nottinghamshire with a fine strike of the 'MELBOURNE/PAID'-in-octagon h/s in red & largely very fine 'MELBOURNE/[crown]/AU*5/184-/ NEW.S.WALES' b/s (no year as usual for 1841 strikes), London transit b/s of 26DE26/1841 & fair 'MANSFIELD' arrival cds of DE28/1841 on the face, the address panel very soiled, some small pieces missing & some internal splitting reinforced with archival tape. An important & unique church document.
Joseph Ankers Marsden was a preacher & social activist who arrived from Hobart on 13.3.1841. He implores the addressee & the extended family to all leave England for 'Australia Felix', to come under the government's scheme of free passage &, in a PS, states "...I know I could induce the Wesleyans to support you". James Shanly (or Shanley) was an important if little-known printer who produced the 'Weekly Press & Port Philip Advertiser' (1841) & the 'Melbourne Commercial Directory' (1853).
VICTORIA: 1850 (Nov; Vol 1 No 11) 'The Melbourne/CHURCH OF ENGLAND/MESSENGER' 8vo 36pp, folded lengthwise for posting with the addressing band removed but with rare franking of Half-Length Ham Printing Third State with Outer Framelines Added 1d dull red SG 8a [Pos 8] (margins shaved to large with a fragment of the adjoining unit at left; Cat £225) just tied by a part-strike of the Butterfly '1' cancel of Melbourne, minor foxing & soiling on the face but otherwise remarkably fine. A rare & exceptional town-letter.
VICTORIA: 1858 (Nov 13) entire 'GEELONG SHIPPING REPORT/Gold Circular...and Prices Current' with three dense pages of trade data & 'Printed...Daniel Harrison & Co...and published by Henry C Wigg' at the end, printed for a sailing of the 'Emeu' to England but sent to New Zealand with scarce solo franking of Emblems Imperf 1d dull yellow-green (faults but presentable) tied by very fine BN '2' of Geelong (poor b/s), 'WELLINGTON/NO25/1858/=NEW ZEALAND=' arrival b/s & '2' h/s for inwards shipletter fee, filing fold across the address panel & minor soiling.
The inter-colonial shipletter rate was 3d but there was a concessional rate of 1d for printed papers. The State Library of Victoria has only one issue, of 15.1.1858.
VICTORIA: 1861 (Mar 1) 'Power Rutherford & Co's Weekly Circular' on blue paper, 4 tabloid pages of dense market information with address panel headed 'Newspaper Only', to Sydney with scarce solo franking of Emblems Perf 12 1d pale yellow-green tied by very late usage of the standard BN '1' of Melbourne, minor internal faults but of very fine facial appearance. A rare & attractive usage of the concessional 1d newspaper rate.
We could find no examples of this publication in our online library searches, and no record of the company.
VICTORIA: 1869 (Mar 9) 'The Argus' entire newspaper eight broadsheet pages largely of classified advertisements, hand-addressed to California with scarce solo franking of Laureates 1d green (perfs trimmed at right) tied by bars 'killer' cancel of Melbourne, magnificent strike of 'DUE 2' h/s applied at San Francisco, usual folds & sme soiling. Includes a notice for the sailing of the American clipper 'Lottie Maria' ex Melbourne 15.3.1869 direct to San Franciso. A terrific item for the collector of rates, routes, destinations or taxed mail. Absent from Ben Palmer's Census, and he does not record the h/s on mail from Victoria: Dale Forster notes that "The Mahoney book lists one example only".
Before the New Zealand-United States Postal Convention of late-1870, there were no contract mails to any port on the US Pacific Coast. Mail could be carried by private ship but, as Colin Tabeart notes, such sailings were 'sporadic'. Items that can be conclusively attributed to a particular non-contract sailing are rare, and this is the only such newspaper usage recorded by us.
'MELBOURNER DEUTSCHE ZEITUNG': 1860 (June 22) 4pp in German with panorama of Melbourne & the Yarra River with imprint 'F Grosse' at L/R, the addressing band has been removed but with Emblems 1d bright green on Bordeaux Paper SG 97 tied to the face by killer '1' cancel of Melbourne, central folds & minor soiling still remarkably fine. Ex Ken Barelli: sold at our auction of 2.5.2014 for $874. Rodney Perry (2006) & RPSofV (2014) Certificates.
'THE AUSTRALIAN NEWS': 1863 (July 25) with panorama of Melbourne & the Yarra River banner & 'Bank of Victoria, Melbourne' below (both unattributed), hand-addressed to Wiltshire per RMS 'Bombay' with Netted Corners 1d pale yellow-green tied by a very late use of a standard BN '1' of Melbourne (withdrawn from use in 1861), removed from a bound volume & remarkably fine. [Sub-titled 'For Home Readers' (ie in Britain), each issue was stated to be 'Published Expressly for Transmission by RMS...', in this case, the 'Bombay'. The publishers were Ebenezer & David Syme who also produced 'The Age', which is still published daily]
'THE AUSTRALIAN NEWS': 1863 (Oct 24) with panorama of Melbourne & the Yarra River banner & 'Vestibule of the Public Library, Melbourne' below (both unattributed), hand-addressed to Wiltshire per RMS 'Bombay' with Netted Corners 1d pale yellow-green (an enormous stamp from the confluence of four 'panes' of 15) tied by a very fine Melbourne duplex, minor soiling, removed from a bound volume.
'THE AUSTRALIAN NEWS': 1867 (Jan 28) with redrawn 'Trade & Commerce' banner & '.../The New Members of the Ministry' below (both unattributed), hand-addressed to Wiltshire "via Marseilles" per RMS 'Avoca' with Laureates 2d grey-violet tied by an irregular usage of the Barred Oval '1/V' of Melbourne, fine but partly-obscured strike of the boxed 'INSUFFICIENTLY PAID/VIA MARSEILLES' h/s (the only example we have seen on a non-standard article), removed from a bound volume & remarkably fine. An important & unusual rates item.
Ben Palmer at page 264, notes that the standard newspaper rate via the Long Sea Route was 1d. He gives no rate via Marseilles but does quote an 1866 rate of 2d via Trieste.
'THE AUSTRALIAN NEWS': 1867 (June 28) with redrawn 'Trade & Commerce' banner & an untitled scene of a Police Trooper & Two Black Trackers below (both unattributed), hand-addressed to Wiltshire per RMS 'Geelong' with Laureates 1d green pair (one damaged) tied by two fine to very fine strikes of a killer '1' of Melbourne, a little soiled, removed from a bound volume.
'THE ILLUSTRATED AUSTRALIAN NEWS': 1868 (April 25) with new title & redrawn three-vignette banner & 'St Patrick's Cathedral - WW Wardell Esq Architect' below (both unattributed), hand-addressed to Wiltshire per RMS 'Avoca' with Laureates 1d green tied by Melbourne duplex, central horizontal fold & minor foxing, removed from a bound volume.
'THE ILLUSTRATED AUSTRALIAN NEWS': 1868 (May 25) with new title & redrawn three-vignette banner & 'Rachel Going to the Well/from a Painting by F Goodall...' with monogram 'ST' or 'TS' at L/R, hand-addressed to Wiltshire per RMS 'Bombay' with Laureates 1d green tied by killer '1' of Melbourne duplex, central horizontal fold, removed from a bound volume. [The painting was purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria in 1867]
'THE ILLUSTRATED AUSTRALIAN NEWS': 1869 (Mar 1) with new title & redrawn three-vignette banner & 'Hobart Town from Mount Wellington with 'AC' monogram at L/L & 'Bruce Sc' imprint at L/L below and on the reverse a full-page advert for Wilkie Welch & Co with illustration of a mind-boggling sheep-dipping contraption!, folded in quarters for mailing to Europe with the address band removed but French 'AUSTRALIE V SUEZ/17/AVRIL/69/...' mailboat cds in red & a superlative strike of the rare 'INSUFFICIENTLY/PAID/VIA TRIESTE' h/s, some minor splitting but quite presentable. Unrecorded by Ben Palmer, who notes that the only other recorded example of the Via Trieste h/s is on an 1871 cover to Germany.
An exceptional item for the "routes & rates" collector.
'THE ILLUSTRATED AUSTRALIAN NEWS': 1869-70 five issues with front cover illustrations 'Te Kooti, Chief of the Insurgent Maoris', 'The Late John Pascoe Fawkner', 'Wreck of the Victoria Tower', 'Destruction of the Lightning by Fire' and 'Matches of the Victorian Rifle Association', the first four with illustrated advertising for Wilkie Webster & Allan Musical Intruments (later Allan's Music) and Alcock & Co Billiard Tables on the back page.
(Qty 5)
'THE SAMOAN REPORTER' 1854 (Jan) broadsheet issue Number 15 with illustration of Missionaries Preaching to the Natives and imprint on the back page 'Printed and published...by Samuel Ella, at the London Missionary Society's Press, Leulumoega, Upolu, Samoa', addressed to Scotland "via Southampton" with NSW Laureate 2d (margins close to good) tied by bars cancel of Sydney, folds & some staining but quite presentable. An extremely rare South Seas survivor, mail in this period being carried from Samoa by private vessel to Sydney for on-forwarding.
Well-written articles including 'Death and Burial' about native customs & 'Renewal of the War' between dissident tribes.
'Court House and Scotch Church, Paramatta' with two prominent errors in the caption, 'Scotch' for 'Scots' and 'Paramatta' for Parramatta' on cream 4to paper, 4pp, minor blemishes & light overall soiling but unfolded. [Parramatta's original courthouse was erected in 1791 & closed in 1826. Shown here is the second building, built in 1837, extended in 1853 (apparently the single-storey annexe), & used until 1893. Elements remain in the Historic Precinct. St Andrew's Presbyterian Church was erected between 1840 & 1849. A new church was built in the 1930s & the 'Old Kirk' was dismantled & re-erected at Wentworthville]
A later handcoloured version, probably a bookplate, & a naive imitation, are held by the City of Parramatta. The National Library of Australia has only a crude woodcut by Walter G Mason, based on Terry's work.
'Double Bay from South Head Road' on cream 4to paper, 4pp, a couple of very minor blemishes, unfolded. [Double Bay attracted settlers soon after arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. It developed into the Toorak of the North, with some of the most expensive real estate in Sydney. South Head was a point of strategic importance & the original South Head Road was opened in 1811, leading Macquarie Lighthouse, erected 1816-1818]
'Entrance to Sydney Harbour, North Head seen from the Flagstaff' on cream 4to paper, 4pp, very fine & unfolded. [The view across Sydney Harbour Heads shows two figures in the foreground, one with a telescope, and in the distance a fully-rigged ship & a paddle-steamer. [In 1790, a flagstaff was erected at South Head as a guide to navigation. Later, beacons were lit at the site and, from 1832, a flag system was introduced]
'Fruit Market, Sydney' on cream 4to paper, 4pp, small signature "ML Manning" at L/R, a few tonespots & light overall soiling, a small corner piece missing from the back page, unfolded. [The Fruit Market was a modest edifice designed by convict architect, Francis Greenway. It opened in 1820 but 1828-29 was used as a police station. In 1898, the massive Queen Victoria Buildings was erected on the site of several markets]
'Government House from the Botanical Gardens' delicately hand-tinted on cream 4to paper, 2pp only, some light foxing & a few adhesions on the reverse, unfolded. [The vice-regal residence was designed by the Royal Architect, Edward Blore, which probably explains the ridiculous battlements that were presumably included to permit the repelling of attacking hordes of savages equipped with siege machines! Completed in 1845, Governor George Gipps was the first incumbent resident. Opened in 1816 as part of the Governor's Domain, Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden is the oldest scientific institution in Australia. The view is from near the Fleet Steps, commissioned in 1908 for the Visit of the American Great White Fleet, across Farm Cove]
'Newcastle from the Nobby' on cream 4to paper, 4pp, a couple of very minor blemishes, a largely indistinct oval cachet of 'R CLARKE/PUBLISHER' (?) in violet just shows through to the illustration, unfolded. [Newcastle, on the Hunter River, was founded in 1804, & was the second-largest town in the Colony. Nobby's Head is an island & the location of Nobby's Head Lighthouse, erected in 1858. The island was connected to the mainland by a breakwater called Macquarie Pier, that was completed in 1846. The breakwater is a key element of Terry's illustration. There is a slightly larger version in the Newcastle Regional Art Gallery. It is numbered 'No 4' & lacks the Sands & Kenny imprint]
'North Head from Vaucluse' on cream 4to paper, 4pp, a couple of very minor blemishes, a largely indistinct oval cachet of 'R CLARKE/PUBLISHER' (?) in violet, unfolded. [Vaucluse is an affluent suburb on South Head, named after 'Vaucluse House', the property of the convict Sir Henry Browne Hayes (transported for abducting an heiress and forcibly marrying her!). Other early residents were the explorer William Charles Wentworth and John Hosking, the first Lord Mayor of Sydney] There are examples in the National Library and the Powerhouse Museum.
'Paramatta River from Fort Phillip' (note spelling error for 'Parramatta') on cream 4to paper, 4pp, a largely indistinct oval cachet of 'R CLARKE/PUBLISHER' (?) in violet that just shows through the face & a couple of insignificant blemishes, unfolded. [Fort Phillip was built at Miller's Point in 1804, during the Napoleonic Wars, in response to the threats of possible French attack & rioting by convicts. Later largely demolished, it was replaced in 1858 by the Sydney Observatory]
'Sydney Cove from Fort Macquarie' hand-coloured on cream 4to paper, 4pp, minor blemishes & the front page slightly reduced at the base, unfolded. One of the liveliest of Terry's illustrations. [There were fortifications on Bennelong Point from the earliest days of settlement. In 1817, Governor Lachlan Macquarie directed that a new fort be built. Designed by the convict architect Francis Greenway, it was completed in 1821. In 1901 it was demolished & replaced by a tram depot! In 1958 the tram depot was demolished to make way for the Sydney Opera House]
'Sydney from Old Point Piper Road' on cream 4to paper, 4pp, a largely indistinct oval cachet of 'R CLARKE/PUBLISHER' (?) in violet & faint blemishes, unfolded. [Point Piper is an affluent harbourside suburb, named after Captain John Piper, who arrived at Sydney in 1792 & built a neo-Palladian mansion on this site. The illustration depicts three windmills on Sydney's outskirts. Between 1797 & 1806, the government built three windmills in Sydney. Many commercial windmills were erected later]
'Sydney Harbour from Watson's Bay' hand-coloured on cream 4to paper, 4pp, minor blemishes, unfolded. [Watson's Bay is a suburb at the northern point of South Head. Named after First Fleet arrivee, Robert Watson who, in 1811 was appointed Sydney's harbourmaster and, in 1816, first superintendent of Macquarie Lighthouse]
'Sydney, Garden Island, Pinchgut &c from Point Piper' on cream 4to paper, 4pp, a largely indistinct oval cachet of 'R CLARKE/PUBLISHER' (?) in violet, unfolded. [Garden Island is site of a major naval base & has been used since the earliest days for government & military purposes. In the foreground, a settler confronts a rearing snake]
'The Nobbies from Newcastle' on cream 4to paper, 4pp, a largely indistinct oval cachet of 'R CLARKE/PUBLISHER' (?) in violet & a couple of insignificant blemishes, unfolded. [See also Lot 1032. There is an example in the University of Newcastle]
'Windsor Church' on cream 4to paper, 4pp, a couple of very minor blemishes, unfolded. [Built between 1817 & 1822, St Matthew's Anglican Church is the oldest Anglican church in Australia. Designed by the convict architect Francis Greenway, & built by convict labourers, it is regarded as Greenway's masterpiece, and one of Australia's most beautiful buildings]
Series of lithographs on cream 8vo paper, each folded to 4pp, each from Gill's Goldfield Scenes as published in 'Victoria: Gold Diggings & Diggers As They Are' (1852) subsequently produced as lettersheets by Macartney & Galbraith (Melbourne), the odd minor blemish but generally fine to very fine unfolded & unused.
Gill published two similarly titled folios in 1852, each featuring 24 of his goldfields sketches. The 48 are all illustrated in John Currey's book. It is apparently unknown how many were used for this series of lettersheets and this may be a complete 'set'.
(Qty 20)
1855 three large illustrations 'Ballaarat Flat from the Black Hill', 'Quartz Crushing Base of Black Hill Ballarat' and 'Township of Ballaarat from Bath's Hotel' all on thin cream 4to paper, 4pp, each with imprint of 'James J Blundell & Co/Melbourne 1855' at L/R, horizontal folds below the lithographs, some peripheral soiling & tears, unused. [Gold was discovered south-east of Ballarat in August 1851. The ensuing gold rush brought thousands of hopeful prospectors to what had been a very sparsely populated district. The first item here shows the Yarrowee Valley full of miners' tents & huts, rather reminiscent of Eugene von Guerard's similar oil painting of 1853. The one-time miner,Thomas Bath, opened the first licensed hotel at Ballarat on 1.7.1853. Black Hill, today a suburb NE of the city, was a particularly rich field & the site of Australia's first ore-crushing battery. James J Blundell & Co were Melbourne publishers & booksellers, active by 1852]
(Qty 3)
1855 large illustration 'Market Square from Little Malop St, Geelong' on thin cream 4to paper, 4pp separated along the vertical fold, faint imprint of 'James J Blundell & Co/Melbourne 1855' at L/R, minor blemishes, unused. [Geelong, established in 1842 on Corio Bay, is Victoria's second-largest city. The town square was reserved by Governor George Gipps as part of the original survey. Covering an enormous 8 acres (3 hectares) it was progressively built upon. In 1881, an exhibition building was erected there which was soon converted to a theatre. Today the site is occupied by the Market Square Shopping Centre]
1855 large illustration 'Native Corrobbarry' [sic] on thin cream 4to paper, 4pp, with imprints of 'STG' at L/L & central 'JJ BLUNDELL & CO', used under cover with lengthy letter headed "1855 September 2d Fryers Creek" from a sometime gold prospector to his wife & signed "Robert Driver", a bit aged & with minor internal reinforcing along the folds. [Full of social commentary: "...people are working for as little in this hoste of Golden Country as they are at home...wages are getting lower every week..." He speaks of being shortpaid £6/17/- by his employer but "...law is so expencively dealt out..." He moved to Fryer's Creek (renamed Castlemaine 1.1.1854) where "...we are selling milch at two shillings per quart...after dinner...we dig for a little gold...The picture that is at the beginning of this letter is...what the Native Blacks call a Corrobbarry that is a kind of rejoicing...I have seen them...and have seen them at different games...I find if people will only let them alone they will let people alone although they have committed some fearful murders..."]
1855 large illustration 'Native Sneaking Emu' [sic] on thin cream 4to paper, 2pp, with imprints of 'STG' at L/L & central 'JJ BLUNDELL & CO', used under cover with letter headed "1855 September 23d Fryers Creek" from the same correspondence as the previous lot, a bit aged & with minor reinforcing along the folds. ["...I have fully made up my mind to return by the ship called James Bains [of] the Black Ball Line of Liverpoole...about the end of January...We have had a fearful hearth quake in Melbourne this last week...it as opened a greate many [houses] in two...[the newspapers] was all bought up in no time...[When I arrive home I] will have a sup of good home Brewd Bear for I have been nearly teetotale since I came to this country. I send you a few specks of gold...3 weeks of very heavy rain there his a greate many people drownded". There was a significant earthquake felt around Melbourne on 16.9.1855]
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1046
Symbol: D
Cat No: Collection
1856 large illustration 'Stockmans Hut' (two whites, an aborigine & his dog) on thin cream 4to paper, 2pp, with imprints of 'STG' at L/L & central 'JJ BLUNDELL & CO', used under cover with letter headed "1856 January 2d Fryers Creek" from the same correspondence as the previous two lots, a bit aged & with minor reinforcing along the folds. ["...I had fixed upon leaving this Country on the 25th of this month in Royal Mail Ship called the Scomburge but...she was Wrecked 35 Miles west of Cape Otway...I shall be delaid until the tenth of next month..." He includes details of the wreck of the 'Schomberg': see Lot 1361]
1856 large illustration 'The City Terminus of the M&HB Railway Compy/1854' on thin cream 4to paper, 2pp, with imprints of 'STG' at L/L 'CAMPBELL & FERGUSSON' below that & central 'JJ BLUNDELL & CO', to his parents at the Foreign Office but used under cover with partly cross-written letter headed "Barkers Creek/May 9th 1856" & signed "Harry Catchpole", aged & soiled but presentable & wholly legible. He writes "...I am thinking of going up to...Sandy Creek where...things look brighter...death of Sir Charles Hotham...I hope we shall get a good [Governor] this time for [he] did more harm than good...although wages are not good provisions are cheaper...it is rumoured that peace is proclaimed with Russia and that there is likely to be War with America...I do not somehow fancy the Girls in this country..."
The Melbourne & Hobsons Bay Railway, opened 12.9.1854, was the first in Australia, connecting Melbourne with Port Melbourne (Sandridge). It was acquired by the government in 1878. Barkers Creek is on the goldfields just S of Castlemaine. Sandy Creek is on the Ovens Goldfield, S of Wodonga. The Crimean War had ended in February 1856. Sir Charles Hotham was governor for less than two years but made himself unpopular in many spheres. The Eureka Rebellion happened during his term of office.
1856 large illustration 'Western end of Queens Wharf Melbourne/1854' on thin cream 4to paper, 4pp, with imprints of 'STG' at L/L 'CAMPBELL & FERGUSSON' below that & central 'JAMES J BLUNDELL & CO', lengthy cross-written letter headed "Beechworth/June 16th 1856", to England "pr Mail Ship Sardinian" with very fine Half-Lengths 3d Prussian blue pair - unfortunately affected by an ironed-out vertical filing fold - tied by BN '9' of 'BEECHWORTH' (oval b/s), Melbourne transit b/s, light Liverpool transit & London arrival cds of 11SP11/1856 both in red on the face along with '1d' accountancy h/s in red, some internal reinforcing along the folds. A rare postal usage of a Gill lettersheet. Ex Rodney Perry with his Certificate (2006).
1856 (July; the first issue) subtitled 'Journal of Current Events' on white 8vo paper, 8pp (the last two are blank, for letter-writing), stated to be inspired by the similar 'Household Narrative of Britain' with chapters 'Journal of Politics', 'Journal of Social Progress', 'Journal of Science & Industry' and 'Journal of Literature & Art', superb unused. An important publication. Ex Dr John Chapman.
1856 (August; No 2) without subtitle on cream 4to paper, 4pp (the last is blank), fascinating 'Map of the Gold Fields of Victoria' on the face, additional sections for news from NSW, South Australia, Tasmania & New Zealand, superb unused. Ex Dr John Chapman.
1856 (November; No 5) subtitled 'Narrative of Events: A Letter to Send to Friends' on white 4to paper, 8pp (three are blank), 'The University of Melbourne' on the face with imprints 'FM White Architect', 'E Gilks del et lith' & 'Printed by J Fergusson' and at the base 'Published by George Slater', reversion to the original content plus 'Journal of Australasian News', superb unused. Ex Dr John Chapman.
1856 (December; No 6) on white paper 228x288mm, 8pp (three are blank), 'William Clark Haines/from a Daguerrotype by TA Hill' on the face, very fine unused. Ex Dr John Chapman. [Haines was a surgeon in England. He arrived in Victoria in 1842 & became a major landholder at Geelong. In Parliament he helped draft the Victorian Constitution & effectively became the Colony's first Premier, in November 1856]
1857 (January; No 7) on flimsy blue paper 220x285mm, 8pp (three are blank), Maps of Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne & Geelong on the face with imprint 'Price & Miller [?] Litho 218 Bourke St East', fine unused. [By this time, the gold rush had finished but mining was still a major activity. On page 3 it is reported that 2,594,502oz had been brought to Melbourne during 1856]
