A Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales
Author
John White (Surgeon-General)
(1756 - 1832)
Date2002
Object number00037891
NameBook
MediumPaper, ink, leather covered boards
DimensionsOverall: 455 x 319 x 52 mm, 6.34 kg
ClassificationsBooks and journals
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionModern reprint of Surgeon John White's 1790 edition of 'A Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales'. The book was originally published by J. Debree in London and has been republished in a larger format with engraved reproductions from the original. The book is John White's account of his voyage to Australia on the First Fleet convict transport CHARLOTTE, and the natural history of Australia.HistorySurgeon John White was the First Fleet's Principle Surgeon and surgeon aboard the convict transport CHARLOTTE during the First Fleet's voyage from England to Australia in 1788.
Upon White's arrival he was appointed First Surgeon-General of New South Wales by Governor Arthur Phillip and remained in that position until he returned to England in 1794. Whilst in Sydney he collected flora and fauna and in 1790 published 'Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales' containing 65 engravings of plants, birds and animals - one of the earliest detailed accounts of the voyage of the First Fleet and the natural environment of Port Jackson.SignificanceJohnWhite was Surgeon at Sydney Cove and became fascinated with the novelty of the wildlife of Port Jackson. His account of the colony is the first book devoted to Australia's natural history and contains over sixty images engraved by some of London's finest scientific artists. This edition contains the plates in both states, black and white, and coloured and provides a fascinating insight into how the colony was perceived by an English observer, and the English public.
