A Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales
Author
John White (Surgeon-General)
(1756 - 1832)
Publisher
John Debrett
(English, 1753 - 1822)
Date1790
Object number00055487
NameBook
MediumPaper, ink, leather
DimensionsOverall: 305 × 245 × 46 mm
ClassificationsBooks and journals
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Gift from Peter Chaldjian under the Cultural Gifts Program
DescriptionBook titled 'A Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales' by John White, Chief Surgeon on the First Fleet and later appointed first Surgeon-General of New South Wales. The journal is one of just five first-hand accounts written by members of the First Fleet in the early days and months of the colony of New South Wales.
The journal includes a diary in table of 'The Winds, Weather and Temperatures of the Air etc. with the Different Latitudes and Longitudes, in a Voyage to Port Jackson New South Wales, Notes on Deaths on the Voyage and in the Colony and Lists of Official Personnel. With Sixty-Five Plates of Non Descript Animals, Birds, Lizards, Serpents, Curious Cones of Trees and other Natural Productions."
HistoryThis published journal by John White begins on the 5th March 1787 with the entry:
"I this day left London, charged with dispatches from the Secretary of State's office, and from the Admiralty, relative to the embarkation of that part of the marines and convicts intended for Botany Bay; and on the evening of the seventh, after travelling two days of the most incessant rain I ever remember, arrived at Plymouth, where the CHARLOTTE and FRIENDSHIP transports were in readiness to receive them."
So begins a remarkable account of the journey and early months of British settlement in New South Wales. Surgeon John White’s journal is one of five first-hand accounts written by members of the First Fleet. Arriving as Principle Surgeon on the transport CHARLOTTE, White was appointed Surgeon-General of the colony.
In November 1788, White sent his manuscript and natural specimens home to England for editing, illustration and preparation for publication. His journal, published in 1790, is renowned both for its natural history engravings (many of which were drawn in watercolour by Sarah Stone and Frederick Nodder) and for his written account of the voyage and early months in New South Wales. White provides important observations and insights into the privations and challenges in the early days and months of the colony. In his role as Surgeon General he was responsible for the health and wellbeing of the colony. He writes about explorations and desperate efforts to feed the colonists, the search for new food sources and anti-scorbutics, the practices and interactions with local Indigenous communities, and the administration of convicts.
This first edition features 65 hand-coloured engravings and was originally sold by subscription; the names of the subscribers are listed in the first pages. These include Sir Joseph Banks and his friend James Smith, who acquired the Linnaean collection of natural history specimens. As a man of science in the Age of Enlightenment, White was inspired by novelty of the wildlife of Port Jackson and in this publication communicated his aim 'to promotion of your favourite science' to his friend and benefactor, Thomas Wilson Esquire. The success of White's publication shows the interest and enthusiasm for knowledge of the new colony in enlightenment circles with about 700 copies printed and subsequent translations in German, Swedish and French. The majority of the copies were engraved in black and white, but this edition features the hand-coloured engravings.
Of note is John White's well-known description of Sydney Harbour on 26 January 1788:
"Port Jackson I believe to be, without exception, the finest and most extensive harbour in the universe, and at the same time the most secure, being safe from all the winds that blow. It is divided into a great number of coves, to which his Excellency has given different names. That on which the town is to be built, is called Sydney Cove. It is one of the smallest in the harbour, but the most convenient, as ships of the greatest burden can with ease go into it, and heave out close to the shore. Trincomalé, acknowledged to be one of the best harbours in the world, is by no means to be compared to it. In a word, Port Jackson would afford sufficient and safe anchorage for all the navies of Europe".
John White is also responsible for the creation of the Charlotte Medal believed to have been commissioned by him to the convict Thomas Barrett to create to commemorate the journey, possibly from the surgeon's silver kidney dish. The medal is recognised as being Australia's earliest colonial artwork. On 27 February, White records the death sentence of Barrett, who was hung from 'the fatal tree" for stealing 'beef and pease' from government stores.
SignificanceJohn White's journal provides an invaluable account of the first months of British settlement in Australia and the extreme challenges and small joys that were encountered. It includes significant detail about the well-being of the colony, observations and illustrations of plants and animals, and relations and interactions with Indigenous landowners.
New South Wales Agent General Charles Cowper
1863
