This 2002 book provides a cultural and ecological history of European impact on the Great Barrier Reef.

In 1794, Charles Bishop sailed from Bristol as master of the Ruby, a trading ship bound for north-west America. He had instructions to procure otter furs from the Indians and then to proced to Canton via Japan and sell the cargo. During the years 1794-1802, he rounded South America to reach the Pacific coast, then visited the Pacific islands and the coasts of Asia and Australia. In the Moluccas, he sold the Ruby and purchased the Nautilus; correspondingly, the text is divided into two sections. This narrative is Bishop's journal of his voyages and relates a minor epic of adventure, courage and turbulent fortune. The records of his letters and financial accounts show something of the ships' general organization, and of the seamen who served such expeditions. Bishop also describes the various ports and peoples he encountered; his experiences typify European contacts in the Pacific, and the reaction between trader, missionary, administrator and local inhabitant. Dr Roe's introduction gives the background to the trading voyages of the 18th century and describes Bishop's pwn history. Records of his life continue until 1809, ending tragically in Sydney, where he passed some years in poverty and insanity, before being returned to England. . This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1967.

Includes various departmental reports and reports of commissions. Cf. Gregory. Serial publications of foreign governments, 1815-1931.

New Zealanders know Samuel Marsden as the founder of the CMS missions that brought Christianity (and perhaps sheep) to New Zealand. Australians know him as &‘the flogging parson' who established large landholdings and was dismissed from his position as magistrate for exceeding his jurisdiction. English readers know of Marsden for his key role in the history of missions and empire. In this major biography spanning research, and the subject's life, across England, New South Wales and New Zealand, Andrew Sharp tells the story of Marsden's life from the inside. Sharp focuses on revealing to modern readers the powerful evangelical lens through which Marsden understood the world. By diving deeply into key moments &– the voyage out, the disputes with Macquarie, the founding of missions &– Sharp gets us to reimagine the world as Marsden saw it: always under threat from the Prince of Darkness, in need of &‘a bold reprover of vice', a world written in the words of the King James Bible. Andrew Sharp takes us back into the nineteenth-century world, and an evangelical mind, to reveal the past as truly a foreign country.