This work presents an incredible history of Tasmania, an island state of Australia. The writer discusses the life of natives, their origin and exile, the various conflicts and crimes on this land, etc. Moreover, it includes an in-depth study of the place after colonies were formed and many immigrants came for business. A must-read for history enthusiasts.

Author's copy. Printed, with MS. corrections and annotations by the author. Handwriting identical with that in a letter from West to Edward Wise, 5 June 1864 in ML MSS. 1327/3, pp. 315-317. 1. pp. 209-340 are missing, with blank pages inserted at the back used for annotations. 2. identical with other copies of the volume.

"The History of Tasmania" in two volumes is the most significant work by the Australian author John West that features the development of the British colonization of Tasmania, the penal system and the condition of the Aboriginal people. The island was permanently settled by Europeans in 1803 as a penal settlement of the British Empire to prevent claims to the land by the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. The island was initially part of the Colony of New South Wales but became a separate, self-governing colony under the name Van Diemen's Land in 1825. Approximately 75,000 convicts were sent there before transportation ceased in 1853. In 1854 the present Constitution of Tasmania was passed, and the following year the colony received permission to change its name to Tasmania, after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, who made the first reported European sighting of the island in 1642. This carefully crafted DigiCat ebook is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents.

"The History of Tasmania" by John West tells about the first reported sighting of Tasmania by a European explorer Abel Tasman, a 1772 French expedition led by Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne who landed on the island, the mentions from Captain James Cook and numerous other Europeans. The book contains a colorful array of the names of topographical features, a section on Tasmanian Zoology, and a useful list of the chief places in this country.

James Fenton (1820-1901) was born in Ireland and emigrated to Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land) with his family in 1833. He became a pioneer settler in an area on the Forth River and published this history of the island in 1884. The book begins with the discovery of the island in 1642 and concludes with the deaths of some significant public figures in the colony in 1884. The establishment of the colony on the island, and the involvement of convicts in its building, is documented. A chapter on the native aborigines gives a fascinating insight into the attitudes of the colonising people, and a detailed account of the removal of the native Tasmanians to Flinders Island, in an effort to separate them from the colonists. The book also contains portraits of some aboriginal people, as well as a glossary of their language.

This captivating work charts the history of Tasmania from the arrival of European maritime expeditions in the late eighteenth century, through to the modern day. By presenting the perspectives of both Indigenous Tasmanians and British settlers, author Henry Reynolds provides an original and engaging exploration of these first fraught encounters. Utilising key themes to bind his narrative, Reynolds explores how geography created a unique economic and migratory history for Tasmania, quite separate from the mainland experience. He offers an astute analysis of the island's economic and demographic reality, by noting that this facilitated the survival of a rich heritage of colonial architecture unique in Australia, and allowed the resident population to foster a powerful web of kinship. Reynolds' remarkable capacity to empathise with the characters of his chronicle makes this a powerful, engaging and moving account of Tasmania's unique position within Australian history.