John Lingwood Stuart
Melbourne: Edition Renard, 2018.

One of the Standard Edition of 100 numbered copies (from a total edition of 215). John Lingwood Stuart’s three manuscript journals, here collected under the title THREE COLONIAL ADVENTURES, have never before been published. Written in 1849, 1851, and 1852-53 they provide a fascinating insight into the migration of a young man from England to Adelaide in South Australia and his subsequent adventures in his new land. His first journal comprises an interesting shipboard diary of his voyage to Australia on board the Minerva. Whilst not a particularly remarkable voyage in itself, his journal captures beautifully the experience of a migrant in the mid-nineteenth century, conveying with gentle humour just what it was like to be a passenger in those times, the routine, the duties, the boredom, the occasional excitement, the wildlife observed, the sickness and (fortunately few) deaths, and of course, the weather. His second journal is much more unusual and historically important. In 1851 Stuart signed on to a sealing expedition in South Australian and Kangaroo Island waters on the cutter Jane and Emma and he gives a detailed daily account of the progress of the voyage, the places visited, seals killed, skins and oil obtained, other wildlife observed, and encounters with sailors, settlers, and Aborigines. Following his return to Adelaide, in 1852 Stuart embarked on another expedition, this time overland by bullock dray to the diggings at the Bendigo goldfields. Again, historically important, and one of the few detailed journals of the time, Stuart recounts his adventures following the Murray and Loddon Rivers including comments on the squatters and Aboriginal people encountered along the way, the difficulties of travelling with bullocks and much else. Arriving at Bendigo he and his companions spent a few days investigating various gullies before commencing digging in Geelong Gully where almost immediately they found gold. All three journals have dated daily entries and have been meticulously transcribed, but the wealth of interesting information has been hugely supplemented by the detailed and informative footnotes and the account of Stuart’s life (he subsequently became a mining engineer) by Robert M. Warneke. In addition Robert has provided maps of the two Australian journeys, carefully reconciling the places mentioned by Stuart to the geography; a detailed analysis of the seal catch and notes to the wildlife encountered in all three journeys; and an extensive bibliography of the references used. A detailed description of the original journals is provided by Julien Renard. An entirely new and original work, never before published, elegantly typeset with sparing and judicious use of colour to enhance the text and capture the flavour of the manuscript originals, and the volumes have been finely hand bound by Peter Lewis.