[ Australia; Dampier ]Collection of typed and manuscript material relating to Australia, including the Rev. Charles Powell's unpublished life of Captain William Dampier

An informative collection of material, mainly relating to Australia, assembled in the years immediately following the First World War. The collection consists of fifty items: twenty-one typescripts (1-21), twenty-eight manuscripts (22-49), and one printed (50). Dated items range from 1919 to 1924, with the others appearing to date from around the same time. All items clearly legible, and all except item 2 complete. All but item 50 on loose leaves of paper. The collection is in good condition, on lightly-aged paper with slight wear and creasing.The presence of item 1 below, with its maps drawn on Coker Court letterheads, might suggest that the collection derives from the Rev. Charles Powell (born Abergavenny, c. 1844, and educated at London University). Powell held the living of East Coker (in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Exeter Cathedral) from 1877, and published on antiquarian matters. The National Library of Australia contains a copy of item 1, together with a collection of transcriptions of material relating to Dampier made by the Byron scholar Leslie Marchand at East Coker Vicarage. The compiler, whether Powell or not, exhibits an interest in cartography, geography and statistics, almost exclusively in relation to Australia. Arguing against the identification of Powell are a number of items in section A below (for example 2 and 10), on paper watermarked 'QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT', and two (38 and 44) on letterheads of Government House, Brisbane. Items 46, 47 and 49 may provide further clues to the compiler's identity.A. Original Typescripts (by Powell?):- 1. 'Life and adventures of Captain William Dampier, R.N. (Native of East Coker, Somersetshire). Written by The Rev. Charles Powell, Rector of East Coker. 1907' (folio, 35 pp). With three maps of Australia ('New Holland') copied from works relating to Captains Dampier and Cook (12mo, 3 pp); on letterheads of Coker Court, Yeovil.- 2. Untitled typescript, apparently original and unpublished. A detailed and unashamedly racist discussion of the 'problems that the White Australia Policy was intended to solve' (folio, 27 pp). Incomplete: breaking off abruptly at foot of last page. 'In Great Britain, the United States of America, in India, Malay peninsula and the Malay archipelago, in China and Japan, I failed to find any member of our Race, who understood the problem, or who was, in any sense, in a responsible position, who decried the White Australia Policy. Several went so far as to say that if Australia wished to preserver Her racial entity, she could do no other. I confess that, ten years ago, I was rather surprised at this attitude, as I rather expected that men, who had been accustomed to employ Asiatics and Africans, might have dismissed the policy as an impossibility in so far as the North of Australia was concerned.'- 3. 'Discovery and Maps before the Dutch [Paper to be read at annual meeting of Royal Geographical Society of Australia, Queensland Branch.]' (folio, 18 pp). Minor emendations in manuscript.- 4. 'Discovery of Australia by the Dutch [Paper read [at annual] Meeting of Royal Geographical Society of Australia, Queensland Branch, on September 25th, 1922]' (folio, 25 pp). Together with a list of twenty 'Pictures of Holland', a second of seven 'Maps and Charts', and a third of eighteen 'Pictures of Australia' (each folio, 1 p), forming three series 'of lantern slides illustrating Dutch exploration of Australia'.- 5. 'Note for lecture on Dutch discovery of Australia' (folio, 24 pp)- 6. 'The dark ages' (folio, 4 pp). Talk on the Beatus Map.- 7. 'The old world' (folio, 9 pp). Talk on ancient geography.- 8. 'Notes on "Talk" given at London University College, Gower Street. January, 1919' (folio, 4 pp).- 9. 'The discovery of America, before and after' (folio, 13 pp). [two copies] Talk discussing cartographical and geographical knowledge of the Americas 'before and after' Columbus.- 10. 'Forestry [in Queensland]' (folio, 16 pp).- 11. 'Note for address on the Great Barrier Reef at the Ipswich Railway Workshops, on the 27th February, 1924' (folio, 10 pp). Two copies, the first with minor manuscript emendations, and the second with those changes made to the text.B. Typescript:- 12. [by another party] 'Brisbane in The Cradle of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of early Inhabitant. its early settlement' (4to, 22 pp). The author claims to be 'the oldest inhabitant in Queensland', having been born 'in the Military Barracks in Sydney on the 11th May 1824', and being 'over 82 years of age' at the time of writing (given elsewhere as 1904).C. Typescripts of Transcriptions:- 13. Extracts from Hill's 'Forty-five Years' Experiences in North Queensland' (folio, 3 pp).- 14. Extracts from Corfield's 'Reminiscences of Queensland' (folio, 1 p).- 15. 'Extracts from "Recollections of a Rambling Life." by T. Archer. 1897.' (folio, 2 pp).- 16. 'Extract from Cootes' History of Queensland with regard to Flinders' first journey in July, 1799' (folio, 1 p) In manuscript at head of page: 'Redcliffe'.- 17. 'Extract from Report of survey of Port Curtis and Moreton Bay, dated Surveyor Generals Office, Sydney, 10th January, 1824' (folio, 2 pp). Dated in manuscript: '30/11/23'.- 18. 'Extracts from "Reminiscences of an Australian Pioneer." R. D. Barton' (folio, 2 pp).- 19. 'Abstract from Dampier's Life by Captain W. H. Smyth, R.N., from United Service Journal, 1837' (folio, 8 pp).- 20. Ten lines of verse, headed in manuscript: 'From Brunton Stephens' poem on the Irish Famine adapted by altering "Ireland's" to "Europe's" for address on 26/2/22' First line: 'Say we too much? Nay, less than this would shame'.- 21. 'The Dark Companion' [by James Brunton Stephens] (folio, 1 p). First line: 'There is an orb that mocked the lore of sages'. Last stanza refers to 'Austral wilds'.D. Manuscripts Transcriptions (by Powell?):- 22. 'The correct account of Cairn and Cook's Tree at the entrance of the Endeavour River' (8vo, 7 pp). Ends 'In writing this I consider I owe a duty to our Historical Society to be used as reference and also to myself for being blamed for a hoax of which I was innocent | W C Thomson | Late Senior Commander, | A. U. S. N. Company, | Loma Langi | Yabba Street | Ascot | Brisbane | 2/8/1921'.- 23. Extracts from 'Fifty Years in the making of Australian History by Sir Henry Parker G.C.M.G., Sydney, 1892' (4to, 2 pp).- 24. Extracts from 'Thirty Years in Tropical Australia by the Rt. Rev. Gilbert White, Bishop of Willochra. 1918' (4to, 6 pp).- 25. Extracts from 'Another Army by Henry Stead. The Annual Report of the Social Operations of the Salvation Army in Australia for the year 1917' (4to, 2 pp).- 26. 'The Bulletin of 29/7/20' (4to, 2 pp).- 27. Extract from 'The New World of the South. Australia in the Making by W. H. Fitchett. 1913' (4to, 6 pp).- 28. Extract from 'Les Grands Navigateurs du XVIIIe Siècle par Jules Verne' (4to, 3 pp).- 29. 'Report on the Trade of Australia for the Year 1919' (4to, 6 pp).- 30. 'Australie par le Comte de Beausoir, 1870' (4to, 1 p).- 31. 'Act to constitute the Commonwealth of Australia. (9.7.00.)' (4to, 6 pp).- 32. 'Queensland. Fourth Annual Report of the Commissioners of Customs. 1918-19. H D Brennan, 10/9/19' (4to, 1 p).- 33. 'Third Annual Report of the Commr., Govt. Savings Bank (1918-19) W. L. Fowles 30/9/19'. (4to, 2 pp).- 34. 'Third Annual Report of the State Government Insurance Offce' (4to, 2 pp).- 35. 'Cotton. Correspondence between M. Theodore & the Gen Manager of The British Cotton Growing Association' (4to, 2 pp).- 36. 'Queensland Statistics. 1919. N. J. Macleod, Government Statistician.'- 37. 'Australia by J. W. Gregory (Cambridge Manuals of Science etc)' (4to, 14 pp).- 38. 'From Barrington's History of New South Wales' (4to, 1 p). On letterhead of Government House, Brisbane.- 39. Extract from 'Australia, Problems & Prospects by Sir Charles G. Wade, 1919' (4to, 2 pp).- 40. 'From Chambers Encyclopedia of English Literature [on Australia]' (4to, 2 pp). On letterhead of K.2, The Albany, London.- 41. 'Extracts from Poems of Adam Lindsay Gordon' (4to, 2 pp).- 42. 'Fair Girls & Gray Horses with Other Verses by Will H. Ogilvie' (4to, 2 pp).- 43. 'In the Days when the World was wide & other Verses by Henry Lawson, 1896'. (4to, 2 pp).- 44. Extract from 'Rambles at the Antipodes. London, 1859' (4to, 4 pp). On letterhead of Government House, Brisbane.- 45. 'from The Paycockes of Coggeshall by Eileen Power (Methuen & Co.)' (folio, 2 pp).- 46. 'Sir Joseph Cooks Budget Speech delivered on 16/9/20. Australia 1919-20' (4to, 5 pp). On letterheads of R.M.S. Orontes.- 47. 'Note for speech [on a type of timber]' (4to, 1 p). On letterhead of Glen Alpine, Toowoomba.- 48. 'Tales of Old Travel. Re-narrated by Henry Kingsley, 1898' (folio, 1 p).E. Manuscript Transcription, not by Powell:- 49. [in another hand] 'Extracts from Bibliotheca Lindesiana. Collations and Notes No. 4. Autotype Facsimiles of Three Mappemondes' (folio, 14 pp). With emendation signed 'D M' and dated 15 October 1920.F. Printed Item:- 50. Table of 141 'World Maps', 'Regional Maps' and 'References' (folio 4 pp). Australasian referencces annotated in red pencil.