Guide to the Collections held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (as filmed by the AJCP)

Thomas Vogan (Goulburn) to his brother Richard Vogan (Armagh), [1845] (File 5)

Death of Richard's wife; family news.

Thomas Vogan (Melbourne) to Richard Vogan, 14 June 1849 (File 6)

Rebellion in Ireland in 1848; news of Californian gold discoveries; plans to sail to California; interest in acting as agent for British merchants sending goods to California. (incomplete)

Thomas Vogan (San Francisco) to Richard Vogan, 1 February 1851 (File 7)

Reasons for not writing; continual changes and uncertainties in California; weather; impressions of San Francisco.

Thomas Vogan (Marysville) to Richard Vogan, 29 August 1856 (File 8)

Departure from San Francisco; loss of possessions, including clothes, books, testimonials and money, in great fire.

Portion of the journal of John Martin kept on the voyage from Dublin to Hobart on the Mountstuart Elphinstone, 28 June 1849 - 6 September 1849 (File)

The journal, which has quite lengthy entries, describes the departure from Ireland; his relations with Kevin O'Doherty, including their decision to learn German together; other passengers; their cabin; reading, including Gibbon's Decline and fall of the Roman Empire and Homer's Iliad; relations with the ship's doctor and other officers; sightings of flying fish and other fish; communications with other ships; the medical treatment of convicts; the death of a convict; Crossing the Line ceremonies; observation of stars and constellations; sightings of albatrosses and other birds; storms; conversations with O'Doherty on Irish affairs; the punishment of convicts. (pp. 14-85)

Mary C. Savage (Sydney) to Mr Savage-Armstrong, 21 February 1905 (File 209)

Sends photographs of her father and brothers; information on the family in Australia.

Mary C. Savage to Mr Savage-Armstrong, 3 October 1904 (File 268)

Armstrong's book; her father left Ireland when he was quite young; other family members; sends extracts from letters of aunt.

Miscellaneous papers, 1871 - 1884 (File)

Including a letter-diary from Charles Barton to his mother describing his voyage from England to Australia on the Stirlingshire in 1884. (11pp.)

Dan Rathgar (Bundaberg) to his uncle and aunt, 24 October 1908 (File)

Thanks for letter after so many years; loss of his farm due to flooding of Burnett River; has lived on farm near Bundaberg for 25 years; wife and children.

Release of lands in Killan, County Cavan, to executors of the estate of Jane Haig, 16 July 1884 (File 2)

Signed by Robert Haig (Melbourne), Christine Haig (London), Caroline Haig (London) and Henry Haig (London).

Norddeutscher Lloyd poster advertising passages on Imperial Mail steamers sailing to Australia via the Suez Canal, 1899 (File)

Journal of Charles Elliott of Moira, County Down, kept on the journey from Armagh to Liverpool and on the voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne on the Prince of the Seas, 18 July 1861 - 25 October 1861 (File 3)

It refers to the weather, winds, passengers, the sighting of other ships, Crossing the Line ceremonies, dances, church services, accidents caused by high seas in the Indian Ocean, the sighting of Cape Otway, and their arrival at Port Phillip.

Series D975/1. Miscellaneous Papers, [c. 1838-1845]

Includes:

An order signed by Bishop W.G. Broughton stating that a block of land in Heidelberg should be set aside as a cemetery (25 October 1843).

Miscellaneous newspaper clippings and Government gazettes, 1838-1845. The publications include issues of the New South Wales Government Gazette, Votes and Proceedings of the New South Wales Legislative Council, Port Phillip Herald and Port Phillip Patriot. Many of the cuttings relate to proceedings of the Insolvency Court and controversies concerning Justice J.H. Willis of the Supreme Court.

There are property agreements between Verner and Charles Grace (16 August 1839) and R.H. Browne (21 January 1840), a deed of dissolution of partnership between Verner, Patricius Walsh and Joseph Holloway (1 February 1842).

Series D975/4. Cash books, [c. 1835 - 1845]

Most of the financial records relate to the Insolvency Court and include cash books, lists of fees and tradesmen's bills. There is also an inventory of household goods. Verner continued to use one of the cash books after he left Australia.

Indenture of Land in the County of Antrim between Thomas Mulligan and Arthur Lord Viscount Dungannan, 1 November 1825 (File)

John Milliken to his brother James Milliken, 16 October 1846 (File 2)

Received a letter from their brother William; Unsure about returning home at this time, will write in April to advise of his decision.

John Milliken to his brother James, 27 May 1855 (File 3)

Finances, received draft for $140 from James; still working at the same place but expects to finish around the first of July and will then return home; plans for future work.

On the reverse of the letter is a note from Thomas Gillespie; appreciates letters with news of home and relatives; they are receiving less letters from friends; glad to hear Mr Thomas Nelson and his sister are well; he needs the cash for the draft James sent to John.

John Milliken (Peats Ferry, NSW) to his brother T. Milliken, 30 October 1884 (File 4)

Seasons in Australia; thoughts of returning to New England; Land Act favours squatters against settlers.

John Milliken (Wallamba River, NSW) to his brother, 26 April 1887 (File 5)

Seeks financial help to buy an island; describes the property; New South Wales worse than Ireland in winter time; mutual friends.

John Milliken to his brother, 29 August 1887 (File 6)

Acknowledges money; clearing and fencing; purchase of bullocks; suggests Margaret might join him in Australia.

James Milliken from his brother, 18 September 1889 (File 7)

Concerning money he has given James.

Eliza Gillespie to her nephew, 7 May 1894 (File 8)

Wishes he would write more as she likes to hear news of home; wonders if he had to go to England to speak on the land question; deaths of another nephew, her brother and his wife, and Robert Houston; sometimes hears of nephews brother John.

Letter from an unidentified correspondent in Goulburn to 'Arthur', 17 June 1894 (File)

Seeks news of 'the Artistic World'; economic depression in Australia.

William Waugh (Melbourne) to his father William Waugh (Bambridge, County Down), 26 January 1857 (File)

Arrival of Hugh who is at diggings; opening of Victorian Parliament; dullness of trade; praises poem 'Festans' by William Bailey.

Map of parish of Nangar, land district of Molong, New South Wales, 1899 (File)

Thomas Forster (Parramatta) to his nephew William Forster (Ballinalee, County Longford), 12 September 1852 (File)

Quick passage of mails carried in steamers; dispersal of his children and nieces in the colony; family news; gold discoveries.

Thomas Forster (Parramatta) to William Forster, [1853] (File)

Sends bill; arrival of William Rutledge and his family; Thomas Rutledge.

F. Proeschel. Mercantile map of Melbourne, n.d. (File)

Correspondence of James Getty, a wheelwright of Melbourne, 1853 - 1859 (File)

Including letters of Edward Weaver (Kilmore), James Irving (Beechworth), Pater Malony (Melbourne) and Irvine Beecroft (Beachworth). They refer to business and financial matters, trade, news of Getty's family in Ireland, and the economic situation in Ireland.

Typescript copy of an article entitled 'Frederick Chidley Irwin. First Colonial Commandant, 1828-c. 1860', published in a Perth newspaper, 14 December 1935 (File)

With some manuscript annotations. The original article appeared in the West Australian on 14 December 1935.

Correspondence between George Lutton (Kilkeel, County Down) and W.G. MacDiarmid (Sydney), 1934 - 1958 (File 1A-1S)

Concerning the history of the Lutton Family and members of the family living in Australia. (18 letters)

Passage ticket issued by the Black Ball Line (Melbourne) to Charles Wilson for a passage from Melbourne to Liverpool, 28 February 1857 (File)

Typed transcripts of five letters from John Mitchel to Miss Thomson, written from Bothwell, Van Diemen's Land, and Tennessee and New York, 1852 - 1855 (File)

The two Tasmanian letters refer to Mitchel's family, Irish affairs, his admiration of the United States, Irish political convicts in Van Diemen's Land, relations with the colonists, the scarcity of books, and the escape of Thomas Meagher.

Typescript account of the life of John Patterson of Strabane, County Tyrone (3pp.) (File)

Mary Foote (Table Top, NSW) to her father, John Patterson, 4 October 1845 (File)

Family news; work on a sheep station.

Letters from J.W. Wilson (Easton, Pennsylvania) to Eliza Patrick, 1882-1899, and a letter from James Wilson (Wilcannia, NSW) to Patrick n.d., 1848 - 1899 (File)

The latter refers to working on Dunlop Station, shortage of water, and Wilson's partnership with the owners of the station (including Samuel McCaughey).

Also includes: Letter from a residents' committee in Dublin, regarding the formation of an association for mutual protection, 7 April 1848; Letter from passengers of the steam ship Idaho expressing gratitude to the ship's doctor, 17 June [1872]; Letter from agents for a company of Latter-day Saints emigrating to America expressing satisfaction and thanks to the ship's officers of the SS Minnesota, July 11 1871.

Valuation of the estate of James Wilson filed in New South Wales and Victorian courts, 31 December 1904 (File)

Robert Gass (Goulburn, NSW) to his sister, 5 April 1896 (File 8)

Family photographs; wages of farm workers; drought; import of wheat from California; hopes to return to Ireland in 17 years, when he is 50.

Frank Robb (Tooma, NSW) to hthe Robb family, 8 August 1862 - 19 December 1878 (File 5/17)

Includes: Frank Robb (Tooma, NSW) to his brother John Robb: Deaths of relatives; injury arising from fall from a horse; plans for Christmas; people without capital should not emigrate to Australia. 19th of December 1878.

R. Motherell (Sydney) to J.E. Mansfield, 9 August 1890 (File 3)

Voyage to Australia; Lilly secured a job in an art store; Motherell's work as a ballroom decorator; hopes to repay kindness of Belfast friends; financial matters.

William Bell (Wellington, NSW) to his mother, 29 March 1893 (File)

Apologises for not writing for years; travels in Queensland; work on railway construction; mutual friends.

William Bell (Teralba, NSW) to his sister, Susanna Bell (Belfast), 22 April 1893 (File)

Inquiries about William's whereabouts in Queensland; his marriage and children.

Patrick Quinn (Dargaville, New Zealand) to his brother John Quinn (Belfast), 9 October 1900 (File)

Poorly paid work at gum diggings; family photographs; estrangement from brother William.

William C. Quinn (Broken Hill, Kalgoorlie, Perth, Auckland, Dargaville) to his mother and other family members, 1890 - 1907 (File)

1890 maritime strike; Broken Hill strike; New Australia settlement in South America; collapse of banks; life on Kalgoorlie goldfields; gold rush; encounters with Indigenous Australians; scarcity of water; death of his mother; wages as an underground manager; move to New Zealand; family news. (15 letters)

Mary Jane Muirhead (Grampians, Victoria) to William Adams, 27 December 1847 (File 1A)

Work on sheep station; wages paid to farm workers; garden; erection of house.

George Adams (London) to his brother Thomas Adams (Port Glenone, County Antrim), 28 November 1849 (File 2)

Voyage from Port Phillip to London via Cape Horn; his duties as the ship's doctor.

George Adams (London) to Thomas Adams, 29 December 1849 (File 3)

Travels in Port Phillip district; pastoral runs; wages; Dr Robert Martin of Heidelberg.

Diary of Elizabeth Anketell, a cabin passenger on the Queen of Australia, on a voyage from London and Plymouth to Port Phillip, 30 November 1865 - 25 April 1866 (File 3)

The diary refers to the weather, storms, the sighting of ships, reading, illnesses, Crossing the Line ceremonies, ship's officers, religious reflections, arrival at Melbourne (23 March 1866), first impressions of the town, her sister's home at Essendon, the local church and the botanic gardens.

Account of an emigrant voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne on the ship Digby (Captain: John Hilton), 11 December 1852 - 29 April 1853 (File)

Possibly written by Samuel Pillow, one of the passengers, the diary refers to the sighting of Madeira and Palma, the weather, sighting of ships, the dismissal of the first mate, fights between passengers, the capture of an albatross and the sighting of other birds, and the arrival at Port Phillip.

Typescript, 5pp.

Mortimer McClean (Melbourne) to William Johns (Belfast), 25 November 1862 (File 139)

Has found employment; likes Victoria very much; believes he is still entitled to money from Stuart will.

Diary, 1839 - 1843 (File)

The writer of the diary was probably a Sergeant in the Royal Marines. The entries record the day-to-day rigours, boredom and amusements of shipboard life and experiences on shore, especially at Hobart.

A. Crawford (San Francisco) to William Whigham, 31 December 1880 (File 4)

Appoints Whigham as agent at Papeete, Tahiti; books badly kept; plans to set up company in Tahiti to handle cotton seed, copra, candle nut.

George Cochrane to Whigham, 3 December 1881 (File 5)

Thanks Whigham for excellent supply service during stay in Papeete of United States ship Richmond.

George Cochrane to Whigham, 5 December 1881 (File 6)

Thanks; regards to Gibson.

Whigham to [unknown], 30 August 1882 (File 7)

Autobiographical details; Gibson, a Scottish Presbyterian, married a native; their children educated in Sydney.

Letters from Sampson Lawrence (Castlemaine, Victoria) to members of his family, 1866 - 1880 (File 69-85)

Work as a miner; unemployment on goldfields; visit of Duke of Edinburgh to Australia (1868); Fenianism in Ireland; drought; bushfires; gift of £27,000 from people of Melbourne to Dublin for famine relief (1880); Sir Samuel Wilson; family news; family property in Ireland.

Letters from Charles Lawrence (Castlemaine), James Loughead (Adelaide) and John Lawrence (Magherafelt) to members of their family, 1859 - 1869 (File 88-93)

Work on Victorian goldfields; attack on Sampson Lawrence by a Chinaman; death of Charles Lawrence; family news.

Two addresses presented to Andrew J. Newton of Cookstown, County Tyrone, from his brother, solicitors in the Barony of Dungannon and from his friends in Cookstown on his emigration to New Zealand, October 1853 - November 1853 (File 12)

William McDonald (Salt Water Creek, Van Diemen's Land) to Reverend James Elliott (Moira), 27 March 1842 (File)

Voyage to Australia; Tasman Peninsula; convicts; probation system; Salt Water Creek farm; facts that should be considered by intending immigrants.

McDonald to Reverend James Elliott, 6 April 1842 (File)

Description of Port Arthur and Eagle Hawk Neck; Indigenous Australians; flora and fauna.

McDonald to Reverend James Elliott, 12 April 1842 (File)

Climate, topography of Van Diemen's Land; coastline; prices.

McDonald to Robert Batey (Moira), 29 May 1833 [1843?] (File)

Fishes, reptiles, insects, climate of Van Diemen's Land.

Daniel Gardner (Melbourne) to his wife Rose Gardner (Lancaster), October 1875 - February 1876 (File 7-12)

Voyage from Glasgow to Australia; Gardner's health; travels in Victoria; Albury; rural industries; sheep shearing; size of squatters' runs; weather; return to Britain in Somersetshire. (6 letters)

Report by L.A. Moody, Chief Inspector of Distilleries, Melbourne, on alcoholic strength of Australian wines, September 1875 (File 13)

Margaet Fuller (Adelaide) to her sister Betty (Ballymena), and William Doody (Liverpool) to [unknown], 1850 - 1857 (File 5-11, 9, 14-17)

Margaet Fuller (Adelaide) to her sister Betty (Ballymena), Family news; deaths; emigration to Australia of other members of the family. (4 letters), 1850-1857.

William Doody (Liverpool) to [unknowm],Preparations for migration to Australia; disastrous start to voyage with 43 passengers dying of cholera. (5 letters), 1853-1854.

W. Wallace Legg (Melbourne) to his aunt Ellen, 6 August 1877 (File 30)

Personal news.

Alex Wilson (Maryville) to Henry Boyd, 3 February 1841 (File 46)

Hopes he has arrived safely in Australia.

Alex Wilson to Henry Boyd, 26 September 1847 (File 47)

Family news.

Gordon Thompson (Melbourne) to Ellen Deacon, May 1872 (File 53)

Reunion with William Legg, who was in prison.

Wilson Hack (Melbourne) to Lysell, 6 February 1872 (File 54)

Has seen Legg in prison; amazed at the change in his attitude to life.

E.W. Needham to Miss Wilson, [1875]-09-07 (File 55)

Does not know when Legg will be released.

Diary of William Bates (?) on a voyage from Greenock to Melbourne on the ship Minnehaha, December 1857 - April 1858 (File 2)

Bates, who was a preacher, left Glasgow on 25 November 1857 and the ship left Greenock on 26 December 1847, but the lengthy first entry in the diary is dated 6 January 1856. The very detailed diary, written with some literary flair, refers to sightings of the Isle of Man, Ireland and Madeira, injuries to passengers due to rolling seas, the weather, sightings of porpoises and dolphins, church services, impressions of passengers and ship's officers, the publication of the Minnehaha Weekly Review, Bates's efforts to learn French, books and reading, the reasons for passengers deciding to emigrate, arguments about the propriety of card-playing, slow progress in the Atlantic Ocean, illnesses and medicines, sightings of ships, arguments between crew and passengers, albatrosses, the deterioration of food towards the end of the voyage, storms, anticipation of arrival in Melbourne, rapid sailing in the Indian Ocean, smoking and drinking. The last entry is dated 5 April 1858, three days before the ship reached Port Phillip Heads. In the final four pages there is an imaginary conversation between a Melbourne man and one of the Minnehaha passengers.

Typescript diaries of Lady Craigavon who accompanied her husband on a tour of Australia and New Zealand, September 1929 - March 1930 (File C/1-6)

They cover the voyage to Australia on the Otranto, visits to Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, travels in New Zealand, and the return voyage via the Panama Canal.

Inserted in the diaries are newspaper cuttings, invitations, programs, photographs and a few letters and telegrams.

Among the correspondents are S.M. Bruce, Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven, Lady Hore-Ruthven, Lord Stonehaven, Lady Irvine, Sir Frank Clarke, J.H. Scullin, Sibella Macarthur-Onslow, Sir Joseph Ward and Dame Christina Massey.

Hugh Maguire (Melbourne and Back Creek, Victoria) and J.J. Maguire (Melbourne) to members of their family, 1852 - 1866 (File 1/117A-25)

Departure from Liverpool in 1852; cost of living in Melbourne; gold discoveries; Eureka uprising; Snowy River, Ovens River and Grampians goldfields; Maori wars; visit to South Australia. (10 letters)

J. Ranken (Melbourne) to Maguire, 24 April 1872 (File 1/126)

Maguire's return to Ireland; business matters; mutual friends in Victoria.

Copy of a letter of Reverend J. Moody (Pitcairn Island), 20 July 1847 (File 6/1)

Allegations of strife at Pitcairn Island are unfounded; increase in French oppression; requests prayer books, schoolbooks, medical supplies.

Thomas Graham (Melbourne) to John Graham (Draperstown, County Londonderry), 21 November 1860 (File 2/1)

Has nothing to boast about in Australia, but there are more opportunities than in Ireland.

William Cherry (Australia) to his parents (Lisburn, County Antrim), 1865 - 1868 (File 1-7)

Unemployment in Victoria; wages on sheep stations; prices; sheep shearing; life on stations in Victoria and New South Wales. (7 letters)

John Steele Nicholson (Dimolly, Victoria) to Agnes (Bangor, County Down), 24 July 1861 (File 6)

Life at gold diggings.

John Steele Nicholson (Dimolly, Victoria) to his mother, 23 December 1862 (File 14A)

Superior gentlemen at diggings; friends in Victoria.

Diary of Frederick Crawford kept on a trip to Australia and New Zealand, 22 April 1892 - 13 November 1892 (File 3/9)

The diary describes the voyage from Gravesend to Melbourne on the SS Cuzco, stopping at Gibraltar, Naples, Port Said, Colombo, Albany and Adelaide, travels by boat, rail and road in Victoria including visits to Ballarat, Bendigo, Echuca, Swan Hill, Beaufort, Port Albert, Bairnsdale, Geelong, Port Fairy and Koroit, meetings with relatives and friends, social events, shooting, animals and birds, a journey to Sydney and the Blue Mountains, kangaroo hunting, visits to Launceston and Hobart, a voyage to New Zealand on the Te Anau, travels in the South Island including Invercargill and Dunedin, a journey from Wellington to New Plymouth, Auckland and Rotorua, and the return voyage to London on the SS Aorangi via Cape Horn and Rio de Janeiro. According to Crawford's calculations, he travelled a total of 31,531 miles. (237pp)

Correspondence of Alexander Crawford with his family, 1884 - 1896 (File 6/1/1-7)

Farming in Warragul, Victoria; financial matters; plans to establish agency business in Perth.

Lord Ranfurly (Wellington) to Alexander Crawford, 13 August 1898 (File 6/1/8)

Controversy arising from Ranfurly receiving loyal address from Orangemen in public and from Roman Catholics in private; lack of law and order in Cook Islands.

Reminiscences of Alexander Crawford, 25 June 1914 (File 6/1/26)

Related in Central Methodist Mission Hall, Perth, to celebrate the building of the first Methodist chapel in Western Australia. (7pp.)

Robert Nolan (Richmond, NSW) to his father, 6 July 1853 (File 6)

Sunday school; departure from Shoalhaven; likes his circuit; approaching marriage.

John McClure (Invercargill, NZ) to Emily McClure (Belfast), 17 September 1865 (File 2)

Economic fluctuations; description of house; discovery of gold on west coast of South Island; defeat in provincial council elections and intention to stand for House of Representatives.

Elizabeth Macready (Lyttelton, NZ) to her cousins, 27 March 1878 (File 2/4)

Voyage to New Zealand; storms.

Elizabeth Macready (Christchurch) to her cousin William, July 1881 (File 2/5)

Visit to Horrell's farm at Canterbury; exports to England and Australia; cattle and sheep; prices.

Elizabeth Macready to her cousins, July 1881 (File 2/6)

Work as a shopkeeper in Lyttelton; life in villa at Christchurch.

H. Cavendish Butler (St Heliers, NSW) to John B. Danvers, 20 August 1838 (File 2/2/1)

Decision to give up government appointment to take charge of Topley's affairs; death of Henry Dumaresq; decline of Sydney society due to Governor Bourke and his Whiggish clique; journey overland from Sydney to Port Phillip.

H. Cavendish Butler (St Heliers, NSW) to Mrs Butler-Danvers, 7 November 1840 (File 2/2/3)

Preparations for departure; colony is in a flourishing state.

Correspondence, chiefly between Alexander Crawford (Murchison, WA) and his fiancee Elizabeth Matthews (Linton, Victoria), 1881 - 1883 (File 3/1-42)

The letters refer to visits to Ballarat and Ballan; Alexander Crawford's voyage to Perth and his journey northwards to Erideboba, Murchison; his homestead; sheep-farming; Indigenous Australians; lack of society; marriage plans.

Other correspondents include James Crawford, Madge Crawford, Frederick Crawford (Belfast), George S. Compton (Perth), W. Lowe, James Birrell, Greta Oliver, William Simpson, J.C. Fleming (Geraldton, WA) and Francis E. Hart (Geraldton).

Adair F. Crawford (Sydney) to Reverend Thomas Crawford (Drumliff, Sligo), 19 February 1866 (File 4/6)

Poor state of colonies; murder trial of dentist H.L. Bertrand.

'Mrs Flemming's log book' on a voyage from London to Melbourne on the Fearnought, 1863-08-03 - [1863]-11-24 (File 9/1)

An informal account, written intermittently during the voyage, referring to the progress of the ship, the weather, conversations with ship's officers and passengers, meals, a burial at sea, and albatrosses. Flemming mentions that the ship's doctor had served in Garibaldi's army, while one of the passengers was a grandson of William Wordsworth.

Correspondence of John Martin, 1849 - 1853 (File 1/14A-28)

Correspondents include: with Mary Simpson, D. Harrison, William McCurtayne, John Regan, William Smith O'Brien, Patrick O'Donohoe and B. Conolan

Subjects include: Conditions on convict ship Mountstuart Elphinstone; life in Hobart; political situation in Ireland; anti-transportation movement.

Joseph Rowan (Melbourne) to Martin (Dublin), 22 February 1862 (File 1/34)

Acknowledges books for St Patrick's Society.

Patrick O'Donohoe (Hobart) to Martin, 13 January 1850 (File 1/43)

Charles Gavan Duffy; William Smith O'Brien.

Kevin and Eva O'Doherty (Hobart, Port Cygnet, Dublin) to Martin, n.d. (File 1/44-51)

Financial matters; departure of John Mitchel; convict life activities of Irish exiles; land in Huon Valley; W.S. O'Brien's attempt to escape and his arrest; changes in Tasmania; plans to emigrate to Australia. (8 letters)

William Smith O'Brien (New Norfolk, Tasmania) to Martin, 1853 - 1856 (File 1/52-54)

Sends money; Kevin O'Doherty; restoration of civil rights.

P. Smyth (Melbourne) to Martin, 1853 - 1854 (File 1/58-60)

Granting of conditional pardons; Smyth's return to Australia; success of Citizen.

Thomas Moore (Pomeroy, Goulburn) to [Reverend Henry Scott], 15 March 1845 (File [1])

Prosperity of colony; exports of wool, tallow, oil, horses; improvement in society with arrival of many women; lack of religious instruction; picturesque scenery of Pomeroy; ball at Pomeroy; family news.

Thomas Moore to [Reverend Henry Scott], 8 March 1858 (File [2])

Moore's daughter and son-in-law William Busby have sailed for England; Moore's mistake in selling two stations a year before gold discoveries; struggle for responsible government has led to business of government being neglected and considerable debt; offer of public office.

Thomas Moore to [Reverend Henry Scott], 3 January 1859 (File [3])

Conferences in Sydney and Maitland on church government; powers of bishops; church property; payment of clergy; difficulties of John Moore in finding employment.

Thomas Moore (Sydney) to [Reverend Henry Scott], 22 July 1866 (File [4])

Rudeness of Sydney society; William Busby has bought Edgecliff House; Moore's mistake in buying so much property; is no longer farming and is leasing Pomeroy; establishment of Diocese of Goulburn; Bishop Mesac Thomas.

Diary kept by Charles C. Greenfield, a sailor, on a voyage on the Andares from London to Port Chalmers, New Zealand, 30 May 1879 - 14 February 1880 (File 6/1)

His visits to Dunedin, Wellington and Sydney, and his return voyage to England on the Hankow.

Sir Ralph Abercromby to Castlereagh, 20 April 1798 (File 122)

Encloses three letters on the rebellion of the United Irishmen.

Notes concerning agents of the United Irishmen, c. 1898-08 (File 210)

Edward Cooke to Castlereagh, [c. 1798-08] (File 228)

W. Wickham's letter about the Irish rebels.

Castlereagh. Memorandum on Irish rebels, [c. 1798-08] (File 229)

Lord Waterford to [unknown], 19 August 1798 (File 232)

Activities of Irish rebels. (extract)

Sir John Mitford to Duke of Portland, 1 September 1798 (File 235)

Comments on bill for preventing return of transported rebels.

W. Wickham to Castlereagh, 5 September 1798 (File 247)

Encloses draft of bill to prevent return of transported rebels.

Robert Marshall to Castlereagh, 17 October 1798 (File 295)

Thomas Pelham; remonstrations received opposing transportation of state prisoners.

Copy of secret information on Irish rebels, [c. 1798-10] (File 302)

W. Wickham to Castlereagh, 25 February 1799 (File 625)

State prisoners and influence of private interests.

Sir James Crawford to Lord Grenville, 26 February 1799 (File 628)

Information about French fleet and Irish rebels. (extract)

Draft description of Beedle McKenzie, United Irishman, [c. 1799-03] (File 694)

Draft list of supposed secretaries of United Irishmen, [c. 1799-03] (File 702)

Circular letter from Lords of the Admiralty to naval officers, 15 May 1803 (File 1781)

Instructing them to detain French ships and bring them into nearest port.

Circular letter from Lords of the Admiralty to naval officers, 16 June 1803 (File 1783)

Instructing them to seize and destroy Dutch ships.

J. Princep to John Sullivan, 2 November 1803 (File 1834)

Princep's company has undertaken regular trade to Port Jackson.

John Sullivan to Sir Stephen Cotterell, 7 November 1803 (File 1839)

Encloses letter from J. Princep.

Draft note on the troops serving at home and in the colonies, [1805] (File 2043)

Draft notes by Castlereagh concerning colonial trade, [c. 1806-06] (File 2420)

Castlereagh to Charles Manners-Sutton, Archbishop of Canterbury, [1807-12] (File 2562)

Ecclesiastical establishment in New South Wales.

Castlereagh to King George III, 8 April 1809 (File 3039)

Major-General Nightingale's ill-health; recommends 73rd Regiment be sent to New South Wales and Colonel L. Macquarie be Lieutenant-Governor. (draft)

Castlereagh to H. Alexander, 13 May 1809 (File 3074)

Thanks for information concerning Cape; has appointed a military governor to New South Wales.

Draft remarks on the East India trade, [c. 1812] (File 3337)

Statement on the revenue and expenses of the island of Java, [c. 1815-08] (File 4659)

Horse Guards memorandum on garrisons in British colonies, 2 May 1817 (File 5315)

Horse Guards memorandum on garrisons in new colonies, 2 May 1817 (File 5316)

Thomas Simpson to Castlereagh, 5 May 1819 (File 5715)

Agriculture and New South Wales.

Diary of Alexander Huey, an ensign in the 73rd foot, on voyages to Australia and New Zealand, 5 May 1809 - 21 February 1811 (File 2/1-3)

On a voyage from England to Sydney on the Dromedary and from Sydney to Cannibal Cove, New Zealand, and towards Cape Horn on the Atalanta, 5 May 1809 - 10 April 1810 and 29 October 1810 - 21 February. 1811.

Watercolour sketches of Wooloomooloo, Double Bay and Watsons Bay (File 2/4)

John W. Lewin (Sydney) to Alexander Huey, 7 November 1812 (File 2/5)

Lewin believes Huey will be a great artist; Lewin is painting two large oil paintings; picture of a corroboree for Mrs Macquarie; most officers in New South Wales are in debt; Governor Macquarie and contract for a hospital; convicts dining at Government House.

Letters from James H. Twigg (Coolgardie and Balingup, Bunbury) to members of his family (Cookstown, County Tyrone), 1891 - 1907 (File 1-66)

The letters describe Twigg's voyage to Australia on the Lusitania in 1891; fencing; kangaroo shooting; Aboriginal corroboree; construction of railway line; goldmining at Coolgardie in 1896; blacksmithing; wages and prices; the effect of federation on Western Australia's economy; sheep farming and shearing; the loneliness of farming life; threat of Labor Party to farmers; bushfires; marriage; sale of Balingup in 1907; impending departure for British East Africa.

Frank R. Robb (Tooma, NSW) to John Robb, 19 December 1878 (File 5/17)

Family news; life on sheep farm; 'there is always some amusement in the bush that I don't know if it is not on the whole the happiest existence for a man in this world'; highly educated men on stations; need for a young man to have capital.

Maxwell Lipper (Honolulu) to Henry, 26 February 1856 (File [1])

Survey in Little Salt Lake Desert; conditions in Honolulu; men from Belfast living in Honolulu.

John Sherry (Victoria), Matthew Madill and Mary Ellen Madill (Undera, Victoria) to Margaret Tailor (Clones, County Monaghan), 1874 - 1875 (File 1-5)

Offers to pay passage to Australia; life of girls on a farm; family news. (5 letters)

Edward Pease (Darlington, Yorkshire) to James N. Richardson (Lisburn, County Antrim), 10 March 1833 (File [1])

Society of friends; dedication and fervency of pilgrims in Tasmania; Francis Cotton; good influence of Friends in Tasmanian community.

Lieutenant George Forde (Omagh) to General Taylor, [1825] (File [1])

Seeks posting in Australia rather than the West Indies.

John Gilmore (Tauranga, NZ) to his parents, 16 September 1876 (File 2)

Voyage to New Zealand; quarantine on island near Auckland; description of settlement of Ulstermen at Tauranga.

Andrew Gilmore (Tauranga) to Robert Gilmore (Kirkcubbin), 16 July 1878 (File 3)

Sends money; impending arrival of Belfast settlers.

Andrew Gilmore to his family, 1880 - 1881 (File 4-6)

Sends money; urges Robert to emigrate; wages for smiths and carpenters; costs of farming; farmers with only €100-150 should stay at home. (3 letters)

William Cardwell (Christchurch) to his family (Tonaghmore, County Down), 24 April 1879 (File [1])

Death of his father; dull state of business; farmers' debts.

William Cardwell to his brother, 13 August 1880 (File [2])

Business and family matters.

Genealogical notes on Cardwell Family (File [3])

Record of a voyage to New Zealand, written by John Cardwell of Tonaghmore, 1881 (File [4])

Noah Dalway (Forest Creek, Victoria) to his mother, 10 December 1854 (File 17)

Journey from Melbourne to Simpsons Diggings; lack of success at Forest Creek; cost of horses and food; 'Australia is most falsely represented'; Eureka uprising; deaths from dysentery in Melbourne.

Noah Dalway (Ballarat) to his mother, 23 February 1857 (File 18)

Loss of money on quartz crushing; miserable Christmas; overpopulation and low wages in Victoria.

Extracts from the Londonderry Sentinel, with a description of the Swan River settlement by a military officer, 16 October 1830 (File [1])

William Carlisle (Williamstown, Victoria) to Elizabeth Carlisle, 20 May 1856 (File [1])

Struggle to find work; purchase of land at Williamstown; economic depression; difficulty in finding female servants.

Diary of John Sayers kept on a journey from Belfast to London and thence to Melbourne on the steamship St Osyth, 7 May 1875 - 24 June 1875 (File [1])

Sayers and his family travelled by rail from Holyhead to London and boarded the ship at Gravesend. The diary refers to its departure (11 May 1875), a brief call at Plymouth, the weather, seas, church services, sighting of other ships, coaling at St Vincent, food and meals, and the health of family members. The last entry was written three days before the ship reached Melbourne. The shortness of the voyage, a steaming time of 43 days from London to Melbourne, aroused a good deal of interest and was said to be unparalled.

Diary of Samuel Shaw of Saintsfield, County Down, on a voyage from Plymouth to Sydney, 20 November 1877 - 18 February 1878 (File [1])

Together with two letters to his parents and brothers (typescript).

James Dempsey (Moville, County Donegal) to Captain Stewart-Moore (Ballydivity, County Antrim), 18 October 1838 (File [1])

Conditions on board emigrant ship sailing to Sydney, rations; allegations of ill-treatment.

Memorandum by William Orr entitled 'A Vision', 1805 - 1807 (File)

Referring to his transportation, life in New South Wales, release and arrival in Calcutta (1805-1806) and Penang (1807).

William Orr. Defence against charge of robbery, 1799 (File)

Lord Castlereagh to Reverend George Macartney (Antrim), 9 February 1805 (File)

Acknowledges letter concerning W. Orr; will send it to A. Marsden.

John King (London) to Alexander Marsden, 18 March 1805 (File)

Request of Lord Castlereagh that Orr be permitted to return to Ireland as there is reason to believe he was unjustly tried.

Alexander Marsden (Dublin) to Reverend George Macartney, 23 March 1805 (File)

Sends copy of King's letter.

Reverend George Macartney to William Jamieson (alias Orr), 31 July 1806 (File)

Sympathy for Jamieson's suffering; has found Orr advised against rebellion; advances £100; advises him to remain in Calcutta and accumulate money.

W.A. Clubley (Fort Cornwallis) to W. Jamieson, 14 December 1821 (File)

Governor-General directs that on his departure from Penang he hand over Government clocks to I. Ruggills.

[R. Cannter ?] (Penang) to W. Jamieson, 15 December 1821 (File)

Grants permission for Jamieson to leave settlement and return to England on Amity.

W. Clubley to W. Jamieson, 17 December 1821 (File)

Government testifies to Jamieson's good conduct while in presidency.

J.N. Armstrong (Crofton, NZ) to Marion Armstrong (Dublin), August 1859 (File)

Defence measures in Auckland; drilling with Enfield rifles; fire at New Plymouth; farming.

J.N. Armstrong (Bell Block Stockade) to Marion Armstrong, 3 December 1861 (File)

Dissatisfaction with military proceedings in New Plymouth; drillings; hostile reception to Bishop G.A. Selwyn in New Plymouth; Selwyn's explanation of new system of government to Taranakis; need for Maori race to be suppressed; family news.

J.N. Armstrong (New Plymouth) to Marion Armstrong, May 1865 (File)

Maori War; Government's decision to dispense with imperial troops; dissatisfaction with campaign in Wanganui; offer by H. Atkinson of a company to occupy land north of Waitura River.

Correspondence of James Getty (Melbourne), 1853 - 1859 (File 1-13)

Correspondents include: John Getty (Ballymoney, County Antrim), Mary Getty, J. Irvine (Beechworth), John Garry (Melbourne), Edward Weaver, Peter Maloney (Melbourne).

Subjects include: Trade in Victoria; financial affairs; family matters.

J. Boswell (Kincardine, Scotland) to Captain F.C. Irwin (Sydney), 30 January 1829 (File 61)

Inquiry about agricultural situation.

Reverend J. Graham (Rochester) to Captain F.C. Irwin (Perth), 14 August 1833 (File 63)

Religion in the colony; Graham's appointment as headmaster; news of friends.

Governor James Stirling (Perth) to Captain F.C. Irwin (London), 1 April 1836 (File 65)

Acknowledges Irwin's book The state and position of Western Australia; prosperity of the colony; unsuitable settlers; plans to return to England in 1837.

Captain F.C. Irwin (London) to Reverend James Irwin, 7 November 1836 (File 67)

Preparations for emigration; engagement of Essex farmer as bailiff; will be taking much machinery.

Captain F.C. Irwin to James and Mary Irwin, 14 November 1836 (File 68)

Agrees to take niece Elizabeth.

Captain F.C. Irwin to Reverend James Irwin, 19 November 1836 (File 69)

Plans for education in the colony; hopes to send for vehicle; return of Governor Stirling; Irwin may be offered lieutenant governorship.

J. Adams (Armagh) to Major F.C. Irwin, 3 January 1837 (File 70)

Congratulations on marriage.

General Tolley (London) to Major F.C. Irwin, 11 January 1837 (File 71)

Good wishes for voyage.

Hugh Forbes (Altrincham) to Major F.C. Irwin, 4 March 1837 (File 72)

Would like to emigrate but no ship available until July or August.

J. Boswell (Kincardine) to Major F.C. Irwin, 17 February 1838 (File 74)

Farming methods in colony; increases in Australian flocks; family news.

J.B. Gascoyne (London) to Lieutenant Colonel F.C. Irwin, 16 July 1849 (File 85)

Appointments to Barrack Department and other posts in Britain; if Irwin were to return from Australia there would be no guarantee of employment.

Correspondence of Isabella Wyly (Adelaide) and J.A. Scott (Adelaide) with members of their family, 1856 - 1879 (File 3/10-15, 17-19, 24-26, 31)

Family news; emigration; wages; fever epidemic; move from Adelaide to Melbourne.

Two notebooks kept by Richard Beechey entitled 'Remarks on a voyage of discovery to the Pacific and Behring straits on board HMS Blossom', May 1825 - November 1826 (File 2-3)

24 drawings by Beechey: 'Views of Pacific etc. Islands' (File)

George B. Simpson (Dry Diggings, near Bendigo) to Fanny Irvine (Annahilt, County Down), 16 December 1861 (File 13)

Description of gold diggings.

George McLean (Young, NSW) to William C. Williamson (Richhill, County Armagh), 15 April 1870 (File [1])

Goldmining; climate; crops; bullock teams; Folies Circus; Sunday schools.

Correspondence of Oliver McSparran (Geelong), Jane McSparran (Sydney), John Moore and William Oliver (Geelong) with their family in County Londonderry, 1860 - 1881 (File 1/1-33)

Voyage to Australia; farming; hardships of immigrants; family news. (33 letters)

Oliver McSparran (New Zealand) to Archibald McSparran (Feeny, County Londonderry), 1865 - 1882 (File 2/1-6)

Gold diggings; prices; wages. (6 letters)

Photographs of Thomas Whitson, Isabella Whitson (nee Grant), their children and parents (File 2A)

David Moody (Australia) to his family, 1851 - 1854 (File 3/1-4)

Family news; voyage to England on the Marco Polo. (4 letters)

Correspondence of David Moody (River Light and Kapunda, SA), Solomon Moody (Truro, SA) and Mary Moody, 1858 - 1899 (File 3/5-17)

Return to Australia; farming; weather; family news.

Log of Lady Arabella on a voyage from New York to Melbourne (11pp.), 29 September 1852 - 23 January 1853 (File 1)

Log of Norfolk on a voyage from Melbourne to London, 13 April 1861 - July 1861 (File 2)

Including an essay on Australian gold digging (22pp.)

James Marks (William's Grove, NSW) to his cousin, 20 February 1871 (File [1])

Life on a farm; prices; Franco-Prussian War; fortification of Sydney Heads.

Thomas Houston (Gippsland, Victoria) to his uncle, 20 March 1866 (File)

Farming; nature of the country.

J.C.W. (Gippsland) to his uncle, 12 September 1866 (File)

Journey from Melbourne; farming; price of food.

Ebenezer Wyse (Glasgow) to Lord Dufferin, 26 March 1863 (File Reel 7, vol. XVIII)

Voyage to India and Australia on yacht Spray; Hobart race; search for Burke and Wills; dinner with Sir George Bowen at Brisbane; attempt to establish himself as a shipbroker in New Zealand; return to Britain.

Memoir, 1852 - 1867 (File)

The memoir records Cochran's impressions of Australia in the years 1852-1867. It refers inter alia to social customs, gambling and drunkenness in the colonies, colonial manners, servants, impressions of Melbourne, the Botanic Gardens, Australian flora, and the beauty of the countryside.

Journal, April 1867 - February 1868 (File)

The journal records Cochran's voyage from Port Phillip to Falmouth on the Highflyer (21 May-26 August 1867, his visits to London, Paris, Dublin and Londonderry, and his return voyage to Melbourne.

George McLean (Young, NSW) to William Williamson, 15 April 1870 (File Reel 3)

Young goldfield; gold rushes; work as a storekeeper; Australian climate; crops; bullock teams; Folies circus; Sunday schools; visit by Bishop of Goulburn.

George McLean to William Williamson, 2 October 1870 (File Reel 3)

Photographs; Franco-Prussian War; Fenians; weather; beauty of countryside; 'teafight' to raise funds for new meeting house; Aboriginal corroboree.

Letters and journal, 1830 - 1849 (File)

The letters and journal letters were mostly addressed to his family as a whole, but some were sent specifically to his father, his sisters or his brother Joseph. Of the 52 letters, half were written in the years 1830-1833. Moore visited Britain in 1841 and there are therefore no letters until he returned to Western Australia in 1843. The letters, which are all very lengthy, provide an extraordinarily detailed record of the first two decades of the colony. They refer inter alia to Moore's arrival at the Swan River, his first impressions and speculations about the future of the settlement, his property and the erection of a house, stock and crops, relations with other settlers, the economic prospects of the colony, the arrival of ships, the scarcity of provisions (1832), exploring expeditions including the Avon Valley (1831) and the coastal district near Champion Bay (1840), visits to King George's Sound, relations with shepherds and other farm workers, production of wool and wheat, prices, land transactions, financial matters, meetings and conflict with Indigenous Australians, meetings of the Legislative Council and Executive Council, court cases and legal work. Among the many individuals mentioned are his brother Samuel Moore (who also emigrated to Western Australia), Fanny Jackson (whom he married in 1846), the governors James Stirling, John Hutt and Sir Andrew Clarke, Captain George Grey, Peter Broun, Major J.C. Irwin, J.S. Roe, Captain William Shaw, William Mackie, William Brockman and Lieutenant Henry Bull.

Letters of James and Adam Sloane, 1831 - 1848 (File)

The large collection of letters to their parents were mostly written by James Sloane, from his home at Battery Point. There are also a few lengthy letters from Adam Sloane who was living at Campbelltown. They are mostly of a private nature, dealing with family affairs, employment, religion, with occasional references to political events.