Guide to the Collections held by the Wiltshire Record Office (as filmed by the AJCP)

Contract for three convicts, Joseph Longstreet, John Feltham and Robert Jefferies, to be sent to New South Wales, 12 January 1787 (File)

Bond for three convicts, Joseph Longstreet, John Feltham and Robert Jefferies to go on the transport Alexander, 13 January 1787 (File)

Contract for Robert Timbrell to be sent to New South Wales, 30 January 1787 (File)

Bond for Robert Timbrell to go to the transport Friendship, 5 February 1787 (File)

Contract for 19 convicts to be sent to New South Wales, 23 October 1787 (File)

Bond for the transportation of 19 convicts, 23 October 1787 (File)

Contract for a group of convicts to be sent to New South Wales, 20 June 1788 (File)

Bond for the transportation of a group of convicts, 20 June 1788 (File)

Contract for Sarah Varriner to be sent to New South Wales, 15 May 1789 (File)

Bond for the transportation of Sarah Varriner, 15 May 1789 (File)

Bond for the transportation of Sarah Varriner, 20 May 1789 (File)

Bond for the transportation of 21 convicts, 24 December 1789 (File)

John Palmer to J. Deans, 27 February 1825 (File)

Refers to the Netherlands loan and possibility of sending bullion to Java. (copy)

Jacqueline de Capellen de Frijll (Batavia) to [John Palmer?], 28 May 1825 (File)

Congratulations on the marriage of Miss Palmer. (In French)

John Findall to John Palmer, n.d. (File)

Administration of Malacca and Penang.

John Palmer to John Findall, 17 June 1825 (File)

Administration of Malacca and Penang; position of the Governor-General; bullion to pay the troops.

J.S. Brownrigg (London) to Henry Hobhouse, 13 August 1825 (File)

Bad conduct of Charles Palmer who is still in business; Javanese coffee in payment of Palmer's bills of £60,000.

John Palmer (Calcutta) to Claud Queiros (Singapore), 25 May 1826 (File)

Concern about his silence; expects a large remittance. (copy)

Thomas Courtenay (London) to Robert Scott, 15 January 1827 (File)

Has decided to appropriate £40,000 for property owners in Bencoolen who have suffered from the transfer to the Netherlands Government. (copy)

Memorial of the proprietors of spice plantations and other property at Bencoolen in Sumatra to the Board of Commissioners for the Affairs of India (copy), n.d. (File)

Robert Scott (London) to India Board, 20 January 1827 (File)

£40,000 seems inadequate compensation for the ruin which has resulted from the transfer. (copy)

Memorial from the proprietors of spice plantations and other property at Bencoolen to the Court of Directors of the East India Company (copy), 28 February 1827 (File)

J.S. Brownrigg (London) to John Palmer, 28 March 1827 (File)

Refers to some progress with the difficulties of the Bencoolen settlers. (copy)

John Palmer (Calcutta) to J.S. Brownrigg, 8 April 1827 (File)

Difficulty with the bills of Dutch companies and the Java Government. (copy)

John Palmer to Henry Hobhouse, 1 September 1827 (File)

Personal and business news.

John Palmer (Penang) to his son Samuel Palmer, 9 November 1827 (File)

Ill health; trouble with his eyes.

John Palmer (Malacca) to Samuel Palmer, 19 November 1827 (File)

Improvement in his health.

John Palmer (Singapore) to Samuel Palmer, 25 November 1827 (File)

His health; trouble with eyes; news of friends.

John Palmer (Singapore) to Samuel Palmer, 10 December 1827 (File)

Improvement of his health; on his way to Java.

John Palmer (Singapore) to J.S. Brownrigg, 15 December 1827 (File)

Poor health; business. (copy)

Business correspondence, mostly sent from Antwerp to J. Barnaby (Samarang), 1825 - 1827 (File)

On trade in various commodities, including coffee and spices. (In English and Dutch)

Lieutenant Colonel Nahus (Maastricht), 4 January 1828 (File)

The causes of the Java War, February 1826 (29pp), with an addendum (13pp) written at Surakarta (Java).

John Palmer (Batavia) to Samuel Palmer, 24 January 1828 (File)

Family news; plans to visit Solo (Surakarta); restoration of health.

J.S. Brownrigg (London) to John Palmer, 30 January 1828 (File)

Bencoolen planters; Java Government bills and other matters.

John Palmer (Solo) to Samuel Palmer, 14 February 1828 (File)

Family matters; the rebels; when rains subside will move in small detachments between the insurgents and the Hollanders.

R.C. Jenkins (Calcutta) to John Palmer (Penang): family news, 30 March 1828 (File)

M.O. Hunt (Surabaya) to John Palmer (Batavia), 19 April 1828 (File)

Commission business has dwindled away to nothing; a business proposition.

John Palmer (Nagulan) to Samuel Palmer, 30 April 1828 (File)

Plans for return to India.

Charles Cockerell (London) to John Palmer, 23 May 1828 (File)

Refers to Dutch bills.

J.S. Brownrigg (London) to John Palmer: Affairs, 13 June 1828 (File)

John Palmer (Batavia) to Samuel Palmer, 13 June 1828 (File)

Expects to return at the end of the month.

John Palmer (Singapore) to Samuel Palmer: On his way home., 27 July 1828 (File)

J.S. Brownrigg (London) to John Palmer, 15 December 1828 (File)

Java Trust Account distribution to the Bencoolen planters.

John Palmer (Calcutta) to Samuel Palmer, 16 February 1829 (File)

Domestic and other news.

J.S. Brownrigg (London) to John Palmer, 8 May 1829 (File)

John Palmer (Calcutta) to J.S. Brownrigg, 22 May 1829 (File)

Plans to discharge himself of all substantive acts of the House except for transactions on Java; history of the failure of the House.

J.S. Brownrigg to John Palmer, 13 June 1829 (File)

Remuneration for the Bencoolen planters.

Bate (Plymouth) to his aunt, n.d. (File)

Bate (Malta) to his aunt, 8 September [October?] 1871 (File)

Bate (Bay of Biscay) to his aunt, 18 September 1871 (File)

Bate (between Aden and Trincomalee) to his aunt, 16 November 1871 (File)

Bate (towards Singapore) to his aunt, 1871-12-08; 1871-12-17 (File)

With a brief addendum at Singapore.

Bate (Selangor) to his mother, 27 December 1871 (File)

Impending departure for Penang; has been in action; Selangor a nest of pirates; account of fighting; family news; his engagement; stay at Singapore; its excessive heat.

Bate (Singapore) to his aunt, 13 January 1872 (File)

Pleasant stay at Penang; first flagship to visit Penang in 16 years; social activities; painting of Iron Duke destroying a fort at Selangor; fears of a general rising of Malays in Sumatra and the Straits Settlements; visit to Sessions House in Singapore.

Bate (at sea) to his aunt, 1872-01-28; 1872-02-20 (File)

English news; improvement in weather; monsoons; fears of a long stay in Hong Kong, a 'fever hole'; visit to Manila. Addendum refers to sighting of Victoria Peak, Hong Kong.

Bate (Hong Kong) to his mother, 3 March 1872 (File)

Hong Kong preferable to any other place on the Station; succession of entertainments; foreign ships in the harbour; domestic economy of the Chinese; impressions of Hong Kong.

Bate (Woosung) to his mother, 12 May 1872 (File)

Bate (Woosung) to his aunt, 17 May 1872 (File)

Bate (Nagasaki) to his aunt, 28 May 1872 (File)

Bate (Yokohama) to his mother, 15 July 1872 (File)

Bate (Chefoo) to his aunt, 20 September 1872 (File)

Bate (Woosung) to his aunt, 15 November 1872 (File)

Committee for Promoting the Emigration of Females to the Australian Colonies, 31 January 1835 (File)

Notice of free passages to single women and widows to go to the Australian colonies in the Canton, signed by Edward Forster, London. (printed, 3pp.) Inscribed to the Overseers of St Peter's, Marlborough.

Diary kept by William Grove on the voyage to Australia on the Vimiera and while travelling in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, 2 October 1864 - 11 November 1865 (File No. 9)

The first part of the diary describes the voyage of the Vimiera from Plymouth to Australia with references the weather, winds and seas, fellow-passengers, sightings of other ships, Crossing the Line ceremonies, sightings of dolphins, albatrosses and other birds and fish, theatrical performances, views of the New South Wales coast and his arrival at Sydney (13 Jan. 1865).

The following entries record Grove's impressions of Sydney, harbour cruises, visits to the Botanic Gardens, meetings with local residents including Frederick Darley and his family, a dinner party at Government House, a Melbourne-Sydney cricket match, and a visit to Parramatta. On 11 February Grove left Sydney and sailed to Melbourne and Launceston, spent a few days in Tasmania, and then made short visits to Melbourne and Ballarat before returning to Sydney on 3 March. In March and April he travelled with his friend H.W. Hoffman into the interior of the colony, visiting Wollongong, Kiama, Gerringong, the Blue Mountains, Bathurst, Sofala and Mudgee. On 10 April they reached Llangollen Station, near Cassilis, where they stayed for nearly four months. There are references to the work of the station, shearing, stock movements, regular visits to the home of William Busby and to Collaroy Station, the home of Rowland Traill, reading, visitors, news from England, the New South Wales Land Bill, the deaths of the bushrangers Ben Hall and John Gilbert, and news of the American Civil War. Grove left Llangollen on 30 April and journeyed to Singleton, Muswellbrook and Newcastle, finally arriving in Sydney on 3 August. In his final month in the colony he made a short visit to Newcastle, attended a ball at Government House, inspected the University of Sydney, and met notable colonial figures such as Sir William Manning, William Macleay and Edward Merewether.Grove left Sydney on 22 September 1865 and sailed on the SS Northam to Point de Galle, Colombo, Kandy and Bombay. The last entry was written on 11 November, four days before his death.