Our Australian Colonies - Discovery, History, Resources & Prospects.
By Samuel Mossman
With Maps & Plans (all present)
Published by The Religious Tract Society: London c1868 1st Edition (undated 1st edition)
"Samuel Mossman's Our Australian Colonies - Discovery, History, Resources & Prospects (London: Religious Tract Society, c1868) presents an early and comprehensive account of the British colonies in Australia during the mid-nineteenth century. Drawing upon contemporary exploration and settlement records, Mossman traces the discovery and founding of each colony — New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania — highlighting their geography, indigenous populations, governance, and economic progress. The text is richly supported by detailed maps and plans, offering readers both a narrative and visual sense of the vast continent's transformation from penal outposts to thriving settlements.
Beyond historical chronology, Mossman devotes attention to the colonies' immense natural resources and commercial promise. Goldfields, pastoral lands, and agricultural ventures are examined in the context of Britain's expanding empire, while reflections on immigration, infrastructure, and moral development convey the period's missionary and civilizing ideals. This first edition captures a moment of optimism about Australia's future, appealing to collectors of early colonial history, students of British imperial expansion, and those interested in nineteenth-century geographic and economic literature."
Light wear to original cloth bindings. All maps and plans are present. Foldout map has been secured with strengthening tape as shown and is split along folds. There are no loose pages. Small contemporary inscription. Pages are clean with no foxing. All pages are present and the book is complete in 344 pages. A scarce 1st Edition copy with significant historical references to early colonial and indigenous relations. Very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
Size 18cm x 11.5cm x 3cm - 344 Pages
