The History of Tasmania (Vol. 1&2)

'The History of Tasmania' in two volumes is the most significant work by the Australian author John West that features the development of the British colonization of Tasmania, the penal system and the condition of the Aboriginal people. The island was permanently settled by Europeans in 1803 as a penal settlement of the British Empire to prevent claims to the land by the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. The island was initially part of the Colony of New South Wales but became a separate, self-governing colony under the name Van Diemen's Land in 1825. Approximately 75,000 convicts were sent there before transportation ceased in 1853. In 1854 the present Constitution of Tasmania was passed, and the following year the colony received permission to change its name to Tasmania, after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, who made the first reported European sighting of the island in 1642. This carefully crafted e-artnow ebook is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents.

John West (1809-1873) was Australian congregational minister, author and newspaper editor who emigrated from England to Tasmania in 1838. Affronted by the social, economic and moral effects of convictism, he was a leader in the movement seeking the abolition of transportation of convicts to the Australian Colonies. In 1854 West became the first official editor, of the Sydney Morning Herald and moved to Sydney from where he guided debate on matters of colonial, national and international importance. He is also regarded as one of the founders of Australian historical writing.