When Charles Joseph La Trobe sailed for England from Port Phillip on 6 May 1854 he carried with him a unique collection of documents; at least 50 letters from squatters and other early settlers of the colony of Victoria, recalling their experiences as pioneers. These recollections and records are not only important in historical terms, but are also of considerable significance on the human level. Personal accounts are inevitably rich in detail and here they vividly portray life in that early period of Australian history. They include, among others, lively accounts of events such as life in Dutigalla (an early name for the Melbourne settlement); the massacre of the Faithfull party by a group of Aborigines; and the disappearance of and subsequent search for Gellibrand. This new edition of ‘Letters from Victorian pioneers’ in enhanced by the addition of specially selected etchings and lithographs of the times, by portraits of the settlers and by photographs of their families.

CONTENTS

Part 1: First seekers:
Joseph Tice Gellibrand, memorandum of a trip to Port Phillip, Jan-Feb 1836 p3.
David Fisher, Roslin, Geelong, 21 Sep 1853 p36.
John Aitken, Mount Aitken, 26 Aug 1853 p47.
John Hart, Melbourne, 24 April 1854 p51.
John Hepburn, Smeaton Hill, 10 Aug 1853 p57.
Charles Wedge, 10 Sep 1853 p83.
Robert Jamieson, Melbourne 9 Aug 1853 p89.
Thomas Learmonth, Buninyong, 11 Aug 1853 p92.
Hugh Murray, Colac, 18 Aug 1853 p101.
James Clow, Melbourne 4 Aug 1853 p104.
Thomas H. Pyke, Upper Werribee, Ballan, 12 Aug 1853 p114.

Part 2: Portland Bay, Western District:
Stephen George Henty, Portland, 16 Jan 1854 p119.
Dr Alexander Thomson, 29 March 1854 p129.
Thomas Manifold, Warrnambool, 30 Aug 1853 p135.
George D. Mercer, Weatherboard, near Geelong, 22 Aug 1853 p141.
John Norman McLeod, Tahara, 18 Aug 1853 p146.
John Hunter Patterson, Moorabee, 15 Aug 1853 p150.
John G. Robertson, Wando Vale, 26 Sep 1853 p154.
George Armytage, Hermitage, 6 Oct 1853 p171.
James Blair, Portland, 13 Aug 1853 p176.
Captain Foster Fyans (undated) p178.

Part 3: North-East and Gippsland:
Angus McMillan, Bushy Park, 25 Aug 1853 p201.
George Edward Mackay, Tarrawingee, 30 Aug 1853 p209.
Peter Snodgrass, St Kilda, 15 Sep 1853 p213.
George Faithfull, Wangaratta, 8 Sep 1853 p217.
Charles J. Tyers, Alberton, Gippsland, 15 July 1844 p223.
W. Odell Raymond, Stratford, 15 Aug 1853 p239.
Charles Hutton, Melbourne, 19 Aug 1853 p246.
John Templeton, Kyneton, 6 Aug 1853 p249.

Part 4: Central plains, Wimmera:
William Thomas Mollison, Pyalong, 22 Aug 1853 p255.
Charles Browning Hall, Amherst, Burnbank, 6 Sep 1853 p260.
William J.T. Clarke, Melbourne 13 Sep 1853 p277.
Edward Bell, Wimmera, 12 Aug and 15 Sep 1853 p281.
Hector Norman Simson, Charlotte Plains, 24 Aug 1853 p301.
William Taylor, Longerenong, Wimmera, 16 Nov 1853 p306.
Colin Campbell (undated) p313.
Philip David Rose, Melbourne (undated) p319.
Alfred Taddy Thomson, Fiery Creek, 18 Aug 1853 p325.
Thomas Chirnside, Point Cook, 1 Nov 1853 p331.
Leslie Foster, Avoca (undated) p337.
Edward Dryden, Macedon, Aug 1853 p341.

Part 5: the Mallee and the Murray [River District]:
Archibald Macarthur Campbell, Ganawarra 29 Sep 1853 p347.
Sir Henry E.F. Young, addressed to Norman Campbell Esq. 20 April 1853 p351.
James Maxwell Clow, Pine Plains (undated) p354.
Evelyn Pitfield Sturt, Lonsdale Street, 20 Oct 1853 p363.
Hugh Jamieson, addressed to Bishop Perry, Mildura Station, River Murray 10 Oct 1853 p377.
William Francis Splatt, Melbourne 13 Aug 1853 p386.

Part 6: Aborigines:
Thomas Winter, Hobart, addressed to Mr Swanston, written probably in 1837 p391.
William Thomas (undated) p397.
Henry Edward Pulteney Dana, from C.J. La Trobe, Melbourne 22 Jan 1853 p438.
John Gardiner, note taken by C.J. La Trobe, on board the ‘Argo’ 19 Aug 1853 p443.

Note:
The following letters, which appeared in the 1898 edition of ‘Letters from Victorian pioneers’, are omitted from this edition: John Carfrae, Ledcourt, 1 Sep 1853. Charles Wale Sherard, Creswick Creek, 10 Aug 1853. Henry Dwyer, Victoria Valley, 13 Aug 1853. Edward Grimes, 1 Aug 1853. Specimens of the language of the Barrabool Aborigines and list of members of the tribe, collected about 1842 by Mrs Davenport have also been omitted.

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