Journals of two expeditions into the interior of New South Wales, undertaken by order of the British Government in the Years 1817-18.

A$7,500 · Offered by Douglas Stewart Fine Books

London : John Murray, 1820. Quarto (275 x 220 mm), contemporary gilt-ruled half calf over marbled papered boards, spine in compartments with gilt decoration and lettering (expertly rebacked); original marbled endpapers; pp. xv; [i errata], 408; with two folding engraved charts of the interior of New South Wales, two folding tables, folding etched plate ( Field Plains from Mount Aymot ), three aquatint plates (Arbuthnot s Range from the West; Liverpool Plains, West Prospect from View Hill; Bathurst s Falls); folding plan of Port Macquarie; and two hand-coloured aquatint plates ( The grave of a native of Australia; A native chief of Bathurst ); all of the uncoloured plates and charts have some degree of foxing, ranging from light to heavy; both coloured plates are in fine condition; the text pages are clean and crisp, with wide margins; a good example. The first major text relating to the inland exploration of Australia. John Oxley, as Surveyor General of New South Wales, led his first expedition in 1817. His attempt to trace the course of the Lachlan River was largely unsuccessful, as he encountered mostly marshland. During his second expedition of 1818, along the Macquarie River, Oxley discovered much suitable grazing land and ultimately the fine natural harbour of Port Macquarie. Oxley s Journal is a finely printed and illustrated volume, designed to stand next to the earlier volumes of Philip, Hunter, Tench, Collins, White, Grant nd Flinders. It is embellished with a large

• Binding: Hardcover

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