AustLit

19th-Century Australian Travel Writing

Secretary of the Tasmanian Government Emigration Department, Charles Dugald Buckler (1848- 1918), claimed that there was a dearth of literature about Tasmania which was countered by a considerable demand for reliable information about the colony; he positioned his pamphlet as meeting this demand. The Colony of Tasmania was derived from letters from emigrants, which made up the bulk of the text - Buckler believing they were reliable sources with no personal motive, writing only factual accounts of their personal experiences. Buckler provided a history and description of the colony, including agriculture and government, and continued with statistical information useful to any intending emigrant — land and stock prices, wages, education and transport. The work concluded with statements on the classes of emigrants required for the colony. Buckler also published Imperial Colonization a Profit to the State (1886).