AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
The South Australian Magazine was established as 'a Monthly Periodical to bring ... into active exercise' the 'sufficient talent ... known to exist in the Province'. The Magazine published articles of general interest on literary and scientific subjects 'the preference ... given to ... [pieces of a] colonial character' with anything of a 'party, political, or personal character' excluded. ('Prospectus of the South Australian Magazine', South Australian Magazine 1.1 (July, 1841): [back cover])
Interspersed with the more serious articles are 'lighter pieces' including verse inserted 'at such time, and in such a way, as may be best suited to produce a variety, or fill up a space in our pages.' These pieces were not returned to contributors but there was a stated policy to return unaccepted literary and scientific papers and to have those that were accepted proofed by the contributors in order 'that the utmost degree of correctness may be secured.' ('To Correspondents', South Australian Magazine 1.12 (September, 1842): inside front cover).
The Magazine is a small journal of good design, style and type with verse and shorter pieces complementing the longer articles. Each issue ends with a 'Monthly Record consisting of short local news items and listing births, deaths and marriages. The 'Prospectus' announced the Magazine as 'an advantageous medium for a select number of advertisement'' as the Magazine was 'intended to be bound up at the end of the year as works of reference [thereby being] among the most eligible mediums for permanent advertisements.' A copy of issue numbers 1-8 bound with advertisements at the back is held at the National Library of Australia. The first volume of the Magazine (numbers 1-12) was republished as a bound volume but with no advertisements.
Though much of the creative writing published seems to be by Australian writers with the majority South Australian colonists, some is reprinted from overseas periodicals, newspapers and books. These are not indexed. Two interesting contributions not indexed are a serial, 'Argalia' 'translated from the German of Madame Pichler for South Australian Magazine' probably by a colonist and, in the last issue, part one of a serial 'The Adventures of the Last Abencerage' 'translated from the French of Chateaubriand, by the late Edmund Morton, Esq.' A biography of Edmund Morton, seemingly a colonist, is attached to this first part. Among the non-fiction articles not indexed are 'On the Civilization of the Aborigines (vol. 2, no. 5, February, 1843) and 'Union of the Australasiatic Colonies under a General Governorship' (vol. 1, no. 9, May and June, 1842). Many of the works indexed are pseudonymous but are of local places and people. Exile, longing and homesickness are common themes, for example Henry Hamilton Blackham's poem Lays of Life. There are also works about local subjects, including The Spirit of the Murray an unfinished poem taking as its subject the Aboriginal people of the Murray River area, and prose works on and about life and travel in the colony.
Frequency became irregular but there is no expectation of the Magazine's end in the final issues. Ill health of the second editor, Thomas Young Cotter, may have caused the demise of this 'little magazine. Some contributors/contributions continued in the South Australian Odd Fellows' Magazine (1843) subsequently The Odd Fellows' Magazine (1843-1845).
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Literary Notice
1842
single work
review
— Appears in: Australasian Chronicle , 11 October vol. 4 no. 457 1842; (p. 2)
— Review of The South Australian Magazine 1841 periodical (20 issues) -
South Australian Magazine
1842
single work
review
— Appears in: Geelong Advertiser , 10 January vol. 2 no. 60 1842; (p. 2)
— Review of The South Australian Magazine 1841 periodical (20 issues) -
Address From the Former to the Present Editor of the Magazine
1842
single work
column
— Appears in: The South Australian Magazine , October vol. 2 no. 1 1842; (p. 1-5) -
Unknown
1842
single work
column
— Appears in: The South Australian Magazine , September vol. 1 no. 12 1842; (p. pagination unknown) -
Prospectus of the South Australian Magazine
1841
single work
column
— Appears in: The South Australian Magazine , July vol. 1 no. 1 1841; (p. back cover)
-
South Australian Magazine
1842
single work
review
— Appears in: Geelong Advertiser , 10 January vol. 2 no. 60 1842; (p. 2)
— Review of The South Australian Magazine 1841 periodical (20 issues) -
Literary Notice
1842
single work
review
— Appears in: Australasian Chronicle , 11 October vol. 4 no. 457 1842; (p. 2)
— Review of The South Australian Magazine 1841 periodical (20 issues) -
The Use and Advantages of Colonial Periodical Literature
1841
single work
prose
— Appears in: The South Australian Magazine , July vol. 1 no. 1 1841; (p. 1-8) An apologia of the South Australian Magazine. -
Unknown
1842
single work
column
— Appears in: The South Australian Magazine , September vol. 1 no. 12 1842; (p. pagination unknown) -
Address From the Former to the Present Editor of the Magazine
1842
single work
column
— Appears in: The South Australian Magazine , October vol. 2 no. 1 1842; (p. 1-5) -
Prospectus of the South Australian Magazine
1841
single work
column
— Appears in: The South Australian Magazine , July vol. 1 no. 1 1841; (p. back cover)
PeriodicalNewspaper Details
On the original cover of the first issue, after the name Archibald Macdougall, is listed: Capper & Gole, London : Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh : Curry, Junior, & Co., Dublin : Collins, Glasgow : Showell, Birmingham : Westley & Co., Bristol : Hughes, Liverpool : J. C. Macdougall, Hobart Town : H.Dowling, Launceston : Tegg, Sydney : Kerr, Port Phillip : Crawford & Co., New Zealand.
Agents W. S. Platts, Hindley-street, Adelaide, and E. Giles, No-orlunga
Volume 1, no. 3, September, 1841 replaces Tegg with G. W. Evans, Sydney. Crawford & Co., New Zealand is dropped. Vol. 2 no. 2, November, 1842 amends Oliver & Boyd to Oliver & Boyd and R & J Chambers. G. W. Evans is replaced with Tegg.
Some issues have 'Notice to Correspondents' printed on the inside front cover.
The back covers of nos. 9 and 12 printed 'Notices of the Press', reviews of the South Australian Magazine from the Australasian Chronicle; Sydney Monitor; Port Phillip Patriot; Colonial Times; Launceston Advertiser and Colonial Observer.
Bibliographic information is from original covers where available. This may differ from the digital copy of the print publication via Australian Periodical Publications 1840-1845.
The original covers printed the issue number and period but did not state the volume number, however the AustLit records for each issue follow the stated volume number from the digital copy of the print publication.
The South Australian Magazine is indexed on AustLit from the digital copy.
Has serialised
- Reminiscences of Father Looney, single work novella
- The Torrens, Its Sources, Its Streams and Its Tributaries, single work essay
- Jane's Letters, selected work correspondence
- Voyages and Adventures among the Islands of the Adjacent Gulfs, single work prose travel
-
The Spirit of the Murrayi"A thousand memories crowd upon the mind",
single work
poetry
'Unfinished when publication ceased. A lengthy poem said to have been amongst 'Manuscripts Recently Discovered On the Banks of the Murray'. Begins by describing trip to Australia, arrival etc,. but mostly consists of interesting versions of aboriginal songs and legends, it was evidently very popular since in the 'To Correspondents' notices in II, 8, 1843, the editor wrote 'We trust our friend "Cuique" will furnish us with the continuation of the "Spirit of the Murray" as regularly as may consist with his convenience. We know that many of our readers will look for it very anxiously.' (Webby)