Guide to the Diary of John Carter (as filmed by the AJCP), 1844-1850
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Collection context
Summary
- Collection number:
- M1618
- Creator:
- Carter, John
- Extent:
- 1 items
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.
Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.
Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)
- Availability:
- Available
- Access conditions:
- Available for reference.
Background
- Content Summary:
-
The first part of the diary (pp 1-50), dating from 24 October 1844 to 17 August 1845, contains entries of varying length recording Carter's departure from Portsmouth on the General Hewett, the weather and the seas, sighting of La Palma (Canary Islands), church services, incidents involving the crew and passengers, sighting of other ships, fishing and shooting, sightings of flying fish, albacore, whales, albatrosses and petrels, the funeral of a young woman passenger, the sighting of South West Cape of Van Diemen's Land, and the arrival at Port Jackson (9 February 1845). The subsequent entries cover Carter's brief stay in Sydney, meetings with his uncle and friends, his impressions of the town, his voyage to Broulee on the south coast, a visit to the home of John Hawdon, and a journey to the Monaro.
The diary resumes on 24 January 1846, although there are only a few entries in 1846 referring to Carter's departure from the Monaro and his arrival at Boree Nyrang, the property of Captain Robert Barton, near Molong. From January 1847 onwards there are entries for most days. They record his work on Boree Station, which was leased by A.C. (Charles) Hood, including cattle branding and store keeping. In September 1847 Carter became responsible for the management of the sheep on the station and there are numerous references to lambing, shearing, dealings with shepherds, stock movements, and purchases and sales of sheep. He recorded his frequent visits other stations, particularly Boree Nyrang and Boree Cabonne, leased by TH. (Thomas) Hood, and to Copper Hill (also leased by Charles Hood), and occasional visits to Bathurst, Dubbo and Wellington. He regularly dined with Robert and Eliza Barton (the grand parents of the poet A.B. Paterson), and in his diary he also referred to cases in the local court, horse races, riding, shooting, letter-writing and reading. Other people whom Carter visited or met included Captain Louis Hope, John Street, Philip Street, Henry Kater, Henry Rickards, John Smith, Frederick Darvall, Saul Samuel, Edmund Kennedy and Daniel Bunce. There are also references to his brother Joseph Carter, who visited the district in 1846 and subsequently settled at Mount Gambier in South Australia. There are relatively few entries for 1849-1850. The last entry is dated 27 December 1850.
The diary provides little biographical information about Carter, apart from the fact that he regularly received letters from his mother and sisters in England and his uncle in Sydney.
- Biographical / Historical:
-
Diary kept by John Carter on the voyage of the General Hewett from Portsmouth to Sydney in 1844-1845 and while working on a sheep and cattle station in western New South Wales in 1846-1850. (165pp)
Carter emigrated to New South Wales in 1845 and worked as a superintendent on stations in the Molong district.
Access and use
- Conditions Governing Access:
- Available for Access.
- Conditions Governing Use:
- Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the owner of the original material.
- Preferred citation:
-
Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.
Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.
Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)
- Location of this collection:
-
Parkes PlaceCanberra ACT 2600, Australia
- Contact: