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19th-Century Australian Travel Writing
John Capper—former coffee planter in Ceylon, journalist, sometime editor of The Emigrant's Journal and the Ceylon Examiner--published Philip's Emigrants' Guide to Australia: With a New Map of the Gold Fields in 1852. This work was revised and reprinted in 1853 and 1856 to incorporate discoveries of the northern and southern districts of New South Wales and Victoria. Capper poetically emphasised the wealth and prospects of Australia in the preface to the first edition, also stating that the intense interest in Australia taken by almost every class of society rendered any attempt at diffusing practical information about such matters both important and acceptable. These works list the rise, progress and capabilities of the colonies, extensively describing the gold fields, noting who should emigrate, and noting mineral resources and scientific information relating to the mining industry. From the later chapters in the third edition, it is evident that Capper was not based in the Australian colonies, as he received information by mail and newspapers regarding their progress. Capper also wrote Australia: As a Field for Capital, Skill, and Labour: With Useful Information for Emigrants of all Classes (1854), was a regular contributor to Charles Dickens’ Household Words, and published widely on India, including Three Presidencies of India (1853).
