'The Author pretends to no high order of poetry; he is a rhymester only; the compositions contain little study or thought, for the most part they were written on the spur of the moment, some might have been omittted and others revised, but he prefers to allow them to appear again in their originality, depending on the purchaser being more blind to their faults than censorious in opinion.' (Preface, Tasmanian Rhymings)
Lancashire-born Dr John Anthony Moore arrived in Hobart in 1842, then returned to England early in 1845 before re-embarking for Hobart in July that same year. Given his multiple journeys and medical background Moore almost certainly acted as surgeon on the emigrant ships throughout these voyages. Following his return to the colony, Moore married Martha Ann Read in January 1846, acquiring a significant landholding at New Norfolk where he later served as Acting Superintendent and Medical Officer at the Hospital for the Insane. His son Thomas (1850-1919) became well known for his exploration of the western regions of Tasmania.
Tasmanian Rhymings contains several poems written by Moore whilst on board the Jane Frances (Hobart to London, January to May 1845) and the Derwent, on the return voyage to Van Diemen's Land (July to November the same year) in addition to works penned in England and his adopted home.
