19th-Century Australian Travel Writing
Scottish born William Westgarth (1815-1889) was a merchant, financier, historian, and politician who was a member of New South Wales Legislative Council and also the Victorian Legislative Council. In Personal Recollections of Early Melbourne and Victoria, Westgarth provides an account of early colonial life, beginning with a quote from Australian writer Arthur Patchett Martin. Westgarth also references Froude's Oceana, before writing his own travel narrative. The author describes Aboriginal peoples, the appearance of Melbourne, extensively noting a range of society figures (including sketches of their portraits), German immigration, country towns, governmental documents, and provides a brief history of the colony. Westgarth also authored The Colony of Victoria (1864) and Half a Century of Australasian Progress, A Personal Retrospect (1889).
