Nineteenth-Century Travel Writing
Pastoralist, colonial magistrate and novelist Charles Rowcroft's (1798-1856) An Emigrant in Search of a Colony, also published as Adventures of an Emigrant in Search of a Colony (1851), is an adventure novel. It begins with the mysterious account of his birth, and moves through his childhood, with Rowcroft noting that his search for a colony reminded him of Sinbad the Sailor. Conversational and engaging in tone, it describes his travels through Africa, New Zealand, and Australia (in particular the Blue Mountains and Sydney), and detailed his encounters with colonialists in the bush. It concludes with the protagonist telling his mother of his desire to settle in Australia—having ended his search for a colony. Rowcroft also authored Tales of the Colonies (1845), The Perils and Adventures of Mr. William Thornley. One of the Pioneer Settlers of Van Diemen's Land, 1817-1830 (1845), Tales of Tasmania, or Adventures of an Emigrant (1845) and The Australian Crusoes; or, The Adventures of an English Settler and his Family in the Wilds of Australia (1870).
