Cirrus@Austlit

19th-Century Australian Travel Writing

British Army Officer, Lieutenant William Henry Breton (1799-1889), travelled to Australia as part of the 4th Regiment of Foot. This account of his travels to the colonies is situated in opposition to other works about Australia that the author refers to as "bright illusions" (v), which had encouraged his journey. Breton offered what he called a "brief and unvarnished account" of the colonies, which included direct discussion of colonial violence between Aboriginal people and settlers. He described the journey from England to Sydney and included the writings of Flinders and Dampier in his text (to comment on the coasts and Aboriginal people respectively), Hobart Town, Launceston, and concluded with information about the comparative advantages of the colonies. The publisher Richard Bentley brought out three rapid and revised editions of this book, part of a series of travel publications designed to satisfy the British desire for information about the Australian colonies. Breton also published Scandinavian Sketches, or, A Tour in Norway (1835).