John McDouall Stuart. Diary 29 Nov. 1860 - 3 July 1861. Diary of
Stuart’s fifth and penultimate expedition, in which he reached as far as
Newcastle Waters (which his diary reveals he named Glandfield Lagoon).
The Society has several other pieces of Stuart manuscript material as
well as a chair and table that he made.
Highlights:-
The RGSSA Library holds over 200
manuscripts, including three manuscripts of Sir
Joseph Banks and a number of Australian explorers’ diaries including
John McDouall Stuart’s diary, 1860-1861. Details are available through this link,
Manuscripts, to the "Catalogue of the Manuscripts in
the Library of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia (South
Australian Branch) Inc"., compiled by Phyllis Mander-Jones. This
includes the index published in 1981 and the supplement complied in 2006. Copies of this are available from the Society or the Society's
manuscript holdings and can be searched on-line on the
Register of Australian Archives and
Manuscripts (RAAM).
Sir Joseph Banks, MSS. Journal 7 April - 17
November, 1766 in two volumes. Volume 1 contains his voyage to
Newfoundland and Labrador, and Volume 2 his impressions of Portugal
visited on the return voyage.
Sir Joseph Banks. Notes describing the recovery of diamonds in
Brazil with annotated list of the accompanying 3 watercolours and 5
drawings (RGSSA manuscript item 5c). Captain Cook and the
Endeavour stopped at Brazil on the way to the ‘Great South Land’. Banks
took the opportunity to observe the methods of diamond mining. This
document has added significance as it was, no doubt, on board the
Endeavour as she sailed up the east coast of Australia in 1770.
Sir Joseph Banks, Journal of a voyage to Newfoundland and Labrador…1766.
This voyage laid the groundwork for Banks’ best known work aboard James
Cook’s Endeavour. This journal was bought by S. W. Silver for
three guineas at a Sotheby's sale on 14 April, 1886 and is a part of the
York Gate Library now in the Society's possession. It was published in
1971 by Faber.
Daniel George Brock. Diary. The armourer and natural history collector
on Charles Sturt’s expedition to Central Australia 1844-45. It was
subsequently published by the Society as To the desert with Sturt.
Brock was quite critical of Sturt and kept his diary concealed
throughout the expedition. The men were supposed to hand all diaries
over at the end of the expedition to assist the leader in writing the
account of the expedition but Brock retained his and it was donated to
the Society by descendants in 1938.
William Christie Gosse. Rough diary and Fair copy of his 1873 expedition
on which he discovered and named Ayers Rock (Uluru). Uluru is an
Australian icon, and this first description of it by a European is a
significant piece.
George French Angas. Eight unpublished watercolours of Rio de Janeiro
painted by Angas at Rio in 1845. Society also holds ten
watercolours he painted for his book The Kaffirs Illustrated (1849),
including one that was not published in the book. Complements
holdings by Art Gallery and SA Museum of Angas watercolours.
