The First Fleet: The Real Story“Alan Frost is the myth-buster of Australian history...His work should be studied not only by students but anyone interested in the birth of a nation.” — the Age In 1787 a convoy of eleven ships, carrying about 1400 people, set out from England for Botany Bay. According to the conventional account, it was a shambolic affair: under-prepared, poorly equipped and ill-disciplined. Robert Hughes condemned the organisers’ “muddle and lack of foresight”, while Manning Clark described scenes of “indescribable misery and confusion”. In The First Fleet: The Real Story, Alan Frost draws on previously forgotten records to debunk these persistent myths. He shows that the voyage was in fact meticulously planned – reflecting its importance to the British government’s secret ambitions for imperial expansion. He examines the ships and supplies, passengers and behind-the-scenes discussions. In the process, he reveals the hopes and schemes of those who planned the voyage, and the experiences of those who made it. ‘It is almost certain that Frost knows more than anybody else about the early maritime history of this land ... This book will surely alter the way Sydney sees its history.’ — Geoffrey Blainey, The Weekend Australian |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 44
Page 11
... on activity in the French dockyards.33 In 1790, after news reached Europe that Spanish officers had seized British trading ships at distant Nootka Sound, on Vancouver Island, relations between Britain and Spain reached flash point.
... on activity in the French dockyards.33 In 1790, after news reached Europe that Spanish officers had seized British trading ships at distant Nootka Sound, on Vancouver Island, relations between Britain and Spain reached flash point.
Page 19
... Lord Sydney that if the commanding officer who shall be entrusted with the care of the service shall draw bills from the Cape Verde Islands or from the Cape of Good Hope for the purchase of cattle, seed grain or other necessaries, ...
... Lord Sydney that if the commanding officer who shall be entrusted with the care of the service shall draw bills from the Cape Verde Islands or from the Cape of Good Hope for the purchase of cattle, seed grain or other necessaries, ...
Page 22
The latter paper also subsequently reported that one ship would sail ahead to the island 'to find the properest station for the first landing of the convicts'. Administration records make clear that this was never the case; ...
The latter paper also subsequently reported that one ship would sail ahead to the island 'to find the properest station for the first landing of the convicts'. Administration records make clear that this was never the case; ...
Page 23
It is an undertaking of humanity, for in all the islands of the South Seas, there is not a four-footed animal to be found but the hog, the dog and the rat, nor any ofthe grain ofthe other quarters of the world .
It is an undertaking of humanity, for in all the islands of the South Seas, there is not a four-footed animal to be found but the hog, the dog and the rat, nor any ofthe grain ofthe other quarters of the world .
Page 24
First, it is Botany Bay where the convicts are to be transported to; then it is not Botany Bay in that huge island New Holland, but the small rock called New Norfolk in the South Sea! Then it is both Botany Bay and Norfolk!
First, it is Botany Bay where the convicts are to be transported to; then it is not Botany Bay in that huge island New Holland, but the small rock called New Norfolk in the South Sea! Then it is both Botany Bay and Norfolk!
What people are saying - Write a review
Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified
The First Fleet
User Review - Thorpe-Bowker and Contributors - Books+PublishingThe First Fleet: The Real Story is a companion volume to Alan Frost¿s earlier book, Botany Bay: The Real Story. It deals with the same subject as David Hill¿s 1788, but unlike Hill, Frost is an ... Read full review
Contents
| 17 | |
| 27 | |
Officials and Officers | 49 |
Ships Crews Marines Convicts | 64 |
The Ships | 81 |
Equipping the Colonists | 95 |
Loading the Ships and Embarking the People | 114 |
AtPortsmouth | 129 |
Preparing Bodiesfor the Voyage | 140 |
Leaving the World | 159 |
No CheaperMode? | 181 |
Conclusion | 198 |
Acknowledgments | 217 |
Select Bibliography | 250 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
24 October 28 February administration’s Admiralty advised Alexander appointed April arrival Arthur Phillip asked August Botany Bay Campbell Cape Chronicle clothing Collins colonists colony’s command commission cost court crew December Deptford Officers embarked England establishment Evan Nepean expedition expense February female convicts Fleet fresh foods governor Home Office HRNSW Hunter Island January Lady Penrhyn land Lieutenant London March marine officers marines and convicts Memorandum Middleton to Nepean Minute naval Navy Board necessary needed Nepean to Middleton November Ocean Officers to Navy ofthe Phillip to Nepean Phillip to Sydney Pitt administration Plymouth port Portsmouth Privy Council provisions Real Story Record group Rio de Janeiro Ross Royal Navy sailed Scarborough scurvy sent September 1786 settlement ship’s ships Shortland sick Sirius Sirius and Supply SLNSW South Wales Steele surgeon Teer to Navy Tench Tenerife told Treasury USNA Victualling voyage wine women wrote
Bibliographic information
| Title | The First Fleet: The Real Story |
| Author | Alan Frost |
| Publisher | Black Inc., 2012 |
| ISBN | 1921870575, 9781921870576 |
| Length | 288 pages |
| Subjects | › History / Australia & New Zealand |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |