A Commonwealth of ThievesIn this spirited history of the remarkable first four years of the convict settlement of Australia, Thomas Keneally offers us a human view of a fascinating piece of history. Combining the authority of a renowned historian with a brilliant narrative flair, Keneally gives us an inside view of this unprecedented experiment from the perspective of the new colony’s governor, Arthur Phillips. Using personal journals and documents, Keneally re-creates the hellish overseas voyage and the challenges Phillips faced upon arrival: unruly convicts, disgruntled officers, bewildered and hostile natives, food shortages, and disease. He also offers captivating portrayals of Aborigines and of convict settlers who were determined to begin their lives anew. A Commonwealth of Thieves immerses us in the fledgling penal colony and conjures up the thrills and hardships of those first four improbable years. |
From inside the book
Page 31
... Marine Affairs and the Colonies approached Admiral Augustus Hervey asking for help in a fight with Spain on the Atlantic coast of South America . A disputed area known as the Debatable Lands ran northward from the estuary of the River ...
... Marine Affairs and the Colonies approached Admiral Augustus Hervey asking for help in a fight with Spain on the Atlantic coast of South America . A disputed area known as the Debatable Lands ran northward from the estuary of the River ...
Page 35
... marines to form a military establishment , the provision of rations , and the collection of supplies and livestock en route at Rio and the Cape of Good Hope . Towards the end of this Plan , Nepean raised the issue of financial and ...
... marines to form a military establishment , the provision of rations , and the collection of supplies and livestock en route at Rio and the Cape of Good Hope . Towards the end of this Plan , Nepean raised the issue of financial and ...
Page 37
... marines , Watkin Tench and David Collins , no strangers to salt rations , would both independently agree that the provisions on the First Fleet provided by Richards were " of a much superior quality to those usu- ally supplied by ...
... marines , Watkin Tench and David Collins , no strangers to salt rations , would both independently agree that the provisions on the First Fleet provided by Richards were " of a much superior quality to those usu- ally supplied by ...
Page 38
... marines and ship's com- pany , with the convicts . Sentinels are placed at the different hatchways and a guard always under arms on the quarter deck of each transport in order to prevent any improper behaviour of the convicts , as well ...
... marines and ship's com- pany , with the convicts . Sentinels are placed at the different hatchways and a guard always under arms on the quarter deck of each transport in order to prevent any improper behaviour of the convicts , as well ...
Page 40
... marines , and marines ' wives and children , and an extraordinary assortment of stores , beggaring mod- ern belief that such modest space could accommodate so much human and maritime material . On Lady Penrhyn , reserved for women , the ...
... marines , and marines ' wives and children , and an extraordinary assortment of stores , beggaring mod- ern belief that such modest space could accommodate so much human and maritime material . On Lady Penrhyn , reserved for women , the ...
Contents
Section 16 | 218 |
Section 17 | 230 |
Section 18 | 245 |
Section 19 | 257 |
Section 20 | 270 |
Section 21 | 279 |
Section 22 | 289 |
Section 23 | 295 |
Section 9 | 135 |
Section 10 | 161 |
Section 11 | 171 |
Section 12 | 186 |
Section 13 | 190 |
Section 14 | 197 |
Section 15 | 204 |
Section 24 | 305 |
Section 25 | 320 |
Section 26 | 339 |
Section 27 | 363 |
Section 28 | 369 |
Other editions - View all
A Commonwealth of Thieves: The Improbable Birth of Australia Thomas Keneally No preview available - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
aboard Aboriginal alphabetical listing amongst Arabanoo arrived Arthur Phillip ashore Australia Barangaroo Bateson Bennelong boat Botany Bay Bowes Smyth British brought Bryant Cape Town Captain clothing coast Colby colony convict women Cook crew David Collins death England Eora European Evan Nepean fish Flynn Gorgon Government House governor harbour head honour hulks Irish John Johnson journey Kable King Lady Juliana Lady Penrhyn land Lieutenant London Lord Sydney Macarthur Major Ross male convicts marines Mary McEntire Nagle named natives Nepean Neptune Newgate Nicol Norfolk Island officers Parramatta Parramatta River party Pemulwuy penal Pérouse Philip Gidley King Phillip in Hunter Port Jackson Portsmouth pounds prison deck punishment Ralph Clark rations River sail sailors Second Fleet sent sentenced settlement ships Sirius soldiers South Wales Corps spear Supply Surgeon White Sydney Cove told transportation victs voyage Watkin Tench Wentworth wife woman wound wrote young