The Russians and Australia (RUSSIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC 1696-1840) - Hardcover

Barratt, Glynn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 077480291X ISBN 13: 9780774802918

Publisher: Univ of British Columbia Pr, 1988

Synopsis

Known for his pioneering work on Russia's early exploits in Australia and the Pacific, historian Glynn Barratt again breaks new ground in presenting the first comprehensive study of Russian naval, social, mercantile, and scientific enterprise in New South Wales between 1807 and 1835.

About this title

About the Author

Glynn Barratt is a professor of Russian at Carleton University and the author of many books on Russia's naval and diplomatic history.

Review

Based on extensive research in the journals and collections left by the Russian seamen, this excellent study brings out the detailed and valuable account of not only the flora and fauna of Australia, but also of the British penal system and other aspects of life in Australia. (S. K. Gupta, Pittsburgh State University Choice)

The interest and extent of the materials that Barratt brings together and renders accessible to a non-Russian readership is impressive. The Russians, it is clear, were significant players on the Pacific stage. Until now, they have for the most part been overlooked by Western scholars studying the European penetration of the region. Never again shall we be able to find an excuse for doing so. Barratt has made sure of that! (R.W. Home The Slavonic Review)

A detailed survey, meticulously and indeed almost overwhelmingly documented; the appendix on archival sources and the thirty-page bibliography would undoubtedly be a valuable guide to those scholars who are interested in what is after all a relatively minor phase of Russian and Pacific history ... A storehouse of information, which one may hope will contribute to redressing a marked imbalance in Australia's view of the Pacific. (O. H. K. Spate International Journal of Maritime History)

Known for his pioneering work on Russia's early exploits in Australia and the Pacific, historian Glynn Barratt again breaks new ground in presenting the first comprehensive study of Russian naval, social, mercantile, and scientific enterprise in New South Wales between 1807 and 1835.

Through Tsar Peter the Great's Dutch contacts, Russia was aware quite early of the existence of 'New Holland,' and a number of unsuccessful attempts were made to reach what is now Australia.

Following a description of these efforts, Barratt focuses on the seventeen visits that Russian ships made to Australian ports on voyages from the Baltic carrying supplies for the settlements in Kamchatka and Alaska. As a result of the good will generated by the Anglo-Russian alliance against Napoleonic France, relations between the British colonists and the Russian seamen were extremely cordial. While visiting Australia, Russian naval officers pursued a range of scientific activities, including botany, zoology, ethnography, and mineralogy, and collected specimens and artefacts. They also studied the British penal system and filled journals with detailed observations.

Available in Russian archives and museums and examined there by Barratt, the journals and collections, which until now have largely remained unexplored by historians, reveal the high level of skill and education of these early visitors to Australia. This is the first of four books in a series entitled Russia and the South Pacific, 1696-1840.

Edition details

• Publisher: Univ of British Columbia Pr
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 077480291X
• ISBN 13: 9780774802918
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 347