Colonial Secretary Guide - Flipbook - Page 18
- 17 -
Most of the records written in, or relating to, the various settlements, whether from officials or
individuals, have been bound in separate volumes, together with later papers. Certain papers written by,
or relating to, well known individuals were also removed and bound. Papers of Oxley, Michael
Robinson, Greenway and Throsby are known to have been removed. Other items were extracted and
filed separately either because of their value, interest or size. Usually these were shelved with Mitchell
Library Manuscripts and entries made in the Library's Manuscript Catalogue. Subsequently, most of
these records were transferred to the Archives Office when it was established in 1961. However, some
papers were bound with items which formed part of David Scott Mitchell's original bequest or which for
some other reason could not be transferred. Whenever such papers have been identified they have been
microfilmed and indexed in the publication The Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825 and recorded in this
guide.
There are also three items which, though they have been removed from the correct place in the bundles,
are shelved immediately following the bundle from which they have been removed. They are:
Proceedings in the High Court of Appeals, 10 April 1810 - 27 May 1816 (AONSW ref: 4/1724; microfilm copy
AO Reel 6042); Papers relating to the transport "Surry" 1814 (AONSW ref: 4/1731; microfilm copy AO Reel
6044); and Charges against Major Druitt 1822-24 (AONSW ref: 4/1754-55; microfilm copy AO Reel 6053).
Items noted as withdrawn and bound have been found unbound but usually the intention to bind the
records was carried out.
Papers which were not sorted into bundles mostly appear in the List of Special Bundles (Appendix C).
The Archives Office has not attempted to place another order on these papers or to restore the original
order. The arrangement remains substantially that adopted by the Mitchell Library.
The Out-letter Books, 1808-25
Letters sent were copied into out-letter books. Regular series of books exist from the arrival of Governor
Macquarie, with two earlier letter books of Lieutenant Governors Foveaux (AONSW ref: SZ760; microfilm
copy AO Reel 6001) and Paterson (AONSW ref: SZ757; microfilm copy AO Reel 6001).
The earliest letter books form two series. Letters to persons around Sydney and overseas are together
(AONSW ref: 4/3490B-3491; microfilm copy AO Reel 6002) as are letters to the distant settlements,
Newcastle, Norfolk Island and Van Diemen's Land (AONSW ref: 4/3490A, 4/3492; microfilm copy
AO Reel 6003).
In 1814 these divisions were recast and all letters sent to persons within the colony including its
"dependencies" were together in one series (AONSW ref: 4/3493-516; microfilm copy AO Reels 60046016) while letters to "foreign parts", including England and other colonies were in another (AONSW ref:
4/3521-22; microfilm copy AO Reels 6018-6019). Letters to Van Diemen's Land are with the local letters
until 30 December 1823 from which date they are with the foreign.
Separate books were opened for letters to Port Macquarie (AONSW ref: 4/3864-65; microfilm copy
AO Reel 6019) in June 1822, Melville Island (AONSW ref: 4/3792; microfilm copy AO Reel 6019) and
Moreton Bay (AONSW ref: 4/3794; microfilm copy AO Reel 6019) in August 1824, and Norfolk Island
(AONSW ref: 4/3821; microfilm copy AO Reel 6019) in May 1825. These volumes also contain lists of
convicts transported to the settlements.
The Publication of the Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825
To mark the Bicentenary of European settlement, the Archives Authority of New South Wales published
these records in microform, together with a comprehensive index. Material included in this project is
marked throughout this guide with the notation *CSP. The microfilming and indexing are described in
detail in the Introduction to the Handbook which accompanies the Index (Guide No.30).