A DIGEST OF THE DICTIONARY OF HISTORY.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10265, 7 February 1899, Page 2

A DIGEST OF THE DICTIONARY OF HISTORY.

Australasian Chronological Annals. The work of the Spanish and .Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British from Hie first arrival of the Portugese in the. East Indies in 1512 to the landing of Cook at Botany Bay. April 28th. 1770. can be seen at a glance "in the first 40 items—lsl2-1770. A view of Cook's exploration of the Eastern coast of Australia, and of his many subsequent visits to Tasmania and New" Zealand, up to his deatu at- Hawaii, February 14th, 1/79, can be seen in the items 1769----1779. The completion of Cook's work by Vancouver 1791, by D'Eutrecasteau- 1792, by Bass and Flinders 1795-1803, by Grant 1800. by Murray aud Bowen 1802." by Stewart 1808. by Captain King 1818-1826, by Captain Stokes 1837-1839, and by Sir George Narts 1866, can be seen by referring to the years mentioned. No history shows the completion of Cook's work so much as a whole. When the Great South Land became New Holland 1644, when New Holland became Australia 1826, when Van Dieman's Land became Tasmania 1856, are interesting items. The foundation of the first settlement from the first proposal for such by Matra on August 23rd, 1783; the equipment and voyage of the first fleet, the number of people who first landed, the first exploration, tiir first farming operations, the first settlers, the first form of government, the early hard ships, tho first colonial industry, the great step forward under Alacquarie owing to tlu growth of fine wool and other causes, the struggle of parties under Macquarie, Brisbane, Darling, and Bourke, the wool era, the gold era, and the subsequent wonderful developments of increase of population, increase of stock, increase of wool export, increase of frade, of railways, telegraphs postal and cable services, religious and educational development, may all be seen by a study of the items given. The foundation, settlement, and development "of each colony are given. Every event of importance in connection with the Maori wars is given, and a full and connected view of those wars can be obtained. A full and connected view of interior exploration can be obtained by a study of the items of tho years 1789-1790, 1813-1818 1822-1831, 1834-1837, 1839-1842, 1844-1845, 1847-1848, 1858, 1860-1862, 1864-1865, 1870----1875, 1880,1894 and the chief events centring around the exploration work of Governor Phillip, Captain Tench, Captain Hunter. Lieutenant Dawes, Captain Paterson, Lieut. Shortland, Mr Grimes, Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth, G. W. Evans, Captain Kelly, Allan Cunningham, Hume, Hovell, Oxley, Ovens, and Currie. Major Lockyer, Captain Bishop, Captain Rous, Sturt, Captain Collet Harkfer, Captain Bannister, Sir George Grey, Sir Thomas Mitchell, Eyre. Strzelecki, McMillan, Patrick Leslie, Stuart Bussell, Leichhardt, Kennedy, Frank Gregory, McDouall Stuart', Burke and Wills. Howitt, John McKinlay, the Jardine Brothers, John and Alexander Forrest. Ernest Giles, Harm and Winnecke. The development of Government is a special feature. No published history gives such a connected view of the change in tae colonies from, military and despotic Government through every form of Crown colony, to the grant of representative institutions, and finally to the grant of responsible Go-1 vernment. This can be seen by referring to the years 1788, 1804, 1824, 1825, 1843. 1846, 1848, 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854,1 1855, 1856, 1857, 1859, 1860, 1870, 1889. The granting of the first Legislative Council, of representative institutions, the first promulgation of responsible government, the first applicability of English law to Australia, tho meeting of the first Parliament under responsible government are given for every colony. A study of these items will reveal much, take for instance those given in 1851, 1855, 1861, revealing the fact that Australia had a pseudo-federation between 1851 and 1861. The firsts and lasts are a special feature. The first post office in each of the colonies (Australia 1810), the first railways in each, | first exhibition 1854, first telegraph. 1851, first authenticated discovery of gold 1823, first church 1793, first theatre, first performance of a play, first merinos, first stud flock, I first shipment of wool, first Supreme Court, first Act of Parliament, first bank, first Savings Bank, first steamship from England, first settlement of each of the colonies, and of the important towns, first "overlanders."' first Cardinal, first bishops, first exchange, first cable, last convict ship, &c. The Gold Era is very fully shown, from the first authenticated discovery to the recen' discoveries at Coolgardie. The largest nuggets, the chief events of the goldminers' civil war in Victoria of 1852, 1853, 1854, the amount of gold won to the close of 1897 are set out. To those interested in the Pastoral Industry, a connected view of the development of that industry, the changes made in the alienation of public lands, and statistics from 1810, are given. The immigration is given in decades. And important facts connected with immigration e.g., the doubling of the population between 1850 and 1856. Statistics of population, stock, revenue, expenditure, trade, &c., are given for the years 1788, 1792, 1800, 1810, 1821. 1831, 1841, 1851,1861.1871,1881, 1891, 1895. Facts of very great interest to members of the various religious bodies are given. The following are selected at random: —First Congregational pastor arrived 1798; foundation stone, St. Philip (C.E.), was laid 1798; Roman Catholic religion was first formally recognised 1802; first Wesleyan class meeting 1812; first missionary to New Zealand 1814; arrival of first Wesleyan minister j 1815; the expulsion of the Rev. Father ! Flvnn by Macquarie 1817; arrival of first I duly accredited lI.C. chaplain 1820; fbunda- j tion of Scots Church, Sydney, July, 1824; | arrival of first R.C. Bishop of Sydney 1835; first Baptist chapel opened 1835; Dr. j Broughton became first Bishop of Australia 1836; State aid to religion was withdrawn, ' Q.. 1860; Salvation Army invaded S.A. 1880. . j TESTIMONIALS. Rev. Dr. Elmslie, St. Paul's Church, writes: —"The most wonderful book I have . yet seen in tbe shape of a Dictionary is Web- j star's International. The information it embraces and makes easily accessible is altogether encyclopsedic. Besides being an up-to-date English. Dictionary, quite reliable in its orthography, etymology, and pronunciation, it is a handy and valuable book of reference in matters Literary, Scientific, Biographic, and Geographic. As a thing of special interest to dwellers in these Southern Seas, it contains, in addition to all else, an appendix which is quite a symposium of Australasian lore. Rev. Dr. Morley, President of the General Conference of the Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church, writes:—"Having used Webster's Dictionary for many yearsr I am well acquainted with its excellencies. In as small a compass as is possible, it gives a mass of information, while tiie quotations from eminent authors are appropriate and useful. The illustrations are well executed, and add greatly to its value as a book of reference. The new edition, which has between four and five hundred pages more t_._x that of 1864, appears to have been carefully revised, and the __on_ation brought up to date. The Aus-ral-aan Supplement is an interesting and valuable, feature, and so far as I have been able to test it, is wonderfully accurate. The compilers and publishers are to be congratulated on their success, and on the adoption of the easy and novel method, of turning to any particular letter at once, which saves time and trouble. Edwin Watkina. 8.A., Principal of Training College, Christchurch, writes: —"I have nsed Webster's I_tern_-onal Dictionary for some years, and have found it a most valuable work. Reference to it at once enlightens one on any rare or technical word that one meets with in newspapers or magazines, and I have found that it renders special dictionaries (e.g., of science, &c.) 1 Q\_vt% IUUMM—HUTft"