Book Review: The Russians in Hobart 1823.

Abstract

The first Russian account of Tasmania, Australia. Canadian Professor of Russian, Glynn Barratt, has rescued from historical oblivion, the singular event of two Russian warships visiting Hobart harbour. What was their real mission in arriving unannounced into the fledgling British island colony of Tasmania (then Van Dieman's Land) in May 1823? The residents of Hobart Town took the purpose to be peaceful “discovery”; Britain and Russia had been allies in the recently concluded Napoleonic Wars.

The tiny settlement of Hobart Town was a mere nineteen years old, with a population of less than 7,000. These visitors were armed with excellent Russian Admiralty maps derived from the voyages of Matthew Flinders, Bruni D’Entrecasteaux and Louis de Freycinet. Show more