• Title
  Letters of Thomas Livingstone Mitchell to W. R. Davidson / Thomas Mitchell
• Creator
  Thomas Mitchell, Sir, 1792-1855
• Call number
  SAFE/A 296 (Safe 1/351)
  
• Level of description
  fonds
• Date
  
  1837-1855
• Type of material
  Textual Records
• Reference code
  825669
• Issue Copy
  Microfilm : CY 1503, frames 1-66
  
• Physical Description
  0.02 metres of textual material (1 volume) - 35.0 x 24.5 cm - manuscript
  
• ADMINISTRATIVE/ BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
  
  Sir Thomas Mitchell (1792-1855) served as a volunteer in the Peninsular War and in 1814 was selected to produce plans of the major battlefields. He was promoted to major in 1826 and appointed surveyor-general of New South Wales in 1828. Between 1831 and 1846 he made four exploring expeditions into the interior of Australia. He was knighted in 1839 and published several accounts of his explorations.
  
  Surveyor-General W.R. Davidson (1808-1876) was born in Perth, Scotland and trained there before arriving in Sydney 1829. He was appointed as a draftsman for the Survey Department in 1830 and then as a Surveyor in Bathurst in 1838, District Surveyor in 1844 and Surveyor-General 1864-68. He is accredited as being the first to officially discover the Abercrombie Caves in 1842. The description of his discovery was published in the Sydney Morning Herald, 25 April 1843 and The New South Wales Magazine, May 1843
  
  References:
  A biographical Register, 1788-1938: notes from the name index of the Australian Dictionary of Biography / H.J. Gibbney and Ann G. Smith. Canberra : Australian Dictionary Biography, 1987
• Scope and Content
  1837-1845 (p. 1-18,20-25): Refers to land transactions between them; Discovery of the first white marble in Australia and finding large fossil bones in the Caves district; Proposed new expedition
  
  Apr. 25-Dec. 18. 1850 (p. 26-41): Enquiries regarding natives in the Boree District (Yuranigh d.1850) who accompanied Mitchell on the inland expedition; Minerals and botanic specimens
  
  June 13-Sept. 8, 1851 (p. 42-52): Seeks information regarding connection of gold quartz ranges near Mitchell’s Creek with the Macquarie at Gobalyn.
  
  Jan 9-July 10, 1852 (p. 54-64): Sends condolence letter to Davidson concerning his brother; postponed preparing for his London trip because of illness; Gold discovery refers to his own collection from New South Wales, and wants Davidson to to collect specimens from the Wellington district; Arranges at his own expense the stone for Yuranigh grave at Boree
  
  Feb 16-Aug 10, 1855 (p.65-76): Holograph letters for gold specimens; Requests Prof. Smith’s opinion on mineral specimens sent; Re-union of old members of the Survey Dept.
• Copying Conditions
  Out of copyright:
  Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
• Name
  Davidson, W. R., 1808-1876
  
• Subject
  New South Wales--Discovery and exploration--19th century.
  Victoria--Discovery and exploration--19th century.
  Gold mines and mining--New South Wales.
  Surveyors--New South Wales.
  Aboriginal Australians--New South Wales.
  Surveying--New South Wales.
  Minerals--New South Wales.
  
• Open Rosetta viewer
  IE19697678

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