sketcher, initialled the four watercolours in Robert Jones’s manuscript journal 'Recollections of thirteen years residence in Norfolk Island and Van Diemen’s Land’ (ML). Although dated 'Sydney, 15th June 1823’, they illustrate incidents that took place years earlier. Robert ('Buckey’) Jones was chief gaoler at Norfolk Island between 1803 and 1805 and his 'Recollections’ recall the sadistic regime of Major Foveaux. J.L.'s frontispiece to the journal depicts the 'Gaol entrance, Drawing from a sketch with descriptions by Robert Jones’, while the other watercolours are captioned 'Residence of Dr Wentworth’, 'Convicts in Chains at Work’ and 'The Flogging of Charles Mather…’ Jones writes that the punishment of Mather almost caused an uprising: 'his back was quite bare of skin and flesh. Poor wretch he received 250 lashes’. Reg Wright, however, states that there is no documentary evidence for this incident nor, indeed, for the existence of any convict called Charles Mather on the island. Norfolk Island was abandoned as a penal settlement in 1814 and all the buildings were razed or fired (though the solid coral rock walls of the gaol survived and were subsequently re-used). The island was not re-occupied until 1825. In 1823 Jones was a senior government official in Sydney and his illustrator would have had to invent the incidents entirely from Jones’ descriptions, as his first caption suggests. Reg Wright, however, thinks that Jones had nothing whatsoever to do with his purported manuscript, which seems to have been pure fiction compiled as propaganda against Foveaux about 1850. This date is confirmed by the illustration of the gaol entrance, which belongs to a much later building phase on the island.

The illustrator may be the 'J.L.’ who did two undated watercolours, Collins Street in 1844 and Prince’s Bridge, 1852 (ML). Both appear to be retrospective views done after their purported date (for some illustrated history?).

Writers:

Staff Writer

Date written:

1992

Last updated:

1989