Documenting Democracy
Australia's Story

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This graphic statement of the operation of British law was issued by Governor Arthur in 1830

This graphic statement of the operation of British law was issued by Governor Arthur in 1830, displayed on painted boards nailed to trees. In his first six years in charge of the Colony Arthur had become one of its largest landowners; he had also become convinced that British law could not achieve the intended 'conciliation'. In November that year he directed the military operation that (unsuccessfully) attempted to force all Aboriginal people from the settled parts of the Colony into the isolated Tasman Peninsula, where he had established Port Arthur prison in September. The incorrect title and date shown on this print suggest its source as an 1866 souvenir version of the original notices.
Location: The Allport Library  [State Library of Tasmania]
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