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Article Excerpt
ETUDES DE VOYAGES
GO-ROO-BOR-ROO-ROO-BOO-LO
The published document that is translated here for the first time from the original French appeared in a popular nineteenth-century French journal Musee des Familles: Lectures du Soir [Museum of the families--Evening Readings] in its annual for 1840-1841 under the title of 'Etudes de Voyages-Go-roo-bor-rooboo-lo' ['Studies of Travels--Go-roo-bor-roo-boo-lo'] by S Henry Berthoud, (1) who was apparently an unrenowned or hack French journalist and popular writer of the period. The work was directed at a popular audience in the form of an adventure short story, which was used as an educational tool to present a version of contemporary history of the South Pacific to readers. Providing, as it does, a vividly interesting description of Sydney from a French perspective, it demonstrates how British imperial history could be widely viewed in France in the mid-nineteenth century. While it contains several factual errors-some deliberate, because of the use of the fictional form-it still manages to convey effectively and succinctly the notion of a penal settlement being transformed into the capital of an articulated and complex European colony. Indeed, the author views Sydney as an idealised modern European city. More disturbing, however, are the blatant misinterpretations of Aboriginal society and culture, which deliberately promote through myth-making a persuasive sense of the racial superiority prevalent in contemporary European society. A bleak, atavistic view of Aboriginal culture is presented, particularly through the melodrama of the character Daniel's reversion to a supposed earlier type. With such issues in mind a reading of the document in translation is now invited.
Translation
[section] 1 A novel's hero
When the French describe the remote and distant lands in which the English exile their convicts, they always call such places by the name of Botany-Bay. This is a major mistake. Botany-Bay is a large and desolate section of the coastline. The English did attempt at first to establish a town on these coastal flats, which were discovered by Cook, but soon after they were abandoned to Indigenous tribes. They established another one a little more towards the south (2) and, on a rich soil, Sydney town, which is nowadays the main settlement for convicts and for the people who supervise them.
The French can have inaccurate ideas about this part of the hemisphere, because even the English public itself was no better informed before the return to Europe of Caley, a botanist, together with the publication of his remarkable book. This book was a sensation when published in London, attracting to its author much public interest and fascination. It gave him not only awards of honour from the British Government, but also genuine fame. Everybody wanted to meet, congratulate and interrogate the great and happy botanist who had, at last, told his compatriots what the mysterious country was really like, which had been the subject of many myths and where, each year, thousands of poor human creatures were sent. One could only guess ad libitum that either their fate was awful or their existence was worthy of envy.
Amongst the persons who welcomed Sir (3) Caley was Doctor Lachlan Macquarie. It had been proposed to this man to govern the colony. He was firm and had a rare administrative ability. Before accepting such an important appointment, he wanted to meet an eyewitness who could give him a good assessment of the facts, of Sydney and other parts of the settlement.
...
Sir Lachlan Macquarie respected the botanist and invited him to a hunting weekend. Caley went with Daniel, a native black-tracker he had brought back with him from Australia. One of Macquarie's daughters, Sarah, fell in love with Daniel and declared her love to him. Daniel confirmed his love by answering: 'I want to become a king, to put my crown on your feet. Sarah! You have just extracted from me what was still savage! You will be my wife, my sweet angel! Yes, one day you will be proud to be called by the still unknown name of Daniel'. The evening finished with Sir Lachlan Macquarie saying to his daughter: 'Pray for your fiance, young lady. Pray for him because your father promised to give him his daughter as wife if he proved worthy of becoming the son-in-law of the Governor of Sydney.' (4)
Indeed Daniel's love for Sarah so much suited the Governor's future plans that he himself approached the young man, who might have not even dared to admit his hopes. Macquarie was the first to discuss a possible marriage and encouraged it.
[section] 2 The price of devotion
Nowadays Sydney is a charming city of which Europe would be proud. Lying on the seaside, protected by powerful fortifications, it looks like a miniature London--but an idealised London--a London without its dirty streets which dishonour it, a London without its dreadful fogs. The streets are macadamised, deadening the noise of the traffic; the gas, as soon as the night comes, brightens up thousands of places with splendid light. Indeed, even in his most pleasant wishes a poet could not dream of a more delicious haven than the little white-washed and pleasant houses which stand everywhere between courtyards paved with large slabs and gardens with beautiful Australian trees. They are built of sandstone, which combines the brightness of marble and its radiance. We can find in Sydney many public buildings, which are large and have a picturesque architecture such as the bank, the town hall, the Church of Saint John with its tall bell tower, the Law Court, the Governor's residence and two schools (5). Sydney is well equipped with barracks, hospitals and gaols. Its surrounding rich countryside is skilfully cultivated to provide abundant supplies and its factories produce everything that can be required for its industries, arts, commerce and navigation. Some luxurious fancy items can even be found and the markets abound in thousands of useful, rich, charming and expensive things from Europe. Finally, five daily or weekly newspapers are published in Sydney: The Government Gazette, The Sydney Gazette, The Herald, The Monitor and The Australian. In 1833, Doctors Ralph Mansfield and Job Blossky founded...
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