The Secret History of the Convict Colony: Alexandro Malaspina’s Report on the British Settlement of New South Wales translated by Robert J King

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Dust jacket has some light creasing at edges and spine. Interior and binding are excellent.

Why did Britain send convicts to found a colony in the South Pacific? Why did Spain send an expedition to investigate the new colony?

The voyage of exploration to the Pacific led by Alexandro Malaspina was one of the 18th-century expeditions in the style of those led by James Cook and the Comte de La Perouse. But while it was a major scientific expedition, it also had hidden objectives.

Spain, at the time, possessed the largest colonial empire. It had claimed a monopoly of colonial interests in the Pacific for many years. Was this monopoly under threat? One of the expedition's secret aims was to discover the conditions and the purpose of the new British outpost at Port Jackson.

Malaspina's secret report on the new colony demonstrates how the European powers of the time used scientific enquiry as a cover, furthering political and strategic designs. It shows that Britain's Botany Bay project was part of a long-term strategy to weaken her rival, Spain, by challenging her vulnerable Pacific empire. (book flap)