History of Australia Author:James Allen Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II, NEW SOUTH WALES. A Great Pastoral Country. Section 1.—When and why founded—Its former and present area—the First Fleet sails. In the maps... more » and charts of the early Dutch navigators and explorers, the whole of the great Australian continental island bears the name of New Holland, and the greater part of the western, the whole of the northern, and some portions of the eastern coast are dotted over with Dutch names. The Dutch, no doubt, gave the name of New Holland to this country in honour of their fatherland ; but Captain Cook changed it into New South Wales, when first sailing along its rugged coast in 1770, on account of its resemblance, real or fancied, to the South Wales of his earlier years; and the eastern, or earliest settled portion, has retained that name ever since. On Captain Cook's favourable report of the country, the British Government resolved, after his second visit in 1777, on converting it into a penal settlement, which was then much wanted, on account of the declaration of the independence of the American States, and the cessation of transportation to that country. The main objects of the British Government in the formation of the proposed settlement, as declared by themselves, were : (1st) to rid the mother-country of the daily increasing accumulation of criminals in her gaols ; (2nd) to provide for their safe custody in a distant land, where their wantscould be attended to, and their labour utilised ; (3rd) to adopt such. measures for their progressive and ultimate reformation as might seem to be most expedient, and most certain of success ; and (4th) to see whether a virtuous and independent community could not be formed at some future time out of those who were reformed, with the help of such free emigrants and their families as might...« less