• Title
  Letter from Smith Brothers & Co., Sydney, to John Buckley & Sons, Yorkshire, describing the discovery of gold in New South Wales, 27 May 1851
• Creator
  John Buckley & Sons
• Call number
  MLMSS 10000
  
• Level of description
  fonds
• Date
  
  27 May 1851
• Type of material
  Textual Records
• Reference code
  1336717
• Physical Description
  0.01 metres of textual material (1 folder) - single leaf, folded, with red wax seal - 39.9 x 24.4 cm
  
• ADMINISTRATIVE/ BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
  
  One of the earliest accounts of gold discovery in Australia, this letter was carried aboard the Thomas Arbuthnot which departed Sydney on 3 June 1851 and was the first ship to sail following the gazetting of Edward Hargraves' discovery of payable gold at Ophir on 14 May 1851. She thus became the carrier of news of the discovery to England, in the form of at least 1000 copies of a special edition of The Empire and large numbers of The Sydney Morning Herald. She was also entrusted with the first shipment of Australian gold to England.
  
  Smith Brothers & Co. were a merchant firm in Sydney. John Buckley & Sons were wool merchants and clothiers of Broadhead Mill in Yorkshire.
• Scope and Content
  Letter addressed to Messrs John Buckley & Sons, Broadhead near Saddleworth, Yorkshire (via London) p[er] "Thomas Arbuthnot", with postmarks for Sydney, London and Manchester.
  
  The writer accurately predicts the impact of the gold discovery in New South Wales on the local labour market in Sydney, as well as the potential for dramatically increased trade and "the brightening prospect of Australia".
• Copying Conditions
  Out of copyright: Author died more than 70 years ago
  Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
• Signatures / Inscriptions
  
  Clerical annotation on final page "Smith Brothers & Co May 27/51, Recd. Oct 7/51, Ansd. - Discovery of Gold at Bathurst".
• Creator/Author/Artist
  Smith Brothers & Co.
  
• Subject
  Gold--New South Wales
  Gold mines and mining--New South Wales--Ophir.
  
• Open Rosetta viewer
  IE8979487

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