France And Botany Bay

The Lure of a Penal Colony

By: Colin Forster

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Paperback | 27 June 2025 | Edition Number 1

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224 Pages

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21.59 x 13.97 x 1.19

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Examines the French debate about the suitability of Botany Bay as a model for their own penal colony.

Convict transportation to Britain's colonies in Australia greatly influenced political debate and policy in France. Surprisingly, it's a story that has not previously been told.

Depiction of Botany Bay as a moral and economic utopia, and the answer to crime, was the basis of vigorous support for the establishment of a French penal colony. Implacably opposed to transportation were those who saw Botany Bay as a penal disaster. The opposing groups amassed a vast array of material. Debate raged. There were floods of impassioned literature. French ships roamed the world in search of an attractive and viable site for their own Botany Bay, and France came close to settling south-west Australia and New Zealand.

In the end, the transportationists won. In 1852 France began transportation to French Guiana and in 1863 to New Caledonia. For both settlements, Botany Bay was the model. Colin Forster tells this fascinating story for the first time.

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Acknowledgements
Note on Terms
Introduction	p. 1
Learning about Botany Bay, 1788-1831
Support for a Penal Colony	p. 7
Emerging Opposition in the 1820s	p. 42
The Great Parliamentary Debate, 1831	p. 55
Stalemate, 1831-1848
The First History of Australia	p. 72
Tocqueville and Australia	p. 92
Histoire de Botany Bay	p. 118
Penal Colonies and Parliament	p. 128
The Role of the Navy	p. 143
The Triumph of Transportation, 1848-1854
Napoleon III and French Guiana	p. 155
The Navy and New Caledonia	p. 166
Epilogue	p. 170
Abbreviations	p. 176
Notes	p. 177
Select Bibliography	p. 186
Index	p. 195
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

France And Botany Bay

The Lure of a Penal Colony

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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