[ Australia; Dampier] Collection of typed and manuscript material relating to Australia, including the Rev. Charles Powell's unpublished life of Captain William Dampier

An informative collection of material, mainly relating to Australia, assembled in the years immediately following the First World War. The collection consists of fifty items: twenty-one typescripts (1-21), twenty-eight manuscripts (22-49), and one printed (50). Dated items range from 1919 to 1924, with the others appearing to date from around the same time. All items clearly legible, and all except item 2 complete. All but item 50 on loose leaves of paper. The collection is in good condition, on lightly-aged paper with slight wear and creasing.The presence of item 1 below, with its maps drawn on Coker Court letterheads, might suggest that the collection derives from the Rev. Charles Powell (born Abergavenny, c. 1844, and educated at London University). Powell held the living of East Coker (in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Exeter Cathedral) from 1877, and published on antiquarian matters. The National Library of Australia contains a copy of item 1, together with a collection of transcriptions of material relating to Dampier made by the Byron scholar Leslie Marchand at East Coker Vicarage. The compiler, whether Powell or not, exhibits an interest in cartography, geography and statistics, almost exclusively in relation to Australia. Arguing against the identification of Powell are a number of items in section A below (for example 2 and 10), on paper watermarked 'QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT', and two (38 and 44) on letterheads of Government House, Brisbane. Items 46, 47 and 49 may provide further clues to the compiler's identity.A. Original Typescripts (by Powell?):- 1. 'Life and adventures of Captain William Dampier, R.N. (Native of East Coker, Somersetshire). Written by The Rev. Charles Powell, Rector of East Coker. 1907' (folio, 35 pp). With three maps of Australia ('New Holland') copied from works relating to Captains Dampier and Cook (12mo, 3 pp); on letterheads of Coker Court, Yeovil.- 2. Untitled typescript, apparently original and unpublished. A detailed and unashamedly racist discussion of the 'problems that the White Australia Policy was intended to solve' (folio, 27 pp). Incomplete: breaking off abruptly at foot of last page. 'In Great Britain, the United States of America, in India, Malay peninsula and the Malay archipelago, in China and Japan, I failed to find any member of our Race, who understood the problem, or who was, in any sense, in a responsible position, who decried the White Australia Policy. Several went so far as to say that if Australia wished to preserver Her racial entity, she could do no other. I confess that, ten years ago, I was rather surprised at this attitude, as I rather expected that men, who had been accustomed to employ Asiatics and Africans, might have dismissed the policy as an impossibility in so far as the North of Australia was concerned.'- 3. 'Discovery and Maps before the Dutch [Paper to be read at annual meeting of Royal Geographical Society of Australia, Queensland Branch.]' (folio, 18 pp). Minor emendations in manuscript.- 4. 'Discovery of Australia by the Dutch [Paper read [at annual] Meeting of Royal Geographical Society of Australia, Queensland Branch, on September 25th, 1922]' (folio, 25 pp). Together with a list of twenty 'Pictures of Holland', a second of seven 'Maps and Charts', and a third of eighteen 'Pictures of Australia' (each folio, 1 p), forming three series 'of lantern slides illustrating Dutch exploration of Australia'.- 5. 'Note for lecture on Dutch discovery of Australia' (folio, 24 pp)- 6. 'The dark ages' (folio, 4 pp). Talk on the Beatus Map.- 7. 'The old world' (folio, 9 pp). Talk on ancient geography.- 8. 'Notes on "Talk" given at London University College, Gower Street. January, 1919' (folio, 4 pp).- 9. 'The discovery of America, before and after' (folio, 13 pp). [two copies] Talk discussing cartographical and geographical knowledge of the Americas 'before and after' Columbus.- 10. 'Forestry [in Queensland]' (folio, 16 pp).- 11. 'Note for address on the Great B.