Regiment

1988 · 14758 — London: Alecto Editions and the State Library of New South Wales 1988. Originally engraved by Robert Havell and son printed by Edward Egerton-Williams in colours and finished by hand with printer's blindstamp. "By 1820 Sydney was a town of 12000 inhabitants about a third of whom were convicts. It had grown dramatically during the administration of Lachlan Macquarie who was appointed governor of New South Wales in 1810. Unlike previous governors Macquarie was not content merely to oversee a penal colony. His vigorous building programme changed forever the appearance of Sydney while his policy of accepting emancipated convicts as respected citizens demonstrated a social attitude strangely out of step with the times. Both these policies earned him criticism. In 1819 alarmed by Macquarie's extravagant public works the British Government commissioned a lawyer and civil servant J.T.Bigge to investigate. The attacks by his critics were met head on by Macquarrie's supporters in New South Wales. Books pamphlets and paintings luded the governor's undoubted achievements. Almost certainly Major Taylor's drawings were used in if not commissioned for this cause. The engraved view presents a flattering image of the Australian seat of government and by extension of Macquarie's term there.Taylor arranged the engraving and printing of the of the three sheet Panorama. upon his return to England in July 1822.Havell appears to have worked from Taylor's. large watercolours but amended them with additional details. and decorative elements.It is most fortuitous that the copper plates.have survived. There is no other example of such a case for 19th century Australian engravings. Alecto Editions and the State Library of New South Wales unknown books