NSW State Records Index to Colonial Secretary Papers 1788-1825

These papers are held by State Records NSW and include: petitions by convicts for mitigation of their sentences; requests for permission to marry; memorials attesting to the worthy character of potential settlers; applications for land grants or leases; reports on official visits; and information about court cases and lists of assigned servants. This index itself is primarily a personal one, concentrating on the early inhabitants of Australia - the convicts, settlers, indigenous Australians and colonial officials. However, the index does contain many entries relating to ships, subjects, towns and localities. There is a subject hierarchy for similar subject terms in the index, as follows: (1) Ships of that name; (2) Places/subjects; and then (3) Individuals. A 63-fiche version of this index, and copies of the actual Colonial Secretary Papers on 312 microfiche, are available at the ML Information Desk. Copies of the Colonial Secretary Papers are also available on 72 microfilm reels (reels 6001-6072) in the ML Reading Room (MAV/FM4/10243-10314).