'Colonial Ambition' tells the story
of the politicians and would-be politicians of Sydney, who were driven by a
determination to lift themselves and their new colony to a higher level. They
wanted parliamentary liberty, though they were sharply divided over the form it
might take and these divisions, centred in Sydney, were unremitting.
Peter Cochrane tells of the fight for responsible government and democracy
through a memorable cast of characters: W.C. Wentworth, Sir George Gipps, Robert
Lowe, Lord Howick (Earl Grey), Henry Parkes, Charles Cowper, Lord John Russell
and more, all of whom speak for themselves, in the robust language of the day.
The story shifts from the estates and townhouses of the landed gentry to the
artisan precincts of Sydney; from Government House overlooking Sydney Cove to
the lobbyists' purlieus of London and the musty scriptoriums of the Colonial
Office; and from one corner of the Empire to another as the cause of
parliamentary liberty sparks the attention of city agitators and Macquarie
Street politicians.
Written with great brio and verve, Peter Cochrane has brought to life the
various players in a way that is very rare in the writing of Australian history.
'Colonial Ambition' is testament that Australia does have a rich and exciting political history.
Contents:
List of Plates
Acknowledgements
Author's Note
Introduction
Part 1
1. Round One
2. Robert Lowe
3. The Crown Lands
4. The Levee
5. The London Lobby
6. The Price of Land and the Value of Everything
7. A Sheep Walk Forever
8. Lady Mary Fitzroy
9. The New Construction
Part 2
10. 1848
11. A Gross Breach of Faith
12. Departure
13. John Dunmore Lang
14. Barrack Square
15. 'Thomson's Swindle'
16. A Beautifully Timed Martyrdom
17. Like Canada
18. Malcolm's Circus
19. Blocking Supply
Part 3
20. Herman Merivale
21. 'A Conspiracy Against Liberty'
22. The Spirit of the British Constitution
23. 'Black Man Comin' Down the Chimney'
24. Out of Doors
25. The Removal of the Struggle to a New Sphere
26. Denison, Thomson and the 'Needy' Men
27. The New Road
28. The Torchlight Meeting
29. Democracy
Postscript: The Final Round
Notes
Index
