Describe the document in its historical context. What issues or debates does this document illuminate? What are the problems facing the historian who seeks to interpret this document"

Synopsis

James Tucker's The Adventures of Ralph Rashleigh gives great insight into the problems encompassed within the convict system in NSW. The novel gives insight into the convict's perspective of that era. Specifically, the novel when compared to other documents of the time, illuminates attempts by officials to downplay the level of cruelty and poor living conditions inflicted on convicts of the time. This document is believed to contain some fiction and second hand knowledge of places such as Newcastle, as James Tucker never actually served in Newcastle. A comparison between the descriptions of convict suffering in the novel with that of other documented views held by non military persons at the time...