The alliance echoes and portents of Australia's longest war

Afghanistan was Australia's longest war, yet the consensus between Australia's major political parties on the commitment never wavered over 12 years. The bipartisan unity held even as the nature of the war changed and evolved, Australian casualties rose and popular support fell away. The enduring centrality of the US alliance explains much—probably almost all you need to know—about the unbroken consensus of the Australian polity. Afghanistan was an example of the Australian alliance addiction, similar to Vietnam. As with Vietnam, the Australian military left Afghanistan believing it won its bit of the war, even if the Afghanistan war is judged a disaster. As Australia heads home it finds the USA pivoting in its direction; with all the similarities that can be drawn between Vietnam and Afghanistan, this post-war alliance effect is a huge difference between the two conflicts.     

The Wreck of the Ex-Slaver James Matthews

This contribution presents the progress of investigations into the wreck of the ex-slave ship James Matthews, wrecked off Western Australia in 1841. The James Matthews wreck site preserves many elements of the vessel’s structure, with the result that the basic architecture of an actual transport vehicle of the Middle Passage has been recorded in detail and can be analyzed in depth by maritime archaeologists working in tandem with naval architects. The discovery of the James Matthews wreck has made possible cross-disciplinary research of a type not previously feasible for the illegal period of slavery in the Atlantic.     

Asian migration to Australia: Changing trends and implications

International migration between Asia and Australia has undergone profound change in the last two decades. This paper outlines the major changes which have occurred in this movement. The proportion of Australia's resident population born in Asia has increased from 1.1 % in 1976 to 5.5 % in 2001. Asians now make up more than a third of new settlers to Australia but there has been an increased diversity in the flow of Asian settlers to Australia as well as the substantial increase in numbers. Australian international migration has entered a new era since the mid‐1990s with a greatly increased flow of temporary workers to Australia. The inflow of these workers is less dominated by Asia‐born people than is the permanent flow except for student migration. There is also an increasing flow of movers from Australia to Asia. Much current knowledge and research remain focused on Asian permanent settlement in Australia. While this is important and worthwhile, there is a need to broaden the work to encompass the full range of population movements between Asia and Australia if the impact of international migration is to be adequately assessed.     

The problem of runrig

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Continental Drift. By D. H. and M. P. Tarling. 8 1/2 x 6. 112 pp., 43 illustrations. Bibliography. G. Bell, London. £1–50.

Introduction to Geomorphology. By A. F. Pitty. xvi + 526 pp. Numerous illustrations, Bibliography. Index. Methuen, London, 1971. £5.

ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

The Logic of Unity. By Geoffrey Parker. 8 1/2 x 5 1/2, xviii + 178 pp., 36 maps and diagrams. Longmans Geography Paperbacks. Second impression, 1970. £1.15.

Seaports and Seaport Terminals. By James Bird. 5 1/4 x 8 1/2, 240 pp., 22 maps, diagrams. Hutchison &; Co., London, 1971. 90p (paper).

Seaports and Development in Tropical Africa. Edited by B. S. Hoyle and D. Hilling. 8 3/4 x 6, xvi+271 pp. Macmillan, London. £4.

ISLANDS SERIES. Each volume approximately 13.5 x 21.7 cms., 250 pp., plates and maps, bibliographies. David and Charles, Newton Abbot, 1970/71. £2.50.

1. Orkney. By Patrick Bailey

2. Arran. By Robert McLellan

3. The Isle of Mull, By P. A. Macnab

4. St. Kilda and Other Hebridean Outliers. By Francis Thompson

The Industrial Archaeology of Galloway. By Ian Donnachie. 8 1/2 x 6. Pp. 271, 32 plates, 39 illustrations. David &; Charles, Newton Abbot, 1971. £3–50.     

The Origins of the Castle in England the Institute's Research Project 1

This paper, based mainly on hitherto unpublished material, describes the building-activities of the Duke of Lauderdale in the years following his second marriage to the Countess of Dysart. During this period the Duke's three northern houses, comprising Thirlestane Castle, Lethington, and Brunstane, were extensively remodelled under the direction of the Scottish Surveyor-General, Sir William Bruce. Bruce also played a part in the alterations and additions carried out at the Lauderdales' principal English seat, Ham House, the main responsibility in this case, however, being undertaken by the gentleman-architect William Samwell. The Scottish houses were fitted out and decorated by a team of Anglo-Dutch craftsmen recruited chiefly in London, while another Dutchman, John Slezer, was employed as surveyor and draughtsman both in Scotland and at Ham.