Hello researchers across the ditch. Does any researcher have ready access to a reading room, where they can research the Melbourne LEADER for the year 1889? Those years don’t appear to be on TROVE.
In the WEEKLY PRESS, of Christchurch New Zealand, on August 5, 1890 in a piece of self promotion it states:-
......Fresh and graphic articles by ‘THE WARRIGAL’ appeared in twelve consecutive issues of the widely circulated Melbourne ‘Leader’ and ‘The Field’ the recognised English authority on sport, has also printed several clever sketches of New Zealand sport from the same facile pen......
“The Warrigal” was a prolific writer of “Sketches” for THE PRESS of Christchurch in the 1880’s and 1890’s. Having, thanks to NZ's PAPERS PAST, found one piece significant to my local research, I’m now studying over 70 of his articles which I consider very relevant to the history of that period. My discovery, I now know, was one of a series of at least 38 [nearly 80,000 words] but there is no reference to the writings, in historic reviewing of the press of the period, though I now consider it a significant descriptive works.
THE WARRIGAL’S descriptions of Gold Mining and minerals in NZ, Overland travel in NZ – topography - flora and fauna, the Maori you meet – their existence – their Meeting Houses and their recent past conflicts, plus “Sketches” with an Australian content, leave me with more questions than answers, to his identity.
So far no one is owning him and the legacy of his SKETCHES.
To complicate matters he was not the only one to use ‘The Warrigal’ as a pen name, as he points out in one of his Australian sketches, which include ‘A SUNDAY AT NARNGALLOORA’ and ‘A BOUNDARY RIDER’S EVENING’ north East of Ivanhoe NSW.
What I have found, is two articles published in 1889 in our WAIKATO TIMES attributed to THE WARRIGAL and the Melbourne ‘Leader.’ Are they two, of the 12 mentioned above is my question ?
‘THE WARRIGAL” AT NGARUAWAHIA, on May 18, 1889. Though the series of 38 articles started at Ngaruawahia, the copy was different to that, but the WAIKATO TIMES of June 1, 1889 carried ‘RIVER SCENES ON THE WAIKATO’ by The Warrigal in the ‘Leader’. This ‘sketch’ copy though differently titled, was originally printed in the [Christchurch NZ] WEEKLY PRESS on May 11th.
More can be found on the NZ RC forum about the New Zealand end of the quest, and it would be best if the discussion continued on that thread, so as to keep it all together. Any assistance would be appreciated, as I've spent too many hours on this research detour already. But that is often the way with historic research.
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=666267.0.
- Alan.
