In 1794, Charles Bishop sailed from Bristol as master of the Ruby, a trading ship bound for north-west America. He had instructions to procure otter furs from the Indians and then to proced to Canton via Japan and sell the cargo. During the years 1794-1802, he rounded South America to reach the Pacific coast, then visited the Pacific islands and the coasts of Asia and Australia. In the Moluccas, he sold the Ruby and purchased the Nautilus; correspondingly, the text is divided into two sections. This narrative is Bishop's journal of his voyages and relates a minor epic of adventure, courage and turbulent fortune. The records of his letters and financial accounts show something of the ships' general organization, and of the seamen who served such expeditions. Bishop also describes the various ports and peoples he encountered; his experiences typify European contacts in the Pacific, and the reaction between trader, missionary, administrator and local inhabitant. Dr Roe's introduction gives the background to the trading voyages of the 18th century and describes Bishop's pwn history. Records of his life continue until 1809, ending tragically in Sydney, where he passed some years in poverty and insanity, before being returned to England. . This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1967.

Australian goldminers were among the first white men to have sustained contact with Papua New Guineans. Some Papua New Guineans welcomed them, worked for them, traded with them and learnt their skills and soon were mining on their own account. Others met them with hostility, either by direct confrontation or by stealthy ambush. Many of the indigenous people and some miners were killed. The miners were dependent on the local people for labourers, guides, producers of food and women. Some women lived willingly in the miners’ camps, a few were legally married, and some were raped. Working conditions for Papua New Guineans on the claims were mixed; some being well treated by the miners, others being poorly housed and fed, ill-treated, and subject to devastating epidemics. Conditions were rough, not only for them but for the diggers too. This book, republished in its original format, shows the differences in the experience of various Papua New Guinean communities which encountered the miners and tries to explain these differences. It is a graphic description of what happens when people from vastly different cultures meet. The author has drawn on documentary sources and interviews with the local people to produce, for the first time, a lively history.