AustLit

The article argues that ' George Robertson helped to extend the boundaries of colonial knowledge. His policy of collecting ephemera, irrespective of religious source or convict origin, has meant that knowledge of the roots of our national culture is refreshingly more widespread than it might otherwise have been.' It analyses how in 'seeking to help David Scott Mitchell in his endeavour, George Robertson influenced the documentation of Australasian history in a unique way which has perhaps not been repeated elsewhere, since they amassed in one place the written records of a modern nation.' (26, 28)