WRITTEN FROM THE FIRST EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY, ON MELVILLE ISLAND, "...Picture to yourself about one hundred and fifty men, four women, and four children, three of which are not yet six months old, set down in an immense forest hundreds of miles from any European settlement, exposed to the elements, in a Tropical climate which at best in spite of every defence human wisdom can suggest is most destructive to health and life: exposed to the fury of savage natives; more ferocious, and sanguinary than the beasts of the desert: without a house, without the meanest shelter until they have first reared it by their own hands; and you will then be able to form some idea of what we must necessarily encounter...", 4 pages, large 8vo, "Melville Island Lat 11⁰ 12' South Long: 132⁰ 12' East", 10 April 1827, integral address panel, postal markings including boxed "Falmouth | Ship letter" in red ink, transit date stamp of 31 December 1827, rated "2/5", redirected from Ashford to Dover in Kent, remains of red wax seal impression, seal tear, splitting at fold with damage to two or three words

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE LETTER WRITTEN FROM FORT DUNDAS ON MELVILLE ISLAND. This ill-fated settlement, which was inhabited by soldiers, marines, convicts, and a handful of free settlers from 1824 to 1829, was the first attempt to colonise northern Australia, and was undertaken in the hope of developing trade with the Malays. It pre-dated the founding of Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Brisbane.  John Gold had reached the settlement in 1826 and was employed as its surgeon. This letter to his mother gives an account of the harsh conditions in the settlement but also writes with news of his younger brothers, Clement and James, who were making lives for themselves (with variable success) in New South Wales. He writes of the terrible toll of disease amongst the settlers ("...This place (Melville Island) is dreadfully unhealthy, the diseases are of so deadly a nature as to preclude the possibility of much suffering. It is not very unusual for a man who was apparently in good health in the morning to be in his grave before the evening..."). He had no illusions about the likelihood of his returning to England: "boundless oceans roll between us; and it is not probable that, the short span of human existence will again allow us to meet on earth." In fact Gold was dead before this letter reached its destination: this letter took nearly nine months to reach Gold's mother in Kent, but Gold had been speared to death in an ambush by a group of aboriginal Tiwi people on 2 November 1827.

Letters from Fort Dundas are exceptionally rare: the only other example to have come to market in recent years was another letter by John Gold to his mother (Prestige Philately, 24 May 2008, lot 1037, $43,700 AUS). A small archive of Gold family papers - including John's letters to his brother Clement - are in the State Library of New South Wales (ML MSS.846)