arges, but the disruption to his work would have irritated Bent exceedingly as around this time he lost the services of two of his compositors after a drunken affray.
Given his criminal history in England young Caton probably lacked experience. Mistakes sometimes occurred. In July 1824 the Printer earnestly requested that ‘always in future’ when work was sent from the public departments it be ‘accompanied by specific Directions, and an official Requisition for the Materials or Books, in writing.’
Caton absconded on 1 September 1824 and eventually made his way back to England. He reappeared in Hobart in 1827, transported (for the third time) under the name of Robert Collins. He had no further association with Bent or bookbinding and after receiving a conditional pardon in 1845, moved with his wife to Port Philip.
Late 1824 to 1830
Bent immediately advertised for a bookbinder, stressing that he required a ‘sober and steady’ man. It is not known who replaced Caton. Bent continued to advertise his bookbinding services throughout this period, so must have had at least one binder who, presumably, whether bond or free, behaved well. An advertisement early in 1828 testifies to the superiority of his workmen (perhaps suggesting he had more than one) as well as the burgeoning musical life in Hobart Town.
Other bookbinding supplies were available locally. From 1823 bookbinder’s knives or plough knives were occasionally advertised among assorted imported ironmongery; in 1827 John Morrisby advertised that he had commenced the tanning and dressing of leather, including bookbinding leather; and in 1829 the extensive list of goods available at Watchorn’s Wellington stores included strong bookbinders’ paper. The Commissariat also advertised for local tenders for dressed sheepskins for bookbinding, for mill boards and marbled paper.
The large volume shown below is Bent’s own annotated copy of the official Hobart Town Gazette (Ross and Howe) for 1826. The smaller volume (1827) has no indication of provenance, but is bound in a very similar style.
Bent was dismissed from his position of Government Printer in June 1825, but may have continued to do binding work for government for a while thereafter. He was paid for some in 1825.
Given the substantial amount of printing work Bent did for the Wesleyan community in Hobart, it is likely he also did binding and book repairs for the Wesleyan Library, established in 1827. Some volumes from that library, subsequently part of the Wesleyan Sunday School library, survive in the Crowther Collection at Libraries Tasmania. The two volumes shown here – James Thomson, Theological Discourses on Important Subjects, Doctrinal and Practical (1808-9) – while probably still in the plain bindings as issued by the publisher, have book plates printed by Bent. The 1827 catalogue of the library indicates that Thomson’s Sermons were in its collection at that time.
James Ross and Henry Melville
After spending a couple of trouble free years in the Surveyor General’s office Drysdale returned to his position as government bookbinder, his services being regarded as ‘indispensable’ by the Colonial Secretary, and was granted a ticket of leave. Government Printer James Ross received new printing equipment in 1827 and was obviously offering a bookbinding service in 1828. He published his first almanac, the Hobart Town Almanack, at the beginning of 1829. This was issued in cloth covered boards, a fairly recent innovation even in England. Copies were possibly bound by Drysdale, although Ross may have had more than one bookbinder at this time.
Early in 1830 Bent sold his printing business to Henry Melville who continued to advertise bookbinding. In late 1830 and early 1831 Melville’s assigned bookbinder was the ubiquitous Drysdale who in 1829 had lost his ticket of leave (and with it his position with Ross) for repeated drunkenness. In between frequent stints on the tread wheel, Drysdale probably bound Melville’s first almanac, the 1831 Van Diemen’s Land Almanack, issued in both a cloth binding and printed paper wrappers.
Part 2 w