JOHN GRAHAM, CONVICT (129 pp.)Robert GibbingsA. S. Barnes ($3).
Land of Lags and Kangaroo,
Of 'possum and the scarce Emu
The Farmer's pride but the Prisoner's
Hell
Land of BumsFare-thee-well!
That is how one lag (longterm convict) apostrophized Australia in the early years of the last century, when the continent was turned into a British penal colony (a direct consequence of the American Revolution, after which British convicts could no longer be transported to the American Colonies). In short order, the very names of New South Wales and Botany Bay were enough to send a shiver...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
