The Northern Territory As It Is.. by [PALMERSTONE SETTLEMENT] SOWDEN, William J - 1882

Good first-hand account of frontier life in the Northern Territory (of what was then South Australia). The author travelled for two and a half months with the South Australian Parliamentary Party, dispatched to assess the current state of the territory. He offers some explanation of the conditions under which the book was written: 'on shipboard when gale-tossings caused cabin furniture to turn somersaults; or - worse than that - in odd corners of some bush public house 'midst sweltering heat and in an atmosphere thick with insect life; the writer enlightened by the feeblest of candles, and entertained by the strongest of strong festive demonstrations from elated patrons of the host...'

Despite these challenges, the book is detailed and informative, with chapters on Palmerstone, the country of the deep interior, Government plantations and rich riverine country. Additionally, it contains an appendix of 33 pages by Professor Ralph Tate detailing the natural resources and geology of the Northern Territory.