WITHIN THE BOOK’
OMISSIONS PER CHAPTER
Total Words per Chapter Words Omitted editions 2-13
The following three extended quotes are used as examples of changes or alterations which the manuscript has undergone. Some alterations are not particularly important by themselves but must be taken collectively and evaluated holistically. When the entire manuscript is thus examined it becomes obvious that the text was significantly altered. By comparing the 1870 edition with the succeeding publications, the loss of material through these lengthy omissions is revealed. The first quotation is taken from the Cash/Burke narrative/manuscript. The second quotation is from the 1870 or first edition. The third quotation is from the 1880 or second edition which was the first publication to have 33,516 words expunged.
Folio 3: The Cash/Burke narrative reads:
Her mother, who was aware of our intimacy, afforded us every opportunity of being together. I therefore spent the greater part of my evenings in the society of the (?), and this circumstance, as the sequel will show, was of some service to me in after life, until I became quite proficient at the business. They borrowed money from me
1. 28,451 2. 16,734 3. 8,845 4. 6,020 5. 9,039 6. 25,053 7. 7,095 8/9. 15,274 10. 5,605 Total 122,116 1. 16,560 2. 2,052 3. 372 4. 528 5. 1,776 6. 4,200 7. 936 8/9. 4,800 10. 2,292 Total 33,516
upon all possible occasions which obliged me to draw so heavily and frequently upon my mother that she at last seriously remonstrated with me upon my ruinous propensities, observing that it was not in her power to indulge them any longer as the bulk of her property had now nearly squandered away. However I paid no attention to her admonitions. All I wanted was money, being perfectly regardless of where it was to come from as long as I could attain it—finding it was now more necessary than ever, having to support my mistress who together with her mother and sister…(162 words)
Page 2: The first edition (1870) reads:
Her mother was quite aware of our intimacy, and afforded us every opportunity of being in each other's company, consequently I spent the greater part of my time in her society, becoming quite a proficient at the business, and in this circumstance, trivial as it may appear, was of service to me in after life. They borrowed money of me upon every possible occasion, which obliged me to draw so heavily and frequently upon my mother that she at last seriously remonstrated with me upon my extravagance, assuring me that it was not in her power to indulge it any longer, as the bulk of her property had been now nearly squandered away. I paid very little attention to her admonition; all I wanted was money for my sweetheart, being perfectly regardless of where it came from, so long as I could obtain it, in order to support her and her mother and sister, who had now removed to a more commodious and expensive establishment, situated in the centre of the town, on the understanding that I was to furnish them with all contingent expenses. (185 words) The 1870 edition was altered in style and extended by twenty-three words because of grammatical changes.
Page 2: The second edition (1880) reads:
Her mother was quite aware of our intimacy, and consequently I spent the greater part of my time in her society, becoming quite a proficient at the business, and this circumstance, trivial as it may appear, was of service to me in after life. They borrowed money of me upon every possible occasion, which obliged me to draw so heavily and frequently upon my mother that she at last seriously remonstrated with me upon my extravagance assuring me that it was not in her power to indulge it any longer, as the bulk of her property had been now nearly squandered away. I paid very little attention to her admonitions; all I wanted was money for my sweetheart, being perfectly regardless of where it came from, so long as I could obtain it, in order to support her and her mother and sister…14 (143 words)
14Verso and fly leaf of the 1880 edition state: Walch's Shilling Series of Old Tasmanian Books No.1;
Martin Cash, The Bushranger of Van Diemen's Land in 1843. ‘A personal Narrative of his Exploits in the Bush and his Experiences at Port Arthur and Norfolk Island‘, fifteenth thousand; Tasmania: Hobart and Launceston.
Comparing the above quote with the 1870 edition, the passage has had forty-two words removed.
The 33,516 omitted words from the narrative constitute twenty-seven percent of the total 122,119 words. The omissions, including the 28,985 words of the Addenda, total 62,501 words. The proportion of omissions in the post-1870 editions is slightly over fifty percent. This certainly gives credence to the phrase of a 'book within a book'. As it is impossible to examine all omissions in the course of this thesis, some of the more significant are examined below. The Cash/Burke narrative/manuscript begins at Cash's birth in Ireland and follows the chronology of his life until his release from Norfolk Island. Therefore, these omissions have been dealt with sequentially in order to retain the timeline of the narrative thus preserving the integrity of the story.
The omissions have been placed into categories, perhaps the most significant of which are 'homophobia' and 'solidarity and individualism among convicts'. References to homosexuality occur in the chapters dealing with Norfolk Island. These, for the most part, are allusions as the word 'homosexual' does not appear in common usage until some years after the publication of the Cash/Burke work. It seems that Burke and Cash wished to reveal that such practices occurred yet they did not overtly reference them. It appears that the 1880 editor was sensitive to Cash and Burke's veiled references and censored them. This perhaps reveals the social mindset of men under incarceration as well as newspaper editors of the day. Not only is there solidarity in the face of those in charge, common human characteristics are revealed: the need to survive, competition at others' expense, the urge to prove superiority and the need to protect self. These instincts extend to the lower classes such as the B—n's. 'Aboriginal customs', although of dubious truth suggest early attitudes towards indigenous people who were generally considered inferior beings. Interestingly, Cash expresses an appreciation of their fishing techniques and also a degree of sympathy. Yet, overall, Cash seems to also view them as inferior.