AUSTRALIA. An important archive of approximately 183 manuscript letters from Captain Francis Starkie Clayton to his wife, Edith, while in command of the man-o'-war, H.M.S. Diamond, circa 1885-1888, the majority of letters 10pp., 20cm x 13cm, detailing his activities, thoughts and feelings, mostly centred around his duty as Captain while at the Australia station. Note: written almost daily, the letters Clayton refers to as 'little chats' form a diary of the Captain and provides a fascinating insight into life in the Royal Navy during the Victorian era. The Australia Station was centred on the harbour of Port Jackson at Sydney and was founded in 1859 to protect British interests in the colonies. It wasn't until 1885 that the British Admiralty focussed more attention on the Station, which was upgraded to flagship status in the same year after threats from abroad. The detailed letters discuss his duties which included following Admiral's orders, handling of the ship and its personnel, and peace keeping of the Pax Britannica. They also detail life on board the ship, in addition to the logistics of finances and provisions whilst travelling large distances, and matters such as homesickness. The archive is offered with a dissertation titled 'Captain Clayton and the Australia Station, 1885-1888' by Mary Jones and a copy of volume 41, no 3 of the Tasmanian Historical Research Association Papers and Proceedings in which Mary Jones contributes an article about Clayton's work in Tasmania.