longer list of his writings is appended to James Bonwick by E. E. Pescott. His school books were of great value at a time when it was difficult to obtain suitable books in Australia, and his historical work was always conscientious. Bonwick is best remembered for his transcripts of British Government records that formed the basis of the reference work: Historical Records of New South Wales. These records were his principal work until in 1902, at the age of 85, he resigned his position. It is true that Bonwick's transcripts and the resulting 7 volumes of Historical Records of New South Wales received later criticism. His selections were arbitrary and he was accused of censorship and excluding material that reflected poorly on individuals whether government officials, the military and free settlers, or drew attention to convict origins. However, these transcripts and publications had great utilitarian value for researchers, students and general readers who had no chance of seeing the original documents in Britain. Eventually the National Library of Australia and the State Library of New South Wales were to approach the Public Record Office with requests to microfilm these records comprehensively. This ultimately led to the two libraries signing an agreement with the PRO to establish the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP). The Bonwick Transcripts were transferred to the Mitchell Library when it was founded in 1910 as the "Australiana" Wing of the Library. In 1856, the Victorian government botanist Ferdinand von Mueller, named Euodia bonwickii (now Melicope bonwickii) in his honour. See also Australian Joint Copying Project References Further reading External links 1817 births 1906 deaths Australian memoirists English emigrants to Australia 19th-century Australian historians 19th-century memoirists