THE SYDNEY MERCHANTS AND THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN OF 1827-30

The so-called depression in New South Wales between 1827 and 1930 has been considered from various perspectives by R.M. Hartwell and S.J. Bu tlin, but no detailed account of its effects on specific sections of c olonial society has appeared. In particular, little attention has been given to commercial conditions during this period. The following arti cle addresses this omission and demonstrates that commerce flourished and that merchants engaged in seaborne trade were largely unaffected b y the slump.