Julian Thomas, LL.D. (also known as "The Vagabond"), born John Stanley James,
[
] (15 November 1843 – 4 September 1896)
was an English-born Australian journalist and author.
Born John Stanley James in
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
, Staffordshire, England, the only son of Joseph Green James (attorney) and his wife Elizabeth, he changed his name to Julian Thomas around 1872 and went to the United States.
[
Thomas took to journalism on the conclusion of the Civil War, and was attached to papers in New York and San Francisco.] He was in France during the Franco-German war, and afterwards visited South America, Tahiti, and Hawaii.[
Thomas went to Australia in 1874, settling in ]Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. There he commenced the “Vagabond" papers, a series of articles or exposes of public institutions, that appeared in the Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
''Argus''. These created a sensation and were subsequently republished in book form.[ In 1877 he went to the newly discovered gold fields in Northern ]Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, and in the following year proceeded to New Caledonia
)
, anthem = ""
, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
, mapsize = 290px
, subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
as war correspondent during the native revolt. He was for some months with the French troops attached to the expedition of Henri Rivière, afterwards killed in Tonkin
Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain ''Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includi ...
; and visited the Isle of Pines, being the only journalist ever allowed to land there. In 1879 he again travelled through Northern and Central Queensland.[ On his return he went to the Fiji Islands, and spent some months in that group; and in 1880 visited China, Japan, and British Columbia, returning to Australia in 1882. In that and the following year he spent a long time in the South Pacific, visiting New Caledonia, the ]New Hebrides
New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...
, the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...
, and New Guinea, where he commanded the expedition sent out by the ''Argus'' proprietary. The "Vagabond" was the first to call attention in the press to French and German aggressions in the South Seas.[ In 1886, he was special correspondent of the Melbourne ''Argus'' at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition at South Kensington. In 1887 he revisited New Caledonia and the New Hebrides, on behalf of the Melbourne ''Age''.][ He revisited England in 1888, and in 1889 went to Tonga and Samoa for the ''Age'', saw the return of the deposed king ]Malietoa Laupepa
Susuga Malietoa Laupepa (1841 – 22 August 1898) was the ruler (Malietoa) of Samoa in the late 19th century.
Personal life
Laupepa was born in 1841 in Sapapali'i, Savai'i, Samoa. His father was Malietoa Mōli and mother was Fa’alaitaua Fua ...
at the latter place, and witnessed the troubles in Tonga. He is author of "Vagabond Papers" (five series), "Occident and Orient", "Cannibals and Convicts", and several plays, of which ''No Mercy'' is the best known.[ The "Vagabond" claimed to have travelled more extensively over Australia and New Zealand than any living journalist at the time. In 1891–92 he acted as secretary to the Royal Commission on Charities appointed by the Victorian Government.][
Thomas was a member of Melbourne's ]Yorick Club
The Yorick Club was a private social club in Lowell, Massachusetts, which twenty prominent young Lowell men founded in February 1882."History of Lowell and its people, Volume 1", p. 383, By Frederick William Coburn. The club went bankrupt in 1979 ...
in its Bohemian days.
He continued to write articles infrequently, mostly for the Melbourne ''Leader
Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...
'', until dying in Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to:
People As a given name
*Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name:
**FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855)
** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
on 4 September 1896.[
]
References
*John Stanley James (ed. Michael Cannon), ''The Vagabond Papers'', Melbourne, Melbourne University Publishing, 1969. with the original illustrations by "Leo" ( J. J. H. Leonard)
External links
*
''Trove List''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Julian
1843 births
1896 deaths
People from Walsall
19th-century male writers
19th-century Australian journalists
19th-century Australian male writers
Journalists from Victoria (state)
British emigrants to colonial Australia
Australian male journalists