Sir Timothy Coghlan (1855 1926) was the statistician for New South Wales from 1886, and is regarded as Australia's first 'Mandarin'. His advice was sought by state and federal governments on matters as diverse as tax, public sanitation and infant mortality. In 1905 he took up an appointment as New South Wales government agent in London, remaining there for the rest of his life. First published in 1903, this was one of the first comprehensive histories of Australia, and it benefits greatly from the author's extensive hard statistical data. In contrast to his later Labour and Industry (also...