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			Title		Thomas Scott - 'Life of a Convict named "Isaacs" a Jew in Van Diemen's Land taken down from his own dictation in the year 1821 at Elizabeth River where he then was - Servant to Govr. Sorell as his Stock Keeper'
			Level of Description		Series
			Date of Work		1821
			Type of Material		Textual Records
			Call Number		B 41
			Issue Copy		Microfilm - CY 1793, frames 1 - 13 (B 41)
			Physical Description		1 volume - 0.01 Meters Textual Records - (manuscript)
			Administrative / Biographical Note		Michael Isaacs was born in London in 1798. According to his account he became a thief when aged about 13. At 15 he joined the army, probably the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry). His regiment was involved in battles in the Peninsular War including Salamanca (1812) and Toulouse (1814), before being shipped to New Orleans. The men returned to Europe a few days after the Battle of Waterloo. The regiment went to Ghent, then Paris (1815). In 1818 Isaacs was convicted of horse stealing and transported for life, arriving in Van Diemen's Land in May 1819.
			Contents		Account of Isaacs' life, in the first person, written in the hand of Thomas Scott. Isaacs tells of his life, crimes (including robbing the dead and other forms of theft), service in the military, and travels. The account breaks off after Isaacs states his intention to desert from the army. Isaacs does not focus on military history. Instead, he describes his life as a thief in the army. The account is wholly set in Europe and North America. It does not describe Tasmania, nor his life as a convict. This account is incomplete.
			Source		Bequeathed by D.S. Mitchell, 1907


			Finding Aids		Click here to view link - Transcript
			Signatures / Inscriptions		Handwritten on page 1 : 'Either the 43rd or 45th Regmt.'
			General Note		D.S. Mitchell bookplate inside front cover. "D.S. Mitchell" signature on front endpaper. Further biographical notes about Isaacs can be found in 'The Forefathers: a Dictionary of Biography of the Jews of Australia, 1788-1830' by John Simon Levi, Australian Jewish Historical Society, 1976.
			Author/Artist		Isaacs, Michael, 1798-
			Subject		Convicts -- Tasmania. David Scott Mitchell Collection. Jews -- Tasmania. Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815. Peninsular War, 1807-1814.
			Digital order no.		Album ID : 824124