'The lowest Ebb in life'

<p>This article analyses memorials, or personal petitions, written in response to the evacuation of Norfolk Island's first settlement in the early years of the nineteenth century. The colonists' forced removal between 1803 and 1814 resulted in the forfeiture of homes, possessions and community. The personal narratives contained within the evacuees' memorials provide fresh insight into the impact of the island's closure and the preparedness of the inhabitants to protest the injustices they experienced. They convey the deep personal challenges associated with withdrawal from, and abandonment of, colonial outposts like Norfolk Island and the broader implications such decisions had on both colonists and administrators.</p>

本文针对19世纪初期诺福克岛（Norfolk Island）首批殖民定居点撤离事件所催生的陈情文书（memorials，即个人请愿书）展开分析。1803年至1814年间，殖民者被迫离岛迁徙，由此丧失家园、私有财产与社群联结。撤离者提交的陈情文书中所载的个人叙事，为探析该岛殖民点关停带来的影响，以及当地居民抗议自身遭遇不公之举的意愿，提供了全新的研究视角。这些叙事既展现了撤离与遗弃诺福克岛这类殖民前哨站所引发的深刻个人困境，也揭示了此类决策对殖民者与殖民管理者双方造成的深远影响。