William Howitt (1792-1879), English poet and author, who with his wife, Mary (1799-1888) collaberated throughout a long literary career. In 1852, William and his two sons sailed for Australia, where they spent two years in the newly discovered goldfields. The trip resulted in three works, this volume, Land, labor and Gold, or Two Years in Victoria (1855), and Tallengetta, The Squatter's Home (1857). In these volumes, Howitt was writing to provide a clearer picture of life in Australia during the gold rush of the early 1850's and was interested in dispelling much of the romantic vision that Australian newspapers were promoting of life in the colony.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Howitt