Draft of a Bill to Constitute the Commonwealth of Australia by [Federation] - 1897

Adelaide: C.E. Bristow, Government Printer, 1897. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Adelaide, C.E. Bristow, Government Printer, 1897. Foolscap folio, 29 pages with numerous ruled interleaves. Half red roan and red stippled cloth with a printed paper title label on the front cover; leather a little rubbed at the extremities, with slight surface loss to the corner pieces; cloth a little flecked and marked; light crease to the blank bottom corner of most leaves; a very good copy (internally excellent). Printed at the head of the first page is the following: 'Copy of Federal Constitution under the Crown, framed and approved by the Australasian Federal Convention, at Adelaide, South Australia, 22nd March to 23rd April, 1897. E.G. Blackmore, Clerk. C.C. Kingston, President'. The signature of Sir John William Downer (1843-1915), one of the South Australian delegates at the Convention, is writ large on the front pastedown ('The Honble. Sir J.W. Downer K.C.M.G.'). He has hand-printed much the same in ink on the printed paper title label on the front cover.