Vaux, James Hardy. 'Memoirs of James Hardy Vaux. Written By Himself.' in two volumes. (London, Printed by W. Clowes' and sold by All Respectable Booksellers, 1819). First edition of this convict autobiography. The final 75 pages of the second volume contain Vaux's celebrated 'Vocabulary of the. Flash Language', the first dictionary of underworld cant to emanate from Australia. Ferguson, 770. Both volumes with Ingleton and Lesnie ex-libris labels, Vol. 1 with extensive mss note in Ingleton's hand 'Angus & Robertson bought this copy from the Bertie Collection. The first edition is very scarce and is greatly superior to the later editions.'. The first full length autobiography written in Australia, Vaux's memoirs provide a unique insight into criminal life in London and the convict penal system. In 1827 the London Magazine described Vaux's work as 'one of the most singular that ever issued from the press'