A Concise History of Australia. Being a narrative of the rise and progress of New South Wales and her sister colonies, etc

Front matter

I A ::>E ■ HIST01 I RISE AND P REsS OF : HJ <STER QC M THE P Rev. GEORGE GRIMM, M A ... i A GONSISE HISTORY OF Being A Narrative or the RISE AND PROGRESS OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND HER SISTER COLONIES, WITH SKETCHES OF NEW ZEALAND AND THE BRITISH POSSESSIONS IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN, BY Rev. GEORGE GRIMM, M. A., Author oj " The Australian Explorers." ANGUS k ROBERTSON. S9 Castlereagh Street. Sydney. CONTENTS. o CHAPTER. pAGE. I. Discovery of Australia ... ... ... ... ... 3 II. Settlement of New South Wales ... ... ... ... 5 III. Governor Phillip,— 1788— 1792 ... ... ... ... ... 6 IV. ,, Grose, Paterson and Hunter.— 1793— 1800 ... ... ... 10 V. „ King and Bligh.— 1800— 1808 ... ... ... ... 14 VI. ,, Maoquarie.— 1810— 1821 ... ... ... ... 19 VII. „ Brisbane.— 1821— 1825 ... ... ... ... ... 23 VIII. „ Darling.— 1825— 1831 ... ... ... ... ... 27 IX. „ Bourke— 1831— 1837 ... ... ... ... ... 31 X. „ Gipps and Fitzroy.— 1838— 1855 ... ... ... ... 35 XI. „ Denison and Young. — 1855—1867... ••• ■•■ ... 10 XII. „ Belmore and Robinson.— 1868— 1879 ... ... ... 44 XIII. ,, Loftus, Carringtou and Jersey. — 1879 — 1891 ... ... 47 XIV.

Rise and Growth of the Pastoral Industry ... ... ... 53 XV. The Mining Industry ... ... ... ... 58 XVI. Trade and Commerce... ... ... ... ... ... 61 XVII. Internal and External Communication ... ... ... ... 65 XVIII. Social, Moral and Religious Development ... ... ._ ... 68 XIX. Constitutional History ... ... - ... ... ... "2 XX— XXII. Victoria ... ... ... ... ... ... 75 XXIII— XXIV. South Australia ... ... ... ... ... 87 XXV— XXVI. Queensland ... ... ... ... ... ... 95 XXVII. West Australia ... ... .. ... ... ... 103 XXVIII— XXIX. Tasmania ... ... ... ... ... ... 107 XXX-XXXII. New Zealand ... ... ... ... ... 113 XXXIII. British Possessions in the Pacific Ocean. ... ... ... ._ A Concise History of New South Wales and her Sister Colonies.

Chapter I

Discoveries.— 1606— 1770. The Great South Land, afterwards called New Holland and Australia, though long suspected to exist, first became certainly known to Europeans in 1606, during which year a double discovery appears to have been made by the Spaniards and the Dutch. In December preceding the distinguished Spanish navigator, Don Pedro Fernando De Quiros with Luis Vaez De Torres as second in command, sailed from Callao, in Peru, in the hope of falling in with the supposed new country. This expected prize De Quiros believed he had found in the discovery of a territory to which he gave the name Tierra Australis del Spiritu Santo. It was, however, an island, and is now marked on the map as one of the New Hebrides. The discoverer was taking measures to obtain more correct information, when a mutiny of his crew compelled him to desist and return to Peru, Meanwhile De Torres, with the portion of the fleet under his command, having been separated from his admiral in a storm, determined to make for the Philippine Islands in order to refit.

In his westward course he passed through the strait which has since borne his name, and keeping well to the south of New Guinea, came in sight of the northern ex tremity of the Great South Land, but mistook it for an island, not being aware of the good fortune that had befallen him. While the Spaniards were thus purposely searching for a new continent, the Dutch accidently discovered it near the same place ; and about the same time as Torres had passed it in sight. The Batavian Government had dispatched from the Port of Bantam a small vessel, called the Duyfhen (Dove) for the purpose of ex ploring the coast of New Guinea. Having stood too far to the south, the expedition crossed the yet unknown Torres' Strait, and steered along York Peninsula, which they appear to have mistaken for a southward trend of New Guinea.

Keeping this course as far as 13| latitude, the party there landed on the Australian coast and were doubtless the first Europeans who stepped on to the Great South Land. But they found themselves in a hostile country ; and among a horde of savages who received the strangers in a barbarous manner, and murdered some of the crew. After this bitter experience, the expedition shaped a homeward course ; but not before leaving the memory of the event in the name of the locality, which they called Cape Keer Weer, or Turnagain. For the next forty years the Dutch were indefatigable in exploring the Great South Land, to which they gave the name of New Holland. In 1616 Dirk Hartog made a series of discoveries on the west coast, extending from the Tropic of Capricorn to the 27th deg. of south latitude.

This voyage was made in a vessel called the Endraght, and the newly discovered tract received the same name, meaning the land of Concord. Hartog landed on a large island which still bears his name. Two years later, Capt. Zeachen discovered the northern coast from the North West Cape to the fifteenth parallel of south latitude ; and within the next few months, Jan de Edel explored a long stretch of the coast line to the south of Endraght's Land, and gave his name to the portion embraced between the 26th and 32nd parallels of latitude. In 1622 the South West Cape called the Leeuwin after the name of the vessel, was discovered together with the country intervening between this point and Edel's Land. Next year Jan Carstens, in command of the Pera and Arnheim, sailed along the north-west coast sighting the country which was long afterwards known as Arnheim's Land.

Capt. Nuyts in 1627 came upon the southern shores of the new continent, and cruised along the Great Australian Bight for more than a thousand miles, during which voyage he also discovered the Archipelago, or cluster its most northern limit. There being no communication with the natives for several hundreds of miles, the varying features of the land were noted in the record by arbitrary and often fanciful names, such as Mount Dromedary, Pigeon House, and Hat Hill ; as also Earn Head, Point Upright, and Long Nose. In these southern waters no practicable landing place was observed earlier than Botany Bay. Here the good ship came to anchor and nearly a week was past amidst novel sights and scenes. The aborigines could not be induced to enter into friendly relations ; but usually fled and often left their weapons as a welcome prize to the strangers.

The surprising number and variety of wild flowers suggested the name of Botany, by which the locality has ever since been known for good or ill repute. This brief interlude being over, the northward voyage was resumed in quest of further discoveries. Scarcely had the Botany Heads faded from view when another large inlet was sighted from the deck of the " Endeavour," but unhappily not visited. The point of view not being favourable the great navigator had no suspicion of being abreast the finest harbour in the world ; and having called it Port Jackson in honor of an English worthy, Sir George Jackson, held on his course without pause or delay. Shortly after, Broken Bay, Port Stephens, and other important discoveries were made. For a while all went well with the voyage ; but in an hour, wheD no danger was suspected, a cry of " breakers ahead" brought to everyone a sense of peril.

By dint of Cook's superior seamanship and his perfect command of the crew, the vessel .vas turned from the rocks in a critical moment and the expedition saved from destruction. This perilous position was marked by a headland overhung by a prominent hill to which Cook gave the respective names of Point Danger, and Mount Warning — land marks which now form the boundary between New South Wales and Queens land. But the " Endeavour" was destined to make a still closer acquaintance with misfortune. In the far north she was landed upon a reef and sustained most serious damage. After the sacrifice of much valuable cargo the vessel was floated with great difficulty ; and then it taxed all the skill of the captain to bring her to the nearest anchorage. This port of safety of islands, in which his name still survives.

Only a few months later, Capt. Carpenter explored the Gulf of Carpentaria, in which his name is perpetuated. Another epoch of Dutch discoveries opened with 1642, when Abel Janz Tasman entered on his successful career in the southern waters. On the 24th of November of this year he made the important discovery of Van Diemen's Land, which he so called in honor of his patron, the governor of the Dutch possessions. Posterity have considered Tasman still more worthy of this compliment, and the island is now known to all the world as Tasmania. Having returned to Batavia and reported his success, Tasman was despatched in 1644 to follow up the explorations which had already been made on the shores of Carpentaria. To a large river which he discovered near the head of the Gulf he gave the name of the Maatsuycker, which, after being lost or forgotten, was re-discovered by Capt. Stokes in 1842, and is now known as the Albert River.

The English discoveries began in 1688 with Dampier, who also enjoys the questionable fame of a buccaneer. During this and the following year he is reckoned to have made a running survey of 900 miles of the west coast extending from Shark's Bay to Dampier's Archipelago ; and also the north-west coast as far as Boebuck Bay. The greater part of this shore-line had been known less certainly by the Dutch, but there was quite an original discovery in the Archipelago which still retains the name of Dampier. The localities more particularly exploredby the buccaneer, happened to be some of the very poorest in Australia, and the discouraging report which was published in England is supposed to have greatly hindered settlement in the new continent. A fresh era commenced with the enterprize of Capt. Cook, by whom the eastern coast was discovered while engaged in the first of his voyages round the world.

Leaving Cape Farewell in New Zealand and steering a north-westerly course he observed on the 1st of April, 1770, the shore of New Holland come into view in one of its south-eastern headlands, which he named Point Hicks. It is now better know as Cape Conran and lies within the Victorian territory. Henceforward the " Endeavour" was navigated along the coast onward to proved to be the mouth of a small river which has since borne the name of the Endeavour. Having again put to sea after the necessary repairs, only one more stage remained, and this over, the great navigator found the limit of the new continent in Cape York. Cook had thus succeeded in his object to a degree that must have surpassed his utmost expectations ; and he now took care that the fruit of his labours should not be lost to his country.

All that remained to be done was a declaration of ownership ; and this he duly made on the spot, and in the following terms ; "As I am now about to quit the eastern coast of New Holland which I have coasted from 38 latitude to this place, and which I am confident no European has ever seen before, I once more hoist the English colours (although I have already taken possession of the whole eastern coast by the name of New South Wales, from its great simi larity to that part of the Principality of Wales, in the right of my Sovereign, George III, King of Great Britain." did not take effect immediately after Cook's discoveries ; but commenced eighteen years later, as a necessity on the part of England. The revolt of the American colonies having stopped transportation to Virginia and filled the English gaols with criminals, the Imperial Government proposed to found a penal colony in some distant province of the Empire.

Prior to this juncture, the narrative of Capt. Cook's discovery of the eastern coast of New Holland had been published, giving a rather misleading des cription of Botany Bay. The site thus brought under notice was deemed eligible for the proposed settlement, and the requisite orders in council were duly issued. The command of the expedition, with authority to act as Governor of the new colony, was conferred on Captain Phillip, R.N., of German parentage, but a native of London, who had served with credit in the French and Portuguese wars. The " first fleet," as the transport ships were afterwards called, assembled at Mother Bank, near the Isle of Wight, and consisted of eleven vessels carrying 759 convicts and 200 marines. The voyage extended over eight months, including short stays at the Canary Islands, Rio Janeiro, and the Cape of Good Hope.

On the 18th, 19th, and 20th of January, 1788, the little squadron arrived in detachments at Botany Bay, and the weary voyagers landed with the intention of settling on its shores. The first impression of their new home was a feeling of disappointment. Looked at in earnest, Botany Bay by no means answered the glowing descriptions that had been published at home. The inlet, indeed was ample ; but its shore-waters were shallow, and being exposed to easterly winds, it was often difficult, and sometimes dangerous to land through the raging surf. The soil, too, was poor and sandy where it was hot covered with marshes ; and it was clear at a glance that a more promising situation would have to be sought out. In the meantime, a make shift settlement was made as befitted the circumstances. After the shortest possible delay, Governor Phillip, together with Capt. Hunter, and Col. Collins, sailed away northward with the intention of examin ing Broken Bay, which had been seen, but was not explored by Capt. Cook.

It happily occurred to the explorers to visit Port Jackson, of which nothing particular was Minor Events. 1628.— De Witt discovered part of the northern coast which was named after him. ,, An ill-fated expedition, consisting of eleven ships, left the Texel to colonise New Holland. 1629.— Francis Pelsart with Dutch settlers (part of the foregoing fleet) lost on Houtman's Ahrolhos. 1636.— Part of Arnheim's Land discovered by Gerrit Pool. 1652. -Vlamingh sighted land near a river on which black swans were first seen, and hence called Swan River. 1664.— The Great South Land received the name of New Holland. 1770.— Forby Sutherland, one of Cook's seamen, buried on a tongue of land at Botany, and hence named Point Sutherland