THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 /f.
 
 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
 
 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NATIVE WITH SHIELD AND SPEAK.
 
 HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 
 
 A ROMANTIC AND SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT 
 IN COLONIZATION. 
 
 SECOND EDITION REVISED, ENLARGED, 
 AND CONTINUED TO A LATER PERIOD. 
 
 BY THli 
 
 REV. JOHN BLACKET. 
 
 Author of "A South Australian Romance," "Social Diseases and Suggested 
 Remedies" (being a Criticism of some Socialistic Theories), "Reminiscences of a 
 City Suburb and an Old Saint," "Not left Without Witness: or Divine Truth 
 in the Light of Reason and Revelation." 
 
 FOREWORD BY 
 THE RIGHT HON. SIR SAMUEL J. WAY, BART. 
 
 "As a child South Australia attracted more than ordinary notice " 
 Sir James Hurtle Fisher. 
 
 ''A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong 
 nation." Isaiah. 
 
 ADELAIDE : 
 
 HlJSSKY & (iIU.lNOHAM LIMITED, PRINTRKS AND PUBLISHERS, 
 106 AND IO8, CURRIK SlKKKT.
 
 All Kights Reserved.
 
 PLL 
 3 
 
 15 
 
 P 
 
 7 
 
 TO MV WIFE 
 
 AND 
 
 TO THK MEMORY 
 
 OF 
 CALEB AND PHCEBE FIDLER, 
 
 PIONEERS IN THE 
 MOUNT GAMBIER DISTRICT. 
 
 657729
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Chap. Page. 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ... x. 
 
 FOREWORD ... ... ... xi. 
 
 INTRODUCTION ... ... xvii. 
 
 THE PIONEERS ... ... ... xxiii. 
 
 I. FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND ... 3 
 
 TI. DRAWING THE PLANS ... ... ... ... ...." 21 
 
 III. DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS ... ... 31 
 
 TV. PREPARING TO BUILD ... ... ... 43 
 
 V. LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS 51 
 
 VT. THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFK AND MATERIAL SUR- 
 ROUNDINGS ... ... ... ... ... ... 71 
 
 EXAMINING THE COUNTRY ... ... 9J 
 
 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP AND THE COMING OF 
 
 THE GERMANS ... ... ... 105 
 
 IX. THE RISE OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS ... ... ... 121 
 
 X. POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES ... ... 137 
 
 XI. SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES ... ... ... 159 
 
 XII. CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION ... ... ... 181 
 
 XIII. STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM ... ... 209 
 
 XIV. STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ... ... 221 
 
 XV. POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION ... ... 235 
 
 XVI. SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION ... ... 251 
 
 XVII. RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT ... ... ... ... 269 
 
 XVIII. SOME DIFFICULTIES IN CONNECTION WITH RESPON- 
 SIBLE GOVERNMENT ... ... ... ... ... 281 
 
 XIX. THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR AND ATTEMPTS TO 
 
 PENETRATE IT ... ... ... 295 
 
 XX. THE VEIL LIFTED ... ... 329 
 
 XXI. SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS 347 
 
 XXII. THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS ... ... 371 
 
 XXIII. AN ERA OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY ... ... 389 
 
 XXIV. SOME PIONEER BUILDERS ... ... ... 407 
 
 XXV. THREE PIONEER BROTHERS ... .. ... 447 
 
 XXVI. LOOKING BACKWARDS ... ... 461 
 
 INDEX ... 471
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 South Australian Native with Shield and Spear Frontispiece 
 Sketch Map of Australia, showing Position of Mr. Stuart's 
 
 Route ... ... xvi. 
 
 Captain Matthew Flinders, R.N. ... ... ... ... ... 2 
 
 Flinders' Monument, Stamford Hill, near Port Lincoln, 
 
 South Australia ... 9 
 
 Along the Murray, Moorundie ... ... ... ... 15 
 
 Robert Gouger ... 20 
 
 George Fife Angas ... ... ... ... ... ... SO 
 
 Governor Hindmarsh ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 
 
 Colonel Light, Founder of Adelaide ... ... ... ... 50 
 
 Cottages built by the First Settlers on Kangaroo Island ... 57 
 
 The Primitive Settlement in Adelaide in 1837 70 
 
 A View of the Centre of Kangaroo Inland, showing Dwarf 
 
 Scrub 90 
 
 Joseph Hawdon ... ... ... 104 
 
 "Government Hut," Adelaide, in 1836 ... ... 120 
 
 Governor Gawler ... ... 136 
 
 Native Lubra and Piccaninny 158 
 
 North Terrace, Adelaide, 1845, showing the Bank of South 
 
 Australia ... ... 180 
 
 The Original Reaping Machine ... ... ... ... ... 195 
 
 King William Street, Adelaide, in 1846 ... ... 208 
 
 Governor Robe 220 
 
 Governor Sir Henry Edward Fox Young ... 234 
 
 South Australian Natives Spearing Fish ... ... ... 250 
 
 Governor Sir Richard MacDonnell ... ... ... ... 268 
 
 The Hon. Boyle Travers Finniss ... ... 280 
 
 The Eyre Expedition leaving Adelaide in 1840 ... 29 J, 
 
 Captain Charles Sturt ... ... ... ... ... ... 309 
 
 John McDouall Stuart ... 328 
 
 Edward John Eyre ... ... ... ... 346 
 
 Trinity Church, North Terrace, Adelaide, 1845 ... 370 
 
 Congregational Chapel, 1837 575 
 
 Government Offices, King William Street, in Pioneer Times 388 
 
 Sir James Hurtle Fisher 406 
 
 Sir George Strickland Kingston ... 413 
 
 Sir Samuel Davenport ... ... 421 
 
 Sir Robert R. Torrent 427 
 
 Sir Henry Ayers ... ... ... ... ... ... 439 
 
 John Stephens ... ... ... ... ... 446 
 
 Bank of South Australia in 1839 ... ... 453 
 
 Adelaide and the Mount Lofty Ranges, from the North-West, 
 
 in 1838 460 
 
 Adelaide To-day. King William Street, looking South ... 469
 
 FOREWORD. 
 
 It is not surprising that a second edition has been 
 called for of the "Early History of South Australia." The 
 theme is fascinating to everyone living in this State, and it 
 is dealt with by Mr. Blacket in an instructive and entertain- 
 ing manner. 
 
 Our history begins with the great name of Matthew 
 Flinders, second only in distinction to that of Captain Cook 
 in the records of British maritime discovery. Flinders and 
 the young surgeon Bass were the first to sail round Tasmania 
 and to prove that it is separated from the Continent by Bass' 
 Strait. Flinders first circumnavigated Australia also, and 
 he surveyed the whole of the South and East coasts and the 
 North coast as far as Cope Arnhem, his survey in many cases 
 being a rediscovery of what had previously been imperfectly 
 laid down on the charts. But his great achievement was the 
 discovery in 1802 of the whole coastline of South Australia 
 from Fowler's Bay to Encounter Bay, including of course St. 
 Vincent's and Spencer's Gulfs and Kangaroo Island. This 
 was not merely a discovery of 1,500 miles of coast. It was an 
 event of eminent geographical and national importance- 
 disproving the then accepted theory of a channel extending 
 across from the Gulf of Carpentaria to the Southern Ocean, 
 and demonstrating that Australia ts a continent. By his 
 promptitude he preceded the Frenchman, Captain Baudin, in 
 the "Geographe," which had readied Australia before 
 Flinders, in the "Investigator," sailed from England. Flinders 
 thus prevented the name of "Terre Napoleon" being given to 
 wha-t is now South Australia, or any pretence of its belonging 
 by right of discovery to a foreign power. It was on Flinders' 
 suggestion also that the inappropriate designation ''New 
 Holland" was discarded and the felicitous name "Australia" 
 adopted for the Southern Continent. Unfortunately it is
 
 xii. HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 now too late to change the incongruous name of "South 
 Australia" to "Flindtrsland." 
 
 The (liscovern of South A nstralia from the landward side, 
 was made in 1830 by Captain Sturt, as illustrious amongst 
 explorers by land ax Flinders i$ amongst navigators. This 
 discovery, like Flinders', was a great geographical event, for 
 Sturt's adventurous boat voyage down the Murrumbidgee and 
 the Murray disclosed, to the world the great river system of 
 the continent. 
 
 Nearly thirty-five years had jxtssed since Flinders dis- 
 covered Kangaroo Island and the two Gulfs, and nearly seven 
 years from the completion of Sturt's voyage down the Murray, 
 when South Australia was proclaimed a British colony by Sir 
 John Hind-marsh at Glenelg in the presence of more than 200 
 of the first settlers wlio had come across the world to make, 
 homes for themselves and their families in this then unex- 
 plored country. Flinders did not land on either side of the 
 Gulf of St. Vincent, and /m cautious description was that 
 "the country round it had appeared to be generally superior 
 to that on the borders of Spencer's Gulph." Start, on the 
 other hand, formed a highly favourable opinion of the country 
 from what he saw at Encounter Bay and in his voyage back 
 along the shore of Lake Ale,randrina. His optimist impres- 
 sions were amply confirmed by the observations of Captain 
 liarker, who in the following year was. at Captain Sturl's 
 suggestion, instructed to inspect the eastern side of St. Vin- 
 cent's Gulf. He landed at or near where Glenelg now stands, 
 and, also near Cape Jervis, and had carefully examined the 
 adjacent country, when, having reached the mouth of the 
 Mnrran, lie was unfortunately killed by the natives. After the 
 account furnished by the s-urr irons of the party Captain Sturt 
 reported: "It would appear that a spot has at length been 
 found upon the south coast of New Holland to which the 
 colonist might venture with every prospect of success, and in 
 whose rnlleys the exile might hope to build for himself and 
 hi* family a peaceful and prosperous home. All who have 
 ever landed upon the eastern shore of St. Vincent's Gulf agree
 
 FOREWORD. xiii. 
 
 as to the, richness of its soil and the abundance, of its pastures." 
 Nevertheless we can hardly wonder at the cautious statement 
 in the preamble to the Act of Parliament by which the new 
 Province was authorized, to be erected, that the territory 
 "consists of waste aitfl unoccupied lands which are 'supposed' 
 to be fit for the purposes of colonization." 
 
 The early settlers, who were as adventurous, courageous, 
 and God-fearing a body of men as ever left the Mother 
 Country, were undismayed by the difficulties they had to 
 encounter. They were animated by the same, love of civil and 
 religious liberty as their prototypes the Pilgrim Fathers of 
 America, and they were glad to escape the congested labour- 
 market and depression of trade in the Mother Country to 
 found a new and brighter Britain in the South. 
 
 One great attraction to the neu- settlers u<as the opportu- 
 nity of obtaining freehold land for homes and farms of their 
 own. Under the Wake.fe.1d system, which ira$ adopted in the 
 Act establishing the Province, the errors of previous attempts 
 at colonization were to be avoided. Close settlement was to 
 be secured by surveying land for sale in blocks of moderate 
 size and as actually required. The land was to be alienated 
 by sale only, and not by free grants, and the whole proceeds 
 (altered to half proceeds six years later) were to be expended 
 in immigration . 
 
 Another thing upon which the, founders of the. colon // 
 were insistent was that the New Settlement should not be con- 
 taminated by the admittedly lucrative convict system. 
 Accordingly the 10th section of the Act provided that "no 
 ])erson or persons convicted in any Court of Justice shall at 
 any time or under any circumstances be transported as a 
 convict to any place, within the limits hereinbefore pre- 
 scribed" So much importance was attached to thin provision 
 that it was re-enacted in 18^2 in the "Act to Provide for the 
 Better Government of South Australia." 
 
 The varied fortunes of the infant colony from its 
 foundation to the. year 1862 are well told by Mr. Blacket.
 
 xiv. HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Hot satisfied with merely accepting the labours of 
 others, Mr. Blacket has addressed himself to the task of 
 original research. Published and unpublished despatches, 
 records at Government House and at the British Museum, 
 English and Australian newspapers of the time, diaries, 
 letters, books of travel, as well as formal histories, have all 
 been ransacked and laid under tribute. Consequently many 
 passages of the book have the character of a contemporary 
 narrative, in reading which we can almost imagine ourselves 
 listening to the pioneers themselves telling us of their adven- 
 tures, their difficulties, their failures, and their successes. A 
 special feature of this edition is the account it gives of private 
 explorations, by means of which the face of the country 
 became known and its fitness for occupation was demonstrated . 
 
 Mr. Blacket tells his story in an animated manner. He 
 is obviously a warm admirer of the characters and the doings 
 of the early settlers. These qualities make his book specially 
 fitted for the young, and to inspire them with a love of 
 their country and with a desire to emulate the robust and. 
 manly virtues of the pioneers and founders of the State. 
 
 The book should find a place in every school library, not 
 as a clans or lesson book, but as a book to which boys and f/irls 
 may turn, with as much pleasure as to other story-book.^, for 
 life and colour and incident, to fill in the bare outlines given 
 in briefer school histories. 
 
 S. J. WAY.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The history of South Australia, with which this book 
 deals, is a most romantic one. It is a record of national 
 experiences of which we may well be proud. It reveals the 
 grit, the energy, the perseverance, and the determination which 
 are such potent factors in the mental and moral make-up of 
 the British race. In the course of this book we shall make 
 the acquaintance of men and women who could "replenish 
 the earth and subdue it" ; who could "break in pieces the 
 gates of brass and cut in sunder the bars of iron." Defeat 
 they never knew. Their motto was, ''Conquer or die." No 
 matter how dark the night and sometimes the darkness 
 was dense they could always see a ray of light; no matter 
 how rough the road, they never fainted by the way. Often 
 surrounded by adverse circumstances (as in the course of our 
 pages we shall see) and confronted by great difficulties, yet 
 they made "the wilderness and the solitary place glad" and 
 "the desert blossom as the rose." 
 
 Our fathers laboured, and we have entered into their 
 labours. It is because they laid, broad and deep, the foun- 
 dations of our State that we enjoy so many national advan- 
 tages to-day. If it were not for the knowledge of this fact 
 it would, indeed, be matter for surprise that South Australia 
 had made such marvellous progress in so short a time. Our 
 State is only seventy-four years of age, yet all the material 
 and spiritual advantages of civilization are ours. The com- 
 munity has made rapid strides and is eminently prosperous. 
 Providence has given to us a "goodly heritage." Our fathers 
 recognized the fact. They had faith in God, faith in them- 
 selves, and in the material resources placed at their disposal. 
 In their national iindertakings (as we shall see) there was 
 the public recognition of a Power in the universe that makes 
 for righteousness. We to-day reap the benefit of their faith, 
 hope, and labour. A popular review of their experiences may 
 act as an inspiration to coming generations. 
 
 Much that this book contains has never Ijeen given to 
 the public in popular and permanent form. In London as 
 well as in South Australia it lias been my good fortune to 
 collect a mass of material relative to the history of o\ir State, 
 some of which ought to lie handed down to the generations 
 yet to come. As time goes on the sketches of the pioneer 
 
 ( xvii. )
 
 xviii. HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 builders, to which a chapter will be specially devoted, will 
 become increasingly valuable. 
 
 My thanks are specially due to the London Times Office, 
 to the South Australian Register, and to pioneers who pre- 
 served records of their early experiences. I am also grateful 
 to His Excellency the Governor, Admiral Sir Day Hort 
 Bosanquet, K.C.B., for permission to examine the "Early 
 Despatches" at Government House. L. H. Sholl, Esq., 
 I.S.O., and Thomas Gill, Esq., I.S.O., have rendered useful 
 service, the former by supplying statistics and the latter by 
 examining my proofs. I wish also to acknowledge the un- 
 failing kindness and courtesy of the Right Hon. Sir Samuel 
 Way, Bart., in writing a ''Foreword" for this history. 
 
 The men who founded our Institute and Public Library 
 have for all time rendered special service to our State. Had 
 it not been for the preservation of English and colonial 
 papers treasured up in our national archives the following 
 pages could not have been so fully written. In small and 
 in large tomes were the buried letters, diaries, and speeches 
 written and spoken by our pioneer nation-builders. Bring- 
 ing these to the surface and adding bone to bone and limb 
 to limb was indeed a labour, but not at all irksome, inas- 
 much as it was a "labour of love." To roll back, as it were, 
 the course of time : to live in the almost forgotten past ; to 
 see what the pilgrim fathers were thinking about, saying, 
 and doing long before the present generation arrived upon 
 the scene was felt to be not only a. duty but a joy. A bare 
 record of historical facts could easily have been collated. 
 But a history of that kind, though perhaps instructive, could 
 not possibly be entertaining. My aim has been to make 
 the past history of our State realistic. An ancient seer had a 
 vision. He saw a valley of bones. They were "very dry." 
 The view was not at all entertaining. The marrowless bones 
 were but the bare relics of a once-stirring and vigorous 
 national existence. But great possibilities were bound up 
 in them. They were awaiting a resurrection. A Divine in- 
 spiration swept over the valley. There was a noise a shak- 
 ing among the bones. Bone came to bone ; sinews were 
 created; flesh grew. The mechanism was complete. But 
 something more than this was needed : it was the "breath 
 of life." When this came upon the dead and prostrate 
 forms "they lived" and "stood upon their feet, an exceeding 
 great army." Which things are an allegory. To merely 
 collate and put on record the bare facts of the history of a 
 State is not sufficient. To entertain as well as to impress and 
 instruct the "breath of life" is essential. The dead past must
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 be made to live before us. Hence, in the following pages 
 attempts have been made to picture the surroundings of the 
 pioneers, to sit down at their banquets, to listen to their 
 Parliamentary debates, to go with them on their explorations, 
 and to see them adding brick to brick and stone to stone 
 till a worthy and substantial Commonwealth was built up. 
 This is the first attempt to give the history of South Aus- 
 tralia on popular lines. While written in a popular way 
 care has been taken to make the record correct. The hope 
 is expressed that parents and 'others may find the book 
 useful as a gift to place in the hands of young people with 
 the conviction that it will not only be received but read. 
 
 The first edition of this book, published nearly two years 
 ago, was well received and soon exhausted. The measure of 
 success that attended that effort has made possible the pre- 
 sent edition, revised, enlarged, and continued to a later 
 period. Several new chapters have been added. 
 
 The first edition was purely local, no copies being put 
 on the market in any other State. This is intended to 
 appeal to a larger public. Other Australian States and 
 the Old Land, from which our fathers came, have an 
 interest in these pages. In an address spoken when South 
 Australia reached her majority the late Sir Henry Ayers, 
 one of our worthy pioneers, said : "Fellow-colonists If this 
 is a proud day to us (as most assuredly it ought to be) how 
 much more should our brethren in the dear old Mother 
 Country exult in the pride of our situation. How they 
 should rejoice at being witnesses of what no other nation of 
 the world beside England has been permitted to see. What 
 other nation has seen her children so extensively spread over 
 the most distant parts of the earth, founding communities, 
 governing themselves, speaking the same language, improving 
 on the models of her institutions, reverencing the land of 
 their forefathers, and sympathizing with that race of which 
 we ourselves are a continuing part?" These words are as 
 true as they are patriotic. 
 
 Our kindred in the Old Land should know something 
 of our history, for we are British to the core and intensely 
 loyal. There is in the British race the world over a mys- 
 terious force of affinity. How very potent that force is in 
 recent years we have been able to tell. Since the Battle 
 of Waterloo the Empire has rapidly grown. New colonies 
 have been developed and to the ends of the earth the British 
 have gone. We might reasonably have assumed that in pro- 
 portion as our people receded from the centre of national 
 gravity the national sentiment would become weak : that
 
 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 in forming new communities and new associations British 
 people would lose much of their interest in the Old Land. 
 But the Transvaal war unfortunate as war must ever be 
 was indeed a revelation. Upon British people in these Aus- 
 tralian States the reverses which overtook our arms at the 
 beginning of that war had an indescribable effect. Of the 
 people whose history is here recorded I can speak from per- 
 sonal experience, in this far-off Southern Land there were 
 those who could not sleep by night and whose minds were 
 troubled and perplexed by day. There was a vague kind of 
 feeling that the Mother Country was in danger, and that 
 in some way or other we ought to go to the rescue. Men and 
 women who had never seen England volunteered for service 
 as soldiers and nurses, and money in aid of the sick and the 
 wounded literally flowed in. To the Motherland it might 
 be said: "Lift up thine eyes round about and see: they all 
 gather themselves together : they come to thee. Thy sons 
 shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be carried in 
 their arms. . . . The multitude of the sea shall be 
 turned unto thee : the wealth of the nations shall come unto 
 thee" (Isaiah Ix. 4). Australian lads made wooden weapons : 
 they had shamfights ; the national colours were pinned upon 
 the breast ; from stores and from houses the old flag waved 
 in the breeze ; girls and boys of tender years as well as those 
 older marched about singing ''Rule Britannia," "Soldiers of 
 the Queen," and other patriotic songs. It was an experience 
 never to be forgotten. When news of the relief of our pent- 
 up forces was flashed across the ocean the whole Australian 
 Continent from centre to circumference was deeply stirred. 
 
 Another revelation of the depth, intensity, and perman- 
 ence of the national sentiment was made in connection with 
 the death of our late wise and able King, Edward VII. 
 
 Events such as those just recorded are unfailing and 
 unerring registers of inborn national traits. Though far 
 removed from the heart of the Empire and transplanted in 
 various parts of the earth Britons the world over are one. 
 It is well for us as a nation, especially in pessimistic times, 
 to be reminded of the fact. 
 
 Yes : in Australia we are, and shall be, a people intensely 
 loyal, and of the history of one of the largest of the Aus- 
 tralian States our kindred in the Old Land ought to know 
 something. If the children have not forgotten the old 
 Mother, the Mother cannot have forgotten the children. 
 
 It may help the reader in the Old Land if I give a 
 short sketch of Australia as a whole. In the early part of
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the seventeenth century (though a terra incognita) its ex- 
 istence was known to some Continental nations. Spanish and 
 Dutch came very close to it. It was termed by the Dutch 
 New Holland. The first Englishman to visit it was the buc- 
 caneer William Dampier ; this was in the year 1688. He 
 anchored on the coast of Western Australia. But it was 
 Captain Cook who virtually secured the Continent for Eng- 
 land. This was in 1770. Sailing along the eastern coast of 
 Australia he took possession of that part of it since known 
 as New South Wales. Here in 1786 the British Government 
 decided to establish a penal settlement. On May 13th, 1787, 
 Captain Phillip was- sent, out in charge of a number of con- 
 victs. Some eight months later he reached his destination : 
 he and his officers assembled round a flag-pole ; the health 
 of the King was drunk : and the New South Wales settle- 
 ment was founded. The capital of New South Wales 
 (Sydney) is so named after Lord Sydney, the English states- 
 man who sent out the first colonists. 
 
 There are six colonies or States in the Australian Com- 
 monwealth to-day, viz.: 
 
 1. New South Wales, with which we have just dealt. 
 
 2. Tasmania (originally known as Van Diemen's Land). 
 This is an island discovered by a Dutchman named Tasman 
 in 1642. In 1803 it was taken possession of by the British 
 and a convict settlement was formed. It was then connected 
 with New South Wales, but in 1825 it was made a separate 
 colony. The capital of Tasmania is Hobart. 
 
 3. Victoria. This originally formed part of New South 
 Wales. It was made a separate colony in 1851, and was 
 named Victoria after our late beloved Queen. The capital 
 of Victoria (Melbourne) is so called after an English states- 
 man, Lord Melbourne. 
 
 4. Queensland. This also was a part of New South 
 Wales, and became a separate colony in 1859. The capital 
 of Queensland (Brisbane) is so named after Sir Thomas 
 Brisbane, at one time Governor of New South Wales. 
 
 5. Western Australia. The largest of all the colonies. 
 In 1826 the Governor of New South Wales sent an ex- 
 pedition to Western Australia to preserve it from French 
 aggression. The first real settlement took place in 1829. 
 The capital of Western Australia is Perth. 
 
 6. South Australia. It is of this Province that I have to 
 speak. It has the most romantic history of all, and has 
 this further advantage : it was never a convict settlement . 
 The southern coast of Australia was not explored by Cap-
 
 xxii. HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 tain Cook. We have to deal with its discovery, its settle- 
 ment, and development. 
 
 And now, before we witness the process of nation - 
 building, a word of warning 
 
 ''Lest we forget." 
 
 As an Australian Commonwealth we are part of a vast empire 
 the greatest and grandest that the world has seen. Let us 
 remember the trutli taught by history as well as by the 
 Hebrew sage that "righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin 
 is a reproach to any people." Let the British people here 
 and everywhere guard against two evils : practical materialism 
 and lax morality. Let not "the god of this world" blind 
 the eye or sensuality enslave and emasculate the soul. So 
 long as the heart of the British race in the Australian 
 Commonwealth and elsewhere beats true to God we have 
 nothing to fear. No weapon that is formed against the 
 British nation shall prosper. Its armies will be invincible 
 and its navies will rule the seas. But if, as a nation, we 
 ignore the Power in the universe that makes for righteous- 
 ness and lose our moral tone, the British Empire will fall. 
 It will go down as other great civilizations have gone down, 
 and Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Rome shall say : "Art 
 thou become weak as we are ? Art thou become like unto 
 us?" 
 
 JOHN BLACKET. 
 
 Brompton, South Australia.
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 [Composed by H. S. Scarfe and sung by the colonists in 1857, 
 when South Australia reached its majority.] 
 
 Fill, fill each sparkling glass, boys, 
 
 And drain your bumpers dry, 
 And listen while I sing, boys, 
 Of days and deeds gone by, 
 And while we call to mind the past its hopes, its doubts, 
 
 its fears, 
 Let's ne'er forget the honour due to brave old pioneers. 
 
 They left their much-loved England 
 
 And braved the ocean's foam, 
 Here, for themselves and children, 
 
 To found a freeman's home. 
 Now near the same old tree we meet, o'er which, with 
 
 joyous cheers, 
 The British flag was first unfurled by loyal pioneers. 
 
 That little band of heroes, 
 
 How manfully they plied 
 The axe, the plough, the harrow, 
 
 And labour'd side by side. 
 For us they cleared, they ploughed, they sowed ; a garden 
 
 now appears 
 Where first they found a wilderness those hardy pioneers. 
 
 Like wave on wave advancing 
 
 Crowds followed them ere long ; 
 The once small band now musters 
 Some hundred thousand strong : 
 Who've carried on through weal and woe, for one-and-twenty 
 
 years 
 The work so nobly then begun by gallant pioneers. 
 
 Beneath this gay pavilion 
 
 We sip our wine at ease ; 
 Theirs was the rude tarpaulin 
 
 Or shelter of the trees. 
 Think, while we gratefully enjoy each gift our heart that 
 
 cheers, 
 We owe all, under Providence, to brave old pioneers. 
 
 ( xxiii. )
 
 FIRST GLIMPSES 
 OF THE GREAT LONE LAND.
 
 CAPTAIN MATTHEW FLINDERS, R.N.
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 
 
 Not first glimpses of the Australian Continent as a 
 whole, but of that portion of it with which this history deals. 
 It is said that the first-known discovery of any part of South 
 Australia was made in 1627. The discoverer was a Dutch 
 navigator who sailed along the south coast. The new land 
 was called Nuyts' Land. 
 
 LIEUTENANT JAMES GRANT. 
 
 Of Lieutenant Grant's association with our Province we 
 can speak with greater confidence. On March 17th, 1800, the 
 Lady Nelson, a vessel of 60 tons burden, left Old England 
 for New Holland. She was to proceed on a voyage of dis- 
 covery as far as the infant settlement of New South Wales, 
 so named by Captain Cook in 1770. Among other things 
 that Lieutenant Grant had to do was to search for the strait 
 that separated Van Diemen's Land (now called Tasmania) from 
 Australia. 
 
 The Lady Nelson had fifteen men on board and was 
 provisioned for nine months. A voyage to New Holland 
 (or Australia, as it is now called) in 1800 was a momentous 
 undertaking. The captain had great difficulty in keeping 
 his men together, the general conviction being that the vessel 
 was not adapted for so long, difficult, and dangerous a voy- 
 age. The vessel was sarcastically named by the sailors "His 
 Majesty's Tinder Box." 
 
 After ninety-nine days at sea the Lady Nelson dropped 
 anchor in Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope. Here Lieutenant- 
 Grant waited a long time for a convenient season in which to 
 set out for Terra Australis. 
 
 On October 7th, in the presence of several spectators 
 who scarcely thought that the little vessel would reach her 
 destination, Lieutenant Grant weighed anchor and proceeded 
 on his voyage. 
 
 On December 2nd, 1800, he thought that land must 
 be near. It was a mere trifle that suggested the thought to 
 his mind, the vessel being visited by one of the large dragon 
 flies, usually and mistakenly called (at least in Australia) 
 
 A*
 
 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 horse-stingers. At 8 o'clock on the next morning land was 
 sighted, and to Lieutenant Grant belongs the distinguished 
 honour of being the first white man to obtain a glimpse of the 
 south-eastern coast of Terra Avttralit. He saw two capes 
 and away in the distance two mountains. One of the latter 
 he named Mount Schank, in memory of his old friend Cap- 
 tain John Schank, of the Royal Navy ; the other mountain 
 he called Gambier's Mountain, after Admiral Lord Gambier. 
 One cape he called Northumberland, after the Duke of 
 Northumberland, and the other Cape Banks, we believe in 
 honour of Sir Joseph Banks, the naturalist who accompanied 
 Captain Cook on his first voyage to New Holland. 
 
 Grant was unconscious of the value of his discovery. 
 Mount Gambier was destined to be one of the most striking 
 features in a new and prosperous English settlement. Here 
 in course of time one of the finest towns in a new commun- 
 ity would be built, and a wilderness over which kangaroo 
 and blackfellow roamed would be converted into a Garden of 
 Eden. 
 
 After making several discoveries farther round the coast 
 the Lady Nelson on December 16th, 1800, reached her des- 
 tination, Port Jackson, New South AVales. In his Journal 
 of the voyage Lieutenant Grant says: "At half-past seven in 
 the evening we let go our anchors in 8 fathoms of water 
 after a voyage of seventy-one days from the Cape of Good 
 Hope, and with the satisfaction of being the first vessel that 
 ever pursued the same tract across that vast ocean. I felt 
 thankful to God for the great success we had met with and 
 the protection He had shown to us throughout the whole 
 voyage." 
 
 It may be interesting to the reader to know that on 
 December 3rd, 1900 (a century after Grant first sighted 
 the land), the foundation-stone of a commemorative tower 
 was laid upon Mount Gambier by the Right Hon. Sir Samuel 
 Way, Bart., Chief Justice of South Australia. 
 
 CAPTAIN MATTHEW FLINDERS. 
 
 One of the most illustrious names in the history of our 
 Empire a name that makes us feel proud of the grand old 
 stock from which we have sprung. 
 
 The descendants of the South Australian pioneers ought 
 to remember January 25th, 1801. It marks a day in which 
 all English people should be interested. On that date the 
 young seaman Matthew Flinders, a born adventurer, took 
 command of H.M.S. Investigator. The vessel was rightly
 
 GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 5 
 
 named. She was about to proceed on a voyage the record 
 of which would affect the world for all time. The instruc- 
 tions which the captain received from the Admiralty were 
 "to proceed to the coast of New Holland (Terra Australia) 
 for the purpose of making a complete examination and sur- 
 vey of the said coast." 
 
 The vessel set sail from Spithead on July 18th, 1801, 
 with about eighty-eight picked men on board. 
 
 On December 8th of the same year she reached King 
 George's Sound, Western Australia. Here some time was 
 spent in taking soundings and examining the nature of the 
 country. 
 
 From King George's Sound the Investigator sailed east- 
 ward toward what was termed the "South Coast of Austra- 
 lia," a region of which the world knew nothing. Passing 
 by what is known as the "Great Australian Bight," Flinders 
 anchored in a bay now well known to Soiith Australians. 
 This he named Fowler's Bay, after his first lieutenant. Here 
 they discovered traces of the natives, but did not come in 
 contact with them. The Investigator was the first vessel to 
 reach these shores. How long the blacks had lived upon 
 them or whence they came it is impossible to tell. 
 Of ships and of white men they had no conception. We 
 can understand, as the Investigator tacked about these lonely 
 and silent coasts, how awe-stricken the natives must have 
 been. Was the vessel some vast sea-monster'? Was it 
 some supernatural visitant? Did it mean their destruction? 
 Was some great calamity about to overtake their land ? How 
 excitedly these questions would be discussed in the "bush" 
 and in their "wurlies." When (cautiously peeping through 
 the brushwood") they paw a boat lowered and white men 
 pulling for their shores their wonder and terror must have 
 been intense. The first time the South Australian blacks 
 saw bullocks they thought they were devils. 
 
 We do not think that the gallant captain was enamoured 
 of Fowler's Bay. What the British sailor needed, specially 
 a hundred years ago, was fresh food at the ports at which 
 hs called. For long periods he had to live on salt beef, 
 and was withoxit fruit or vegetables, the result being scurvy. 
 At Fowler's Bay, at which no vessel had called since the 
 foundations of the world were laid, Flinders hoped to re- 
 plenish his larder, but was disappointed. It appeared to 
 be a most inhospitable place. No fresh water and no food 
 in any quantity could be obtained. All that Flinders and 
 his party were able to shoot were about half a dozen birds.
 
 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 They put out their lines, but found that the finny tribe was 
 as shy or as scarce as the feathered one. In his Journal 
 Flinders wrote, that "a few birds and fish constituted every- 
 thing like refreshment obtained here, and the botanists found 
 the scantiness of plants equal to that of the other produc- 
 tions, so that there was no inducement to remain longer." 
 What were half a dozen birds and a few small fish among 
 nearly a hundred hearty British sailors ? 
 
 A little farther on they fared better. This was at an 
 island called by Nuyts St. Francis. Here they obtained suf- 
 ficient birds to give each man in the ship four ; a small kan- 
 garoo was also secured. But no fresh water could be 
 found not sufficient, as Flinders puts it, to "rinse the 
 mouth." The gallant navigator learned by experience, as 
 many have done since his day, that the great need of this 
 part of Australia is water. As he groped his way along the 
 unknown coast, mile after mile and day after day, he 
 was hoping to find some great river pouring its contents 
 into the ocean. In this respect he was disappointed. 
 
 On February 5th, 1802, Flinders discovered another bay 
 now well known to South Australians Streaky Bay so 
 called by him because the water was discoloured in streaks. 
 Sailing on he came to what he named Smoky Bay. Perhaps 
 the natives had gathered there to broil their fish and to 
 roast their kangaroo. Flinders saw quantities of smoke 
 rising from the shore, so he gave the bay the peculiar name 
 that we suppose it will bear as long as white men live upon 
 the planet. 
 
 Anxious Bay was discovered and so named from the 
 anxious night that the navigator spent there. What is 
 known as Flinders Island came into view. It was so called 
 not after Captain Flinders, but in honour of his brother, 
 the second lieutenant of the Investigator. 
 
 To Flinders and his party the voyage must have been 
 a stirring one. They were exploring a new and strange 
 world : they were looking over a land on which the eye of 
 white man had never rested. Here, in spots which the 
 natives had not reached, neither bird nor animal had been 
 molested since the land had been lifted above the ocean. 
 At Flinders Island the captain found families of seals, con- 
 sisting in each instance of a male, four or five females, and a 
 few young cubs. To these he could approach quite closely 
 without in any way disturbing them. 
 
 Discovering and naming Investigator's Group after 
 his ship, Flinders sailed past a large indentation in
 
 GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 
 
 the coast to which he gave the gruesome name of Come 
 Bay. It was not the dead but the living that suggested to 
 his mind such a gloomy title. It was so named after Sir 
 Isaac Coffin, of the Admiralty, who had taken a special 
 interest in fitting out the Investigator. As we shall 
 gee in a coming chapter, those who drew the plans for the 
 settlement of South Australia thought this would be a great 
 maritime depot. 
 
 Thistle Island was discovered and so called after the 
 master of the Investigator, John Thistle. Flinders describes 
 it as being about 12 miles long and from 1 to 2 or 
 3 miles in breadth. Here anchor was cast and the 
 island explored. All that the captain found upon it was 
 snakes, eagles, seals, and kangaroos. The water in the hold 
 was getting low. Under Flinders' instructions John Thistle 
 (after whom the island had just been named), in company 
 with the midshipman (William Taylor) and six seamen, took 
 the cutter and proceeded to the mainland in search of water. 
 Time passed on. The shades of night were gathering. From 
 the deck of the Investigator they could see the cutter in the 
 distance returning. Darkness set in, but the cutter and its 
 living freight came not. What could have happened ? 
 Flinders became anxious. The first lieutenant (Fowler) 
 took the boat and a lantern, and rowed away in search of 
 the missing men. All on board were in a state of suspense. 
 After two hours Fowler returned with the sad intelligence 
 that he could not find any traces of the cutter, nor of the 
 men who had sailed in her. Lights were shown and mus- 
 kets fired, but there was no response. At daybreak an ex- 
 amination was made. The cutter was discovered, bottom 
 up, completely stove-in by being dashed upon the rocks. 
 For several days the shore was searched, but without avail. 
 Not one of the eight gallant men who had sailed away in 
 the cutter with such high hopes would ever see again the 
 Investigator, the commander, or his native land. No traces of 
 the bodies could be found. Probably they had been eaten 
 by the immense sharks with which this part of the sea is 
 infested. Strange that at the island to which John 
 Thistle's name had just been attached he should meet with 
 death. The monument to his memory will endure when 
 mausolea created by the hand of man will have crumbled 
 into dust. 
 
 Flinders says: ''I caused an inscription to be engraven 
 on a sheet of copper and set up on a stoiit post at the 
 head of the cove, which 1 named Memory Cove."
 
 8 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Here we must pause for a moment. Flinders does not 
 say how the inscription read. The destructive forces of 
 Nature, incessantly at work, must have detached the sheet 
 of copper from the post. Three fragments of it were found 
 in 1866 (sixty-four years later), two of them on or near the 
 beach of Port Lincoln Bay and, strange to say, the third in 
 the cupboard of a house at Port Lincoln. These precious 
 relics are now in the Public Library, Adelaide, South Aus- 
 tralia. Only a few of the words that Flinders caused to be 
 engraved are on these relics. From the words that can be 
 deciphered it is supposed that the inscription must have read 
 something like this: 
 
 MEMORY COVE. 
 
 H.M.S. Investigator, Matthew Flinders, 
 Com., anchored here Feb. 22, 1802. Mr. 
 John Thistle, Master : William Taylor, 
 Mid. : and six able seamen were unfortun- 
 ately lost near this place from being upset 
 in a sudden squall. The boat was found, 
 but the bodies were not discovered. 
 
 This tragic circumstance threw a gloom over the Inves- 
 tigator. Flinders, who seems to have been much attached 
 to his men, felt it keenly. To further commemorate the 
 sad event he named a cape in the vicinity Cape Catas- 
 trophe. Both master and midshipman already had each an 
 island named after them, so Flinders called the six islands 
 nearest the cape by names of the lost seamen. 
 
 Having named a cluster of islands Sir Joseph Banks 
 Group as a compliment to the President of the Royal Society, 
 Flinders turned his attention to a large port capable of shel- 
 tering a fleet of ships. This he called Port Lincoln, after 
 his native county. This was on February 26th, 1802. 
 
 With Flinders on board the Investigator was John 
 Franklin, serving as a midshipman. Several years after he 
 became Governor of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), and is 
 known to posterity as Sir John Franklin, the great Arctic 
 explorer. When Governor of Van Diemen's Land he caused 
 an obelisk to be erected at Port Lincoln with an inscription 
 in marble to the memory of his friend and illustrious com- 
 mander, "Matthew Flinders, R.N., the discoverer of the 
 country called South Australia." The original inscription 
 (having fallen into disrepair) is now to be seen in the Public 
 Library, Adelaide, the South Australian Government having 
 caused another tablet to be erected.
 
 FLINDERS' MONUMENT, STAMFORD HILL, NEAR PORT LINCOLN, 
 
 SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
 
 GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 11 
 
 At Port Lincoln Flinders was able to obtain some fresh 
 water by digging. Here some time was spent in exploring 
 the country and in taking soundings. 
 
 From Port Lincoln the captain made a final search along 
 the coast and among the islands for the bodies of his men 
 who had been wrecked in the cutter. It was ineffectual. 
 In this part he saw many traces of the natives, their bark 
 huts, and paths long and deeply trodden, but the natives 
 themselves kept in the distance. 
 
 Flinders found that he was now in a gulf, which he 
 named Spencer's Gulf, as a compliment to the President of 
 the Admiralty Board. From the gulf he saw and named 
 Mount Brown (we presume after the able botanist on 
 board of that name) and Mount Arden. The whole range 
 (at the foot of which some of these chapters were written) 
 was named after the illustrious navigator, Flinders Range. 
 
 Flinders now began to give his attention to the other 
 side of the gulf. Sailing south, he named Points Riley 
 and Pierce, each in honour of a gentleman connected with 
 the Admiralty. He saw and named Corney Point; also 
 Hardwicke Bay, as a compliment to an English earl of that 
 title. He next discovered and named Cape Spencer, after 
 Earl Spencer, and then sailed into Nepean Bay, Kangaroo 
 Island ; the bay was so called by Flinders after an English 
 nobleman of that name. This was on March 21st, 1802. 
 It was at this bay thirty-four years later that a small band 
 of pioneers would land to lay the foundations of the Province 
 of South Australia. But more of this in the pages to come. 
 Flinders tells how, landing on the island next morning, a 
 number of kangaroos were quietly feeding. They had never 
 been disturbed by the advent of man and had no fear of 
 Flinders and his party. Many of them allowed themselves 
 to be knocked on the head with clubs. 
 
 The captain concluded that the country on which they 
 had landed was an island ; and the tameness of the kan- 
 garoos, the presence of the seals upon the shore, and the 
 absence of all traces of man convinced him that the island 
 was uninhabited. In his Journal on March 22nd, 1802, he 
 wrote : "The whole ship's company was employed this 
 afternoon in skinning and cleaning the kangaroos, and a 
 delightful regale they afforded after four months' privation 
 from almost any fresh provision. Half a hundredweight 
 of heads, forequarters, and tails were stewed down into soup 
 for dinner on this and succeeding days, and as much steaks
 
 12 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 given to officers and men as they could consume by day and 
 by night. In gratitude for so seasonable a supply I named 
 this southern land Kangaroo Island." 
 
 Between Kangaroo Island and the mainland Flinders 
 found a strait to which he gave the name of Investigator 
 Strait, after his vessel. He also found himself in another 
 gulf, which he named St. Vincent's Gulf, after another mem- 
 ber of the Admiralty. The peninsula which lay between 
 Spencer's and St. Vincent's Gulfs he called Yorke's Penin- 
 sula, after the Right Hon. Charles Philip Yorke. He also 
 named Cape Jervis a.nd Troubridge Shoal. From Kangaroo 
 Island he saw a high mountain in the distance, calling it 
 Mount Lofty. 
 
 How astonished the intrepid commander would be if 
 he could revisit the scene of his explorations ! In the 
 great lone land whose coasts for the first time he surveyed 
 he would find beautiful flower gardens, large orchards and 
 vineyards, vast wheatfields, macadamized roads, railway lines, 
 picturesque villages, and well-biiilt towns. At Port Lin- 
 coln, Kangaroo Island, a.nd at Mount Lofty he would find 
 monuments raised to his memory. 
 
 Having finished his examination of the gulf, Flinders 
 went back to Kangaroo Island for a fresh supply of kangaroo 
 meat, and shortly after again set sail from the island, passing 
 through and naming Backstairs Passage. 
 
 In two days' time he had a remarkable experience. The 
 man on the lookout reported "A white rock ahead." No 
 doubt the presence of a ship in those strange waters was 
 considered to be impossible, but such the supposed "white 
 rock" proved to be. She was flying the French flag. Flin- 
 ders had the deck cleared and prepared for action. For- 
 tunately there was no need for bloodshed. The vessel 
 proved to be the Geor/rap/ie, commanded by Nicholas 
 Baudin, bent upon the same errand as the Investigator. 
 Flinders had only a few days' advantage of his French rival. 
 Speaking to Flinders some time after at Sydney, the first 
 lieutenant of the French vessel said, "Captain, if we had not 
 been kept so long picking up shells and catching butterflies 
 at Van Diemen's Land, you would not have discovered the 
 south coast before us." 
 
 The meeting of the two vessels and the two commanders 
 took place near a large bay, which Flinders termed Encounter 
 Bay to commemorate the event. Here, in connection with 
 the Flinders Centenary, an interesting ceremony took place.
 
 GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 13 
 
 .This was on April 8th, 1902. A gunmetal plate bearing the 
 following inscription was let into a granite rock : 
 
 In commemoration of the meeting near 
 this Bluff between H.M.S. Investigator 
 Matthew Flinders who explored the 
 coast of South Australia, and M.F. Le 
 Geographe Nicholas Baudin. 
 April 8, 1802. 
 
 On board the Investigator was John 
 Franklin, the Arctic discoverer. These 
 English and French explorers held 
 Friendly Conference. Hence Flinders 
 named the place of meeting Encounter 
 Bay. 
 
 Unveiled by His Excellency Lord Tennyson 
 April 8, 1902. 
 
 So far as South Australia was concerned the gallant 
 captain's work when at Encounter Bay was done. We leave 
 him. to pursue his voyage to Port Jackson, New South Wales, 
 while we relate perhaps still more romantic events. 
 
 CAPTAIN CHARLES STURT. 
 
 Captain Flinders had seen only the southern 'coast of 
 Terra Au$t rails. No white man had penetrated its mysterious 
 interior. This honour fell to Captain Sturt. In 1829 the 
 Government of New South Wales (the pioneer settlement on 
 the continent of Australia) commissioned him to trace the 
 course of the river Murrumbidgee. A whaleboat was secured 
 and the necessary provision made. At the head of a party 
 Captain Sturt set sail. The trip must have been a most 
 fascinating one. They were gliding down a stream on which 
 no white man's boat had hitherto been launched ; they were 
 passing through country that no white man had previously 
 seen. The journey had its difficulties and dangers. Here 
 and there in the stream were "snags" submerged logs 
 against which the boat might strike ; there were rapids to 
 be passed over, with the possibilities of being upset. These 
 perils added romance to the trip. 
 
 After sailing some time down the Murrumbidgee sud- 
 denly the boat shot into a noble stream, flowing from east to 
 west. This proved to be what is known as the Murray River. 
 It was so named by Captain Sturt in honour of Sir George 
 Murray, Secretary of State for the Colonies. This must 
 indeed have been a surprise, and the excitement of the
 
 14 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 party must have been intense. On the adventurers glided, 
 not knowing whither they went, wondering no doubt what 
 other revelations were in store. Borne on the bosom of the 
 noble river, they sailed past giant gums. Away in the 
 distance the kangaroo bounded. Occasionally they had a 
 glimpse of the natives of the soil. At times these were very 
 hostile; covered with war paint, poising their spears, and 
 sounding their battle-cry, they rushed down to the water's 
 edge. Sometimes Captain Sturt and his party were in spe- 
 cially dangerous circumstances and thought that some of the 
 natives would have to be shot in self-defence ; fortunately 
 they were not compelled to resort to violence, and all were 
 providentially preserved. After sailing about two months 
 down the Murray they came to a vast fresh water lake. This 
 was the reservoir into which the river flowed. It was covered 
 with game. As the boat shot through the water flocks of 
 swan rose before it. Captain Sturt says that the patter- 
 patter of their rising was like the clapping of hands of a vast 
 multitude. This body of water he called Lake Alexandrina, 
 in honour of the princess who (later on) for so many years 
 gloriously ruled over us as Queen Victoria. The explorers 
 were now in one of the most romantic parts of South Aus- 
 tralia. This was the happy hunting-ground of the black - 
 fellow. On the banks of the Murray and round the shores 
 of the lake he built his wurlies, held his corroborees, chanted 
 to his piccaninnies, taught them how to swim, to throw the 
 spear, and to track emus, kangaroos, and enemies. Here he 
 caught his fish and noosed and netted wild fowl. No won- 
 der that he was both awed and angry when he saw his terri- 
 tory invaded by mysterious whites. The Rev. George Tap- 
 lin, who spent many years among the blacks in the early 
 days, says: "I knew several men who remembered the ar- 
 rival of Captain Sturt, and they told me of the terror which 
 was felt as they beheld his boat crossing Lake Alexandrina." 
 
 Passing over the lake, Captain Sturt discovered the 
 junction of the Murray with the sea. When about to return 
 he said : "I could not but think that I was leaving behind 
 me the fullest reward of our toil in a country that would ulti- 
 mately render our discoveries valuable. Hurriedly I would 
 repeat, as my view was, my eye never fell on a country 
 of more promising aspect or more favourable position." 
 
 CAPTAIN BARKER. 
 
 The discoverer of the fertile plains of Adelaide was Cap- 
 tain Barker, of the British Army. After Captain Sturt re-
 
 GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 17 
 
 turned to New South Wales he suggested to the Government 
 of that colony that a further examination should be made 
 of the south-eastern coast of South Australia. This was en- 
 trusted to Captain Collet Barker. In 1831 he began his 
 survey of the coast from Cape Jervis, and sailed up toward 
 what is now known as Glenelg. A party landed and travelled 
 in the direction of Mount Lofty. The country through which 
 they passed was delightful and the expedition a most inspir- 
 ing one. They discovered and named the river Sturt, so 
 called in honour of the gallant explorer of that name. Gap- 
 tain Barker climbed Mount Lofty and saw an arm of the 
 sea to the north-west running inland. 
 
 In course of time what rapid and radical changes occur. 
 In a few years that arm of the ocean, seen for the first time 
 by Captain Barker, would lead to what is now known as Port 
 Adelaide, and those beautiful plains on which his eye rested 
 would be covered with flocks and herds and English home- 
 steads. 
 
 The party proceeded to the mouth of the Murray. 
 Being anxious to obtain some observations the other side of 
 the stream, Captain Barker (with compass on his head) 
 swam across, the distance being about 300 yards at 
 low water. In a few minutes he swam the stream, and was 
 about five minutes ascending the hillock, 11 ) computed to be 
 about 60 ft. high. On reaching the top he looked round 
 for a minute and then disappeared. This was the last 
 glimpse the party had of him. The hours passed by, but 
 Captain Barker did not return. Some of the party thought 
 that they heard a noise, as of someone shouting in pain, com- 
 ing from the direction the captain had taken. Later on they 
 saw a large fire in the same direction, heard natives ''coo- 
 eeing," and saw several moving to and fro. For five and 
 twenty hours they waited, but the leader came not. The 
 strange conduct of the natives who were to be seen in the 
 distance, their frequent "cooeeings," and fires, convinced the 
 party that Captain Barker was either slain, or held in deten- 
 tion by the natives. They had no means of crossing the 
 stream ; the only man who could swim would. not attempt the 
 task alone without arms. The party returned to the vessel 
 for assistance. 
 
 At this time there were some white sealers living upon 
 Kangaroo Island, of whom in another chapter we shall have 
 to speak. With them were a few natives. The exploring 
 party, bereft of their leader, sought the assistance of these 
 
 <D Afterwards called Marker's Knoll.
 
 18 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 men. They wished to know the fate of their commander. 
 Two of the white sealers, accompanied by some natives, went 
 with the party to the mainland. The natives opened up 
 communications with the blacks round the Murray mouth. 
 They learned that Captain Barker had been speared to 
 death and his body thrown into the sea. The circumstances 
 under which he met his death were sad indeed. Captain 
 Barker was unconscious of the approach of the natives until 
 he received his first wound, a spear passing through his left 
 hip. He ran into the surf up to his knees, making 
 signs with his hands and calling to them to desist. A second 
 and third spear was thrown, the latter passing through the 
 body. Captain Barker then fell down, and the three na- 
 tives brought him to shore and drew their spears backward 
 and forward through his body till he died. Mount Barker 
 is named after him, and a monument has been there erected 
 to commemorate his life, work, and death. 
 
 It was the discoveries made on the coast by Captain Flin- 
 ders and in the interior by Captains Sturt and Barker that 
 lay at the basis of the schemes for South Australian coloniza- 
 tion. Captain Sturt wrote : "A spot has at length been 
 found upon the south coast of New Holland to which the 
 colonist might venture with every prospect of success, and 
 in whose valleys the exile might hope to build for himself 
 and for his family a peaceful and prosperous home. All 
 those who have ever landed on the eastern shore of St. 
 Vincent's Gulf agree as to the richness of its soil and the 
 abundance of its pastures. Indeed, if we cast our eyes upon 
 the chart and examine the natural features of the country 
 behind Cape Jervis we shall no longer wonder at its differing 
 in soil and fertility from the low and sandy tracts that gener- 
 ally prevail along the shores of Australia."
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS.
 
 ROBERT GOUGER.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS. 
 
 As all roads lead to Rome, so the history of the British 
 race everywhere leads to a national centre. For the coloni- 
 zation scheme of South Australia we must turn to Eng- 
 land. We must go back to the time when the "Iron 
 Duke" was taking an active part in politics, and when the 
 Old Land was stirred from its centre to its circumference by 
 the cry for constitutional reform. 
 
 For many years before the colonization of South Aus- 
 tralia was mooted England was in a very disturbed state. 
 The condition of the working classes was deplorable. Trade 
 was languishing ; some of the mills and manufactories had 
 to cease work ; the supply of labour was far in excess of the 
 demand. The modern humanitarian spirit had scarcely 
 opened its eyes. Both in politics and commerce a spirit 
 of selfishness prevailed. The iniquitous corn laws reveal 
 the greedy, grasping, oppressive character of the times. 
 These, by making bread dear, added to the general distress. 
 So many poor were receiving parish pay that the burden 
 became intolerable : in fact, some of the parishes collapsed 
 beneath the strain. With poverty there was an increase of 
 crime. Hungry men must have bread. Riotous mobs 
 assembled : machinery and windows were broken ; buildings 
 were fired : and in 1820 there was a conspiracy for the assas- 
 sination of the whole Ministry 
 
 In this time of national distress some thoughtful, patri- 
 otic men turned their attention to emigration. At the anti- 
 podes were vast tracts of waste lands waiting for the Anglo- 
 Saxon to come and occupy them. 
 
 Prominent among these patriotic spirits were Robert 
 Gouger, Colonel Torrens, George Fife Angas, Edward Gib- 
 bon Wakefield, Wolryche Whitmore, William Hutt, William 
 A. Mackinnon, Jacob Montefiore, and George Grote (the fa- 
 mous historian). (2 > 
 
 (2) The names of these men are perpetuated in the nomencla- 
 ture of our State. We have Gouger Street, the River Ton-ens 
 (named after Colonel Torrens ; not after his famous son. Sir K. H. 
 Torrens, as some suppose), Angus Street, Wakefield Street, Whit- 
 more Square, Hutt Street, Mackinnon Parade, Montefiore Hill. 
 Grote Street. 
 
 ( 21 )
 
 22 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Some of these were known as "the theorists of 1830"; 
 others were hard-headed business men. 
 
 Four of them deserve special notice. They were the 
 primary suns, so to speak, in colonization schemes, round 
 which the lesser lights rotated. These were Robert 
 Gouger, Colonel Torrens, George Fife Angas, and Edward 
 Gibbon Wakefield. 
 
 Robert Gouger was born in 1802. His early days were 
 spent at Stamford, in Lincolnshire. In politics he became 
 a Radical and took a deep interest in the welfare of the poor. 
 He was associated with Robert Owen, the Socialist. Robert 
 Gouger was a man brimful of energy and of indomitable per- 
 severance. It was his radicalism, energy, and love for adven- 
 ture that led him in 1830 to connect himself with a revohi- 
 tionary movement in Spain. On his return to his native 
 country he turned his attention to colonization. He saw 
 the masses in England in a. state of chronic poverty, and 
 was convinced that emigration was the panacea for social 
 woes. It was this conviction that led him to form several 
 colonization societies. He met with one disappointment 
 after another, but heroically kept at his post. There is no 
 need to further trace his career just now, as we shall fre- 
 quently meet with him in the course of our history. 
 
 Colonel Torrens was an officer in the British Army who 
 became profoundly interested in social and political reforms. 
 He published some works dealing with political economy 
 and is said to have been the first to attribute the produc- 
 tion of wealth to land, labour, and capital. In 1831 he 
 entered the British House of Commons. It was during this 
 year that Edward G. Wakefield called on Colonel Torrens 
 to ask his co-operation in the establishment of a colony in 
 South Australia. After considering the question for 
 some time the Colonel gave his consent. No man (except 
 Robert Gouger) worked harder than he. Colonel Torrens 
 hoped to be the first Governor of the colony, and claimed to 
 be its founder. Writing to Lord John Russell, when the 
 Select Committee on South Australian affairs was sitting in 
 1841, Colonel Torrens said: "The colony of South Austra- 
 lia devised by Mr. Wakefield was planted by me. When 
 all the other commissioners nominated by Lord Monteagle 
 (Mr. Spring Rice) abandoned the task I continued to 
 persevere, and, with the sanction of Lord Aberdeen and of 
 Lord Glenelg, organized a new commission for carrying the 
 Act of Parliament into effect. The planting of 15,000 set- 
 tlers in South Australia was the result of my exertions, and
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS. 
 
 these 15,000 whom I urged from their homes have been 
 overtaken by a disaster endangering their welfare, perhaps 
 their lives. Under the heavy responsibility pressing upon 
 me I felt it impossible to abstain from establishing the fact 
 that the disaster would not have occurred if my measures 
 had not been overruled." Colonel Torrens fought hard 
 in the interests of the Reform Bill and sat in the Reformed 
 Parliament. He died May 27th, 1864. 
 
 George Fife Angas, in the history of our Province, has a 
 unique place. There is no need for an extended reference 
 here, for in pages to come we shall frequently refer to him. 
 He took a deep and active interest in the social, religious, 
 and political life of the pioneer community, and throughout 
 his long life was one of the pillars of the State. George 
 Fife Angas was in all the early legislative Assemblies, except 
 the old Nominee Council established in Governor Grey's time. 
 He fought hard for religious liberty and helped to mould the 
 Constitution of the Province on a liberal basis. He retired 
 from political life in 1866 and died at Lindsay House, Angas- 
 ton, May 15th, 1879, aged ninety years. It was he who made 
 practicable the founding of South Australia by the forma- 
 tion of the South Australian Company, and who worked 
 hard in the interests of the Province before he reached its 
 shores.' 3 ^ 
 
 Edward Gibbon Wakefield was born in London in 1796 
 and after an eventful life in the Old Country died in Can- 
 terbury, New Zealand, in 1862. Though he did not come 
 very prominently before the public in connection with the 
 founding of South Australia he was one of the chief 
 instruments in securing this result. His was the unseen 
 hand that pulled many of the colonization strings. For 
 private reasons he had to keep in the background. Wake- 
 field had been guilty of a foolish escapade that marred his 
 usefulness and to some extent blighted his life. In 1873 
 Colonel Palmer (one of the original South Australian Com- 
 missioners) took steps to have a monument erected to the 
 memory of Wakefield in South Australia, but the move- 
 ment collapsed. 
 
 The founding of South Australia was to be an ex- 
 periment on the basis of the Wakefield principle. Wake- 
 field's contention was that the land should be sold at a cer- 
 tain price per acre and the proceeds should be devoted to 
 the emigration of labourers. In this way it was thought 
 that the balance could be maintained between demand for 
 
 (3) See his Life, by Edwin H odder.
 
 24 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 labour and supply of labour; that "the capitalist should never 
 suffer from an urgent want of labourers, and that labour- 
 ers should never want well-paid employment." 
 
 In 1831 Colonel Torrens, with a deputation of intend- 
 ing colonists (Robert Goueer included), waited on Lord 
 Goderich (Secretary of State for the Colonies) in relation to 
 the colonization of South Australia. An outline of the 
 plan of the proposed colony was laid before his lordship. 
 The discussions which took place upon the Reform Bill, and 
 a dissolution of Parliament, put an end for the time being 
 to negotiations. The movement collapsed. Some of the 
 intending settlers emigrated to Canada and some to the 
 United States. 
 
 Later on another attempt was made to float the colony. 
 This was on the basis of a joint-stock land company. It was 
 a failure. 
 
 THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION. 
 
 At the beginning of 1834 the South Australian Associa- 
 tion was formed. An old print that lies before me gives 
 the "outline of the plan of a proposed colony to be founded on 
 the south coast of Australia, with an account of the soil, 
 climate, rivers, etc." It also gives the prospectus of the 
 South Australian Association, the object of which was "to 
 found a colony under Royal Charter." The public were 
 informed that "a committee sat daily at the office of the 
 Association, 8, Adelphi Chambers, London, for the purpose 
 of giving information to persons disposed to settle in the 
 colony." 
 
 Among other reasons why this part of the world should 
 be colonized by English people the old print before me says : 
 "There is every reason to believe that the whole of extra- 
 tropical Australia is free from endemic disease. The 
 seaboard advantages of South Australia were very great. 
 The magnificent harbour of Port Lincoln would be the chief 
 emporium for the trade of that region, and Coffin's Bay 
 would eventually receive all the produce of the line of coast 
 to the west. It was expected that the country would yield 
 coal, woods of various kinds, and bark for tanning. Salt 
 fish would find a ready market in Peru, Chili, and the Isle 
 of France. Wheat and flour would find a market in the 
 Isle of France, the Cape, Rio Janeiro, and probably China. 
 Tobacco, flax, hemp, and cotton were to be grown." 
 
 In the light of seventy years' experience it is refreshing 
 to read the glowing anticipations of those who were labour-
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS. 25 
 
 ing to give birth to our State. The "magnificent harbour 
 of Port Lincoln," which was to be "the chief emporium for 
 the trade of that region," is only just beginning to realize its 
 possibilities : while Coffin's Bay, which was to "receive all 
 the produce of the west," remains much as it was seventy 
 years ago. The "export of salt fish to Peru, Chili, and the 
 Isle of France" will be one of the surprises of the future. 
 We have done much in the way of exporting wheat, flour, 
 and bark for tanning, but the "cultivation of tobacco, flax, 
 hemp, and cotton" is a part of the original plan that gener- 
 ations to come must fulfil. 
 
 We leave No. 8, Adelphi Chambers, London, and go to 
 Exeter Hall. It is June 30th, 1834. A great number of 
 people are making their way to the historic building. Car- 
 riages are driving up and their occupants are stepping out. In 
 the manner and address of the people there is great animation. 
 It is a meeting of the promoters and friends of the proposed 
 colony of South Australia called by the South Australian 
 Association. About 2,500 persons, including many members 
 of Parliament, are present. Wolryche Whitmore, M.P., is 
 in the chair. After stating the object for which the meeting 
 is called he deals with the question of colonization. "He 
 would direct attention to a defect in colonization schemes : 
 the labourer went out without that capital which was neces- 
 sary to enable him to employ his labour to advantage. It 
 was their duty to consider the best means for remedying that 
 defect. This might be done by establishing a system that 
 all the waste lands they were about to colonize should be 
 sold at a given price, and the proceeds of such sale be 
 devoted to sending out to the colony a sufficient number of 
 labourers to cultivate the land sold. He would endeavour 
 t~) show there was a country in which their principles could 
 be fairly tried. Every person must be aware of the enormous 
 extent of the country under British dominion in Australia. 
 It possessed a climate as fine as any in the world. It 
 abounded in harbours, which were necessary to render it a 
 great country. All that it wanted was an intelligent people 
 to occupy it. If such were done, in time to come it would 
 take its station among the great nations of the earth. Such 
 would be an advantage to the Mother Country : the pressure 
 of population would be relieved and a field would be opened 
 up for British commerce. There was another object of 
 primary importance. He believed they could not expect suc- 
 cess unless the people were a moral and religious people. 
 How to effect this would be an important question for the
 
 26 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA . 
 
 consideration of the directors of the colony. The reason for 
 founding an established Church would not be applicable to a 
 new colony such as they proposed to establish. He looked 
 upon anything like the absence of religion with horror, but 
 in what was now called the Voluntary Principle there would 
 be ample means for providing religious instruction in the 
 colony." 
 
 Addresses were subsequently delivered by several mem- 
 bers of Parliament, including Colonel Torrens. 
 
 One of the most important resolutions was moved by our 
 worthy pioneer, Richard Davies Hanson, in after years the 
 Chief Justice of our Province : The resolution stated "that 
 amongst the unoccupied portions of the earth which form 
 part of the British dominions the south-east coast of Aus- 
 tralia appears to be a spot peculiarly suitable for founding 
 a colony upon the principles embodied in preceding resolu- 
 tions." Mr. Hanson said: "The place where the colony was 
 to be founded was one distinguished from every part of Aus- 
 tralia. It possessed facilities of internal communication even 
 prior to the formation of roads. Along the shores of the two 
 gulfs in the colony the colonists might easily convey all their 
 produce to its central market. In the same manner they 
 might also obtain those comforts and luxuries of life which 
 they could not produce at home. Before the discovery made 
 by Captain Sturt, of the Murray, those who had considered 
 the subject had satisfied themselves that there was a suffi- 
 ciency of fertile soil not only to support the colonists, but to 
 repay most amply all the toil which they might bestow on 
 it. He would not go more fully at present into the descrip- 
 tion of the soil and climate of the place, for enough had been 
 said to satisfy any reasonable person, and perhaps they would 
 take it as a proof of his sincerity when he informed them 
 that he intended to form one of the first settlers himself." 
 
 The resolution moved by Mr. Hanson was unanimously 
 carried. 
 
 The efforts of the South Australian Association were suc- 
 cessful, much of the credit being due to Robert Gouger. 
 Let the descendants of the pioneers, whenever they are 
 brought in contact with Gouger Street, remember the debt 
 of gratitude they owe to the man whose name it bears. As 
 Secretary of the South Australian Association it was Gouger's 
 joy in 1834 to see a Colonization Bill, on the principles that 
 he espoused and advocated, introduced by Mr. Whitmore 
 into the House of Commons and supported by Mr. Spring- 
 Rice, Secretary of State for the Colonies.
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS. 27 
 
 THE COLONIZATION PLAN. 
 
 The promoters of the colony the "experimental philo- 
 sophers," as they were sarcastically termed had given much 
 thought to the scheme. It was an experiment in the art of 
 colonization and one in which they took great pride. They 
 wished to make it as independent of Parliamentary control as 
 possible. They desired a, fairly free hand. This is the reason 
 why provision was made for placing the management of the 
 colony in the hands of Commissioners, which proved to be a 
 clumsy and ultimately impossible piece of legislation : it led 
 to a dual and divided authority. In fact, as we shall see 
 in the course of our history, diialism was the bane of the 
 colony in its early stages. By putting the control of the 
 colony under Commissioners those interested in the experiment 
 wished to prevent any Government official from interference 
 with their plans without the authority of Parliament. The 
 Board of Commissioners were to superintend the sale of 
 lands and to exercise a general control over the matter of 
 emigration. Land was to be sold at 12s. an acre. 
 The Commissioners were empowered to raise the price 
 when they thought proper. The whole of the pui'chase-money 
 from land was to be administered by the commissioners, not 
 the Government, and was to be spent by them in sending out 
 emigrants of the two sexes in equal proportion, not to exceed 
 the age of thirty; 3 each had to be paid for children 
 between one and fifteen years of age. At fifteen years of 
 age they were to come out free. The Act pledged the Crown 
 to give a constitution as soon as the population numbered 
 50,000 persons. No convicts were to be sent to the colony. 
 The Government stipulated that 35,000 worth of land had 
 to be sold before the colonizing scheme could become opera- 
 tive. This was to be an indication that among the intend- 
 ing colonists there was no deficiency of capital : 20,000 was 
 also to be raised and placed in the hands of trustees, as a 
 guarantee or security that the colony would not be a charge 
 on the Mother Country. The Commissioners were empowered 
 to borrow money to the extent of 200,000 on the security 
 of a colony that as yet had no real existence.
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 
 
 INITIAL DIFFICULTIES. 
 
 We now enter the House of Commons. July 23rd, 1834, 
 was a memorable day for Robert Gouger, Colonel Torrens, 
 and others who had been long trying to fashion and to float 
 our Province. On that day Mr. Wolryche Whit-more moved 
 the second reading of the South Australian Colonization Bill. 
 This was at 2 o'clock in the morning. 
 
 Mr. Young objected to proceeding with the Bill at that 
 late hour. He moved that it be read a second time that day 
 six months. 
 
 Mr. Whitmore briefly explained the object of the Bill. 
 
 Mr. Shiel remarked that in his own parish there were 
 upwards of two hundred a week who said : ''Give us food or 
 give us work," while it was not possible to do either. He 
 thought the Bill deserved consideration. 
 
 The Secretary of State for the Colonies (Mr. Spring- 
 Rice) felt called upon to say, on behalf of the Government, 
 that in the sanction which the Ministers had given to the intro- 
 duction of the Bill there had not been any undue encourage- 
 ment. The authors of the Bill had made out a strong prima 
 facie case. Not only so, they had also given such explana- 
 tion of the principles on which the colonization was to be 
 conducted as induced him to hope that the plans would have 
 a successful issue. Some engagements would have to be 
 entered into and some sums of money deposited for the pur- 
 pose of securing the State against any charges. Tie sug- 
 gested that there should be covenants and a certain sum of 
 money put down as a guarantee. It had been arranged that 
 20,000 should be placed by the authors of the project in the 
 hands of the Treasury. 
 
 Mr. Hughes affirmed that it was absurd to expect the 
 House to jump to a conclusion on a subject which had occu- 
 pied the framers of the Bill nine or ten months. He was 
 disposed to move that the Bill should be read a second time 
 that day six months. He would move that it be read a 
 second time that day week. 
 
 ( 31 )
 
 32 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Sir H. Willoughby was anxious to state briefly his rea- 
 son for supporting the airendment of his hon. friend (Mr. 
 Hughes). At the hour in the morning at which the House 
 had arrived it was impossible to give proper discussion to a 
 colonizing scheme which differed from all others. He wanted 
 to know how (if this scheme should fail) these poor labourers 
 were to be reconveyed home. 
 
 This pathetic and fatherly enquiry was rather too much 
 for the House, especially in the small hours of the morning. 
 No doubt many of the members were thinking how long a 
 time would elapse before they were "reconveyed home." 
 There were cries of "divide!" '"divide!" 
 
 The gallery was then cleared for a division, the result 
 being 
 
 For the second reading ... .. 33 
 
 Against ... ... ... ... . . 17 
 
 Majority ... ... ... ... 16 
 
 On July 29th, 1834, the Bill came up again for dis- 
 cussion. Mr. Baring, one of the leading members of the 
 House of Commons, must have given the members an enter- 
 taining time. He represented the Bill for the Colonization 
 of South Australia as the most extraordinary that had ever 
 been introduced into the House. He would call the atten- 
 tion of the Right Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies 
 to the subject. Though the Bill professed to be brought 
 in by the hon. member for Wolverhampton (Mr. Whitmore) 
 and to be supported by the hon. and gaJlant member be- 
 hind him (Colonel Torrens), yet when the House considered 
 the immense extent of the scheme, and how Crown lands 
 were involved in it, it became very difficult to know how it 
 could be considered otherwise than as a Government measure. 
 His first objection was to the period at which the Bill had 
 been brought forward, at the close of the session. He 
 thought it was too much to call upon Parliament at such 
 a moment to deliberate upon so grave and comprehensive 
 a subject as that of colonizing South Australia. The real 
 object of the colony was to realize the views of a set of 
 gentlemen whom he hoped he should not offend by calling 
 experimental philosophers, and with whom this was a favour- 
 ite and long-cherished theory. Those philosophers were 
 about to form a colony upon a principle which would throw 
 all others in the shade. They were persons possessing 
 great and varied powers of mind and most enlarged under- 
 standings. He was of opinion that plain, practical men
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 33 
 
 were much better able to conduct the affairs of mankind 
 than persons who advocated particular theories. If they 
 wished merely to make an experiment, why had they not 
 seized upon some moderately-sized cabbage garden without 
 going to a country nobody knew where, and grasping a tract 
 of land embracing several degrees of latitude and longitude, 
 and bounded only by the great geographical line of the 
 tropic of Capricorn ? He regarded the Bill as a speculation. 
 He objected to it because, it raised a large sum of money by 
 way of mortgage, and thus the management and future gov- 
 ernment of the country was taken out of the hands of the 
 Crown. He would say take one hundred miles square, and 
 he asked if that were not enough for these gentlemen to play 
 their pranks in. Why block up half the great continent by 
 seizing on such an immense tract of land ? The very dis- 
 tance would make it impossible to form a settlement to any 
 considerable extent. The money to be borrowed was 200,000 
 in the first instance. The basis on which the whole plan 
 rested was that no land was to be sold under 12s. 
 an acre, and so positive were the philosophers in this theory 
 that they would not leave it to the Government to interfere 
 in any respect. He would pledge his existence on the fact 
 that the principle of paying 12s. an acre, and not 
 allowing any credit, could not be practically acted upon, yet it 
 was on this principle that the whole plan mainly rested. He 
 expressed the opinion that the smallest quantity of land an 
 emigrant (a capitalist) could take up was 200 acres, which 
 would cost him 120 in ready money. It would cost him 
 120 more to remove his family, and he must spend at least 
 500 to stock the land. He would put it to any man ac- 
 quainted with the condition of the people to say was any 
 person so great a fool as to lay out these sums of money to 
 set himself down upon 200 acres of land in a community of 
 kangaroos ? Then in what way was the land to be worked ? 
 Why, they expected the English labourer would go over 
 there to work for them (convict labour not being permitted), 
 but they would be disappointed the labourer would not go 
 to Australia to promote the experiments of others. He con- 
 sidered the details of the Bill quite impracticable. Two hun- 
 dred thousand pounds was to be borrowed to send emigrants 
 over to people the colony. He objected to bonds being circulated 
 through the country, apparently on the faith of an Act of 
 Parliament, as they would tend very much to delude the 
 public, who might advance the money, and would have the 
 effect of lowering the credit of the country. There was
 
 34 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 another absurdity in the Bill : it was provided that those who 
 lent the money should get it back upon three months' notice, 
 but how were they to get back their money from the tropic 
 of Capricorn ? 
 
 After this breezy and sarcastic speech, of which only an 
 epitome has been given, Mr. Whitmore (who had charge of 
 the Bill) addressed the House, replying seriatim to the ob- 
 jections raised. One sentence especially deserves to be put 
 on record: "He would not say that their theory was right 
 It was yet untried and might prove erroneous ; but he would 
 say that there was no class of philosophers or theorists (what- 
 ever the lion, member pleased to call them) who ever under- 
 took a plan of any kind with less prospect of personal advan- 
 tage to themselves." This statement was true. 
 
 The Secretary of State (Mr. Spring-Rice) said the 
 Government was fully aware of the difficulties which sur- 
 rounded the question, but these were overbalanced by the 
 great advantages and the great possibilities of success held 
 out by the propositions contained in the Bill. They had, 
 therefore, determined to countenance the Bill, considering it 
 one of the duties of the Government to do everything in its 
 power to extend the advantage of British institutions to every 
 part of the globe. 
 
 The House divided over the question as to whether the 
 Bill should go into committee. The voting was : 
 
 For the motion 72 
 
 Against ... ... ... ... ... 7 
 
 Majority ... ... ... ... 65 
 
 It was stated in committee that the colony possessed two 
 of the finest harbours in the world, and that 160 settlers, 
 with ample means, were anxious immediately to emigrate. 
 
 The third reading of the Bill passed the House of Com- 
 mons on August 5th, 1834. 
 
 Three days later it was introdticed into the House of 
 Lords by the Marquis of Clanricarde, with a petition in its 
 favour. It passed the House of Lords on August 14th, 1834, 
 and next day received Royal assent. 
 
 The safe and speedy passage of the Bill through the 
 House of Lords was largely due to the hero of Waterloo, the 
 Duke of Wellington. For his services he was told by three 
 of the promoters of the colony that its capital should bear 
 his name. This promise was not fulfilled. After the Bill 
 was passed the Commissioners named the capital of the new 
 colony Adelaide, as a compliment to the King and Queen.
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 35 
 
 THE BILL BEFOUE THE PUBLIC. 
 
 The London Times did not take kindly to the South 
 Australian colonization scheme. From first to last the posi- 
 tion taken up by that powerful paper was one of consistent 
 and persistent antagonism. Before the Bill was introduced 
 into Parliament The Times expressed its "entire distrust of 
 the whole character and tendencies of such a project," and a 
 hope that it would be "strangled in the birth." In the 
 editorial eye the scheme was a land-grabbing venture. The 
 paper was against a movement "that had power to seduce 
 the ignorant and credulous beyond the jurisdiction and pro- 
 tection of the laws of Britain." To the editor of The Times 
 all such "crotchety undertakings" were "humbugs and some- 
 thing more." "Who," he asked, in one issue, "that has 
 capital to lay out on landed property will go beyond the 
 verge of the civilized world ? We take it for granted that 
 the hope of mercantile profit by exporting wheat to England 
 from such a distance woixld hardly ever enter into the motive 
 of a sober-minded man. We have been charged with ignor- 
 ance of the details of these gentlemen's boasted projects. 
 We can only say that our distrust and contempt for the 
 whole of them is founded on those projects as explained by 
 themselves. They have put forth a dream and called it a 
 calculation ; they have put forth a piece of social mechanism 
 of which the chief recommendation is that it will not work 
 itself, but will require a perpetual, laborious, and most pre- 
 carious auxiliary system of external aid to support it." 
 Everything that had occurred since the project for the 
 colonization of South Australia had been mooted only con- 
 firmed "the suspicion and dislike" with which the editor of 
 The Times regarded it. As the scheme would "neither bear 
 the test of deliberation nor the risk of a moderately full 
 House of Commons" the promoters were "managing to 
 smuggle the whole ugly job" through the Parliament. The. 
 Times complimented Mr. Baring on his speech and expressed 
 astonishment that the Secretary of State for the Colonies 
 and the House of Commons should countenance "such wild- 
 goose quackery." There was "no bubble of the year" more 
 deserving of reprobation than "the South Australian hum- 
 bug." 
 
 It is only fair to say that some of the criticisms of The 
 Times were farseeing, and history proved their soundness. 
 
 The. Standard affirmed that Mr. Baring had exposed, 
 with complete success, the jobbing character of the South 
 
 B*
 
 36 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Australian Colonization Bill, and no doubt would have suc- 
 ceeded in blocking the measiire, but many of the liberal 
 members of the House of Commons were directors or share- 
 holders in the concern. 
 
 If the editor of The Courier had any thought of emi- 
 grating he would prefer going to a colony managed on the 
 old plan. The projectors of the new colony were proceeding 
 on a different principle, which would make the colony as 
 unlike an old country as possible. They assured the public 
 that the plan adopted was a sovereign panacea for all the 
 evils hitherto incidental to colonization ; that jobbery and 
 even patronage would have no place in this happy land. The 
 editor of The Courier could not sympathize with these antici- 
 pations. In his judgment the colonization of South Aus- 
 tralia on the basis of the Bill before the House of Com- 
 mons was a "quackish project," but he thought that "the 
 varnish was too thin" and "the rottenness of the plan too 
 obvious" to allow it to seduce the public. If a colony on 
 the principles proposed were founded at Spencer's Gulf, 
 though it might "want convicts," it would not certainly "be 
 destitute of blockheads." The Courier thought that the 
 whole scheme "was an experiment on the gullibility of the 
 public." 
 
 THE FIRST COMMISSIONERS. 
 
 After the South Australian Bill had received Royal 
 assent the Secretary of State (Mr. Spring-Rice) and Mr. 
 Wolryche Whitmore, M.P., selected the Commissioners. The 
 following were named : 
 
 J. W. Childers, M.P. (after whom Childers Street, 
 North Adelaide, is named), W. Clay, M.P., G. Grote, M.P., 
 G. W. Norman, Colonel Torrens, M.P., and W. Whitmore, 
 M.P. (after whom Whitmore Square is called). 
 
 DELAYS AND DIFFICULTIES. 
 
 The birth-pangs of South Australia were severe and pro- 
 tracted. The leading newspapers were hostile. There were 
 many who treated the scheme with indifference and others 
 who were secret or open foes. On more than one occasion 
 after the passing of the Colonization Bill it seemed as though 
 the movement must collapse. 
 
 Toward the end of 1834 there was a change of Govern- 
 ment. The consequence was that all the gentlemen who had 
 been selected as Commissioners by Mr. Spring-Rice resigned,
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 37 
 
 with the exception of Colonel Torrens, who manfully kept 
 to his post. 
 
 Colonel Torrens and Robert Gouger then waited upon 
 the new Secretary of State (Lord Aberdeen) to receive his 
 instructions. The latter stated that the functions of the 
 South Australian Commissioners were not connected with 
 party politics, and that he was able to give effect to the 
 Colonization Act. He asked Colonel Torrens to give the 
 names of gentlemen interested in the proposed colony who 
 might be willing to act as Commissioners. This the Colonel 
 did. 
 
 Before Lord Aberdeen would proceed further he wished 
 to know in what position the Commissioners stood to the 
 Crown. Were they to be accountable to the Crown and per- 
 sonally responsible for the receipt and expenditure of the 
 money obtained by the sale of lands in the proposed colony ? 
 Before this question was satisfactorily settled there came 
 another change of Government. 
 
 Lord Glenelg (after whom our chief watering-place is 
 named) now came into office as Secretary of State for the 
 Colonies. He took action at once in the founding of South 
 Australia. On May 5th, 1835, the following Commissioners 
 were gazetted : 
 
 Colonel Torrens Jacob Montefiore 
 
 W. A. Mackinnon John Wright 
 
 William Hutt Samuel Mills 
 
 George Palmer George Fife Angas 
 
 Edward Barnard J. Shaw-Lefevre 
 
 ROWLAND HILL, SECRETARY.^) 
 
 To make the colonization scheme operative this Board 
 of Commissioners had to sell 35,000 worth of land and to 
 raise a guarantee fund of 20,000. Before this could be done 
 there were preliminary difficulties. Considerable expense had 
 to be incurred in providing offices, engaging clerks and agents, 
 and in explaining to the public through the Press the prin- 
 ciples on which the colony was to be founded. The Govern- 
 
 (4) One of the Commissioners (William Hutt) was the earliest 
 advocate of Mr. Wakefield's colonization views and the main 
 instrument in bringing them before the public. Rowland Hill was 
 the father of penny postage. I have already pointed out in the 
 previous chapter the connection between the names of some of 
 the promoters of our State' and its streets and terraces. A few 
 more may be given : Palmer Place, Barnard Street, Hill Street, 
 Wright Street, Lefevre Terrace.
 
 38 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 ment would give no aid, not even to the extent of passing 
 letters through the Post Office free of charge, which it was 
 requested to do. The Commissioners were cast upon their 
 own private resources and those of the friends of the colony 
 to get money to carry on the work. But they were deter- 
 mined and patriotic men. Robert Gouger promised to ad- 
 vance 500 and John Brown (whom we shall meet again) 
 250 toward the expenses. Another gentleman offered to 
 make an advance of money for the immediate expenses of the 
 Commissioners. Mr. Barnes agreed to advance 1,000 for 
 the purchase of land and Mr. Mills to take 1,000 in colonial 
 securities. Colonel Torrens invested 1,000 in the purchase 
 of land. In this way the pressing financial needs were met 
 and the Commissioners went on with their work. 
 
 The difficulty in meeting the financial requirements of 
 the Colonization Act seemed to be insuperable. The Com- 
 missioners had to borrow 20,000 on the security of the 
 resources of a colony not actually in existence and to raise 
 35,000 by the sale of land possessing only an anticipated 
 value. Their task was made the more difficult by the hos- 
 tility of the leading papers. The public was dubious : some 
 were afraid of a second South Sea Bubble. The apparent 
 risky nature of the speculation made interest very high. 
 
 One of the Commissioners (Mr. John Wright) undertook 
 to raise the 20,000 guarantee. A loan of 30,000 was 
 negotiated by him, bearing interest at 10 per cent. 
 
 The sale of the land was the crux of the position. The 
 conditions were that the land was to be sold in sections of 
 eighty acres at 1 per acre, with a town acre added, the 
 whole costing 81. Although the Bill had passed on August 
 14th, 1834, and the Commissioners had worked hard to 
 comply with its conditions and to advertise the colony. 
 by December 2nd, 1835, little more than 26,000 worth of 
 land had been sold. The Commissioners found it necessary 
 to temporarily reduce the price of land to 12s. per acre. 
 
 George Fife Angas now came prominently upon the 
 scene. He suggested the formation of a Company to buy up 
 the quantity of land required, and in other ways to give the 
 colony a start. Here an error must be pointed out. It was 
 not the South Australian Company that bought up the re- 
 maining 9,000 worth of land that was necessary to meet 
 the requirements of the Colonization Act, as some have 
 wrongly supposed. The facts of the case are these: Two or 
 three gentlemen (Mr. Angas being one) interested in the 
 proposed colony put their capital together and bought up the
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 39 
 
 land. When the 35,000 worth of land was sold the South 
 Australian Company was not in existence. When giving 
 evidence before a Select Committee of the House of Commons 
 in 1841 Mr. Angas was asked, "At what price did the 
 Company buy the land?" The reply was: "The Company, 
 in fact, did not purchase any land of the Commissioners. 
 I must explain. The Company did not exist when the re- 
 mainder of the 35,000 worth of land was obtained. Three 
 individuals joined their capital for the purpose of purchasing 
 from 9,000 to 10,000 worth of land, which they obtained, 
 in common with other purchasers, at 12s. per acre." This 
 was to be handed over to the Company (if formed) on cer- 
 tain conditions. 
 
 On January 22nd, 1836, the South Australian Company 
 was formed. Its directors were George Fife Angas (Chair- 
 man), Raikes Currie, M.P., Charles Hindley, M.P., James 
 Hyde, Henry Kingscote, John Pirie, John Rundle, M.P., 
 Thomas Smith, James R. Todd, Henry Waymouth, and 
 Christopher Rawson. (5) 
 
 In the founding of South Australia the Company that 
 bears its name rendered great and splendid service, but the 
 Company must not be looked upon in the light of a purely 
 patriotic or philanthropic institution. Like all other finan- 
 cial enterprises, it was more egoistic than altruistic. It made 
 great profits. 
 
 During December, 1835, all the initial difficulties in the 
 way of founding the colony were overcome. The provisions 
 of the Bill were met. The Board of Commissioners decided 
 that a letter should be sent to the Government asking it 
 to issue an order erecting the Province, and to take other 
 steps consequent on the fulfilment of the provisions of the 
 Act. There was still a delay over some minor matters. It 
 was not till January 31st. 1836, that a letter was received by 
 the Commissioners stating that the "Letters Patent and 
 Orders-in-Council had been laid before the King for His 
 Majesty's sanction." 
 
 On February 22nd, 1836, Captain Hindmarsh was 
 gazetted as Governor of South Australia, and the following 
 gentlemen were chosen to fill official positions : 
 
 Resident Commissioner James Hurtle Fisher. 
 Colonial Secretary Robert Gouger. 
 
 (5) It is interesting to note the connection between the name., 
 of some of the directors of the Company and our streets: Rundle, 
 Hindley, Currie, Pirie, Angas, and Waymouth Streets. Kings- 
 cote, Kangaroo Island, is named after Henry Kingscote.
 
 40 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Judge Sir John Jeffcott. 
 Advocate-General Charles Mann. 
 .Harbourmaster Captain T. Lipson. 
 Governor's Secretary George Stevenson . 
 Colonial Treasurer Osmond Gilles. 
 Immigration Agent John Brown. 
 Surveyor-General Colonel Light . 
 Deputy-Surveyor George Strickland Kingston. 
 Assistant Surveyors Boyle Travers Finniss, Wil- 
 liam Jacob, etc. 
 
 Twice every year the Board of Commissioners were to lay 
 before the Secretary of State for the Colonies "full and par- 
 ticular accounts of receipts and disbursements." The Resi- 
 dent Commissioner was furnished with a body of instructions 
 from the Board. ''By kindness and conciliation" and by 
 the adoption of wise, economical methods he was to attach 
 the emigrants to their adopted land. It is interesting to 
 note that the Commissioners were of opinion that "the 
 economical institution, which seemed best calculated to pro- 
 mote habits of frugality and industry and to bind the working 
 classes to the colony, was a Savings Bank." 
 
 South Australians should gratefully remember the first 
 Board of Commissioners. With one exception they served 
 gratuitously. Theirs was a great responsibility. In spite of 
 discouragement, misrepresentation, tremendous difficulties, 
 and much opposition they launched a new experiment in 
 colonization which, notwithstanding certain reverses, with 
 which we shall have to deal, ultimately proved a great
 
 PREPARING TO BUILD.
 
 GOVERNOB BlNDMABSH.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PREPARING TO BUILD. 
 
 We are still in the Old Land seventy-six years ago. 
 In anticipation of the founding of the colony some intending 
 emigrants are taking time by the forelock. The thought 
 has suggested itself to the minds of some of them that in 
 the new land settlers might become so absorbed in things 
 relating to the body as to neglect the cultivation of the mind. 
 An antidote must be provided. Some of the more thought- 
 ful spirits have talked the matter over, and have decided 
 to form what is termed "The South Australian Literary Asso- 
 ciation. "< 6 ' The objects of the Society were stated to be: 
 "The cultivation and diffusion of useful knowledge through- 
 out the colony." Colonel Napier was appointed President 
 and Osmond Gilles Treasurer. Among the committee of 
 management we find such honoured names as Robert Gouger, 
 John Brown, Richard Davies Hanson, and George Strickland 
 Kingston. A copy of the rules of the society was laid before 
 the Under-Secretary of State, who was impressed with the in- 
 tellectual calibre of some of the intending emigrants. 
 
 The first conversazione in connection with this society 
 was held in London on September 5th, 1834. Richard Davies 
 Hanson delivered the inaugural address. Said he: "The 
 occasion of our meeting this evening is the establishment of 
 a Literary Association among the intending colonists of South 
 Australia. . . . The reasons which have induced its for- 
 mation in this country are : 1 . The advantages which may 
 be expected from 'possessing mature organization in the first 
 moments of the colony' : otherwise 'the time of all might be 
 too much occupied with other and more pressing concerns to 
 allow of their originating such a society.' 2. Another ad- 
 vantage in forming the Association would be 'the opportun- 
 ity afforded by its existence in England to make arrange- 
 ments, and to obtain books and apparatus, which could not, 
 with equal facilities, be made or obtained elsewhere.' 3. But 
 in addition to these more immediate motives there 'would 
 
 (6) The old minute-book of the society has come to light. 
 <J|uite accidentally it was discovered amonp; some old hooks in the 
 Colonial Office in London. It is now in the Public Library, 
 Adelaide. 
 
 ( 43 )
 
 44 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 be very great collateral advantages resulting to intended colo- 
 nists from the periodical meetings of the Association.' They 
 would 'tend to bring them into more immediate acquaintance 
 with each other.' The meetings would 'afford opportunities 
 for the mutual development and discussion of ideas and 
 plans.' The outcome would be 'habits of union and co-oper- 
 ation of the utmost value to an infant settlement.' ' 
 
 Robert Gouger presented the library, consisting of many 
 volumes, to the Association, and was made a life member. 
 Before any emigrants left the Old Land an alteration was 
 made in the name of the society. It was called by a more 
 ambitious title "The South Australian Literary and Scien- 
 tific Association." 
 
 All this is intensely interesting to South Australians, as 
 it is probable that this society was the germ out of which 
 the South Australian Institute grew. Some of the books 
 presented by Robert Gouger found their way into the Insti- 
 tute and thence into our Public Library, where they 
 may be seen to-day. 
 
 We leave this small band of intending emigrants, bent 
 upon the cultivation of the mind, and attend another meet- 
 ing of a more material character. It is in the year 1835, 
 and the place of meeting is Exeter Hall, London. Colonel 
 Torrens, M.P., is in the chair. The Duke of Wellington 
 is not able to attend. His apology is read. The gathering 
 is a most jovial one. A dinner is being given to Captain 
 John Hindmarsh, R.N., whose "appointment as Governor of 
 the new colony of South Australia His Majesty King Wil- 
 liam IV. has most graciously approved." Among those 
 present are George Fife Angas and John Morphett, of whom 
 we shall frequently have to speak. The "health of the Duke 
 of Wellington and other members of the House of Lords 
 who supported the South Australian Colonization Bill" is 
 proposed. The members who supported the Bill in the 
 House of Commons are honoured in the same way, with 
 "three times three." It is a most enthusiastic gathering. 
 The cheering is "immense." All present seem to be of 
 opinion that the new colony about to be founded in South 
 Australia will be a great success. The Chairman speaks of 
 South Australia as a land "where the climate of Paradise 
 seems to have survived the Fall." In wiser words he 
 says : "Britons cannot compel all nations to receive British 
 goods more freely, but they can plant new nations to become 
 customers. They can open unlimited markets in the now 
 boundless forests. ... In the growing markets of Austra-
 
 PREPARING TO BUILD. 45 
 
 lia England will find not only increasing supplies of the most 
 valuable materials, but also an increasing demand for her 
 fabrics." In conclusion, he says: "The colony of South Aus- 
 tralia may now be considered as established. Biddings have 
 already been made for the whole and for more than the 
 whole of the land required by Act of Parliament to be dis- 
 posed of before the first expedition shall depart. In a few 
 weeks the first emigrants will be departing from these shores ; 
 they will go to eat pleasant bread in a pleasant land at all 
 events, the prayer of the present company will go with them. 
 Let their ways be ways of pleasantness and all their 
 paths be peace." 
 
 After the lapse of some seventy-four years the descend- 
 ants of the first emigrants can afford to smile at some of 
 these post-prandial remarks. If Colonel Torrens had been 
 caught in a South Australian duststorm or had sat in a shep- 
 herd's hut in the northern part of the Province on a hot 
 summer's day, with the heat 114 degrees in the shade, he would 
 have had grave doubts as to whether the climate of South 
 Australia (healthy as it is) had "survived the Fall." 
 
 But we are in Exeter Hall many, many years ago. 
 Another speaker rises. He tells the company that the first 
 batch of emigrants are a "body of men who in numbers, in 
 intelligence, in respectability, in everything which constitutes 
 religious and moral worth far surpass any body of English- 
 men who ever thought of settling in a distant colony since 
 the days of William Penn." "Gentlemen," he says, "let us 
 drink to the health, happiness, and prosperity of the emi- 
 grants to South Australia. May their community long 
 flourish, a bright image of the moral, social, and political 
 greatness of the parent country, unaffected by any of the 
 evils which are inseparable from older societies." 
 
 Another speaker is John Morphett, who rose to distinc- 
 tion in the new land, lived to a grand old age, and was 
 knighted by the Queen. Speaking on behalf of the emi- 
 grants, among other things he says : "In heart I am now a 
 South Australian." 
 
 The Governor-Elect is now on his feet no ordinary man. 
 The memory of such brings a flush of pride to the cheek and 
 makes an English heart, though born in Australia, beat fast. 
 He fought under Nelson at the Nile and at Trafalgar. 
 
 At the battle of the Nile John Hindmarsh was a midship- 
 man on board the Betteropfion, and so destructive was the 
 enemy's fire that for some time he was the only officer left 
 on the quarter-deck. He received a wound on the head which
 
 46 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 deprived him of the sight of an eye, but he did not leave 
 his post. The enemy's ship L'Ontntt caught fire. The 
 Bellerophon was in danger from the flames. Being the only 
 officer on deck, Midshipman Hindmarsh ordered the topsail 
 to be set and the cable to be cut, and thus saved the ship 
 from destruction. He had his proud reward. Nelson sum- 
 moned him to the deck and thanked him in the presence 
 of the officers and crew. He had done his duty on that oc- 
 casion. At the banquet now given in his honour he says: 
 "As Governor of South Australia I will continue to do 
 my duty.'' The aborigines are not forgotten. ''My power 
 as Governor," he continues, "will be of little avail without 
 being seconded by the exertions of the colonists. I, therefore, 
 call upon them to second me in this good work and, above 
 all things, to prevent the aborigines from imbibing from 
 them a taste for that bane of humanity spirituous liquors : 
 and I consider the most effective way the colonists can do 
 this will be by setting them an example in forming one vast 
 temperance society." 
 
 Alas ! such good advice in relation to a few of the colo- 
 nists was thrown away. The aborigines suffered much from 
 their contact with some unprincipled and lecherous whites. 
 They soon learned to drink, swear, gamble, and to commit 
 baser sins. While as yet the first settlers dwelt in tents 
 and bough booths on the shores of Holdfast Bay, notices 
 were fastened to the gum-trees offering a reward for informa- 
 tion as to the persons who supplied drink to the aborigines. 
 To the shame of our race we have to acknowledge that one 
 of the first cases tried in the infant settlement in South Aus- 
 tralia was that in which two whites were charged with steal- 
 ing a jacket and some spears and waddies from the aborigines. 
 To-day they are a weak, degraded, decimated race, doomed 
 to speedy extinction. 
 
 We leave the meeting in Exeter Hall and attend an- 
 other. This is held in honour of Colonel Torrens. He had 
 taken a great interest in the projected colony. Much of 
 the success of the colonization scheme was due to him. It 
 was Colonel Torrens as well as Robert Gouger who stood 
 at the helm in every time of storm. It was only right that 
 intending emigrants, in a very practical way, should acknow- 
 ledge the fact. They subscribed a sum of money, purchased 
 a silver vase, and called a meeting of intending colonists. 
 John Morphett is asked to make the presentation. Address- 
 ing the Colonel he says: "I may aver, with great truth, 
 sir, that our gratification will not terminate here, and I
 
 PREPARING TO BUILD. 47 
 
 foresee that in the country of our adoption, surrounded by 
 the comforts and wealth which must necessarily flow from 
 our settlement under principles so enlightened, we shall have 
 it in our power to pay a future tribute of admiration the 
 most gratifying to a noble mind. Under our own vine and 
 fig-tree will be repeated the name of Torrens, coupled with 
 praises and benedictions as to one to whom we are indebted 
 for that freedom and happiness which we shall inherit as 
 our birthright. It is a source of pride to me that I am 
 going out to the colony to act in a capacity in which I shall 
 insist in carrying out those principles which are the eman- 
 ation of your wisdom and active benevolence." 
 
 The first batch of emigrants did not leave England as 
 soon as Colonel Torrens anticipated. It was not till Febru- 
 ary. 1836, that the first two vessels the John Pirie and the 
 Duke of York left the Old Land for Australian shores. 
 These vessels were sent out by private enterprise. They be- 
 longed to the newly-formed South Australian Company. 
 
 It is in the Duke of York that we are specially inter- 
 ested. She was originally a Falmouth packet, built for 
 speed, and sailed between Falmouth and New York. The 
 South Australian Company purchased the vessel and had 
 her specially fitted out for the Australian trip. 
 
 Our worthy pioneer fWilliam L. Beare), who as a lad 
 came out in the Duke of York, has furnished some incidents 
 of the voyage. The vessel left St. Catherine's Docks on 
 February 26th, 1836, with Carjtain Morgan in command. 
 
 It was a hazardous enterprise on which our pioneer 
 fathers had entered, and the "setting otit" was not at all 
 auspicious. Before they lost sight of Old England severe 
 storms were encountered, and the vessel had to put back 
 twice for repairs. After getting clear of the English coast 
 the passage was fine all the way. 
 
 In more ways than one the voyage was unique. Not 
 only were the emigrants about to attempt a great experi- 
 ment, but they were inspired by a great ideal. The leading 
 spirits were men who feared God, who were satisfied that- 
 some intelligent power lay at the basis of things. They were 
 conscious of an overruling Providence and of their depend- 
 ence upon Him. Did ever a vessel set sail in which there 
 was a higher moral tone than that which obtained on board 
 the Duke of York? Mr. Beare has affirmed that during 
 the whole voyage there was not a case of drunkenness, not 
 even among the sailors, and there was an absence of all
 
 48 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 offensive language. Captain Morgan was not. only an ex- 
 cellent seaman, but a man of high Christian character. He 
 kept a diary of the voyage, which is still extant in MS. form. 
 On board the Duke of York the Captain made his influence 
 felt. Every night prayers were offered, and on Sunday, 
 both morning and evening, Divine service was held. On 
 the Sunday afternoon the children were gathered together 
 for religious instruction. 
 
 In after years the Duke of York was wrecked off More- 
 ton Bay, on the Queensland coast. After the loss of the 
 vessel Captain Morgan returned to England and took charge 
 of the missionary ship Oarnden, sailing her to the South Sea 
 Islands. He was with the famous missionary, John Wil- 
 liams, when the latter was murdered by the natives at Erro- 
 manga. For fifteen years he was in the service of the Lon- 
 don Missionary Society as captain, and died at St. Kilda, 
 near Melbourne, in 1864.
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS.
 
 COLONEL LIGHT, FOUNDER OF ADELAIDE.
 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Before South Australia was colonized there were a few 
 white settlers upon its shores. They lived on Kangaroo 
 Island. It was so called by Captain Flinders, who discov- 
 ered it in 1802. At that time the island was uninhabited. 
 
 About seventeen years after Flinders' visit there were 
 at least two white men on Kangaroo Island. How they 
 got there we are not in a position to state. They were either 
 escaped convicts from some of the older settlements or run- 
 away sailors. In course of time these were joined by others. 
 Wild men they were hard as the rocks, salt as the sea. Away 
 from the restraints of civilization they led a lawless life. The 
 conscience was seared and the spiritual instincts blunted. 
 Apparently they had no higher ambition in life than to 
 gratify their material instincts. In a spiritual sense they 
 must have descended almost to the level of the kangaroos. 
 Their time was spent in whaling, sealing, and wallaby-hunt- 
 ing. Sometimes they made a trip to the mainland and stole 
 some of the blacks. One of the early emigrants who came 
 bv the Africaine in 1836 has left on record a description of 
 one of these marauders. She says : "We next proceeded 
 round the island, and as we entered Nepean Bay the flag 
 was hoisted and two guns fired to announce our approach. 
 A boat in which was a gentleman of the name of Samuel 
 Stephens (who came out in the Duke of York) came off, 
 rowed by four men, one of whom was Nathaniel Thomas, 
 who had been resident on the island many years, but his 
 appearance, I thought, was more like that of a savage than 
 an Englishman. This man, by some mischance, fell over- 
 board, and as the tide was running strong at the time he 
 was carried some distance from the vessel before assistance 
 could be rendered, and although he could swim well enough, 
 he was watched by those on board with considerable anxiety, 
 on account of the sharks, which were known to be numerous. 
 An oar, however, was thrown to him on which he got astride 
 till the boat reached him ; and when he was again on the 
 deck he shook himself like a dog does when just out of the 
 water, and took no more notice of the matter." 17 ) 
 
 Diary of Mrs. Robert Thomas. 
 ( 51 )
 
 52 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Before the year 1836 these white buccaneers had a whole 
 island to themselves. They were ''monarchs of all they sur- 
 veyed," their "right there was no one to dispute." In fact, 
 one of them was named "Governor Walker" or "Wallen." 
 He had been on the island for many years and had gone 
 in for land cultivation. He died while on a visit to Ade- 
 laide in 1856, his body being carried back to the island for 
 interment. 
 
 A change was coming, one that these wild sealers and 
 hunters viewed with considerable apprehension. In 1836 a 
 vessel hove in sight. We can imagine how curiously the 
 natives on the mainland, as well as the white buccaneers on 
 Kangaroo Island, watched her as she mysteriously tacked 
 along the coast, making for Nepean Bay. At length she 
 dropped anchor. This was on Wednesday, July 27th, 1836. 
 It was the Duke, of York, commanded by Captain C. R. 
 Morgan. She had brought the first contingent of emigrants 
 to the new land. In addition to officers and sailors (who 
 went back with the ship) there were thirteen passengers on 
 board, I8 > nine adults and four children. As this event will 
 ever have historical value we give the names of the passen- 
 gers : Mr. Samuel Stephens (first manager of the South 
 Australian Company),, Mr. Thomas Hudson Beare, Mrs. 
 Lucy Ann Beare, and the following children : Lucy, Ara- 
 bella, Elizabeth, and William L. Beare : (g) also Charlotte Hud- 
 son Beare (afterwards Mrs. Sanmel Stephens) and Messrs. 
 Thomas Mitchell, Charles Powell, D. H. Schreyvogle, Wil- 
 liam West, and C. Neall. These were the pioneer- settlers 
 in South Australia the first contingent of sinewy men and 
 women w/ho were to make the "parched ground a pool" and 
 the "wilderness blossom as the rose." 
 
 The day before the vessel anchored the captain wrote in 
 his Journal : "At 8 a.m. we saw the Island of Kangaroo ahead, 
 bearing by compass N.N.E. At 5 p.m. shortened sail. Ran 
 during the night a moderate distance from Kangaroo Island. 
 In the evening held a prayer meeting. Read the twentieth 
 
 (8) Some records give the number as thirty-eight. The ex- 
 planation is that the officers and crew of the vessel were reckoned 
 with the passengers. 
 
 (9) William L. Beare continued with us till July 16th, 1910, 
 when he passed away at Glenelg in his eighty-fifth year. He was 
 the last living link connecting the first shipload of settlers with 
 the large population that covers South Australia to-day. He was 
 with us nearly seventy-four years, and to those interested in the 
 history of the State his death made a most impressive gap.
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 53 
 
 chapter of Acts. Four prayed. Sang several hymns, and 
 found it good to pray almost in sight of our haven." The 
 day following some of the passengers landed. 
 
 Jetties, of course, there were none. The passengers 
 would be carried "pick-a-back" by the sailors, or wade 
 through the surf to the shore. There seems to have been 
 some competition among the pavssengers of the Duke, of York 
 as to who should be the first to put foot on South Australian 
 soil. The captain soon settled the question. The boat was 
 launched. "Baby Beare" was put on board. She was 
 rowed to the beach, and amid the cheers of the immigrants 
 one of the sailors carried her through the surf and planted 
 her feet on the shore. 
 
 What was the first act of the settlers on reaching the 
 shore ? Was it to go on an exploring expedition 1 To at- 
 tend to their material wants? No. To give thanks to God. 
 There was neither ordained preacher nor temple made with 
 hands. In the great temple of Nature, under the blue vault 
 of heaven, they returned thanks for the mercies of the voy- 
 age. Is it not a picture worthy of the poet's muse or the 
 painter's brush ? A little band of men and women pioneer 
 settlers, nation-builders met on the shores of a country 
 practically unknown. Before them is the ocean. Riding at 
 anchor in Nepean Bay is the vessel in which they have sailed. 
 Behind is the dense scrub of Kangaroo Island. Away in 
 the distance the mainland on which they will ultimately 
 dwell. Under foot the beach of Nepean Bay. Captain 
 Morgan stands up. The immigrants cluster round him. 
 Heads are bowed and hearts uplifted while the captain con- 
 ducts a short service, concluding with extempore prayer. 
 Are not these the "deeds that have won the Empire" ? the 
 memory of which should never die. 
 
 After spending a few hours on shore the immigrants 
 returned to the vessel, where they spent the night. Next 
 day they made preparations to build huts and pitched their 
 tents. It was on Kangaroo Island that the first settlement 
 was to be formed. Such were the instructions that the 
 South Australian Company in London gave to Samuel Ste- 
 phens. Shops were to be erected and cottages for shep- 
 herds and herdsmen were to be built. This proved to be a 
 mistake, as farther on we shall see. 
 
 How did the immigrants spend their first Sunday in the 
 new land ? In his Journal Captain Morgan wrote : "In 
 the forenoon had prayers in the cabin, with a sermon from
 
 54 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Hebrews xiii., verse 5. In the afternoon instructed the chil- 
 dren. In the evening we had service on the quarter-deck. 
 Read a sermon and exhorted the people. We 
 commenced and ended with prayer and song. So concluded 
 this day the first Sunday in this port." 
 
 What a strange experience the first immigrants must 
 have been ! How very unreal ! Were they awake or did 
 they dream ? Had they really left the Old Land ? Were 
 their loved ones the other side of the world sixteen thou- 
 sand miles away? What a sense of loneliness nuist have 
 sometimes come over them ! They had lived in a land of 
 villages and towns a land where myriads hurried through 
 the streets. Here neither street, village, nor town could be 
 seen. It was an empty land. No street since creation 
 had been formed and no city built. Save the members 
 of their own community and a few half-savage whalers and 
 sealers, no white face was to be seen. They had been accus- 
 tomed to the roar of traffic : here, save the chatter of the 
 birds, the sigh of the wind, or the sough of the ocean, no 
 sounds could be heard. The solitude at times must have 
 been oppressive, the silence intense. 
 
 But amid the gloom there were gleams of sunshine. 
 They were in a new world. Here there were strange fruits 
 and flowers', and trees that did not shed their leaves. Here 
 were peculiar insects and gaily dressed birds. The warble 
 of the magpie made the heart glad, and the weird laugh of 
 the jackass first caused alarm and then provoked a smile. 
 They saw the wallaby hopping in the scrub, the emu running 
 along with her chicks, and, perad venture, the well-condi- 
 tioned wombat hurrying to his hole. The heart danced 
 with delight at the sight of a sail. Ere long there was 
 the joy of receiving a letter from "Home." How firmly the 
 precious missive would be grasped. How quickly the re- 
 cipient would hurry away. The hand would tremble and 
 the heart beat fast as the fingers broke the seal. Ah! there 
 was the old familiar handwriting, but changed. The letter 
 was blotched and the writing blurred. Here and there was 
 a stain. What did it mean? A tear a soul's travail the 
 liquefied love of a father's or a mother's heart. How fast 
 the immigrant's eye would fly over the words till the end 
 was reached. The nerves were steadier now. The reader 
 would begin again. This time the eye would linger over 
 the sentences, while the soul listened with delight to the 
 music of a familiar voice, and gazed in ecstasy upon a sweet
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 55 
 
 but intangible face. But duty calls. The log fire must be 
 renewed and the kettle hung. The letter is folded up, only 
 to be again and again unfolded and re-read. At night the 
 immigrant dreams ! Space is annihilated ! He or she is 
 in Old England now. The snow is falling. A little white- 
 washed cottage appears in view. There is the garden in 
 which the honeysuckle and jessamine grow. A dear old fig- 
 ure is standing at the gate. A wild blast comes sweeping 
 by. The immigrant awakes. Ah ! it was only a dream 
 a beautiful creation shattered by the scream of an excited 
 parrot or the howling of the wind. The soul may have 
 seen Old England, but the body is in a tent or reed hut on 
 the shores of an Australian bay. 
 
 Shortly after the arrival of the Duke of York the Lady 
 Mary Pelham dropped anchor in Nepean Bay. There were 
 six passengers on board and twenty-three officers and men. 
 She was soon followed by the John Pirie, laden with stores, 
 carrying fourteen passengers and fourteen officers and men. 
 All these vessels belonged to the South Australian Company : 
 it was private enterprise that fitted them up and sent them 
 out. No emigrant vessel dispatched by the Government 
 Commissioners had yet arrived. The Cygnet was the first 
 to set sail, followed by the Rapid, having on board the 
 Surveyor-General, Colonel Light. 
 
 Every detail in relation to the pioneers is valuable, and 
 will become increasingly so as the years go by. From let- 
 ters of early immigrants we get glimpses of the first set- 
 tlers and of their surroundings on Kangaroo Island. 
 Not far from the beach, at Nepean Bay, we see several 
 tents and rude huts. A few people are moving about the 
 beach, some dressed in smock frocks and gaiters. A boat 
 is being rowed from an emigrant vessel to the shore. Depth 
 of water fails. The boat is of no further service. The 
 passengers are either carried to the shore by the sailors or 
 they wade through the surf. On the beach they are met 
 by Samuel Stephens and conducted to his tent. Lunch 
 is prepared. He then takes them to see' the site on which 
 his cottage is to be built. It is on a gentle slope. In the 
 foreground there are native shrubs almost to the water's 
 edge, and a fine view of the sea. Several Cashmere goats, 
 imported by the South Australian Company, and under 
 Samuel Stephens' charge, are browsing the herbage. Some 
 poultry are busy examining the nature of the new country. 
 Cattle and horses have not yet been introduced. Mr.
 
 56 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Stephens takes the party for a short walk in the bush. They 
 come to a piece of land that has heen cleared. What is 
 it? A place of burial. Already there are two graves in 
 it. What a lesson it teaches in human mortality. How 
 soon the most recent and the smallest community needs a 
 cemetery. As soon as we provide homes for the living 
 we need a resting-place for the dead. The party 
 walk back to the beach, gathering shells and sponges. Fare- 
 well words are spoken. The visitors once again take their 
 seats in the boat. Samuel Stephens goes back to his tent, 
 while the sailors pull for the vessel whose destination is 
 Holdfast Bay. 
 
 From another letter we get a further picture of the settle- 
 ment on Kangaroo Island at a later time. The writer says : 
 "Before us were the hills, on the slope of which lies the 
 town of Kingscote. These hills are covered entirely with 
 wood, having from the sea the appearance of an impene- 
 trable jungle, with here and there a group of dead trees 
 rearing their gaunt and withered limbs above their fellows. 
 A little patch had been cleared at the slope of one of the 
 hills, and there stood a solitary white cottage, the property 
 of Samuel Stephens. On the brow of the hill, looking down 
 a steep precipice into the sea, w-ere some half-dozen wooden 
 huts of former immigrants. On the beach was the skeleton 
 of a storehouse, then under erection, round which were four 
 or five huts, built of bushes. In one of them they were per- 
 forming Divine worship, the summons to attend which was 
 given by means of a bell, hung up in a tree." 
 
 The bell hung up in a tree! It challenges our attention. 
 The founders of our State, even in its rude beginnings, did 
 not neglect the ordinances of religion. They worshipped 
 God in a tabernacle made of boughs, and to notify their time 
 for service they had their bell hung up in a tree. 
 
 There were two questions exercising the immigrants' 
 minds. One was : 
 
 WHERE WILL THE CITY BE BUILT? 
 
 Until this question was settled nothing definite could be 
 done. It was one in which the people had no direct voice. 
 Sole power was vested in Colonel Light. Writing to him the 
 Commissioners said : "In entrusting you with the decision 
 of this difficult question the Commissioners feel they cannot 
 too much impress you with the importance of a duty on the 
 judicious performance of which the prosperity of the colony
 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 pq 
 
 o 
 
 o
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 59 
 
 so greatly depends. They feel assured that you will enter 
 upon the task with the most anxious desire to arrive at the 
 best possible result; and, believing such a result will be most 
 effectually secured by placing the whole responsibility of the 
 decision in your hands, the Commissioners purposely avoid all 
 minute instructions for your guidance, and desire that you 
 will consider yourself at liberty to deviate even from the more 
 general instructions given, if in the discharge of your duty 
 new facts should arise which, in your opinion, justify so strong 
 a measure. . . . When you have determined the site of the 
 first town you will proceed to lay it. out in accordance with 
 the 'Regulations for the Preliminary Sales of Colonial Lands 
 in this Counti'y.' You will make the streets of ample width 
 and arrange them with reference to the convenience of the 
 inhabitants and the beauty and salubrity of the town ; and 
 you will make the necessary reserves for squares, public walks, 
 and quays." 
 
 In the way of surveying the country and of fixing the 
 city site nothing could be decided till Colonel Light came. 
 
 It was on August 19th, 1836, that the Rapid, with 
 Colonel Light in command, rode into Nepean Bay. At 
 once the Colonel set to work. Kangaroo Island as a suit- 
 able place for settlement was condemned. The land was 
 poor. Port Lincoln could not be recommended. The water- 
 way was not sufficiently safe. Much was to be said in favour 
 of Holdfast Bay.( 10) The Colonel's position was a most re- 
 sponsible one. It was not a temporary question that he had 
 to settle, but one the effect of which was to continue for all 
 time. It was not for the present generation, but for genera- 
 tions unborn, that he had to decide. Posterity must either 
 applaud or condemn. 
 
 In fixing the site of the city several things had to be 
 taken into consideration. So far as a mere basis on which 
 to build is concerned, such could easily be found. It was 
 not so easy to find a suitable port or a stream of water from 
 which the inhabitants could drink. It was these difficulties 
 that Colonel Light had to face. For some time he could 
 find neither port nor suitable stream of water. After a care- 
 ful examination of the coast, both of these difficulties were 
 overcome. An arm of the sea running several miles inland 
 was discovered, offering an admirable shelter for ships. Here 
 
 (10) So named by Colonel Light because the Sapid outrode a 
 gale there. The Colonel found the anchorage good holding 
 ground.
 
 60 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 the Colonel decided to fix his port. Farther inland a fresh- 
 water river, larger than any yet seen, had been found. On 
 the banks of this stream on the plain called by the natives 
 Tandanya he decided that the city should be built. 
 
 Four months had passed since Colonel Light had 
 begun his work. During that time several immigrant ships 
 had arrived. As Kangaroo Island had been condemned most 
 of the passengers were landed at Holdfast Bay. On Christ- 
 mas Day, 1836, there must have been at least three hundred 
 settlers on South Australian soil. 
 
 To every community there must be a head. It seems to 
 be a necessity of our nature that there should be some embodi- 
 ment of law and order, and in every social organism there is 
 something lacking until that necessity is met. It was so 
 in the experience of the early settlers. The site for the 
 city had been fixed, but the Governor had not yet arrived. 
 How anxiously they looked for his advent. 
 
 WHEN WILL THE GOVERNOR COME ? 
 
 would be an oft-repeated question. Frequently the eyes of 
 the immigrants scanned the ocean. What was the reason 
 of the delay? At length another sail hove in sight. It 
 was the long-expected and anxiously-looked-for H.M.S. 
 Buffalo. It had the Governor on board, the Resident Com- 
 missioner (James Hurtle Fisher), and the Colonial Chaplain 
 (the Rev. Charles B. Howard). What excitement there 
 must have been among the immigrants! What demon- 
 strations of joy ! Rush huts and tents would be vacated. 
 Down the immigrants would run young and old to the 
 water's edge. What a motley assemblage ! The tall hat 
 would be in evidence, and the smock frock and gaiters, too. 
 The Governor and party would either have to submit to 
 the orthodox style of transhipment "pick-a-back" or take 
 off boots and socks, turn up the trousers, and wade through 
 the water. The position may not have been a very digni- 
 fied one, but necessity knows no law and is no respecter of 
 persons. The Governor was received by the leading men 
 of the small community. There was a preliminary meeting 
 in the tent of Robert Gouger, Colonial Secretary. An ad- 
 journment was then made to a large gum-tree. Here the 
 proclamation was read and the British flag unfurled. A 
 Royal salute was fired! The air rang with hurrahs! A cold 
 lunch, consisting chiefly of pork and a ham, was served up 
 in a very primitive style. The Governor mounted a chair
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 61 
 
 and gave the first toast, 'The King." This was received with 
 "three times three." The National Anthem followed, the 
 tune being started by Osmond Gilles, the Colonial Treasurer. 
 So accustomed were the immigrants to a succession of Georges 
 that they forgot for the time being that a William was now 
 on the throne, so the first line was sung as of yore : 
 
 "God save great George, our King." 
 
 Other toasts followed. "Rule Britannia" was sung. The 
 immigrants, amid their wild and in some respects weird sur- 
 roundings, were determined to do honour to the occasion, 
 and the shades of evening brought to a close the most excit- 
 ing day save the day of their landing that they had 
 seen. < 1] > 
 
 But on that auspicious day the birthday of a nation 
 there was shade as well as sunshine, there were heart-pangs 
 as well as joys. At least one young mother who came out 
 in the Buffalo, with a husband and two little children, almost 
 lost heart and hope. While the pi-oclamation was being read 
 under the gum-tree on the shore of Holdfast Bay she sat on 
 a box and wept. It was the day of her landing. Ere long 
 she was to contribute another life to the little company of 
 adventurers, and the thought of the unknown future of the 
 nakedness of the land as far as the advantages of civilization 
 are concerned must have filled her with dismay. There were 
 no streets nor cities, wheatfields nor flower or fruit gardens ; 
 no storehouses nor factories, houses nor hospitals, waggons 
 nor omnibuses. To the west of the gum-tree near which 
 she sat there was the restless ocean murnmring and sob- 
 bing, with the Buffalo, the last tangible link that bound 
 her to the land of her fathers, riding at anchor ; to the north 
 and the south were sandhills glistening in the fierce rays of 
 the summer's sun ; eastward there were plains covered with 
 dry grass and sombre gums. Here and there some of the 
 black-skinned natives could be seen. Amid such strange 
 surroundings no wonder that the young mother fresh from 
 the Old Country wept. Would they be able to secure the 
 necessaries of life for their children ? Would the enterprise 
 in which they had embarked be a success or a failure ? 
 Would a town ever be laid out or a city built ? Would 
 they fall victims to the blacks ? Would they ever again see 
 the Old Land and loved ones left behind ? Not the 
 
 Ui) Two of the carronades of tho old Buffalo are now on the 
 seawall at Glenelg, near the spot where Governor Hindmarsh 
 landed.
 
 62 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Old Land. Both husband and wife sleep in God's acre 
 near an old church among the beautiful hills south of the 
 City of Adelaide a city which became to them a very sub- 
 stantial fact. They saw houses built and gardens planted, 
 a large section of the country populated, and some years 
 after they had been gathered to their fathers one of their 
 little ones who came out in the Buffalo (grown to be an aged 
 matron) contributed some material for this historical record. 
 No source of information respecting bygone times is so 
 charming, frank, and realistic as letters. Fortunately some 
 of the letters of the pioneers have been preserved. We quote 
 one written by a young lady who came out with Governor 
 Hindmarsh in the Buffalo : "We arrived in Holdfast Bay 
 early on the morning of December 28th, 1836. After search- 
 ing a short time we descried a flagstaff which had been 
 erected near the shore by those already there. A boat was 
 instantly lowered and sent on shore, and returned with Mr. 
 Gouger (the Colonial Secretary) and some of the gentlemen. 
 After some consultation it was agreed that the proclamation 
 should be read, for which purpose it was necessary that all 
 the officers belonging to the colony should go on shore, and it 
 was also determined that the ladies should accompany them. 
 We left the Buffalo at 1 o'clock, and upon our arrival on 
 the shore we were met by some of the ladies and gentlemen 
 already there. We first proceeded to the Colonial Secretary's 
 hut. The ladies adjourned to another hut belonging to Mr. 
 Brown, the emigration agent, and remained there until the 
 Governor had taken the oath of allegiance. When that cere- 
 mony was over we again joined the gentlemen, and Mr. 
 Stevenson, His Excellency's Secretary, read the proclamation 
 aloud, after which a party of the marines fired a feu dt 
 joie, and we proceeded to where a cold collation had been 
 prepared for us under a large gum-tree. Numerous speeches 
 were made and healths drunk, after which I took a short 
 stroll with some others, in consequence of which we missed 
 the boat, so that I was detained on shore long after dark, 
 but, to tell you the truth, I was not sorry for it, for papa, 
 James, Charles, and Fanny and several others were with us, 
 and we were very hospitably entertained by a gentleman who 
 had pitched his tent there, and enjoyed ourselves very much. 
 This was the first time I trod in South Australia, and on 
 this day was laid the foundations of a colony of which the 
 most sanguine expectations have been formed, and which I 
 sincerely trust will one day become the means of civilizing
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 63 
 
 a tract of country hitherto inhabited only by savages, and 
 also in course of time of introducing Christianity into a 
 country that has never yet acknowledged a Divine Creator." 
 
 The pioneer father (George Stevenson), who read the 
 proclamation, wrote: "Nothing could be more delightful or 
 promising than the aspect of the plains named by His Ex- 
 cellency 'Glenelg,' on which the Government was constituted. 
 They are of great extent, as nearly as could be guessed 20 
 miles in length by about 8 in breadth. The soil appeared 
 to be of the richest quality, and was pronounced equal, by 
 those who had seen both, to the prairies of Ohio and Indiana. 
 Numerous splendid trees of the eucalyptus (gums), the 
 banksia in full flower, studded the plain. The lupin, 
 buttercup, and several of the wild flowers of our own 
 country were met with and hailed with delight. Parrots, 
 parrakeets, and quail were seen in great variety. Every- 
 thing indicated, in short, the wild profusion which Nature 
 delights to throw over her most favoured spots, and few of 
 the agriculturists present but hoped their lines would fall in 
 such pleasant places. May South Australia nourish ! was 
 the prayer of every heart." 
 
 In the Governor's proclamation the spirit in which Eng- 
 lish people set about the work of colonization and the basis 
 on which they build may be seen : - 
 
 In announcing to the colonists of His Majesty's Pro- 
 vince of South Australia the establishment of the 
 Government, I hereby call upon them to conduct 
 themselves on all occasions with order and quiet- 
 ness, duly to respect the laws, and by a course of 
 industry and sobriety, by the practice of sound 
 morality and a strict observance of the ordinances 
 of religion, to prove themselves worthy to be the 
 founders of a great and free colony. 
 
 The proclamation also stated that the Governor would 
 take every lawful means to secure to the aborigines all the 
 rights of British subjects. 
 
 After Colonel Light had fixed the site for the city there 
 was considerable dispute. Some of the settlers wanted it 
 in one place and some in another. Governor Hindmarsh 
 was pleased with the surroundings, but thought that the city 
 would be too far from the harbour. He washed it to be 
 located two miles lower down the river ; but here the winter 
 torrents were found to overflow the banks of the Torrens. He 
 expressed a preference for Encounter Bay. Fortunately 
 Colonel Light's power in the matter was absolute. He
 
 64 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 manfully stood his ground. Experience has demonstrated 
 the wisdom of his choice. A more suitable site for the city 
 (after more than sixty years' experience) it would be diffi- 
 cult to find. It was within easy reach of the sea, and was. 
 surrounded by good country, and on rising ground. There 
 was fresh water in the Torrens, and the eastern hills formed 
 a beautiful background. Some of the descendants of the 
 pioneers may imagine that the city site and its environs were 
 densely covered with scrub. Such was not the case. To 
 the north the country was open. There were belts of gums 
 lining watercourses. To the south the country was well 
 wooded, in many places resembling an English Park. The 
 primitive character ol some of the southern country is ex- 
 pressed in the names that it still bears Goodwood Park, 
 Unley Park, Black Forest. 
 
 The same wisdom displayed in the choice of the city 
 site was manifested in laying it out. The city lies four 
 square. Provision was made for wide streets, public squares > 
 and a park round the town. At the request of King 
 William IV. it was called Adelaide, in honour of the Royal 
 Consort. 
 
 It was under great difficulties that Colonel Light carried 
 out his work. The means of transit were very defective. 
 Horses were not procurable. The Surveyor-General and 
 staff had to travel on foot. The men were poorly paid ; 
 <; two-shillings-a-day-slaves" was the taunt thrown at them. 
 As the new settlement was struggling into existence commis- 
 sariat arrangements were very defective. No land had yet 
 been ploughed. Immigrants were dependent for food upon 
 outside sources. Not only were Colonel Light's men 
 badly paid, but sometimes poorly fed. It cannot be a 
 matter of surprise, then, that great dissatisfaction existed. 
 Strikes were frequent and the work of survey retarded. Such 
 was the demand for food in the nascent settlement that pro- 
 visions intended for the survey party were dealt out to the 
 immigrants as well. The consequence was the men ceased 
 to work. The Surveyor-General was blamed for want of pro- 
 gress. Settlers were exasperated because surveys were not 
 completed and they could not take up land. One sarcastic- 
 ally suggested that he might go home for a few years and 
 still come back in time to select his farm. Well might 
 Colonel Light say : "I began to feel a very evident change in 
 my health, which, with anxieties of mind, wore me down 
 much. I was obliged to neglect many days' working in con- 
 sequence." His life in the colony soon came to a close.
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 65 
 
 It is not always possible to anticipate the future, and 
 to be wise after the event is a very common experience. The 
 founding of South Australia was an experiment. Of course, 
 blunders were made. Looking back more than seventy years 
 we imagine that we could have given our fathers many lessons 
 in colonization. In some respects it would have been an 
 advantage if Colonel Light and staff had preceded the immi- 
 grants. No doubt it would have saved time and trouble if 
 the site of the city had been fixed and some of the country 
 surveyed before an immigrant put foot upon South Aus- 
 tralian soil. It was Robert Gouger's desire that something 
 of this sort should be done : that two vessels should be sent 
 out the first to discharge cargo on the South Australian 
 coast, and then to proceed to Van Diemen's Land (Tas- 
 mania) for food : the other vessel was to survey the coast of 
 the proposed colony. When the most desirable site for the 
 city had been ascertained, a third vessel was to sail from 
 England filled with artisans and labourers to form roads 
 and to prepare houses for the reception of the body of immi- 
 grants which was to follow. This arrangement was not 
 carried out. But there is often a greater charm about that 
 which is extempore than about that which is stiff, precise, 
 and mechanical. If the site of the city had been fixed and 
 some of the country surveyed before the arrival of the immi- 
 grants, then the founding of our Province would have been 
 without much of its present charm. Where would have been 
 the picturesque encampment at Holdfast Bay, of which we 
 shall speak, and the primitive settlement on the banks of the 
 Torrens ? Where would have been the romantic experiences 
 of the pioneers while they waited for the site of the city to 
 be fixed and the land surveyed 1 It was a valuable discipline 
 through which they passed. Let us be grateful that the very 
 contingencies of life make possible the poetical and the 
 heroic. 
 
 This seems to be the more appropriate place in which to 
 give some reminiscences supplied by William Jacob. He was 
 a sturdy old pioneer who lived long in the land of his adop- 
 tion. He came out with Colonel Light in the Rapid in 1836 
 as an assistant-surveyor, and helped to lay out the City of 
 Adelaide. When Colonel Light resigned his position under 
 the South Australian Commissioners and took up private 
 practice William Jacob entered into partnership with him. 
 Speaking of the Colonel he said : "When Colonel Light 
 showed us the site he had selected for the capital he was con- 
 fident that it was the best possible one. He said to me :
 
 66 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 'I never expect the present generation to approve of it ; but 
 posterity will do me justice.' And I may add here that after 
 sixty-five years' experience I am not aware of a single in- 
 stance in which Colonel Light's judgment is at fault. The 
 survey of the city was commenced at the corner of North Ter- 
 race and West Terrace by Light, and I was employed at the 
 eastern end. Shortly afterwards I joined Light in his office 
 as draughtsman. While engaged in laying out the site for 
 the capital some of the settlers at Van Diemen's Land (Tas- 
 mania) who had come to inspect it told Light that grain 
 would never grow on it. His reply was, 'We will not only 
 grow grain, but all the products of Spain and Portugal.' 
 Light sustained a severe loss when he had the whole of his 
 papers destroyed. A fire originated in Mr. J. H. Fisher's 
 reed hut and quickly spread to the Land Office, demolishing 
 it and all its contents, including the papers of Light. I was 
 sent to carry a keg of gunpowder to a place of safety, and on 
 returning found Light fighting with the flames, and so ex- 
 hausted that I had to take him away. He afterwards built 
 a cottage for himself at Thebarton, where he owned No. 1 sec- 
 tion. Few people know or ever knew why Colonel Light 
 left the Survey Office. I may mention here that when Light 
 left England the Commissioners told him he was to decide 
 on the site for the capital. Light replied that adopting such 
 a course might bring him into collision with the Governor. 
 He was, however, assured that it would not, and the Com- 
 missioners intimated to Governor Hindmarsh that although 
 Light would consult with him, still the final decision would 
 rest with the Colonel. Light having selected the site for 
 the capital commenced to lay out the country lands, when 
 Mr. Kingston, the Deputy Survey or- General, returned from 
 England with a message from the Commissioners. This was 
 directing Light to proceed with a running survey of the 
 county of Adelaide, and instructing him how to conduct it. 
 He was given a week in which to consider the matter. 
 Light's reply was, 'I don't want five minutes to consider it; 
 I won't do it.' He very properly took the stand that he 
 would not be dictated to by the authorities. If he were not 
 competent to undertake the work as he thought best he was 
 not fit to* do it at all. The upshot was that he resigned, 
 and we sent in our resignations with him. A short time 
 prior to his death Light met me at Gawler and said : 'Jacob, 
 if you live an ordinary life you will see these plains enclosed.' 
 Little did we dream that they would develop to what they are 
 to-day and be connected with a railway. I may claim to 
 have lived an ordinary life, but what has transpired has been
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 67 
 
 beyond my expectations. Light shortly afterwards died in 
 his cottage at Thebarton. I was at his deathbed and at his 
 funeral, and saw his body deposited where the monument now 
 stands. I then turned my attention to pastoral pursuits." 
 Mr. Jacob's station was at "Moorooroo," near Lyndoch Val- 
 ley, where in the early days prominent pioneers often gath- 
 ered round his table. 
 
 Associated with Colonel Light in his pioneer work were 
 Lieutenants Pullen and Field, R.N. It was Lieutenant Pullen 
 who surveyed Port Elliot. The "Goolwa" was first called Port 
 Pullen, in honour of him. He returned to England and 
 sailed in 1849 with one of the "Franklin Search Expeditions." 
 In course of time he became an admiral, and died in the Old 
 Country in 1887 at an advanced age. Lieutenant Field. 
 R.N. , was the first settler to enter the Port River. A few years 
 later he was engaged in bringing flocks overland, and had 
 some exciting encounters with the blacks, with which we 
 shall have to deal. He died about 1842 at Yankalilla, and 
 was buried in the churchyard at or near Willunga. It was 
 this pioneer who introduced the orange-tree into South Aus- 
 tralia. 
 
 With the proclamation of the colony, the choice of the 
 city site, and the surveying of the same the foundations of 
 the Province were well and truly laid. How the superstruc- 
 ture was reared we must leave for coming chapters. 
 
 c2
 
 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE 
 AND MATERIAL SURROUNDINGS.
 
 W 
 OQ
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE AND MATERIAL 
 SURROUNDINGS. 
 
 The foundations of the colony had been laid. Now came 
 the work of raising the superstructure. 
 
 Of the present generation of South Australians it may 
 be said, "Other men la-boured, and ye have entered into 
 their labours." In building up the Commonwealth it was 
 under peculiar conditions that the pioneers had to work. 
 Said one of the most worthy of them : "Men generally 
 laboured from early morning to dusky eve. Restless nights 
 were frequent, and hard work by day caused us often to feel 
 weary by the way." Yet there were compensations. As we 
 shall see, there was a great deal of romance about these early 
 days that is no longer possible. If colonists are more com- 
 fortable to-day their circumstances are more prosaic. 
 
 We saw that the first temporary settlement was at 
 Kangaroo Island ; the second at Holdfast Bay. 
 
 Here the immigrants dwelt in tents and in rude huts 
 made of rushes and boughs. "Hutting" themselves was the 
 term they used. Some for the first evening or two after their 
 arrival had to sleep in the open air. They made for them- 
 selves beds among the bushes on the beach, just above high- 
 water mark. One of the pioneers who had arrived on a 
 Saturday in January, 1837, tells how himself, wife, and two 
 children had to camp in the open air from Saturday night 
 to Monday morning. They then set to work cutting down 
 trees and covering them with bushes. In this way (as many 
 others did) they constructed a temporary shelter. Robert 
 Gouger, the Colonial Secretary, describes how he pitched his 
 tent a little more than a mile from the beach, under the shade . 
 of some gums. We see him, under a blazing sun, transport- 
 ing his goods from the beach to his tent in a small hand truck. 
 Now he has to pull the truck through deep sand, and now 
 over an uneven field, covered with grass. Three journeys 
 from the tent to the beach is a good day's work. At night he 
 retires to the vessel to sleep, wading nearly breast high to 
 reacli the boat that is to convey him to the vessel. 
 
 ( 71 )
 
 72 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Near the tents and rush huts of the immigrants were the 
 wigwams of some of the Adelaide tribe of natives. 
 
 The life was rough, but it was romantic. One is re- 
 minded of the Feast of Tabernacles, when the children of 
 Israel dwelt in booths made of boughs. Gentle folk and sim- 
 ple folk, learned and illiterate, dwelt together as one family. 
 
 One of the pioneers (Mrs. Robert Thomas) has left on re- 
 cord a description as to how the immigrants spent their first 
 Christmas far away from the "dear Old Land." In her diary 
 she writes: "December the 25th, 1836. This being Christ- 
 mas Day and Sunday, Divine service was held for the first 
 time in the hut of the principal surveyor, a short distance 
 from our tents. We attended, taking our seats with us : the 
 signal for attending being the firing of a .gun. The congre- 
 gation numbered twenty-five persons, including the two 
 gentlemen who conducted the service, the thermometer stand- 
 ing at 100 degrees, and most of those assembled being in the 
 open air. . . . We kept up the old custom of Christmas as 
 far as having a plum pudding for dinner was concerned, like- 
 wise a ham and parrot pie, but one of our neighbours, as 
 we afterwards found, had a large piece of roast beef, though 
 we were not aware at the time that any fresh meat was to be 
 had in the colony." 
 
 Hereby hangs a tale. Where the roast beef came from 
 was at first a mystery. It gives point to the old proverb : "It 
 is an ill wind that blows nobody any good." It appears that 
 the captain of the Africaine (one of the emigrant vessels) had 
 a cow and calf on board. While the vessel was lying at 
 anchor, for a change of scenery and food the cow and calf 
 were transhipped to land. They were placed under the care 
 of one of the immigrants. Unfortunately in one respect, and 
 fortunately in another, the cow was tied to a tree not far from 
 a lagoon. She got over the bank, fell in, and was hopelessly 
 injured. She was killed, and in this way some of the immi- 
 grants were supplied with a little Christmas beef. 
 
 There is one sentence in Mrs. Thomas' diary that is very 
 suggestive : they went to the rush hut of the principal sur- 
 veyor for Divine service, ''taking their seats with them." Com- 
 ment is not necessary. Two laymen conducted the service 
 because no minister of the Gospel had yet arrived. 
 
 From the letter of another lady pioneer we get a very 
 good idea of the pioneer settlement at Holdfast Bay, the set- 
 tlers, and their surroundings : "The beach is a very fine 
 white sand, hard close to the water, and then rises to hillocks 
 of deep loose sand, with shrubs growing in it. When we
 
 
 BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 73 
 
 had passed these little banks of sand, which do not extend 
 above a quarter of a mile, we entered a fine open plain with 
 beautiful trees- scattered over it, looking very green, also some 
 shrubs, although at the end of a hot summer. The stores 
 and a few huts and tents are erected at the entrance to the 
 plain, and we walked on about three-quarters of a mile to 
 where many of the settlers had pitched their tents. It ap- 
 peared like a beautiful park. Some of the trees were large 
 and old. They were chiefly the sheaoak and tea-tree and 
 gum, and several others we did not know. There were wild 
 strawberries, raspberries, and a sort of cranberry. The kan- 
 garoos are scarce, and some have been sold at Is. ft. 
 We saw flocks of green and crimson parrots. They 
 were plentiful and very good eating ; also the bronze-winged 
 pigeon ; cockatoos black and crimson and white and yel- 
 low. The natives eat rats, snakes, or anything they can find. 
 They will come to shake hands very friendly. They ask for 
 biscuit, and say 'good night,' which they know to be a sort 
 of salutation, so say it any time. There was a woman buried 
 last night who came in the Coromandel. < 12 ) A party of 
 natives attended and seemed very much affected, putting up 
 their hands ; and an old man whom they called Ginykin 
 their chief, we think wept. They are very superstitious 
 and very idle, lying under a tree all day ; but in the evening 
 they have a dance, or merry-making they call a 'corroboree.' 
 One of the first things we noticed on entering the settlement 
 was the truly English custom ; I mean several printed bills 
 one a caution, the other a reward. The caution was a high 
 fine on any person giving spirits or wine to the blacks : the 
 reward was 5 for the discovery of a person who had 
 already transgressed the orders. There were several others 
 posted about on the gum-trees. . . . We all rose early, with 
 parrots chirping over our heads, and breakfasted with Mrs. 
 Brown. The coffee mill is nailed to a tree outside the tent 
 and the roaster stands close by the side. The fire for cook- 
 ing is on the ground near by. The fresh branches of gum- 
 trees burn like dry wood ; firing will cost us nothing for 
 years. Each family has erected a tent under a tree and dug 
 a well by the side of it. . . . Water can be had for digging 
 about 6 ft. all over the plains called Glenelg. The trees 
 are generally from fifty to a few hundred feet apart, and 
 mostly without any bush between." 
 
 The above are the first impressions of one of the early 
 immigrants, who was evidently of a very observing turn of 
 
 (12) The name of the vessel still lingers in Coromandel Valley.
 
 74 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 mind. The Mrs. Brown to whom she refers would be the 
 wife of the Emigration Agent, whose duty it was "to receive 
 the labouring immigrants upon their arrival, to enquire into 
 their treatment during the voyage, to provide shelter for 
 them and their baggage, to assist them in procuring employ- 
 ment, and to provide them with work until they had sufficient 
 time to find masters and enter into engagements." 
 
 The romance was not all joyous. One of the first settlers 
 complained of the fleas in the sandhills and the mosquitoes, 
 no doubt attracted by the lagoons. Another complained of 
 the centipedes. Within two yards of his tent five had been 
 caught about 5 in. long. One night the occupier put 
 his hand within an inch of a large scorpion. Ants were 
 troublesome, and the ubiquitous rat had also made its appear- 
 ance, and was making inroads on scanty stores. 
 
 Tt was with mingled feelings of hope and fear that the 
 early immigrants approached the new land. We gather this 
 from the MS. journal of Pastor Finlayson. He was a fine 
 old man a splendid specimen of a pioneer. The colony had 
 been founded only about a year when he arrived. He taber- 
 nacled with us sixty years. It was in 1837 that the John 
 Renwiclt., in which he sailed from the Old Country, came 
 gliding along the South Australian coast. Said he: "The 
 Mount Lofty Range beyond was beautiful, and as a Scotsman 
 I was truly glad that the country had hills. Their 
 appearance was parched and white, it being now the end of 
 summer and the grass dry, but they were bold in outline 
 and were a striking figure in the landscape. We were truly 
 glad to get to the termination of our voyage, but after dark a 
 grand and (to us) mysterious fire began to kindle on the 
 hills, which alarmed us not a little. It spread with amaz- 
 ing rapidity from one hill to another until the whole range 
 before us seemed one mass of flame. We looked at each 
 other, and the knowing ones shook their heads and declared 
 that it was a signal for the native clans to gather for the 
 purpose of destroying the white intruders. They even pointed 
 to what they in their terror took to be native forms adding to 
 and spreading the flame. It was, indeed, a grand and a 
 fearful sight, and many sat on deck watching all night long, 
 expecting to see bands of naked savages coming down upon us. 
 The new settlers soon learned that at the end of the summer 
 the poor natives were in the habit of firing the grass that they 
 might secure reptiles and animals for food. The incident 
 above recorded, however, filled many with a lasting dread of 
 aboriginals, and for the first few months the whole settlement
 
 BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 75 
 
 of Adelaide kept watch and ward against a "black attack," 
 which never came. ( 13) The fear of an assault was not an 
 unreasonable one, as the new arrivals did not know what 
 enemies dwelt beyond the hills, but the natives soon lost 
 whatever warlike spirit they may at first have possessed, and 
 cringed and whined in unmanly fashion." 
 
 After the site for the city had been fixed a move was 
 made from the temporary settlement on the coast to the en- 
 virons of the prospective town. There were neither roads 
 nor conveyances. The immigrants had to walk through the 
 bush to the city site (a distance of about seven miles) and 
 transport their possessions as best they could. Some were 
 fortunate enough to secure the services of a small hand-cart. 
 One of our pioneers who rose to distinction in the State had 
 his goods transported in a wheelbarrow from the seaboard to 
 the site on which the city was to be built. Others had to 
 carry their goods in their arms. To many it must have been 
 an anxious time, and need we be surprised if some looked back 
 with aching hearts to the little cottage or flower garden that 
 had been theirs in the dear Old Land ? But regrets were 
 unavailing. Retreat (even if desired) was impossible. The 
 ocean had been crossed ; the momentous step had been taken ; 
 "for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer" they were com- 
 mitted to a great and hazardous enterprise. 
 
 The salient features of this primitive pilgrimage rise 
 before us. Seven miles have to be traversed between 
 Holdfast Bay and the Torrens banks. The country is cov- 
 ered with timber and the weather is hot. We see flushed 
 faces and perspiring brows ; we hear the cry of little chil- 
 dren and the welcome joke of the man of buoyant spirit 
 who, like Mark Tapley, can be happy under any circum- 
 stances. We see parents with their arms full of utensils, 
 and little ones, footsore and weary, clinging to their mother's 
 skirts. Here and there an elder brother or sister is carry- 
 ing a little one pick-a-back. 
 
 The experiences of some of the pioneer pilgrims were 
 amusing. One thought that he could do the journey better 
 bootless, but experience taught him a lesson which he effec- 
 tually learned. Pastor Finlayson tells how he filled a cask 
 with articles and rolled it from the seaboard to where Hind- 
 marsh now stands, some four or five miles. The experi- 
 ment was not a success. Among the articles there was a 
 
 (13) There were two things which filled our pilgrim fathers 
 and mothers with fear the blacks and the serpents, some of the 
 latter being of a deadly type.
 
 76 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 smoothing iron, and in rolling the cask the iron did consider- 
 able damage. To make his misfortune complete the head of 
 the cask came out and his goods were scattered. 
 
 The land on which the city was to be built not yet being 
 available, another temporary encampment was formed. The 
 locality was the banks of the Torrens, between what is now 
 called Nortli Terrace and the river. 
 
 A description of the Torrens in 1836 may not be uninter- 
 esting. Its banks were covered with trees and undergrowth. 
 In the bed of the river were tea- tree and reeds. In sum- 
 mer the river itself consisted of a number of holes full of 
 clear water, connected with one another by a tiny stream. 
 It was on this streak of water that would not carry a black- 
 fellow's canoe in summer that some emigration agent in the 
 Old Country had pictured a large ship riding at anchor. 
 From Government Hut to below what is now the populous 
 suburb of Hindmarsh gum-trees and shrubs lined the banks 
 of the Torrens. Here was one of the pleasantest walks 
 that the early immigrants could take. Walking down the 
 riverside they could see innumerable parrots and flocks of 
 white cockatoos. Occasionally a native might be seen climb- 
 ing the trees searching for a large caterpillar, a most tooth- 
 some morsel of food. 
 
 The settlers had few of the advantages of civilization. 
 There was neither slate, shingle, board, nor galvanized iron 
 depot. Some of the huts were composed of mud and grass, 
 covered with reeds : others were wooden frames on which can- 
 vas was stretched. "Government House" the "vice-regal 
 mansion/' as it was sarcastically called was a wattle and 
 daub hut. In wet weather "hut wives" found it a difficult 
 matter to keep the rain out. They had to resort to various 
 expedients. Sometimes umbrellas were propped up to keep 
 the goods dry. 
 
 Some of the emigrants, before leaving England, had 
 made arrangements for a few small houses, ready made, to 
 be shipped. They were to come by the Tarn o' Shanter. Un- 
 fortunately, as the vessel was sailing from Kangaroo Island 
 to what is known as Port Adelaide she struck a sand-bar and 
 had to remain there for some time. Says one of the pioneers : 
 "The sailors had to attend to the ship and we had to do as 
 best we could. Some cut down a few light saplings and, 
 putting them together as well as they were able, went down 
 to the bed of the river and cut some grass with which to 
 make a kind of wurley hut, into which we had to go and 
 there spend the winter, improving the place a little as the
 
 BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 77 
 
 days went by. We were frequently obliged to fix up umbrel- 
 las, etc., to keep off the drenching rain, no other means being 
 available at the time." 
 
 Another pioneer tells how he and his young wife found 
 a lodging in a "natty little place." It was a shelter con- 
 structed of tea-trees and cloth, with the wife's black cloth 
 cloak to curtain the doorway. It may have been a very 
 good summer residence, but when the winter came and 
 the "rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew" 
 tea-tree and cloth were found wanting. The hut was flooded 
 and the wife fell ill. 
 
 One who came to the colony in the early days and who 
 published his reminiscences at '"Home" thus describes the 
 temporary settlement on the banks of the Torrens : "The 
 huts were scattered about without any attempt at regularity 
 or uniformity. Every man had built his house on the spot 
 where whim and choice pointed out, or where material was 
 easiest got ; the consequence was that a collection of as primi- 
 tive-looking wigwams as can well be imagined soon lined the 
 banks of the Torrens some of them facing- the east, some the 
 west : in fact, every point of the compass might have claimed 
 one or more facing it. They stood just as though a mad 
 bull had been playing his antics among them and had tossed 
 them hither and thither. Nor was the appearance of the 
 dwellings less amusing or extraordinary than their general 
 position. Most of them possessed an aperture to afford egress 
 and ingress; but few, if any, could boast of a window of any 
 kind. A fireplace was not deemed essential, though several 
 had an opening at one end, surmounted by an empty pork 
 cask, deprived of the ends, to serve as a chimney. A great 
 portion of the immigrants, however, contented themselves 
 without a fire, except outside, where it might be seen blaz- 
 ing with a pot hung over it 'a la gypsy.' It was not an 
 unusual thing in hot or showery weather to see a lady watch- 
 ing the kettle or camp oven under an umbrella." 
 
 John Ottaway, whose experiences were published in The 
 Register in 1908, said : "We had, like all other pioneers, to 
 rough it; but we were none the worse for that. It made us 
 self-reliant, and little boys had to be miniature men. I 
 distinctly remember our first home a miserable shanty, in- 
 deed; no fireplace, and a mud floor. The cooking was done 
 in the open until my father took the liberty of cutting an 
 opening in the wooden wall and building an outside chimney 
 and fireplace of turf. On the top of the chimney a sort of 
 funnel of bark was erected to create a better draught, and
 
 78 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 BO we were enabled to indulge in the luxury of a warm fire. 
 Our roof was none of the best, but mother was equal to the 
 occasion, when the leaky places admitted the rain, by placing 
 tin plates and dishes in position on the bed to catch the drops 
 as they came. We got our drinking water from the Torrens, 
 three-quarters of a mile distant. We had no Happy Valley 
 service in those days, nor were there any electric lights. We 
 were fortunate if we had a sufficiency of tallow candles." 
 
 These privations (as the old pioneer above mentioned 
 affirmed) were not without their advantages. They deve- 
 loped thrift, determination, self-reliance. The early settlers 
 did not "run to the Government" when they wanted a bed 
 or a new broom. Tradition says that there was a time when 
 the Government Treasury contained but eighteen pence. 
 
 The fugitive settlement on the banks of the Torrens in 
 1837 must have been picturesque, every kind of material, 
 from reeds to ticking and cloth of all colours, being used 
 for the sides of the temporary dwellings. Here and there in 
 the encampment that we have described there was some little 
 attempt at order. It was only natural that immigrants who 
 came out in the same ship would desire to pitch their tents 
 or to build their huts together, so in the settlement on the 
 banks of the Torrens there was a '"Buffalo Row" and a "Coro- 
 mandel Row." Evidently the immigrants who had come 
 by the Buffalo and the Coromandel had pitched their tents or 
 built their houses in a line together. "Buffalo Row" stood 
 near the Adelaide Gaol, "Coromandel Row" a little eastward. 
 It consisted of a few wooden cottages brought out in the 
 Navarina. 
 
 "Emigration Square" came later on the scene. Origin- 
 ally it was called "Forbes' Square." It was on the West 
 Parklands, not far distant from where the Observatory now 
 stands. This is a historic spot that must not be lost sight 
 of. Here a depot for immigrants had been formed. An 
 old lady who, as a buxom lass, came out in 1838 with Gover- 
 nor Gawler described to me her experiences. The vessel 
 dropped anchor in Holdfast Bay. They were conveyed to 
 the beach in boats as far as depth of water would allow, and 
 then were carried to the shore by the sailors. They travelled 
 to Adelaide in a bullock dray. The dray stopped at Emigra- 
 tion Square. She spoke of the sense of humiliation she 
 experienced, thinking that perhaps they might be located 
 there. "It was like going to the Union." However, her 
 fears were groundless. The oxen moved on to North Ade- 
 laide, where the new arrivals found refuge in a pise house.
 
 BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 79 
 
 The depot at Emigration Square was certainly not a de 
 sirable place. Said one of the immigrants : "How very in- 
 ferior to what was promised at Home are the comforts and 
 attentions bestowed upon the newly-landed immigrant. 
 Brought from the discomforts of shipboard, he is lodged in a 
 square of not exceeding 10 ft., exposed to wind, heat, cold, 
 in all their dangerous changes. And often into the same 
 small square are crammed two families, destroying morality 
 and causing misery and death. It is necessary that the 
 authorities should go around that Augean stable, Emigra- 
 tion Square, and regulate the occupancies." 
 
 Notwithstanding many discomforts there was much that 
 was -enjoyable about these far-off times. Everything was 
 new. There was no snobbery. The settlers led a free, un- 
 conventional kind of life. Servants were difficult to get. 
 Those who came out soon got married. Ladies had to do what 
 is termed menial work. A pork barrel, end up, or a packing- 
 case served as a table ; boxes and trunks did duty as seats : 
 rushes made a comfortable bed. Tin pannikins were used 
 for tea. Ship's biscuit and salt pork was the staple food. 
 Sometimes there was a welcome variety in the form of wallaby 
 or native birds. Even baked snake and lizards were indulged 
 in. Of vegetables and fruits there were few. Some of the 
 immigrants pickled the leaves of the mesembryanthemum, or 
 "pig's-face," as the plant in South Australia is commonly 
 called. The settlers had their social gatherings in tents 
 and in huts. 
 
 The red-letter days were the days when a letter was re- 
 ceived from Home or an emigrant vessel came in. After 
 a short time the "first-comers" were amused by seeing "new 
 chums" marching up to the settlement with guns over their 
 shoulders and pistols in their belts. Said one of the lady 
 pioneers: "The few people here were like a happy family 
 out for a lengthened picnic. . . . No person arriving now can 
 form any idea of the life of the early settlers. It was some 
 times very hard to forget all that we had left in the Old 
 Country, and particularly friends, and to determine to make 
 the best of our surroundings ; but all managed to put up with 
 the roughness and be contented. Happily there was scarcely 
 any sickness in the population. No false shame troubled us. 
 If friends came in they were welcome. We might be ironing, 
 cooking, or working at any menial occupation, and it made 
 the occupation pleasanter to have a friend to chat to. The 
 first wedding I attended was in winter. It being too muddy 
 to walk, we went in a bullock dray. No one appeared to fear
 
 80 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 for the future, although, of course, no one could anticipate 
 what the future might bring forth." 
 
 It must indeed have been "hard," as this lady pioneer 
 affirms, to forget the dear associations of Old England and 
 "to determine to make the best of their surroundings." The 
 "surroundings" at first sight were not at all reassuring. "We 
 managed, somehow," said one of the early comers, "to scram- 
 ble into a ship's boat, which was propelled towards the 
 beach, and while the men waded, the women and children 
 were carried ashore by the sailors. It seemed lonesome and 
 strange in a land with no friendly hand to greet and wel- 
 come us. When we landed a few friendly natives appeared. 
 Unattractive they certainly were, bedaubed with red . and 
 white paint, and dirty matted hair. Nor did they exhale 
 the odours of Araby." 
 
 Another of our pioneers who, as a young woman, came 
 to the colony in 1836, writing to a friend in England in 1837 
 said: "You would smile if you were to see the way in wihich 
 we get on. We have two cups and saucers, which have been 
 lent to us, and six plates, two spoons, and everything else in 
 proportion. I flatter myself we shall make as good colonists 
 as anyone here, for we can all do a little of everything, and 
 are all willing and united, and can be happy with a little ; 
 although I shall certainly be glad when we get a little more 
 settled, for at present it is not very comfortable. But you 
 must not think that we are dissatisfied, for we are quite the 
 reverse. We have had two cocks and hens given to us to 
 begin our little farm with, and also a goose and gander, the 
 latter two by the captain of the Coromandel. I feel as much 
 at home here as if I had been here for years, and so indepen- 
 dent. It is really quite delightful. . . . It is very pic- 
 turesque here to see the different tents pitched about and the 
 rush huts. I really think we ought to be thankful to the 
 Almighty who has brought us thus far in safety, and who 
 has conducted us to a land which answers everybody's expec- 
 tations, and the soil of which is delightful ; and we ought 
 to demonstrate our gratitude to Him in making the best of 
 everything, being cheerful and contented, assisting one 
 another, and dwelling together in unity, peace, and concord. 
 That such may be the case is my earnest prayer." 
 
 If the first immigrants were without many of the com- 
 forts and conveniences of life, and were surrounded by diffi- 
 culties and dangers, they had a newspaper. It speaks well 
 for the energy and enterprise of our pilgrim fathers that be- 
 fore they left the Old Land a paper was published in their
 
 BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 81 
 
 interests. It was called The South Australian Gazette and 
 Colonial Register. The proprietor was Robert Thomas, a 
 pioneer of whom Sir George Grey said : "He was a fine ex- 
 ample of the earnest, able, energetic pioneer colonist : a man 
 of great natural ability and singular force of character." 
 He came out by the Africaine in 1836. Robert Thomas was 
 one of the deputation to receive Governor Hindmarsh when he 
 landed at Holdfast Bay. Having brought a printing plant 
 with him, Mr. Thomas "set up" and printed the proclamation 
 of the colony. At this time both press and type were on 
 the beach at Holdfast Bay. A rush hut was soon erected, and 
 this did duty as a printing office till the site for the city was 
 fixed. Robert Thomas then removed his plant to a town acre. 
 This 'was in Hindley Street, a little to the west of Morphett 
 Street. 
 
 The second copy of The South Australia?) Gazette and 
 Colonial Register was published in 1837. One of the striking 
 features about the paper was its independent and outspoken 
 character. Provisions in the primitive settlement were scarce. 
 To meet the wants of immigrants ten bullocks had been im- 
 ported from the Cape of Good Hope. Ugly rumours were 
 afloat. It was said that a Government official had allowed 
 his two sons to have the pick out of the ten. It was also 
 said that three other officials had been allowed to take their 
 choice before the beef was made available for the settlers. 
 One of the pilgrim fathers wrote to The tioittli A itxfralian 
 Gazette and Colonial Register to know what foundation there 
 was for these rumours. Behold how great a matter a little 
 fire kindleth ! The official under criticism lost his temper 
 and informed the editor that "he might find a more useful 
 and interesting way of filling his columns than by criticizing 
 the actions of individuals." The editorial reply was: "As 
 we did not come to South Australia to be schooled in the 
 management of a newspaper, we trust he will pardon us if we 
 continue the course that we have marked out for ourselves 
 as the part befitting honest and independent journalists." Ere 
 long there was strife in the little community. Some of the 
 officials were so exasperated by editorial criticisms that a 
 handbill was printed and circulated among the immigrants 
 urging the establishment of another newspaper. In the opin- 
 ion of these gentlemen The tioutlt Australian Gazette and 
 Colonial Register had "eminently failed." The rejoinder of 
 the editor was: "We continue doggedly in our resohition to 
 set our faces against all systems and degrees of iobbery, against 
 puffing individuals, or recording flummery speeches and trashy
 
 82 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 compliments. We are as determined as ever to expose hum- 
 bug wherever we find it : to keep a sharp lookout after the 
 doings of every jack-in-the-office : to give the colonists the 
 guarantee of publicity in all matters ; to protest against all 
 secret transaction of public business; to speak the truth, in 
 short, and shame the devil.'' Ere long there was a libel 
 case in the little colony a Government official v. the proprie- 
 tor of The South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register. 
 
 After the settlers had been about eight months in the 
 new land there came the intelligence of the death of King 
 William IV. and the accession of Queen Victoria. Governor 
 Hindmarsh, with the members of the Council, Magistrates, 
 and many of the immigrants, assembled in front of Govern- 
 ment Hut. After a reference to the death of King William 
 the Royal proclamation was read and an address was for- 
 warded to the youthful Queen. 
 
 Judging from some of the letters written Home by the 
 pioneers the majority seemed to be quite satisfied with their 
 lot. 
 
 Writing from his tent at Holdfast Bay, before Adelaide 
 existed, John Brown, one of our worthy pioneers, after whom 
 Brown Street is named, said : "The more we see of the col- 
 ony the more our impressions in its favour are confirmed. 
 There is abundance of good land everywhere, and the great 
 drawback in other settlements the expense of clearing the 
 ground does not exist. Many thousand acres are fit at once 
 for the plough, and with a soil that will produce anything. 
 I have dug for water close to my tent and found 2 ft. of rich 
 black earth." 
 
 Dr. Everard, who came out the year the colony was pro- 
 claimed, and who sat in the First Parliament, in a letter to 
 a sister in England said : "We stayed four days at Kangaroo 
 Island and then proceeded to that spot which our chief sur- 
 veyor indicated as the place probably of our settlement. 
 On the 9th of November we landed at Holdfast Bay and 
 pitched our tent about a mile from the beach, near some 
 fine ponds of fresh water abounding with wild duck. You 
 must understand, we were the first settlers : those who had 
 preceded us were the surveyors and their people, and some 
 of the South Australian Company, who founded the settle- 
 ment at Kangaroo Island, where they had been about four 
 months when we arrived. . . . After a very long delay 
 the site of the chief town was fixed, and we have been iipon 
 our town land about a month. It certainly is admirably 
 chosen, and must eventually become a very prosperous city.
 
 BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 83 
 
 It is situated upon two gentle slopes, with a river between 
 of excellent water. Beautiful grassy plains surround it, 
 with a sufficiency of timber to make it look well. . . . It is 
 7 miles from the harbour, which is called Port Adelaide, 
 but a canal is contemplated of 6 miles in length, 
 which will bring merchandise from the Port to the city. I 
 do not expect we shall get our country sections for twelve 
 months, we have such a paucity of good surveyors. The 
 Rapid goes to England for the purpose of bringing some. 
 Before my paper is filled I should like to tell you that this 
 country, soil, and climate excel my most sanguine expec- 
 tations, and that I would not return to live in England on 
 any account. This is near our shortest day, and the days are 
 like English summer. The greatest heat of summer has been 
 110 in the shade, but very endurable." 
 
 Another settler who came out in 1836 wrote as follows : 
 ''The town of Adelaide is on the eastern side of the Gulf 
 of St. Vincent. It is situated on a plain of great extent 
 and fertility well timbered and watered. The hills are 
 covered with a species of wood called stringybark, and of as 
 much use and as easy to work as American pine. There 
 are hundreds of thousands of acres of this timber, plenty of 
 it within 7 or 8 miles of the town. If we had 
 20,000 emigrants every year for the next century there 
 would be enough for all. Vegetables of all kinds thrive de- 
 lightfully. In a few days the time for planting maize, or 
 Indian corn, will arrive, and great success is expected in that 
 cultivation. There is on the plain of which Adelaide is the 
 centre food for 50,000 head of cattle, ten times that 
 number of sheep. I have seen mutton exhibited at the 
 butchers' which would not have disgraced Leadenhall Market. 
 Pigs and poultry thrive better than I ever saw them in the 
 richest districts of Yorkshire or Westphalia. On our first 
 settlement here we had a number of the dingo or Australian 
 wild dog prowling about. In a year or two it is likely that 
 vie shall get rid of the animal. The kangaroo is in great 
 abundance, and can be purchased at from 9d. 
 to Is. per 1b. The black swan and wild duck in great 
 variety; quail, plover, cockatoos, and parrots abound. The 
 harbour and gulf swarm with fish. Fresh beef, Is. 
 per Ib. for best joints ; mutton the same. Car- 
 penters and sawyers get from 9s. 6d. to 10s. 
 per day. Any man with a hundred ewes might realize an 
 ample fortune on our unlimited ranges of healthy sheepwalk 
 in five vears. The industrious farmer should turn his atten-
 
 84 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 tion to South Australia. Let him purchase a hundred 
 acres of laud, bring his ploughs and spade, and two or three 
 active sons, with 200 cash. He cannot fail to 
 double his property within two years from the day he lands. 
 We recommend emigrants who wish to live in a fine country, 
 where there is elbow room, and where industry is s\ire to be 
 rewarded, to lose no time in shipping themselves and their 
 children to South Australia. We want no idlers no drunk- 
 ards but steady, sober men, not ashamed to live by the sweat 
 of their brow." 
 
 No wonder that there was a fascination for English folk 
 about letters like these, especially when they were garnished, 
 as they sometimes were, with references to blackfellows, kan 
 garoos, and emus. 
 
 Though there was much to interest in the new la.nd, some 
 of the settlers could not forget the old. One of them gave 
 vent to his feelings in song : - 
 
 Thou art very fair, my adopted land, 
 
 With thy dome of cloudless blue ; 
 And I have found on thy distant strand 
 
 Hearts that were warm and true; 
 But I love thee not with the feelings deep 
 That L love the Isle where my fathers sleep. 
 
 Thy birds, it is true, are of splendid wing, 
 With tints that are gorgeously bright, 
 
 But to most is denied the tuneful string 
 Which falls on the ear with delight 
 
 'Neath the shady oaks that wave in the west, 
 
 In the land far off the Isle I love best. 
 
 Thou hast thy flowers of varying hue, 
 Which upward raise their tiny head ; 
 
 But my heart yearns over the one that grew 
 In my childhood's small garden bed ; 
 
 The lily of scarlet and gold bloomed there, 
 
 The unrivalled queen of ray own parterre. 
 
 All the letters were not of the joyous character of those 
 quoted. One of the early settlers wrote Home as follows: 
 
 "Dear and Respected Friend We landed in Holdfast 
 Bay on March 24. I have not been able to get a job, nor 
 any hope of any. I am reduced to great distress, provisions 
 being enormously high bread, 3s. a loaf; potatoes, 3s. 6d. a 
 gallon ; beef and mutton, Is. per ft). ; butter, 3s. 6d. per ft>. ; 
 cheese, 2s. per ft). ; porter, Is. 6d. a quart. I have conversed 
 with several who came out in the first ship, and they assure me 
 that everything they have attempted has turned out a fail- 
 ure. How can anything grow in dust and sand and eternal
 
 BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 85 
 
 drought? There is not a river in the colony. Rents are 
 twelve times as high as in England. A hovel in which you 
 would not put a good horse, 1 a week. Still, many per- 
 sons say they are doing well ; but there is no bottom in the 
 whole affair, and it is a cruel deception practised on the 
 people of England. A cabin passenger of mine shot himself 
 three weeks after his arrival." 
 
 This is part of a signed letter which appeared in a Glas- 
 gow paper. Unfortunately for the writer the editor of 
 The South Australian Gazette find Colonial Register saw the 
 letter, and the writer was glad to publicly qualify his state- 
 ments. 
 
 The editor of the London Times seemed to be constantly 
 on the lookout for communications to the discredit of the 
 colony. Some doleful letters appeared in the columns of The 
 Times in 1840. One writer complained that the climate 
 was not as healthy as had been reported. He had seen four 
 or five funerals go to the cemetery every day, and a person was 
 rarely to be seen more than fifty years of age. This scribe 
 must surely have known that one of the stipulations in the 
 colonization of South Australia was that emigrants had to be 
 under thirty. < 14 > He complained of "Emigration Square." 
 It was remarkable for its mortality. It was no uncommon 
 occurrence for seven or eight persons to die in the course of 
 a week. The weather had been very hot, the thermometer being 
 102 or 112 degrees in the shade. The wind was exceedingly 
 high, and the dust raised by it penetrated every crevice. 
 The River Torrens had become so small that a 4-in. pipe 
 would carry more water. The water was so full of animal- 
 cula that in the hot weather it had to be used immediately. 
 Fleas were a grievous nuisance ; they were supposed to breed 
 in the dust and to be carried into the houses in swarms 
 whenever there was a gale of wind. Another nuisance was 
 a troublesome blowfly. The hot weather dried the bread to 
 such an extent that only when new could it be eaten. The beef 
 never got tender, and vast quantities were thrown away be- 
 cause uneatable. If a sheep were killed it had to be cut up 
 and eaten while still warm. 
 
 This critic, whose contribution was honoured by a place 
 in the London Times, must have arrived at the age when the 
 grasshopper was a burden. If all the pioneers had been 
 
 (14) In the census papers for 1844 only eighteen persons were re- 
 turned who were over sixty years of age, and this in a popu- 
 lation of more than 17,000.
 
 86 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 such as he, where would have been our flourishing colony to- 
 day ? 
 
 There was another letter to which the editor of Th<- Times 
 drew special attention. It was headed, "Miserable Condition 
 of Australian Emigrants." Said the editor: "It shows the 
 wretched condition of those tinhappy creatures to whom this 
 land of promise has been so niggardly in its performance." 
 "It is quite distressing," said the writer of the letter, "to 
 look round and see so many once respectable and wealthy 
 young men with hardly a coat to put on, driving bullocks, 
 attending masons. They left their homes young, bringing 
 with them all they had in the world. Some lost one way, 
 some another." The writer went on to affirm that the bot- 
 anist had given up all hope of the colony. He had given 
 his opinion that it was quite impossible to bring any Euro- 
 pean plant to perfection in South Australia. The potatoes 
 were very bad. Corn, wheat, and barley would perhaps do 
 very well for the first one or two months, then the north 
 winds, dust, and insects ruined them. There was plenty 
 of money to be made, but every man was "snapping" for 
 himself, to get away from the place as soon as possible. The 
 most profitable business was keeping a boarding-house. Ten 
 pounds in England would go as far as fifty in South Austra- 
 lia. The town was a strange one ; just a wood, with a small 
 house here and there in it. There were all sorts of people 
 in Adelaide, from the Irishman to the African, and plenty 
 of fleas and mosquitoes. "I suppose," said the writer, ''you 
 are getting very favourable reports from some of the old 
 inhabitants, who wish to invite their friends to come to 
 this fairy isle, where in summer time you can scarcely get 
 a drink of good water, with a burning sun all day long, the 
 north wind as hot as fire, blowing the sand in clouds enough 
 to stifle you and to burn the eyes out of your head." 
 
 These criticisms remind me of a passage in Pastor Fin- 
 layson's MS. journal. After referring to the Arcadian con- 
 ditions of life when the first settlers landed, he says: "After 
 a time things began to lose their extremely primitive form. 
 The newcomers grumbled that they found matters so far 
 behind. They grumbled about the huts they had to put 
 up with, and the living also : finding faxilt with everything. 
 What pleased \is who had passed through the hardship of 
 the first settlement they looked upon with contempt. 
 The romance had been mainly confined to the eight months, 
 when all were in a great measure on a struggling level."
 
 BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 87 
 
 A lady coming up from Fort Adelaide in 1840 was com- 
 plaining of the high price of commodities in the new settle- 
 ment. A gentleman began to question her as to the evils 
 of which she complained. "My good woman, what price do 
 you pay for meat?" "Oh, sir, it's verra dear. We pay 
 about lOd. a pund for't." "And what would you pay 
 for such meat in Glasgow?" "Oh, we wadna pay mair than 
 5d." "What wages had your husband in Glasgow?" 
 "He used to get twa-and-twenty shillings a week." "And 
 pray, how much does he make here?" "Oh, sir, he disna mak 
 aboon 13s. a day just noo" (3 18s. a week). 
 
 On July 23rd, 1837, the pioneers had a weird experience. 
 It was on a Sunday morning. There was a loud rumbling 
 noise that lasted twenty seconds. The earth shook and trem- 
 bled. It was an earthquake. The pilgrim fathers were 
 alarmed. Were all their bright hopes to be shattered ? Had 
 they come to a land of volcanoes and earthquakes. The 
 natives were interviewed and questioned about the occurrence. 
 Fortunately they could remember only two similar shocks 
 many years before. 
 
 A gala day in the experience of some of the early settlers 
 was the first anniversary of the colony. About four o'clock 
 in the afternoon of December 28th, 1837, several of the pio- 
 neers assembled at the court-house and received Governor 
 Hindmarsh in a most cordial manner. The chair was taken 
 by the Acting Judge (Henry Jickling). ( 15 > A dinner of 
 "four courses and dessert" was served up by Host Lee, of the 
 Southern Cross Hotel. Several toasts were proposed; 
 among others, "The Health of Governor Hindmarsh." In 
 responding the Governor said : "He attributed much of 
 the cordiality of the day to the circumstance which he was 
 sure they believed, and which one day or another would, 
 in spite of misrepresentation, be the undisputed fact, namely, 
 that he laboured for the best interest of the Province without 
 any selfish view whatever. In his situation as Governor he 
 had duties to perform to Her Majesty and to the colonists, 
 
 U3) Henry Jickling (Barrister) was a quaint character. He 
 wore shoes, white stockings, and a peculiar cloak. In 
 addition, he was very near-sighted and had a springy walk. 
 Many were the jokes manufactured at his expense. He was as 
 funny as the name sounds. He became Master of the Supreme 
 Court, and with the late Sir Richard D. Hanson examined our 
 present worthy Chief Justice (the Right Hon. Sir Samuel Way. 
 Bart.) when he was admitted to the Bar. Some time after 1861 
 Henry Jickling left South Australia and returned to the Old 
 Country.
 
 88 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 and he strove to do both to the best of his judgment. The 
 dissensions which had unhappily arisen he trusted would be 
 transitory ; at all events, they would not affect the progress 
 of the settlement of our adopted country." "Three times 
 three" were frequently indulged in and, according to an old 
 print, "many excellent speeches were made." 
 
 "Coming events cast their shadows before." Some of 
 the shadows are ominous. It was so in the experience of 
 the pioneers. The Governor's speech at the first anniversary 
 of the colony was very suggestive. He spoke of "dissensions 
 that had unhappily arisen." What these were other chap- 
 ters will reveal.
 
 EXAMINING THE COUNTRY.
 
 M 
 o 
 00 
 
 fu 
 
 as 
 
 a 
 
 5 
 
 M 
 
 S H 
 
 I-} V 
 
 03 > 
 
 o -. 
 
 o <* 
 
 s 
 
 $ * 
 
 3 s 
 
 I 
 
 3.9 
 
 a I 
 * g 
 
 fe O
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 EXAMINING THE COUNTRY. 
 
 Some of the readers may remember times in their younger 
 days when (to use a colloquial expression) they "moved." 
 The old home was broken up ; the locality in which they had 
 spent some happy years was forsaken : and a new home was 
 formed amid strange surroundings. How intense the excite- 
 ment ! How keen the anticipation ! There was the 
 packing of goods ; the farewell to friends ; the journey to the 
 new habitation ; the arrival. How eager the young people 
 were to hurry through the new rooms, to rush out into the 
 garden, to see what the neighbourhood was like, and to take 
 in as soon as possible the whole situation. We are all 
 children of a larger growth, and it was exactly so in the 
 experience of the early immigrants. 
 
 As we shall see, some were too eager too anxious and 
 had to pay the penalty by the loss of their lives. All the 
 pioneer vessels called at Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island, where 
 the first batch of settlers had been located. This was a 
 terra incognita. No foot had ever trodden its tangled in- 
 terior. The island was a veritable labyrinth, covered with 
 forest and jungle. 
 
 A FOOLISH AND FATAL EXPERIMENT. 
 
 The Africaine was one of the early arrivals. She had on 
 board several of the pioneers whose names occur in these 
 pages : Robert Gouger, the first Colonial Secretary ; John 
 Brown, the Immigration Agent; Dr. Everard, and Robert 
 Thomas, founder of The South Australian Register. Before 
 she reached Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island, the vessel 
 dropped anchor. Some of the immigrants on board were so 
 anxious to see the new country that they asked permission 
 from the captain to land and to walk over part of the island 
 to Nepean Bay. They had no conception of the difficulty of 
 the position. Captain Duff tried to dissuade them, but they 
 were bent upon the enterprise. The captain then gave 
 them permission to land. The party consisted of Dr. Slater 
 and Messrs. Osborne, Nantes, Warren, Biggs, and Fisher, all 
 young fellows. The captain supplied them with provisions 
 
 ( 91 )
 
 92 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA 
 
 to last for two or three days. It was thought that in that 
 time they would join their fellow-passengers at Nepean Bay. 
 
 They landed in the evening, about 7 o'clock, and 
 slept the first night under a thick bush. The next day they 
 commenced their journey, and found the way beset with dif- 
 ficulties. The country was rough, scrubby, and some of the 
 bushes thorny. In addition to these troubles their water 
 supply was soon exhausted. One of the survivors wrote: 
 ''We now began to think of the difficulty of our undertaking, 
 more especially as we could not find any fresh water. We 
 were all thirsty, and the sun excessively hot." They discov- 
 ered a stagnant pool, from which they drank freely and at 
 the time felt no ill effects. Unfortunately they altered 
 their course a little and became involved in the tangles of 
 the interior. The farther they went the more impenetrable 
 the trees and brushwood became. They were obliged to chop 
 their way with a hatchet. They now began to despair of 
 finding their way out. To add to their troubles Mr. Osborne 
 was taken ill, and declared that he could not walk any far- 
 ther. He asked the party to go on and leave him behind, 
 which they refused to do. Fortunately they found a spring 
 of water and then lighted a fire, gave their sick comrade 
 some stimulant, and covered him up. In about two hours 
 he was able to go a few miles farther. They now began to 
 steer in a south-westerly direction, and found abundance of 
 water. The party had to pass through mud and marsh, 
 and at times were chest-deep in water. All were tiled out, 
 especially the invalid. They had now been two days in the 
 bush. The third day they pushed on, surrounded by dif- 
 ficulties. The food supply was exhausted, but they were 
 able to shoot a cockatoo and some parrots. The fourth day 
 was "starvation day" no breakfast, no water. They con- 
 tinued pushing and forcing ther way until, overcome by 
 exhaustion, they sat down and shared one parrot among 
 them one small bird among six persons ! 
 
 Resuming their journey they struck the coast and 
 travelled along it, hoping that they would not again have 
 to take to the forest and jungle. In this they were disap- 
 pointed. Their progress was impeded by a heavy surf, strik- 
 ing against immense cliffs of 400 or 500 ft. high. 
 They had to take to the bush again, and struggled on about 
 15 miles. For a long time, with the exception of one 
 seagull, which had been shot on the beach, they had been 
 without food and water. Mr. Osborne was again taken ill. 
 It was now proposed that the party should divide : that
 
 EXAMINING THE COUNTRY. 93 
 
 Dr. Slater and Mr. Fisher should remain with Osborne. To 
 this all could not agree. Osborne struggled on for a few 
 miles farther, then both himself and Dr. Slater collapsed. 
 They requested the remainder of the party to go on, and 
 send them some assistance, should they be fortunate enough 
 to find their way out of the maze. The others again pushed 
 on. It was now six days since they had left the vessel. 
 They shot two seagulls, and sucked their blood to quench their 
 craving for water. The party lay down to rest, and saw a 
 large venomous black snake crawl from underneath the weeds 
 on which they were resting, but were too exhausted and dazed 
 to trouble about such a trifle. On the ninth day, as some 
 rain had fallen during the night, they sucked the drops of 
 water from the trees. On the tenth day they were fortunate 
 enough to reach the settlement at Nepean Bay, where they 
 were nursed and cared for by Dr. Wright and Samuel 
 Stephens. 
 
 A search was then made for Dr. Slater and Mr. Osborne. 
 In a former chapter I spoke of some white buccaneers 
 who, before the colonization of South Australia, had found 
 their way to the coast of Kangaroo Island. With them 
 were some natives. The services of these were sought, and 
 four white men and two black women set out immediately, 
 with a supply of provisions and water, to look for the lost 
 men. They searched but could not find. The unfortunate 
 Dr. Slater and Mr. Osborne perished somewhere in the wilds 
 of Kangaroo Island, under the most distressing circum- 
 stances. 
 
 DISCOVERY OF THE TORKENS. 
 
 We must now leave Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island, 
 where the pilgrim fathers landed, and go to the primitive 
 settlement at Holdfast Bay on the mainland. Here the ma- 
 jority of the immigrants had temporarily settled in tents 
 and huts made of rushes, till the site for the city was fixed. 
 The time was not wasted. Some of it was spent by the 
 pioneer fathers in examining the country. They branched 
 out in various directions. It was on one ot these explora- 
 tory trips that Messrs. Field, George S. Kingston, and John 
 Morphett discovered the stream of water now called the Tor- 
 rens, on which the city of Adelaide is built. 
 
 A TRIP WITH A SAD ENDING. 
 
 Later on, after the site for the city had been fixed, 
 Messrs. T. Bews Strangways and Hutchinson left the settle-
 
 94 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 ment on the banks of the Torrens to explore the mouth of the 
 Murray. They were joined by Sir John Jeffcott and Cap- 
 tain Blenkinsopp. The trip was an unfortunate one. Sir 
 John had been appointed judge of the New Settlement by 
 the authorities in England. In opposition to Colonel Light, 
 he thought the city should be built at Encounter Bay. He 
 wished to show that the mouth of the Murray was navigable, 
 and thus remove an objection to the city being located at 
 Encounter Bay. In his attempt to do so the boat was 
 swamped, and both he and Captain Blenkinsopp were 
 drowned. This was on December 12th, 1837. Sir John was one 
 of the first immigrants and a member of the committee which 
 named the streets and squares of Adelaide. Jeffcott Street, 
 North Adelaide, is named after him. 
 
 GOING SOUTHWARD. 
 
 Robert Cock was an early immigrant. He came out with 
 Governor Hindmarsh in the Buffalo, and did useful work in 
 exploring the country in the vicinity of Adelaide. Before 
 the colony was a year old he and a party left Adelaide to 
 examine the country in a southerly direction. The character 
 of the country through which they passed strongly appealed 
 to him. We are not. surprised at this. In the direction 
 that Robert Cock took is to be seen some of the finest scenery 
 in the world. "Never did eyes of man behold a lovelier coun- 
 try." Such was the entry made in his Journal. 
 
 On the first anniversary of the colony they discovered a 
 fresh-water river. As it was the anniversary of the Gover- 
 nor's arrival in the New Settlement a volley -was fired, three 
 cheers were given, and the river was named the Hindmarsh, 
 as a compliment to His Excellency. As the party moved on 
 kangaroos were to be seen feeding in all directions. They 
 passed a number of native huts, one of which was of very 
 superior construction. 
 
 On Sunday, December 31st, 1837, the party reached Lake 
 Alexandrina, where they "felt themselves amply repaid for all 
 the fatigue they had suffered since leaving Adelaide." 
 
 Retracing their steps, on more than one occasion they 
 had to call a halt so that they might "gaze with wonder 
 and delight on the richness of the country." The party dis- 
 covered a creek which they named the Angas, in "honour of 
 the Chairman of the South Australian Company," who had 
 taken such a deep interest in the founding of the Province.
 
 EXAMINING THE COUNTRY. 95 
 
 The following year Mr. Cock explored a part of Yorke's 
 Peninsula. Later on he landed at Port Vincent, and tra- 
 velled across Yorke's Peninsula to Port Victoria. 
 
 GOING NORTHWARD. 
 
 In November, 1838, the hearts of the immigrants were 
 made glad by the discovery of another fresh-water river. 
 T. Bews Strangways, < 16) accompanied by a friend, traced the 
 Torrens to its source, which they named "Davey's Punchbowl" 
 after some English associations. Having found the source of 
 the Torrens, they struck out in a northerly direction. After 
 travelling about 8 miles there was a decided improve- 
 ment in the country. The ''grass was high and in great 
 abundance," and "the blue and white gum-trees became more 
 numerous." Before sunset the travellers "struck upon a 
 fine river, running deep and strong, and containing about 
 three times as much water as the Torrens." This river Mr. 
 Strangways called the Gawler, in honoxir of His Excellency 
 Governor Gawler, who had taken the place of Captain Hind- 
 marsh as Governor of the Province. 
 
 THE WEST COAST. 
 
 Although it is only during recent years that the west 
 coast of South Australia has been really populated, it was 
 one of the parts of the Province to be first examined and a 
 portion of it settled. As early as 1839 Mr. C. C. Button, 
 an enterprising pioneer, explored a considerable part of the 
 west coast. He went from Port Lincoln to Coffin's Bay. 
 Somewhere in its vicinity "a magnificent country opened up. 
 the trees growing in clusters, interspersed about a rich park- 
 like flat, in the centre of which there was a beautifxil large 
 lagoon covered with black swan." The party ascended a 
 slight eminence, and a "still more beautiful country" stretched 
 out before them, "studded with innumerable salt-water 
 lagoons." Immense herds of kangaroos were quietly feeding 
 on the flats. They climbed Hanson's Range, where they 
 found large blocks of variegated marble, standing 6 or 7 ft. 
 above the surface. From the top they had a fine view of 
 the bay and the surrounding country. On the plain they 
 saw a great many natives, who were intently watching their 
 movements. Four natives approached who were soon on 
 friendly terms with the party. They thought that the 
 country through which they had passed, with its fine light 
 soil, shaded with gum- and sheaoak-trees, was specially adapted 
 for pastoral pursuits. Any quantity of cattle would find ex- 
 
 (16) For a time Colonial Secretary of the Province.
 
 96 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 cellent feed in the valleys and water in abundance. One 
 result of the expedition was that Mr. Dutton "was convinced 
 that to the northward there was good country in the immedi- 
 ate neighbourhood of Port Lincoln for agricultural as well 
 as for pastoral purposes, covered with abundance of fine 
 sheaoak, which would split well for fencing." The surmise 
 of this pioneer seventy years ago has been proved correct. 
 
 Mr. Dutton came to a sad end. In 1842 he attempted 
 to come overland from Port Lincoln to Adelaide with four 
 men and a mob of cattle. The whole party must have 
 perished in the bush either from want of water or at the 
 hands of the natives. Search parties were sent out, but the 
 lost men were never found. The natives in these parts were 
 very treacherous, and the pioneers who examined and opened 
 up the country ran great risks. An early settler who had 
 taken up a station not far from Port Lincoln went out one 
 day to see his sheep. He left the hut in charge of a young 
 man. He had not gone far before he was speared by some 
 blacks who were hiding behind a tree. He fired at them, 
 but they closed in upon him. He fought desperately for 
 his life, but was overcome. The natives then went to the 
 hut and speared the young hutkeeper. It has been said 
 that the natives admitted many years after that Mr. Dut- 
 ton and his party had been put to death. 
 
 LOOKING FOR AN OVERLAND ROUTE TO PORT LINCOLN. 
 
 Edward John Eyre was the first to try to discover an 
 overland route from the settlement at Adelaide to Port Lin- 
 coln. This was about three years after the Province had 
 been proclaimed. With a party of five he left Adelaide, 
 having with him two horse teams, and provisions to last for 
 nearly three months. They crossed the rivers named the 
 Wakefield and the Hutt. (17 ) The party discovered another 
 river, which Mr. Eyre named the Broughton. He examined 
 the country for about 52 miles to the north of Spen- 
 cer's Gulf and then decided to return. "Nowhere," said 
 he, "could we see the least sign of grass or water. The 
 hills before me were high, barren, and rocky. The whole 
 was barren and arid - looking in the extreme, and as I 
 gazed on the dismal scene before me I felt assured I had 
 approached the vast and dreary desert of the interior ; or, it 
 
 (17) So named after Edward Gibbon \Vukefield and John Hutt 
 (a member of the British House of Commons), men who had 
 taken great interest in the founding of South Australia and 
 rendered useful service.
 
 EXAMINING THE COUNTRY. 97 
 
 might be, was verging on the confines of some inland water, 
 whose sterile and desolate shores seemed to forbid the travel- 
 ler's approach. As our riding horses were all nearly knocked 
 up, and the nature of the country so dry and barren, I saw 
 no hope of succeeding ... in opening a line of road to 
 Port Lincoln." 
 
 A few months later Mr. Eyre examined the country 
 round Streaky, Smoky, and Denial Bays, on the West Coast. 
 He was not at all favourably impressed. Samuel Stephens 
 also rendered service in the same direction. 
 
 PROFESSOR MENGE. 
 
 Among the early immigrants to South Australia there 
 was one very remarkable man a man of most eccentric cha- 
 racter. Some account of him should certainly be handed 
 down to posterity. Were all the circumstances of his life 
 fully known they would furnish material for a most enter- 
 taining volume. "Professor Menge," as he was called, was 
 South Australia's first mineralogist and geologist. It was to 
 act in this capacity that he was sent out by the South Austra- 
 lian Company. He was born in Germany of poor parents. 
 In early life he developed a taste for mineralogy. Young 
 Menge travelled over a considerable part of the Continent 
 of Europe and to countries more remote in pursuit of his 
 hobby, and was engaged by scientific authorities in classify- 
 ing minerals. He was a good linguist and also had a taste 
 for music. 
 
 He came to the new Province before it was proclaimed 
 before the site for the city was fixed and landed at Kan- 
 garoo Island. This was in 1836. He at once set to work 
 examining the country. This was no easy task. As we 
 have seen, Kangaroo Island was covered with forest and 
 jungle, much of it being prickly bush. In his journeys 
 
 Menge sometimes suffered from thirst and hunger, and on one 
 occasion would probably have perished had it not been for 
 a wallaby caught in a thicket. A gentleman who visited 
 the Island and the South Australian Settlement in 1837, 
 when Menge was still on the island, speaking of him, said: 
 ''This great scholar (for he is eminent as a linguist as well 
 as a mineralogist) is the completest specimen of an eccentric 
 student I ever knew. He is by birth a German. He lives 
 on tobacco smoke and pancakes. A more perfect hermit 
 could not be. His den (for it cannot be termed a hut) is 
 underground, with the mound, or roof, just hummocked up 
 above the level. On one side is his fireplace, where he may
 
 98 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 be observed at daybreak and evening frying his cakee." 
 Professor Menge had the strange eccentricity of manner 
 that is sometimes associated with genius. There was a dis- 
 agreement between him and David McLaren (manager of the 
 South Australian Company), and Menge severed his connec- 
 tion with the company. He left his "dug-out" on Kangaroo 
 Island, crossed over to the mainland, and decided to 
 travel through the bush to the settlement at Adelaide. This 
 was a bold step, for the coastline at this time was peopled 
 by powerful and sometimes treacherous savages. But Pro- 
 fessor Menge was a man who had faith in an overruling 
 Providence. He passed through vast numbers of aborigines 
 in peace and safety. To secure the friendship of the blacks 
 he would sometimes unstrap his wallet and take from it a 
 small quantity of sugar, eat a little, and make signs to 
 the natives that it was good. Some of the sugar would then 
 be offered to them. In return they would give him fish, roots, 
 or game. He had a strong constitution, and was very mus- 
 cular. Professor Menge was known to have carried nearly 
 a hundredweight of minerals on his back for 150 miles, sub- 
 sisting largely on gum and roots. His prolonged absence 
 from the primitive settlement at Adelaide (as he always 
 travelled alone) sometimes caused alarm, but eventually he 
 would turn up, and in response to chidings would say, 
 "Grod is my protector." He explored and scientifically exam- 
 ined the country round Mount Lofty, Mount Barker, and the 
 Onkaparinga and spoke highly of it. He traced the rivers 
 Gawler and Para to their sources. In his excursions to the 
 north from the Para he discovered several rivers, among 
 others the Rhine. In a communication to the pioneer Press 
 he stated that he was just about to trace the Rhine to its 
 source, that the ranges which he had seen "abounded in 
 metals," and "there were several places where the oligistous 
 iron ore, near rivers, could serve for foundries, and supply 
 the colony with vessels and bars of every kind without great 
 expense.'' In his explorations Professor Menge travelled 
 as far as the Flinders Range and spoke highly of its min- 
 eral wealth. In the young colony he discovered indications of 
 gold, silver, copper, lead, and iron and found several precious 
 stones. He collected scores of specimens, arranged and 
 classified them, depositing them at Dr. Moorhouse's residence, 
 North Terrace. 
 
 William Jacob, to whom reference was made in the pre- 
 vious chapter, had settled at "Moorooroo," near Lyndoch 
 Valley. For some time Professor Menge lived near him
 
 EXAMINING THE COUNTRY. 99 
 
 in a hut on what was called ''Menge's Island," a piece of land 
 isolated by the watercourses. 
 
 Edward Bate Scott, Eyre's friend and travelling com- 
 panion, who continued with us to 1909, writing to me, said : 
 "I was not intimately acquainted with Menge, but met him 
 frequently and visited his solitary hut, which was situated 
 at the junction of two creeks and west of the old 'Moorooroo 
 House.' Round Menge's hut there were heaps of mineral 
 specimens gathered from the Barossa Ranges, where at 
 times he spent days and weeks with his chisel and hammer 
 in search of minerals." 
 
 It is said that the life of this remarkable man, who, 
 tradition says, could converse in German, French, English, 
 Russian, Dutch, and Hebrew, came to an end in a wretched 
 hut on the Bendigo Diggings, Victoria, in 1852. He died 
 as he had lived alone, without a friend to solace him or to 
 see him through the dark valley. 
 
 AN EXCURSION WITH A TRAGIC ENDING. 
 
 There was a peculiar fascination about South Australian 
 colonization. The country was so little known. Geologically 
 it was hoary with age; historically it had all the charm of 
 youth. It had been shrouded for ages. When the veil 
 was lifted curiosity was awakened and intense interest 
 aroused. In the peculiar physical features of the country, 
 as well as in its remarkable fauna and flora, there was so 
 much to challenge attention and to stir the soul. The 
 pioneers were in a new world. It was the very antithesis of 
 what they had been accustomed to in the Old Land. 
 
 Governor Gawler felt the magic influence of his new 
 and strange environment. His was an eager and impetuous 
 spirit. The active service that he had seen upon the field 
 of battle had made him bold, da-ring, energetic, and re- 
 sourceful. In the examination of the new country he took 
 a prominent part. He was willing to run risks, to endure 
 hardships, to make sacrifices so that the margin of settlement 
 might be extended, and the unknown interior be revealed. 
 One of his early enterprises was to set out with Captain 
 Charles Sturt to find the more direct and practicable line 
 of communication between Adelaide and Cape Jervis. 
 
 One of his exploratory trips had a tragic ending. In 
 company with Captain Charles Sturt and Henry Inman (Com- 
 missioner of Police), Governor Gawler went on a visit to 
 the north-west bend of the River Murray. He was accom- 
 panied by Master Henry Bryan, a young English gentleman
 
 100 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 visiting at Government House. The party left the Murray 
 and started out in a northerly direction to examine the 
 country. Describing the expedition Governor Gawler said : 
 "Observations have combined to make it probable that to the 
 northward of this point, at a distance of not more than 150 
 miles, there is some remarkable tract of country hitherto 
 unseen by Europeans. Although it is not a part of my 
 duty to make geographical discoveries beyond the limit of 
 the district really required for occupation, yet, being here 
 in the way of duty, I- thought it well to take the opportunity 
 of riding for a few days to the northward to solve the ques- 
 tion if it could be done with reasonable exertion." So the 
 Governor and party set out upon their journey, with pack- 
 horses carrying provisions and water. Henry Bryan, anxious 
 to have an active part in the expedition, asked that he might 
 not only go with the party, but lead one of the packhorses. 
 To this the Governor consented. The party came to a 
 mountain as yet unseen by Europeans. The Governor 
 named it Mount Bryan, in honour of his young friend; a 
 name that it will bear as long as the British race inhabits 
 the country. They were not far from the district now 
 known as "The Burra." Halting for the night, the next 
 morning they again went forward. There was a fascination 
 a.bout the journey, for they were passing over ground that 
 foot of white man had never trodden. The weather was hot 
 and oppressive. Governor Gawler was just thinking of re- 
 tracing his steps when, in passing over a slight undulation, 
 a range of mountains appeared in view. They were clothed 
 with timber and, seen through the telescope, did not appear 
 to be more than 20 miles distant. The party thought 
 that such country must contain water, and attempted to reach 
 it. They were deceived by mirage, and the distance proved 
 to be too great. Unfortunately one of the casks leaked and 
 the bung had escaped from another. Their water supply was 
 gone. The horses were exhausted. They were about 60 
 miles from the camp. They saw smoke on Mount Bryan, 
 which indicated the presence of natives and the existence of 
 water. Arriving at Mount Bryan, they could discover neither. 
 They found an extinguished fire and a ruined native hut, 
 but no water. They then set out for the camp, but the 
 horses were in an exhausted condition, having been two and 
 a half days without water. The Governor and his party had 
 been one day without water. Governor Gawler decided to 
 hurry forward to the camp and bring back water to the 
 party. Captain Sturt and Mr. Inman urged him to take
 
 EXAMINING THE COUNTRY. 101 
 
 Henry Bryan with him in case of accident. This he did. 
 When about 12 miles from, the camp the Governor's horse 
 was so exhausted that it would not go out of a walk. Bryan 
 suggested that they should exchange horses so that the Gover- 
 nor could go on quickly and send help to the other members 
 of the party, and leave him to ride into camp at a walk. 
 This was done. In a famished condition the Governor reached 
 the Murray. Captain Sturt and Mr. Inman also succeeded 
 in doing so, having killed a horse and drank its blood to 
 quench their thirst. But Henry Bryan came not. The 
 Governor offered a reward of 50 for his discovery. Those 
 who had remained at the camp went out as search parties. 
 The services of an intelligent native were secured, the track- 
 ing powers of the blacks being simply marvellous. They 
 came upon the tracks of Bryan's horse and followed them to 
 a place where the rider had evidently dismounted and lain 
 down under the exhausting effects of the heat. Evidently 
 here he parted with his horse. There was a pencil note 
 from him under the saddle, stating his intention of going 
 south-south-east ; his footsteps were traced for a few paces 
 and then they became absolutely invisible. Boats went 
 down the river. Parties crossed the bush in various direc- 
 tions. Fires were lit. Guns were fired. But all was 
 in vain. Young Bryan must have become confused ; lost his 
 bearings; and, as Governor Gawler stated, the taking of a 
 false course "would plunge him into an arid labyrinth of 
 wood." His fate is a sealed mystery, but tradition says that 
 some years after the horse was found. 
 
 As a result of the examination described in this chap- 
 ter country villages began to spring up all round Adelaide. 
 A writer in July, 1840, said that there were indications of 
 settlement north, south, and east for a distance of about 
 60 miles from Adelaide. Along the whole distance from Ade- 
 laide to Encounter Bay, at every few miles, the farmhouse 
 or the nucleus of a future home was to be seen. In the 
 eastward, amid the splendid tracts of the Mount Barker 
 country, there were numerous farmhouses. The villages of 
 Nairne, Balharmah, Mount Barker, and Hahndorf were daily 
 receiving accessions. It was the same at Gawler and to 
 the northward. In the vicinity of Adelaide villages, farm- 
 houses, and the villas of merchants were increasing with a 
 rapidity truly wonderful. 
 
 From this chapter the reader to-day can see how the 
 margin of cultivation was gradually extended and the popu- 
 lation distributed over the plains and in the hills eastward 
 of Adelaide.
 
 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP 
 
 AND 
 
 THE COMING OF THE GERMANS.
 
 JOSEPH HAWDON.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP 
 
 AND 
 
 THE COMING OF THE GERMANS. 
 
 These were two of the most important events in the early 
 history of South Australia. 
 
 The first overland journey was a bold undertaking, 
 worthy of the best traditions of our race. Joseph Hawdon, 
 with whom we have to deal, forced his way through the Aus- 
 tralian bush. He passed over land that foot of white man 
 had never trodden. Fortunately he kept a full Journal of 
 his experiences. Up to the time of the publication of this 
 history this valuable Journal had not been given to the pub- 
 lic in permanent form. It is now possessed by Joseph Haw- 
 don's nephew, Mr. F. Davison, of Mount Gambler, who 
 generously placed it at my disposal. 
 
 Long before the settlement with which we are dealing 
 was founded New South Wales had been discovered 
 by Captain Cook. It was colonized in 1788. 
 The famous navigator could sae some resemblance be- 
 tween the Australian coastline and the Welsh coast that he 
 loved so well ; hence the peculiar name, ''New South Wales." 
 Sailing into Botany Bay he said: "I once more hoisted the 
 English colours and, though I had already taken possession 
 of several parts, I now took possession of the whole of the 
 eastern coast in the right of His Majesty King George III., 
 by the name of New South Wales, with all the bays, har- 
 bours, rivers, and islands situated upon it." 
 
 Joseph Hawdon was a settler in New South Wales. He 
 arrived in that colony in the brig Children in November, 
 1834, having been induced to emigrate from the Old Land 
 through the favourable reports that had been furnished to 
 him of the advantages for the investment of cattle in graz- 
 ing pursuits. His brother, John Hawdon, had been a set- 
 tler some six years previous to this. In colonial parlance, 
 Joseph Hawdon became a '"squatter." He had heard of the 
 New Settlement on the coast of South Australia, and knew 
 that the emigrants would need meat. Here was a market if 
 
 ( '05 )
 
 106 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 it could be reached. Joseph Hawdon was not only a bold 
 man, but a man of enterprising spirit. He conceived the 
 idea of trying to take a herd of cattle through the heart of 
 the Australian bush to the little settlement on the banks of 
 the Torrens. The idea seemed a quixotic one. There was 
 the danger of not being able to discover a route. The whole 
 herd might perish in the bush. The herdsmen might die 
 from want of water or at the hands of the blacks. It was 
 one thing to penetrate into the interior and quite another 
 thing to find a way out of the maze. Whether he perished 
 or succeeded Joseph Hawdon resolved to make the attempt. 
 
 Charles Bonney was another settler in New South Wales 
 who will figure in this history. He was giving up sheep- 
 farming, and Joseph Hawdon requested him to accompany 
 him on his perilous mission. To this he readily consented. 
 
 It was January 13th, 1838, the hottest month in the 
 Australian year. Joseph Hawdon selected a mob of cattle 
 and chose his men. The men were armed with carbines, pistols, 
 and bayonets. A start was made. The second day of the 
 journey was a terrible one. The Journal says: 'About noon 
 the heat being most intense we halted for an hour, but on 
 attempting to proceed the cattle would not move. The wind 
 began to blow with great violence, and was perfectly hot. 
 Mounting our horses and driving the spare ones before us, 
 we started in search of water. Our kangaroo dogs began 
 howling, and could not be induced to follow. Fortunately, 
 I was riding my favourite horse, which in twenty minutes 
 carried me* 6 miles, when I carne to a waterhole. Short 
 as the ride was, the heat and violence of the gale made it 
 truly dreadful. It was like riding through a furnace, and 
 so intolerable was my thirst that if I had had to go half 
 a mile farther I certainly must have fallen from my horse. 
 In a quarter of an hour after my arrival Mr. Weatherall 
 (one of the party) came up with a man, and we made 
 some tea and rested for two hours. The man went per- 
 fectly blind, owing, I presume, to the intensity of the heat. 
 We placed him in a hollow tree, the best place of shelter 
 we could find, while Mr. Weatherall and I rode back to 
 bring up the cattle. We found them in the position in 
 which they had been left, with the exception of one, which, 
 being too fat to bear the heat, had dropped dead. After 
 giving the dogs a little water that we had brought with us 
 in a tin vessel Mr. Weatherall cut off a few steaks from the 
 beast. ... It was now quite cool, with every appearance 
 of a coming thunderstorm. We had arrived within a quar-
 
 FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 107 
 
 ter of a mile of the water-hole where we had left the blinded 
 man when a tremendous peal of thunder burst over our 
 heads. The electric fluid passed along my head, causing 
 me to feel as though struck with a heavy bludgeon. Two of 
 the bullocks within four yards of us were killed on the spot, 
 one of them standing stiff and dead some seconds before he 
 fell. I exclaimed, 'That beast is standing up after he is 
 dead!' But on looking round for Mr. Weatherall I saw 
 him supporting his head with his hands. He also had felt 
 the shock, but more severely than myself. A second peal 
 roared and crashed round us, killing another beast about 
 fifteen yards from where I stood. To prevent the whole herd 
 from being killed we galloped among them, to scatter them 
 in various directions. One fell, struck with the electric fluid, 
 whilst I was on the point of striking it. We dismounted 
 for the purpose of bleeding those that had fallen, and while 
 so employed the tree under which I stood was shivered to 
 pieces." This will give the English reader some idea of the 
 severe thunderstorms that occasionally take place in Austra- 
 lia. The Journal adds: ''The thunder continued rat- 
 tling round us, resembling a constant firing of cannon, 
 branches and limbs of trees falling in all directions. We 
 remounted our horses (which stood trembling with terror) 
 that we might better view the surrounding scene. Two 
 hundred of the cattle had huddled closely together, each 
 trying, under an instinctive sense of danger, to screen him- 
 self behind his neighbour ; the rest, in separate groups of 
 thirty or forty, were flying over the ground in the wildest 
 state of alarm, now running towards us, then bounding away 
 again, as each successive peal of thunder burst. During 
 this awful storm I could not help remarking that the Guar- 
 dian Hand of Providence was with us, for, though surrounded 
 by death in its most appalling terrors, we were kept unhurt, 
 except the slight accident to my hand, which was lacerated 
 either by the electric fluid or a splinter. When the storm 
 subsided it was fearful to see the traces of its power left in 
 all parts of the forest : the noblest trees shattered to frag- 
 ments or uprooted, and hurled prostrate on the ground." 
 
 Collecting the cattle while the rain fell in torrents the 
 party proceeded to the hollow tree, where the blinded man 
 had been located, and found him "frightened a-lmost tc 
 death." 
 
 This was a somewhat ill-omened beginning to a three 
 months' journey thnmgh the unknown wilds of Australia.
 
 108 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 It was on January 22nd that the travellers began the 
 more serious part of their journey, entering upon entirely new 
 country, hitherto untrodden by the foot of civilized man, dis- 
 tant by several miles from what is now called Melbourne. 
 
 An interesting incident occurred on March 1. The tra- 
 vellers came to the junction of the Darling with the Murray. 
 Here they saw a tree on the trunk of which the words "Dig 
 under" had been cut. They dug under and found a small 
 bottle which had been deposited there by an explorer (Major 
 Mitchell) of New South Wales. In it there was a slip of 
 paper dated "January 3rd, 1836." The paper stated that 
 from this point Major Mitchell had commenced his return 
 journey from the Darling, and that he was surrounded by hos- 
 tile tribes and was very anxious about the safety of his party 
 Joseph Hawdon took a copy of the paper, and again inserted 
 it in the bottle with a memorandum of his own stating that 
 he had reached this spot in safety, and had a fair prospect 
 of getting to the New Settlement in South Australia. 
 
 On March 2nd they came into contact with a tribe of 
 stout, powerfully-made blacks, about a hundred men, with 
 women and children behind them. This tribe was in no 
 friendly mood. They desired neither collision nor communica- 
 tion with the mysterious whites, so they brandished their 
 spears and motioned with their hands to them to go away. 
 
 Later in the same day they met another tribe, equal 
 in number to the former but friendlier in spirit. In spite 
 of all threats and warnings they would close round 
 the stockmen. The natives could not understand all the 
 white party being men. One of them asked Joseph Hawdon, 
 in all seriousness, if the cattle were the white men's wives. 
 This query caused such a hearty laugh from Hawdon and Bon- 
 ney that the questioner, an old native, turned away appar- 
 ently ashamed of his blunder. This tribe began to get too 
 familiar. One raised his spear to throw at the leader of 
 the party when his back was turned. Fortunately the 
 spear never left his hand, or blood would have been shed. 
 The cattle took the matter in hand. The blacks gathered 
 round them in such numbers that they became infuriated. 
 They wheeled about among the natives, and two of the beasts 
 charged them right and left. It was the great agility of 
 the blacks that prevented them from being gored. No doubt 
 much to the relief of the party this tribe took its departure. 
 
 One noteworthy feature in the trip was this, that al- 
 though the travellers passed through so many tribes of blacks 
 the cattle never became accustomed to them. On each
 
 FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 109 
 
 approach of a new tribe the beasts were so agitated as to be 
 almost unmanageable. Long before the cattle could see the 
 natives they were aware of their approach, evidently by the 
 sense of smell. They would loudly snort and carry their 
 heads erect in the air. 
 
 Farther on they saw another tribe sitting on the brow 
 of a hill, in rows one above the other. The last party were 
 painted with white stripes : these with red. In his Journal 
 Joseph Hawdon says: 'At first I suspected there was some 
 mischief brewing from our having seen so many natives 
 within the last two hours ; but I soon perceived, to my satis- 
 faction, that the upper lines consisted of women and chil- 
 dren. When we got opposite to them about forty of the 
 men came after us without their spears, led by a fine old chief 
 and evidently desirous of being on friendly terms with us. 
 Most of them followed us to the place where we encamped. 
 Their chief was one of the most sensible men I ever met 
 among the savages of New Holland, and appeared to have 
 his men in great order and perfectly under his command. 
 He was anxious to have the use of everything explained. It 
 was a long time before he could be made to comprehend 
 how it was that the wheels of the dray were able to pass 
 round. I gave him an iron tomahawk, with which he was de- 
 lighted. Taking my hand, he placed it on his breast, and 
 pointing to a little boy, his son, gradually raising his hand 
 above the boy's head to the height of a man's stature, he, by 
 these signs, gave me to understand that he would keep the 
 tomahawk for him. . . . The old man went out with me to 
 shoot ducks, while his people went to cateh fish for their sup- 
 per. Fish is the principal article of food, and they procure 
 it in great abundance." 
 
 On bidding farewell to this tribe the old chief sent for- 
 ward two of his men to act as ambassadors to announce the 
 coming of the whites to the tribe in advance. 
 
 On March 4th the travellers discovered a beautiful lake, 
 about 30 or 40 miles in circumference, with a line of 
 gum-trees round its edge. Previous to this some of the coun- 
 try passed through had been very uninteresting. This was 
 a delightful change. The bed of the lake was composed of 
 white clay, the water was deliciously cool, and not a reed 
 growing in it. The air was filled with perfume from the 
 herbs and flowers that grew on the margin of the lake. As 
 Joseph Hawdon was the first white man to discover this body 
 of water it was his right to give it a name. Like a loyal 
 Briton he named it Lake Victoria, in honour of the youthful
 
 110 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Queen who had recently ascended the throne. "Each of the 
 party testified his loyal respect by drinking Her Majesty's 
 health, following the toast with loud and hearty huzzas." 
 This was perhaps the first time that Her Majesty's health 
 had been drunk so many hundreds of miles from the haunts 
 of civilized life. 
 
 Later on Joseph Hawdon came to another pretty scene. 
 It was a typical Australian picture. He says: "I saw in 
 the valley beneath me a tribe of aborigines seated on a 
 beautiful plot of moss by the riverside, eating roasted tor- 
 toise and broiled fish. They appeared to be a perfect group 
 of content and happiness." It was a picture of man in his 
 primitive simplicity. Probably not one of them had ever seen 
 a white; little did the tribe anticipate the close proximity 
 of such mysterious visitants. After watching them for a time, 
 Joseph Hawdon gave a loud "Tally-ho !" The effect was elec- 
 tric. Roasted tortoise and broiled fish tasty as it was 
 was forgotten. They all turned round with amazement. 
 Probably thinking that the rider and the horse were some 
 supernatural existences, the young natives commenced to 
 dance, waving their arms wildly in the air. An old with- 
 ered-looking hag came forward, making a noise, without using 
 any language whatever, only a senseless gibberish. Two of 
 the men came up the bank out of the valley. They were 
 shown the clouds of dust in the distance caused by the 
 travelling cattle, horses, and drays. What could this mys- 
 terious invasion mean ? Needless to say, the blacks were 
 dreadfully alarmed. 
 
 Just here the leader of the party almost lost his life. 
 Let him tell the story in his own words: "Having singled 
 out a fat bullock with the view of having it slaughtered 
 for the use of the party, I fired a ball at him which entered 
 near his eye ; but the shot not having the effect of bringing 
 him down, he made a rush to the river, two of my men seizing 
 hold of his tail to keep him back. Another man was stand- 
 ing close by the river bank in the direct line the bullock was 
 taking. Seeing the danger the man was in I also seized hold 
 of the bullock's tail for the purpose of checking his course ; 
 but the man, suddenly perceiving his own danger, snatched 
 a horse pistol out of his belt and fired at the bullock's head. 
 The ball missed the beast, and grazed along my own breast. 
 I at first thought, from the sensation I felt, that I was shot 
 through, but though the pain continued rather severe for 
 some time, the injury was not serious. I had, however, a 
 hairbreadth escape of my life. The whole of this scene
 
 FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 
 
 was witnessed by a tribe of about fifteen blacks, who sat 
 watching our proceedings with intense interest and appar- 
 ntlv with much terror." 
 
 Occasionally the journey was diversified by a kangaroo 
 or an emu hunt. Joseph Hawdon rode a magnificent horse, 
 one of the fleetest he had ever mounted. Out alone one day 
 he saw a large kangaroo bounding over the plain. "Rob Roy" 
 was soon wildly careering after the animal, but, fast as he 
 could gallop, he could not overtake the kangaroo. After a 
 few miles' gallop the rider gave up the chase. Parched 
 with thirst, he made for the Murray, and leaving his horse 
 and firearms a little distance away he descended into the 
 bed of the river for a "draught of its delicious water." Hav- 
 ing satiated his thirst and risen from the ground, he was 
 surprised and alarmed to see five blacks standing on 
 the bank, leaning on their spears, not 15 yards away. 
 "Not liking the indication of their serious counsel" he com- 
 menced to dance. It appears that anything ludicrous in 
 its nature would always take the blacks' fancy. "A little 
 merriment would at any time drive all hostility from their 
 minds." In this way the traveller once more got possession 
 of his firearms, and mounting his horse he made him bound 
 toward the blacks, who soon dispersed. 
 
 It was dark before Joseph Hawdon got back to the 
 camp. He found Charles Bonney giving the natives a treat. 
 He was down at the riverside, with about forty blacks 
 round him, giving them some tunes on the flute. It was 
 a new experience to the natives, and one that they much ap- 
 preciated. "The finest looking men" were always the most 
 deeply interested in the sound of music. 
 
 On March 12th the party came to another fine lake. It 
 was about 30 miles in circumference. Some distance away, 
 on the margin of the lake, a number of blacks were encamped. 
 The coming of the whites had been noticed, and there was 
 great excitement in the wurlies of the blacks. On the bosom 
 of the lake ducks were floating in thousands. It was a beau- 
 tiful moonlight night, and some of the party strolled down 
 to the edge of the lake to do some shooting. Never since 
 creation had the stillness of the air been broken by the 
 sound of a musket. "Bang!" went the guns. The report 
 rolled over the water with such effect that one "could sup- 
 pose a hundred shots had been fired at the same moment." 
 Soon the lake was perfectly alive with myriads of wild fowl 
 in motion on its surface, screaming and cackling with alarm
 
 112 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 at the novel sounds. Later on, overhead, they heard the 
 wild, sweet, musical notes of the swans as they returned to 
 rest upon the waters of the lake. 
 
 As the party lay by the side of the lake, drinking in the 
 beautiful moonlight scene, they could hear the noises made 
 by a tribe of natives "disputing with much emotion this 
 extraordinary inroad upon their territory." 
 
 The native name for the lake was Nookamka. As 
 Joseph Hawdon was its discoverer he named it Lake Bon- 
 ney, after his friend and fellow-traveller, Charles Bonney, 
 "whose company contributed so much to the pleasure of the 
 expedition." 
 
 They came into contact with another tribe of natives. 
 The Journal says: "After a good deal of ceremony the natives 
 were induced to approach our tent. I counted in all one 
 hundred and sixty. They informed us that most of their 
 men had gone to a fight at a lake in the northward. They 
 afforded us a good deal of amusement during our halt. Our 
 dogs did not like to see so much familiarity between us and 
 the blacks. They did not interfere so long as the natives 
 kept a respectful distance. Whenever one of the tribe laid 
 his hands upon a single article belonging to us one or another 
 of our canine friends would be sure to catch him by the heels, 
 and when the fellow, on recovering himself, lifted up his 
 spear, and in his rage endeavoured to kill the dog, two or 
 three of his companions would promptly interfere and hold 
 his arms until his passion had cooled down." 
 
 The travellers were now approaching the elbow of the 
 River Murray. Here they were delighted to find traces of 
 the former presence of Europeans. There were footprints of 
 horses, the mark of a man's shoe, and evidences of horses 
 being tethered. Some of the blacks, by signs, gave the 
 party to understand that four men on horses had visited 
 the place. They proved to be four settlers from the little 
 encampment on the banks of the Torrens, who had been out 
 in search of the Murray. 
 
 On March 23rd Joseph Hawdon and party left the River 
 Murray. After travelling many miles through some very 
 rough country, they came to the vicinity of Mount Barker. 
 The Journal says : "We halted to dine on a creek of excellent 
 water, with most luxurious grass growing in the valley. This 
 creek is immediately on the west side of Mount Barker, to the 
 top of which I rode, and had a most magnificent view of the 
 beautiful countrv around. The full extent of Lake Alexan-
 
 FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 113 
 
 drina lay before me, at a distance of about 20 miles. 
 The country around consists of land of the best descrip- 
 tion, and was covered with most luxuriant grass. The 
 scenery was beautiful, the open plains being skirted with a 
 thin forest of large gum-trees, clothed in their silvery bark, 
 and not a decayed branch to be seen on one of them. Keep- 
 ing a westerly course, we crossed a high range, and again 
 descended into a valley well watered and richly grassed. 
 We now commenced our ascent up one of the steepest and 
 most scrubby mountains that ever drays passed over ; and 
 having accomplished the Herculean task and kept along the 
 leading ridge of the range to its south-west termination, 
 St. Vincent's Gulf suddenly lay open to our view, appearing 
 close underneath, although its distance was at least fifteen 
 miles. This was truly a sight to be enjoyed, for here the 
 labours of our journey were over, and the possibility of tra- 
 velling by land from one coast to the other was clearly estab- 
 lished." 
 
 On April 1st the party encamped ''in an open and well- 
 grassed country on a stream called by the natives Onka- 
 paringa. Kangaroos were here in great abundance : some of 
 the large ones would weigh 150 flb." 
 
 The travellers kept too far south, and missed the more 
 direct route to the settlement in Adelaide. They came out of 
 the ranges somewhere near where the township of Noarlunga 
 now stands. Riding to the seashore the leader of the party 
 saw the fresh tracks of horses. What could these mean ? 
 Nowhere could be seen any other evidences of civilization. 
 Following these tracks they came to a tent and a hut. Here 
 they found three young immigrants just commencing a 
 settler's life. Meat was scarce among the little community 
 in Adelaide. These ycung men had gone into the bush to 
 shoot kangaroos with which to supply the Adelaide market. 
 The flesh of the kangaroos realized Is. per ft). 
 
 At the advent of Joseph Hawdon and party the young 
 kangaroo hunters were almost as much astonished as though 
 they had witnessed a resurrection. However, when told that 
 the travellers had come ''across the vast wilderness of the 
 interior" they showed them "every possible attention and 
 hospitality." They were now fifteen miles south of Adelaide. 
 
 The next evening Joseph Hawdon (with one of the 
 kangaroo hunters as a guide) started for Adelaide. About 
 an hour after dark he entered the infant settlement and 
 once more enjoyed some of the comforts of civilization. He 
 was invited to spend an evening with Governor Hindmarsh,
 
 114 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 who was delighted at the success of the expedition, demon- 
 strating as it did the possibility of bringing cattle overland 
 from the older settlement of New South Wales. 
 
 The pioneers kept up the old English custom of feast- 
 ing and drinking. To commemorate the successful issue of 
 Mr. Hawdon's overland trip a public dinner was given to 
 him. About ninety gentlemen were present. James Hurtle 
 Fisher presided, and presented Mr. Hawdon with a snuffbox. 
 An ox chosen from Mr. Hawdon's herd was roasted whole 
 for the entertainment of all comers. 
 
 So ended the first overland trip that will ever be 
 memorable in our country's annals. 
 
 THE COMING OF THE GERMANS. 
 
 This was another event in the early history of South 
 Australia which deserves special mention. Two years after 
 the colony was founded hundreds of Germans emigrated to it. 
 They did so to escape persecution. In 1830 the Prus- 
 sian Government tried to force on the Lutherans a form of 
 liturgy to which many of them objected. As a matter of 
 conscience many of them refused to conform. An era of 
 persecution began. Some of the Nonconformist Germans 
 were banished, imprisoned, and fined. They were not 
 allowed to meet together for Divine worship under the cir- 
 cumstances of which they approved. Rich as well as poor 
 were persecuted. In the ''Life of George Fife Angas" there 
 is reference to a German baron in Silesia who, for holding 
 prayer meetings in his house, was heavily fined, his state 
 coach and cattle were confiscated, and he was confined in 
 prison for several months. The persecution was so unrelent- 
 ing that many of the Germans determined to emigrate. The 
 pastor of a Lutheran congregation in Klemzig (Augustus 
 Kavel) heard of the proposed new settlement in South Aus- 
 tralia and went to London to get information. He was 
 poorly furnished for his mission, having but 3 in his 
 pocket and not being able to speak the English language. 
 In George Fife Angas he found a sympathizing friend. Pastor 
 Kavel remained in London about two years and five months 
 to formulate some scheme for the betterment of his people. 
 Mr. Angas not only gave him advice, but monetary assist- 
 ance. The outcome was that a vessel was sent over to Ger- 
 many by the South Australian Company to take the oppressed 
 Lutherans to South Australia. The Prussian Government, 
 although denying the people liberty of conscience, was not 
 willing to let them go. Considerable expense was thus
 
 THE COMING OF THE GERMANS. 115 
 
 incurred, and some of the Germans anxious to emi- 
 grate were put to great inconvenience. Some of them 
 had sold their goods, and their scant resources were rapidly 
 diminishing. After a time of suspense the Government gave 
 them permission to depart, and George Fife Angas advanced 
 .4,000 at the rate of 5 per cent, to defray the expenses of 
 their passage to South Australia and to give them a start 
 in the new Province. 
 
 Edwin Hodder, in his "Life of George Fife Angas," 
 gives a graphic description of the German migration. He 
 says : "It was a curious sight that many thousands of per- 
 sons witnessed in the year of grace 1838, large loads of poor 
 emigrants bearing with them all their earthly possessions, 
 leaving home and fatherland in search of liberty of con- 
 science. Smoothly but swiftly they glided along the Oder, 
 crowds of people in the villages and upon the bridges 
 pressing to see them, and to listen to the hymns they sang 
 with fervour. Some of the spectators ridiculed, some looked 
 on in idle curiosity, while others uttered a sympathetic 
 'God-speed.' At some of the halting places 'like-minded 
 brethren' came down to join in their prayers, and then took 
 leave with tears and lamentations. Past Frankfort-on-the- 
 Oder, through the many bridges of Berlin, amid the pleasure- 
 seekers and the gay and fashionable throngs of Charlotten- 
 burg, Spondau, and Potsdam, the pilgrim exiles sailed, 
 spending their hours in singing and prayer until they 
 reached Wittenberg, the last Prussian town upon their route. 
 Then they glided down the Elbe to Hamburg, and went on 
 board the Prince George bound for Plymouth." George 
 Fife Angas went to Plymouth to see them. "No sooner 
 was it known that he was on board than every man, woman, 
 and child came up by the 'tween deck ladder, like bees out 
 of a hive. A forest of hands were held out for him to shake. 
 Tears streamed down the faces of strong rugged men, while 
 murmurs equivalent to 'God bless you' were uttered and re- 
 peated by all." 
 
 On board this vessel was Pastor Kavel and his congre- 
 gation from Klemzig. 
 
 In due time they arrived safely in South Australia and 
 settled on some land belonging to Mr. Angas, to which they 
 gave the name of Klemzig, after the home they had left in 
 the fatherland. 
 
 There must be something in men and women who will 
 sacrifice home and fatherland for conscience sake. These 
 German refugees were the "pick of Silesia." Splendid 
 colonists they made devout, sober, contented, industrious.
 
 116 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 In course of time other vessels followed ; one was com- 
 manded by Captain Hahn, after whom the picturesque town 
 of Halmdorf is named. 
 
 The early settlers treated these German refugees with 
 great kindness, providing them with homes, finding them 
 employment, and in other ways ministering to their wants. 
 They were strangers in a strange land, and the hearts of 
 the English immigrants who had just left dear Old England 
 warmed toward them. 
 
 Describing the refugees who had settled at Hahndorf 
 the Press said : "The Germans at Hahndorf have been 
 drafted out in parties amongst the settlers and have assisted 
 in making stockyards, fencing, breaking up land, and build- 
 ing houses. They rise early and work late ; are moderate 
 and contented as to food and accommodation ; and cheerful 
 and pleasant in their intercourse with fellow-labourers ; and 
 (even in the hours appointed for relaxation) will offer to 
 bake and to do other things useful about the stations. 
 But the most prominent characteristic of all is their piety. 
 In every act they acknowledge God when they rise, when 
 they are at meals, and when they go to sleep. At the end 
 of the week they like to return to their own village to join 
 their congregation ; or when this cannot conveniently be done 
 the parties at adjoining stations will meet to celebratt 
 Divine worship and to 'sing the songs of Zion' in a strange 
 land. Striking is the effect of these Teutonic accents rising 
 amid our solitary places. Here they have that liberty of 
 conscience which was denied them at home, and they can 
 live contented in spite of various privations. They express 
 themselves simply and emphatically. 'What more has man 
 to do,' said a very intelligent elderly member of the com- 
 munity, 'than to labour and to pray without ceasing ?' They 
 labour and pray accordingly, and look with faith to receive 
 the blessing of God upon their toil. Surely such a people 
 deserves to be happy." 
 
 In a public communication in May, 1838, Pastor Kavel 
 said : ''Having been obliged to leave our native country in 
 consequence of changes that have taken place there 
 we resolved first to emigrate to the United States, but Pro- 
 vidence directed our steps to a Province of that Empire 
 which excels by reason of its religious privileges, as well as 
 by the number of true and sympathizing Christians. Many 
 of them took an interest in our cause, but none has displayed 
 more sympathy and self-denial than George Fife Angas, 
 Esq. It was he who desired the South Australian Company 
 to send out our respected friend and countryman, Mr.
 
 THE COMING OF THE GERMANS. 117 
 
 Menge, the geologist, to examine the country and to find 
 out a place where we might settle. It was he who, through 
 his unwearied perseverance, and his unabated charity, gained 
 the victory over many obstacles thrown in our way. May 
 the Lord bless him and his house for ever and ever. On 
 our arrival here we hailed this hospitable shore as a place of 
 refuge to worship God without any disturbance of our con- 
 science, and entertained and do still entertain the hope 
 to live and die here. We have found what we have been 
 asking for for many years religious liberty. We believe it 
 will gratify our friends here and abroad to know that we 
 are happy in South Australia, though we have to struggle 
 with many difficulties unavoidable in an infant colony." 
 
 At Queen Victoria's Birthday on May 24th, 1839, the 
 German immigrants at their own desire met in front of 
 Government House to swear allegiance to the British Crown. 
 
 Pastor Kavel the Moses who led his people out of 
 Egypt died rather suddenly on February 12th, 1860, 
 aged sixty-one years. He went on a visit to a relation at 
 Tanunda and was attacked by apoplexy. There was a vast 
 concourse at the funeral ; some two thousand persons fol- 
 lowed the hearse in solemn procession. He was a good man, 
 strict in his creed but tolerant toward those who differed 
 from him on religious questions.
 
 THE RISE OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS.
 
 to 
 
 CO 
 00
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE RISE OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS. 
 
 South Australians to-day enjoy a rare privilege. It is 
 only seventy-four years since the foundations of our Province 
 were laid, so we can study the process of nation-building, 
 ourselves being in close connection with the events recorded. 
 To few people is this privilege given. The Englishman 
 to-day who wishes to study the history of his country must 
 go back to times that are, indeed, ancient. It is truly to a 
 hazy past that his vision is directed a past of which he can 
 form only a dim, imperfect, and inadequate conception. 
 Here we can watch the process of nation-building at our 
 doors. We can see the stone ''well and truly laid" and 
 watch the builders as they add course to course till a sub- 
 stantial British Commonwealth is built up. 
 
 In ages gone by communities have been founded. They 
 have had their successes and reverses, but these have not 
 been immediately recorded. Long after the first generations 
 had passed away someone has tried to give permanent record 
 to a vague, fleeting, and perhaps not very trustworthy tra- 
 dition. We are grateful for such service, imperfect though 
 it may be. But with the educational facilities of the pre- 
 sent day there is a better method. It is a mistake to allow 
 too long a period of time to lapse before writing our his- 
 tory. Events fade from the memory ; pioneers pass away : 
 and records are lost. Close contiguity to pioneers and to 
 pioneer times makes the historical story more realistic. It 
 is well to pause in the stress and storm of life to review the 
 past, and to put on record the experiences of the generation 
 which preceded us. Only in this way can history be full, 
 trustworthy, and animated. 
 
 The rise of social institutions is an interesting phase of 
 nation-building. To see the provision that a community 
 makes for its social and intellectual needs is a matter of 
 supi'eme importance. Social institutions are really an index 
 to national character. Judged by this standard there is 
 much in our history, short as it is, for which we ought to be 
 grateful. The eminent author and joiirnalist, John Foster 
 Fraser, who visited our State in 1909, said: "The feature
 
 122 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 which impressed me about Adelaide, compared to other 
 cities of the same size in other parts of the world, is the 
 vitality of your public life as seen in your fine institutions. 
 Other cities of the world have as many institutions of this 
 nature, but those cities are three or four times the size of 
 Adelaide. The wonder to me is that in a city that is com- 
 paratively new you have such a well-developed public life 
 and cultured spirit." 
 
 THE MECHANICS' INSTITUTE. 
 
 The Province was founded by a superior class of men 
 and women. Already we have seen the formation of a South 
 Australian Literary Association. This was in London 
 before the colony was actually proclaimed or an emigrant 
 had left the shores of Old England. Subsequently the name 
 was changed to "The South Australian Literary and Scien- 
 tific Association." 
 
 Soon after the arrival of the pioneers and their settle- 
 ment on the banks of the Torrens a Mechanics' Institute was 
 formed. It was the day of small, if not feeble, things. 
 The crude building in which the members met was situated 
 on the North Parklands, near the site of the present railway 
 station. 
 
 In August, 1839, a meeting was held in the Baptist 
 Church, Hindley Street. This was the first place of wor- 
 ship in the colony, originally built by the Methodists. At 
 this meeting it was decided that "The Literary and Scientific 
 Association" should be united with the "Mechanics' Insti- 
 tute." The following officers were elected: Patron, His Ex- 
 cellency Governor Gawler ; President, John Barton Hack ; 
 Vice-Presidents, Messrs. Robert Gouger, David McLaren, 
 and John Morphett ; Treasurer, Edward Stephens. These 
 were a few of the representative men among the early set- 
 tlers men of education and of natural ability. The pioneer 
 Congregational minister, a very able man (the Rev. T. Q. 
 Stow), was asked to deliver the first lecture. Some of the 
 ablest men in the settlement gave lectures in connection 
 with the Mechanics' Institute on its newly-organized basis. 
 One of our pioneer fathers a fine man intellectually and 
 physically (George Stevenson) occupied more than one 
 evening in lecturing on "Horticulture," a subject in which 
 he was a specialist. 
 
 In 1844 "The South Australian Subscription Library" 
 was founded, a society in no way connected with the 
 Mechanics' Institute.
 
 THE RISE OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS. 123 
 
 About three years later a meeting was held in the 
 Theatre at which a movement was set on foot for the amal- 
 gamation of the two societies just mentioned. This was 
 done. The united society was now named "The South Aus- 
 tralian Subscription Library and Mechanics' Institute." The 
 library was taken from the wooden building on the park- 
 lands to a large room in Peacock's Buildings, Hindley Street. 
 Some time later the Library was again removed to the Ex- 
 change Chambers, King William Street. 
 
 This pioneer institute must have answered a very useful 
 purpose. It gave information and intellectual stimulus. 
 But it was a National Institute with Government support 
 that the early colonists needed. In October, 1854, the re- 
 port of a Select Committee was submitted to the Legislative 
 Council favouring the establishment of a South Australian 
 Institute. 
 
 In the same month of the same year Mr. Fenn moved in 
 the Legislative Council "That the report of the Select Com- 
 mittee in relation to the establishment of a National Insti- 
 tute should be taken into consideration, with a view to mov- 
 ing an address to His Excellency praying him to direct the 
 law officers of the Crown to prepare and to bring in a Bill 
 for the purpose of establishing a South Australian Insti- 
 tute." 
 
 In 1856 a Bill was brought in for that purpose and passed 
 by the Council. The Bill gave the Board of Governors power 
 to admit and to incorporate other societies that desired such 
 incorporation. Later on some societies availed themselves of 
 this legislation. The first society to do so was the Royal 
 Society of South Australia, founded in 1853. Subsequently 
 the Philosophical Society and the Society of Arts were incor- 
 porated with the Institute. 
 
 After the Government had taken action the Institute 
 assumed a national character. Interest in it grew and deep- 
 ened. The reading-room, free to the public, was well 
 patronized and other rooms in the Exchange building were 
 taken for Institute purposes. 
 
 Later on a vote passed the Legislative Council for the 
 erection of a suitable Institute building on North Terrace. 
 This was opened on January 29th, 1861. It was another step 
 forward in the Commonwealth that our fathers were build- 
 ing : they recognized it as such and did honour to the occa- 
 sion. The chronicler of the period said : "Never, perhaps, 
 in the history of our many and happy public reunions did 
 the people of Adelaide assemble under more auspicious cir-
 
 124 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 cumstanoes than upon this memorable occasion." To "the 
 wonders of art, the efforts of intellect, and the curiosities of 
 nature were added the charms of music." Sir Charles Cooper 
 (the pioneer judge) delivered the inaugural address. Mr. 
 (afterwards Sir) Charles Todd revealed "in a count- 
 less number of dazzling experiments" the wonders of the 
 electric light. In his opening address, speaking of the 
 new building, Sir Charles Cooper said : "Newcomers will be 
 surprised at its beauty, and those who, like myself, remem- 
 ber the old Government Hut and the wooden and canvas 
 dwellings of former days will look up to it with pride." 
 
 PROPRIETARY COLLEGE. 
 
 The early immigrants were both enterprising and ambi- 
 tious. So much so that before the colony was four years of 
 age steps were taken to establish a Proprietary College. 
 This was really an anticipation of our present University. 
 Toward this movement 4,000 was promised by the immi- 
 grants. The pioneers wanted to make provision not only 
 for the higher education of tlieir own children, but for the 
 children of English residents in India. A prospectus was 
 issued which stated that one of the foundations upon which 
 the material and moral prosperity of the colony was to be 
 based was a provision to secure to its youth the blessings of 
 a good and liberal education. This object had been kept in 
 view by all the friends of the colony. In addition to the 
 operations of the South Australian School Society and the 
 opportunities afforded by private seminaries the establish- 
 ment of a college sufficiently endowed to guarantee a first- 
 rate education was needed. It was needed not only in the 
 interests of the children of European parents settled in the 
 colony, but for the children of the higher classes of resi- 
 dents in the East Indies. The subject had been actively 
 taken up by the friends of the colony in England. The 
 accomplishment of this object was almost as important to 
 India as to the colony. The salubrity of the South Aus- 
 tralian climate and its short distance from the Presidency 
 presented obvious inducements to the parents in India to 
 send their children to South Australia for edxication in 
 preference to sending them to England. It was expected 
 that the Indian public would subscribe to the scheme 
 as well as the supporters of the colony in England and the 
 South Australian settlers. Apparently (although a large 
 sum of money was promised) the scheme collapsed. Pro- 
 bably it was too premature too ambitious. Still, the
 
 THE RISE OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS. 125 
 
 movement speaks well for the enterprise and mental calibre 
 of some of the pilgrim fathers. 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY. 
 
 Before the settlement had been established two years 
 the pioneers had formed a Natural History Society. This 
 was in December, 1838. The object of the society was stated 
 to be "the cultivation of the science of natural history in all 
 its branches, more especially the natural history of South 
 Australia." His Excellency Governor Gawler was chosen 
 President. Associated with him in the management of the 
 society were such noted pioneers as John Morphett, Osmond 
 Gilles, John Brown, George Stevenson, David McLaren, 
 Dr. Wyatt, George Hall, and Judge Jickling. Osmond Gilles 
 offered a piece of land near Hurtle Square on which the so- 
 ciety was at liberty to erect a building. Our pioneer 
 entomologist was C. A. Wilson, M.E.S., who week after 
 week contributed to The Sotifh Australian Register valuable 
 notes on natural history. He wrote under the nom de 
 phi me of "Naturae Amator." 
 
 BANKS. 
 
 The Bank of South Australia was founded by Edward 
 Stephens, who arrived a few days after the colony was pro- 
 claimed by Governor Hindmarsh. The banking plant and 
 the money brought out by Mr. Stephens were first located 
 in a tent on the shores of Holdfast Bay. Tradition tells 
 how Mrs. Stephens often sat on the chests containing the 
 specie in fear while her husband was away interesting him- 
 self in the proposed sites for the city of Adelaide. 
 
 The Bank of Australasia was opened on January 14th, 
 1839. 
 
 The Savings Bank was established in 1840. On Febru- 
 ary 12th of that year there was a general meeting of the 
 immigrants held in the council room of the corporation. 
 Major O'Halloran was in the chair. On the motion of Rev. 
 C. B. Howard, seconded by the Rev. T. Q. Stow, it was 
 decided to establish a Savings Bank and to begin operations 
 on March 16th, 1840. Captain Charles Sturt, Major O'Hal- 
 loran, Matthew Smillie, and J. A. Jackson (a member of 
 the pioneer Legislative Council) were appointed trustees. 
 
 CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 
 
 At a meeting held in January, 1839, it was decided to 
 establish a Chamber of Commerce. It was formed "for the
 
 126 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 protection and advancement of the commercial interests of 
 South Australia." The business of the chamber was man- 
 aged by a board of nine members, who elected from their 
 own body a chairman, secretary, and treasurer. The en- 
 trance fee was five guineas and the annual subscription two 
 guineas. 
 
 In the financial crisis which overtook the colony in 
 Governor Gawler's time the existence of such a board must 
 have been most opportune and valuable. When intelligence 
 reached the pioneers that Governor Gawler's bills had been 
 dishonoured the Chamber of Commerce met and passed the 
 following resolution : "That should His Excellency the Gov- 
 ernor see fit to draw upon Her Majesty's Treasury, the mem- 
 bers of the Chamber would accept such bills in payment for 
 their ordinary business transactions." Many of the more 
 prominent pioneers were connected with the Chamber of 
 Commerce. Among others were Edwa-rd Stephens, William 
 Giles, John Baker, Alexander L. Elder, and John Barton 
 Hack. 
 
 A Statistical Society was formed in the year 1841. 
 
 TEMPERANCE. 
 
 "The Total Abstinence Society" was founded on January 
 1st, 1840, its object being "the cure and prevention 
 of intemperance." Meetings were to be held every week. 
 In 1841 the society numbered 160 members, including "thirty 
 reformed characters." The cause was then growing, especi- 
 ally at Port Adelaide and Mount Barker. John Hart was 
 President of the Society and John Everard and William 
 Cole Secretaries. John Ridley, the inventor of the famous 
 reaping machine, took great interest in this movement. 
 
 BENEVOLENCE. 
 
 To make provision for the sick and the infirm is one of 
 the first duties of every civilized community. In December, 
 1839, preparations were made by the early immigrants to 
 establish a benevolent society. An infirmary was already in 
 existence and a Colonial Surgeon had been appointed. The 
 Colonial Chaplain (Rev. C. B. Howard) took an interest in 
 this institution, and in 1840 preached a special sermon on 
 behalf of its funds. During the year 1839, 102 patients had beejn 
 admitted, nearly all destitute poor. But the infirmary, ac- 
 cording to report, was a somewhat gruesome place, and better 
 provision was urgently needed.
 
 THE RISE OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS. 127 
 
 On July 15th, 1840, steps were taken in the direction 
 of founding a hospital. Governor Gawler laid the founda- 
 tion-stone of a building to be used as such. This was at the 
 north-eastern corner of the town on the sit-e originally chosen 
 and marked by Colonel Light. Among those present on 
 the occasion were George S. Kingston, David McLaren, 
 Major O'Halloran, Captain Charles Sturt, George Hall, and 
 the Rev. C. B. Howard. A plate was deposited beneath the 
 stone bearing the inscription : "The foundation-stone of this 
 building was laid by His Excellency Colonel George Gawler 
 on the 15th day of July, 1840, and of the third year of the 
 reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria; Architect, G. S. King- 
 ston ; Builder, B. Fuller." 
 
 AGRICULTURE. 
 
 "The King himself is served by the field." Yes; ruler 
 and ruled, peer and peasant, all alike depend upon the soil. 
 What the pilgrim fathers were anxious to know was the pro- 
 ductive power of the country to which they had come. Some 
 of the first immigrants, as the vessel in which they sailed 
 drew near to the shore, were not at all favourably impressed. 
 Standing on the deck of the vessel in summer time, strain- 
 ing their eyes to take in as much as possible of the distant 
 scene, they shook their heads and their hearts failed. On 
 the Mount Lofty ranges no green grass could be seen. Save 
 the timber, all appeared to be barren and brown. Their 
 doubts were soon dissipated and their fears set at rest. 
 What heartened the first settlers who landed at Kangaroo 
 Island was the fine potatoes and onions grown by the run- 
 away sailors or escaped convicts who had taken up their 
 abode there. One of the first things that Colonel Light's 
 survey party did at Rapid Bay was to plant a small garden. 
 The produce was abundant. Dr. Everard, who took an in- 
 terest in horticulture, grew splendid watermelons at Glen- 
 elg. This was in 1837, within a year of the proclamation 
 of the colony. In the same year, in front of Colonel Light's 
 hut on North Terrace, and in the South Australian Com 
 pany's garden on the same terrace, vegetables were growing 
 equal to any that could be produced in Europe. 
 
 Speaking in 1839 George Stevenson said : "I have seen 
 no finer samples of wheat, barley, and oats in any part of the 
 world than were produced last season (1838) in the immedi- 
 ate neighbourhood of Adelaide. The wheat (grown without 
 manure) was carefully measured, and the produce was at the
 
 128 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 rate of 53 bushels per acre." On less than a quarter of an 
 acre of land Mr. Stevenson raised 800 melons of all sorts. 
 
 George Stevenson ! Ought not a monument be raised 
 to his memory ? If the man who causes two blades of grass 
 to grow where formerly there was only one is a benefactor 
 to his species, then George Stevenson was much more than 
 this. Posterity ought gratefully to remember him. This 
 pioneer and his wife came out with Governor Hindmarsh in 
 the Buffalo in December, 1836. He held the position of 
 secretary to the Governor and to the Executive Council. He 
 was also the first editor in the New Settlement, The Soutlt 
 A ustralian Register and Gazette being under his charge. 
 George Stevenson was a man of splendid physique, standing 
 6 ft. 4 in. high, and with a mind as capacious as 
 his body. It was he who read the Proclamation under a 
 large gum-tree on December 28th, 1836. On this occasion 
 his love for flowers was evident. While others noted the 
 booming of the cannon, the shouts of the immigrants, the 
 cold collation and speeches, the eye of this pioneer fell lov- 
 ingly upon the shrubs and flowers with which the plains of 
 Glenelg were studded. They were welcomed as friends. He 
 retained his connection with The Register until 1842, when it 
 passed into other hands. Some time after he established 
 The South Australian Gazette and Mining Journal. But it 
 is as the pioneer horticulturist that George Stevenson de- 
 serves to be remembered. As soon as the site for the city 
 was surveyed he secured four acres of land at North Ade- 
 laide. Here he built a house and, at great expense and 
 trouble, planted a garden. He tried to secure every variety 
 of vine, fruit tree, and shrub. This pioneer did more than 
 any early settler of whom tradition speaks to develop in the 
 young community a love for useful and ornamental garden- 
 ing. The knowledge acquired by reading and by practical 
 experience he freely imparted to others. His garden was 
 one of the "show spots" of the primitive settlement, and he 
 has been rightly named "The Father of Horticulture in South 
 Australia." George Stevenson was one of the committee who 
 chose the site for our Botanic Gardens. He died at North 
 Adelaide October 18th, 1856, aged fifty-six years." 
 
 In the early part of 1838 some of the pioneers took 
 steps to establish a South Australian Agricultural Society. 
 In this movement Governor Gawler took great interest. On 
 November llth, 1839, a meeting in the interests of the pro- 
 posed society was held in the office of Mr. Robert Cock, Ro- 
 sina Street. A month later another meeting was held in the
 
 THE RISE OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS. 129 
 
 court-room, Currie Street. David McLaren presided. The 
 rules were submitted for approval and passed, the annual 
 subscription being fixed at 2. David McLaren was elected 
 as President and Captain Berkeley as Secretary. 
 
 Nothing further appears to have been done till Decem- 
 ber 8th, 1840, when the first annual general meeting was 
 held. This was at Fordham's Hotel, Grenfell Street. Many 
 of the pioneer agriculturists attended and brought with 
 them specimens of wheat, barley, and oats. This was the 
 germ of the magnificent exhibitions that were to follow as 
 the people settled upon the soil and the resources of the 
 colony were developed. On this occasion David McLaren 
 took the chair, and addresses were given by George Steven- 
 son, John Morphett, and Captain Charles Sturt. The an- 
 nual subscription was now reduced to one guinea, and the 
 committee expressed the hope that a few months later it 
 would be in a position to hold a show at which prizes would be 
 given. Arrangements were then made accordingly. It was 
 decided to offer a prize of three guineas for the best sample 
 of wheat. A similar reward was to be given for each of the 
 following: Best, two bushels of oats, barley, and maize. 
 Three guineas were also to be given for the best hundred- 
 weight of potatoes. 
 
 This show the first competitive agricultural exhibition 
 was held at Fordham's Hotel on March 2nd, 1840, and 
 was a decided success. Among the exhibits was a water- 
 melon, grown on the banks of the Torrens, weighing nearly 
 60 ft>. 
 
 Apparently this society was somewhat ephemeral in its 
 duration! On January 24th, 1842, a meeting was called to 
 establish a perrnancnt Agricultural and Horticultural So- 
 ciety. His Excellency Governor Grey was chosen as Patron. 
 
 The first show of the reorganized society was held on 
 February 16th, 1842. This was in the schoolroom, North 
 Terrace, opposite Government House. The young colony 
 was evidently making progress, and the immigrants were 
 becoming increasingly conscious of the productive power of 
 the soil. The showroom was crowded from 1 to 3 
 o'clock, and the exhibition was stated to be "a most credit- 
 able one." 
 
 At the dinner which followed Governor Grey said : 
 "Five years ago the colony was an unknown wilderness pro- 
 ducing roots and affording subsistence to wandering native 
 tribes. Now wherever lie had lately been he found farms 
 springing up and the settlers doing well by their labour and
 
 130 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 perseverance. On the hills and plains where a few years 
 ago wild dogs ranged unchecked they now had 200,000 sheep 
 feeding." 
 
 Slowly but surely the colony was recovering from the 
 blow it had suffered through the dishonouring of Governor 
 Gawler's bills. The people were settling upon the soil and 
 the margin of cultivation was being extended. In 1841 
 horticulture received a stimulus. The South Australian 
 Vine Association imported 57,200 vine cuttings and a choice 
 variety of fruit-trees. These came from the Cape and were 
 distributed among the subscribers to the Association. 
 
 We now come to the pioneer show par excellence ; the 
 one that eclipsed all others and marked a new social and 
 industrial era. This was in February, 1844. The show 
 was held on the North Parklands toward the east end of 
 North Terrace. Here under the grand old gums a pavilion 
 was erected. Describing the event an old chronicler 
 says: "The situation was one of the most picturesque that 
 could have been chosen, being in the centre of a grove of 
 magnificent spreading trees and surrounded by enticing 
 scenery." The pavilion was 100 ft. by 40 ft. On both 
 sides of the large tent samples of wheat and other 
 cereals were arranged. Two rows of tables, each 80 ft. long 
 by 6 ft. wide, were "crowded with the rarest and most 
 valuable fruits, vegetables, dairy produce, and samples of 
 various colonial manufactures and minerals." The entrance 
 to the tent was "decorated with bouquets of sweet-scented 
 flowers," and the "gigantic bamboo reeds and the New Zea- 
 land flax plant stood on either side of the pillars by which 
 the tent was supported." John Stephens, the pioneer who 
 penned the description of this national event, waxed eloquent 
 over the "1,200 well-dressed ladies and gentlemen congregated 
 in one spot." He was more interested in "watching their 
 cheerful faces" than even in "the prize wheat" or the "tempt- 
 ing grapes" that had come from George Stevenson's garden. 
 
 The following prizes were offered : Best three bushels of 
 wheat, five guineas ; best three bushels of barley and oats, 
 three guineas each ; best collection of fruit, five guineas ; best 
 reaping machine, ten guineas. The prize for wheat was se- 
 cured by Messrs. Innes and Gilmore, of the Chain of Ponds. 
 George Stevenson carried off many prizes, including the five 
 guineas for the best collection of fruit. John Ridley 
 obtained the prize for the reaping machine. 
 
 William Giles presided at the dinner. "It behoved 
 them," said he, "as fellow-colonists not only to rejoice over
 
 THE RISE OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS. 131 
 
 the success which had attended their efforts, but to manifest 
 to the world that they had been mainly actuated by bene- 
 volence and not by mere sordid, selfish motives. If they 
 but cheerfully persevered they would find new blessings, new 
 beauties, and new wonders saluting them at each step of their 
 colonial progress." 
 
 It may not be out of place to give the prices of some 
 of the fruits about the time this historic show was held : 
 Grapes, from Is. 9d. to 2s. per tt>. ; peaches, Is. 6d., 2s., and 
 3s. per dozen ; plums, from 2s. to 3s. per dozen. 
 
 In dealing with the agricultural and pastoral interests 
 of the Province in the early days the name of John Howard 
 Angas deserves special mention. He was the son of George 
 Fife Angas and came to South Australia in 1843. He 
 aided materially in the development of the country and 
 laid the foundation of a great pastoral and agricultural in- 
 dustry. Mr. Angas secured from the manager of the South 
 Australian Company in the early days some of the best 
 shorthorn cattle and merino sheep. He established large 
 dairies on the co-operative principle, milking at one time 
 as many as 500 cows. Throughout life he spared no 
 expense in improving the breed of farm stock. He was a 
 phenomenal prizetaker at agricultural shows, and was a 
 life member of the Royal Agricultural Societies of Great 
 Britain, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. 
 The services rendered to South Australia in many ways by 
 this enterprising pioneer will bear fruit for many years to 
 come. I cannot deal in this volume with his work as a 
 legislator and philanthropist. This work was a later deve- 
 lopment and must be dealt with in another volume of the 
 history of our State. His gifts to some of our charitable, 
 religious, and other institutions were of a most munificent 
 character. He was a pioneer whose services will be appre- 
 ciated and whose name will be held in honour by generations 
 to come. 
 
 BOTANIC GARDENS. 
 
 The first Botanic Gardens were secured and laid out by 
 public subscription. This was in 1839. A committee of 
 management was formed and John Bailey was appointed 
 Colonial Botanist. The gardens were located not far from 
 the old bridge that spanned the Torrens, called the ''Com- 
 pany's Bridge." A donation of 10 made the donor a 
 life member and admitted him and his family to the gar- 
 dens free of charge, while a subscription of 1 admitted 
 the subscriber and his family to the gardens for a 
 year. The grounds were open every day except Sunday. 
 E-2
 
 132 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 The experiment, though continued for some time, was not a 
 success. One writer to the pioneer Press stated that the 
 public "wanted to see that the committee of management 
 were in earnest, and that the gardens exhibited something 
 more attractive than Mr. Bailey's cabbages and melons." 
 
 In 1840 it was announced with regret "that the funds 
 for the support of the gardens were not sufficient to meet 
 current expenditure. Unless something were speedily done 
 by the public or the Government the whole establishment 
 would be broken up." Later on there was a further an- 
 nouncement to the effect that "the Colonial Botanist had 
 left the gardens," and of all the plants that were growing 
 twelve months previously none were left but a few peach, 
 almond, and cherry trees. The place was going to ruin. 
 
 It was not till the year 1854 that something adequate 
 in the way of providing a public Botanic Garden was done. 
 During that year the sum of 3,000 was voted 
 by the Legislative Council for the purpose. The proposed 
 gardens were to be under Government control. On March 
 10th, 1855, the present site was chosen and preparations 
 were made to lay out the gardens. Mr. Francis was first 
 appointed secretary and then curator. There is a monument 
 to his memory in the gardens. 
 
 A PIONEER Zoo. 
 
 It may interest the descendants of the pioneers to know 
 that in primitive times the colony could boast of a Zoo. 
 Would that the reader of to-day could feel the enthusiasm 
 that it evidently generated. Those who remain of the first 
 generation of children born in South Australia will perhaps 
 remember the "Old Cremorne," a public-house that stood 
 on the Unley and Mitcham Road. In the early days it was 
 a centre of attraction, especially to the children of the first 
 settlers. In connection with the hotel tea-gardens had been 
 planted. Into these gardens the proprietor introduced 
 birds of various kinds, turtles from the River Murray, and 
 other animals, including an elephant. The reader may 
 imagine how the children of the pioneers went to the "Old 
 Cremorne" at Unley to see its living treasures. The road 
 to Unley at that time was execrable, at least in winter. 
 Travellers sometimes left the road so called for the open pad- 
 docks ; but at times these were covered with mud and water. 
 But what were bad roads, mud, or water-covered paddocks 
 to the first generation of children born in South Australia ? 
 These were romantic, natural conditions to which they were 
 accustomed and, no doubt, in which they revelled. Neither
 
 THE RISE OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS. 133 
 
 mud, morass, nor water would prevent them from visiting 
 the old-time Zoo in the Cremorne Gardens. One of them 
 has told how he in the early days, with other lads, walked 
 from Marryatville to the Old Cremorne to see the gardens 
 and the elephant. On the way, in crossing a morass, his 
 foot became jammed in a wheel track. He had first to 
 pull the foot out of the shoe and then extract the latter, 
 covered with mud and filled with water. 
 
 When not on exhibition the elephant was at work, and 
 some of the paddocks 011 which the aristocratic suburb of 
 Malvern now stands were once furrowed by the plough drawn 
 by this animal. The elephant found its way to Gepp's Cross, 
 on the North Road. Here it was a source of danger and 
 trouble ; so much so that the editor of the pioneer Press 
 found it necessary to publish a word of warning, which he 
 did in the following terms: ''That exotic gentleman who 
 formerly resided at Unley has now for some time quitted 
 the service of his late master . . . arid concluded an en- 
 gagement with Mr. Matthews, of Gepp's Cross, where he is 
 now gaining some credit for his strength and perseverance 
 in drawing the plough : but the horses who pass on the road 
 (whether jealous of his superior strength or dazzled at his 
 elegance of form) jib, buck, and dance the polka. We woiild 
 recommend any traveller on the North Road to give the 
 paddock by Gepp's Cross rather a wide berth."
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES.
 
 GOVERNOR GAWLER.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 
 
 To the young colony the dark figure of dissension came. 
 It appeared in official circles. There were disputes between 
 Governor Hindmarsh and Colonel Light over the city site. 
 In a previous chapter I stated that the interests of the col- 
 ony were vested in Commissioners appointed by the Crown. 
 One of these was sent out as "Resident Commissioner." 
 This dual arrangement a Resident Commissioner and a Gov- 
 ernor, both vested with special powers did not succeed. 
 It led to divided authority. They came into conflict. The 
 Resident Commissioner claimed the right of naming places 
 within the colony independently of the Governor. There 
 was some wrangling over naming the streets and squares 
 of the city.^ 18) It was James Hurtle Fisher's opinion that, 
 as representative of the Board of Commissioners in London, 
 he had supreme authority over all the territory. He would 
 brook no interference. 
 
 In a despatch to Lord Glenelg dated April 13th, 1837, 
 Governor Hindmarsh said : "A considerable quantity of land 
 near the river and round the town had very properly been 
 reserved as public walks and for other public purposes," 
 but "the Commissioners' representative (Mr. Fisher) laid 
 claim to every inch of the ground." He pathetically asked: 
 "May I request that vour lordship will have the goodness 
 to instruct me upon this point ?" 
 
 But the Secretary of State for the Colonies was also in 
 a difficulty. There was dualism in London as well as in 
 the South Australian settlement. It must have been a 
 difficult matter for even an English statesman to define what 
 
 (IP) The committee who named the streets and squares of Ade- 
 laide consisted of Governor Hindmarsh, the Judge (Sir John 
 Jeffcott), Robert Gouger, James Hurtle Fisher, John Barton 
 Hack, John Morphett, .Kdward Stephens, T. B. Strangways, 
 Thomas Gilbert. John Brown, and Osmond Gilles. The South 
 Australian reader will see a connection between the names of 
 some of the streets and the persons who formed the committee : 
 Hindmarsh Square, Hurtle Square, Jeffcott, Gouger, Morphett. 
 Gilbert, Brown, and Gilles Streets, Strangways Terrace, and 
 Barton Terrace. 
 
 ( 137 )
 
 138 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 duties belonged exclusively to the Commissioners and what to 
 the Crown. 
 
 In another despatch Governor Hindmarsh complained 
 that he was ''not consulted," but was ignored by the Resident 
 Commissioner. No report of the Commissioner's operations 
 was submitted to him ; he knew no more than an ordinary 
 colonist did as to what that functionary was doing. 
 
 "No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate 
 the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one 
 and despise the other." The early history of our State is a 
 noteworthy illustration of the truth of these words. Among 
 the early immigrants there was a Governor's party and a 
 Resident Commissioner's party. The community was divided 
 against itself. Sir John Jeffcott (the Judge), Captain Lip- 
 son (the Harbourmaster), and George Stevenson (the Private 
 Secretary) were on the Governor's side : Charles Mann (the 
 Advocate-General), John Brown (the Emigration Agent), 
 and George Strickland Kingston (the Deputy-Surveyor) were 
 antagonistic to the Governor. 
 
 In a despatch dated May 31st, 1837, Governor Hind- 
 marsh informed Lord Glenelg that he did not receive from 
 the officers of the colony that "support which they were 
 bound officially to render to him as Governor." Said he: 
 "If I did not possess the cordial assistance of Sir John Jeff- 
 cott, whose upright and honourable behaviour I have every 
 reason to admire, I should be alone in the Council and out 
 of doors." In addition to Sir John Jeffcott "Captain Lip- 
 son and Mr. Stevenson were the only official persons friendly 
 to the Colonial Government." 
 
 Not only had "some of the Higher Officers" of the col- 
 ony (who were paid by the Crown) taken up a position of 
 antagonism to the Governor, but "one of the inferior officers," 
 as the Governor represented him to be. This was John 
 Brown, the Emigration Agent. The Governor felt so keenly 
 what he considered to be the discourteous attitude that this 
 official had taken up in relation to him that he suggested 
 to Lord Glenelg the advisability of his instant dismissal. 
 
 A bitter and in some respects paltry spirit is mani- 
 fest in the early despatches. Though more than seventy 
 years have elapsed since they were written, yet in reading 
 them instinctively one feels the strained relationship, the ani- 
 mus, the electrical atmosphere. Subterfuge and intrigue are 
 also evident. Apparently all parties were to blame. It was 
 indeed, as an old proverb says, "six of one and half a dozen of 
 the other." Some of the points of contention were very 
 small. When "the Governor's table" and "the removal
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 139 
 
 of a tarpaulin" were considered fit subjects to be brought be- 
 fore the attention of Lord Glenelg, the Secretary of State for 
 the Colonies, one feels that the whole business is beneath con- 
 tempt. 
 
 John Brown was evidently a man of most determined 
 spirit. He was requested by Governor Hindmarsh to see 
 that the body of a destitute immigrant was buried. To this 
 he demurred. In John Brown's judgment his duty was to 
 attend to the needs of the living immigrants, not the dead 
 ones. He held that he was not under the jurisdiction of the 
 Governor, that he "held his office under the seal of the Com- 
 missioners in London," and "he repudiated any other author- 
 ity." The Governor suspended him. The Resident Com- 
 missioner (James Hurtle Fisher), assuming that the Emi- 
 gration Agent was under his control, published and placarded 
 a handbill stating that John Brown (who promised to be as 
 famous as the American abolitionist) still retained his office. 
 
 In a very diplomatic way James Hurtle Fisher sent in his 
 resignation as a member of the pioneer Council. Part of it 
 read as follows: 'To the Hon. the Colonial Secretary It is 
 with deep regret that I have to request that you will be good 
 enough to state to His Excellency that I am under the neces- 
 sity of proposing to relinquish the high honour which His 
 Majesty has been pleased to confer upon me by appointing 
 me a member of the Legislative Council in this Province, and 
 of soliciting permission to withdraw from the Council." 
 
 The resignation went on to say that the Resident Com- 
 missioner found his duties as such so numerous as to require 
 his constant and undivided attention. He also referred to 
 the differences between himself and the Governor, and 
 thought that his continuance in the Council might embarrass 
 its proceedings. 
 
 The resignation was skilfully worded. It was not direct. 
 It left the way open to beat a retreat. The Resident Com- 
 missioner only "proposed" to relinquish the duties of his 
 office as a member of the pioneer Council. 
 
 No doubt Governor Hindmarsh was delighted at the 
 turn events had taken. It must have been with a sigh 
 of relief that he read the resignation, which was at once 
 accepted by him. Possibly he was looking forward to happier 
 and more peaceful times. But in this he was mistaken. 
 
 When James Hurtle Fisher sent in his resignation some 
 of the leading colonists took alarm and made a public demon- 
 stration in his favour. They forwarded an address to him 
 of which the following is an extract: "We have this day 
 heard that you have communicated to the Council appointed
 
 140 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 by His Majesty for the Province your intention to resign 
 your seat." They feared that if he withdrew "from so im- 
 portant a position in the Government of the Province that 
 their interests and the general success of the great under- 
 taking in which they had engaged would thereby be vitally 
 affected.". 
 
 The address was signed by Robert Gouger, Colonel Light, 
 John Morphett, Edward Stephens, Thomas Gilbert, George 
 S. Kingston, John Brown, Osmond Gilles, Charles Mann, 
 Boyle Travers Finniss, Dr. Wyatt, Robert Thomas, and seve- 
 ral others. 
 
 The fact that it was signed by several of the Government 
 officials gave umbrage to the Governor, and at the earliest 
 opportunity he informed Lord Glenelg of what had trans- 
 pired . - 
 
 The outcome of the address, forwarded by some of the 
 leading colonists to the Resident Commissioner, was that he 
 asked permission to withdraw his resignation. Governor 
 Hindmarsh was not at all in favour of granting this request. 
 Rightly or wrongly he regarded the whole transaction as "in- 
 spired" as a "stroke of policy" directed against himself. 
 
 Ultimately the Resident Commissioner was allowed to do 
 as he had requested, and once more took his seat at the Coun- 
 cil table. 
 
 How the Governor and James Hurtle Fisher men armed 
 with equal authority came into collision the following inci- 
 dent will show. Some of the colonists sent a memorial to 
 the Resident Commissioner asking that certain improvements 
 might be made at the Port, and that the Port might be pro- 
 claimed. Governor Hindmarsh regarded this as an encroach- 
 ment upon his rights and those of the Executive Council. 
 The memorial came into his hands. He stated that in ad- 
 dressing the Resident Commissioner and asking him that this 
 work might be done all the officers of the Crown who had 
 attached their names to the memorial had laid themselves 
 open to censure. 
 
 Writing to His Excellency, in reply, George Strickland 
 Kingston (Deputy-Surveyor) said that "acting under in- 
 structions from the Resident Commissioner he had for some 
 time been engaged in preparing for the erection of a bridge 
 over the Torrens." Having received no counter-orders from 
 the Governor in relation to that work "he was necessarily led 
 to consider the Resident Commissioner as the proper person to 
 be applied to respecting similar public works." 
 
 In relation to the expression of censure upon the Crown 
 officials who had signed the memorial Mr. Kingston said : "T
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 141 
 
 must refer you to the Act of Parliament for the establishment 
 of the Colony, vesting in the Commissioners the power to ap- 
 point certain officers, and as I have been appointed by them 
 in accordance with those powers I have to observe that I 
 hold myself officially responsible only to the Board in London, 
 the Resident Commissioner, and the Surveyor-General." 
 
 This was a sharp thrust at the Governor and he felt it 
 keenly. As an officer of the Navy he had not been accus- 
 tomed to this kind of treatment from subordinates. 
 
 Not only was he ignored by the Deputy- Survey or, but 
 that officer proceeded to advise and to reprimand him. "I 
 cannot conclude," said he, "without expressing my surprise 
 and regret that His Excellency should attempt to restrain the 
 free expression of opinion by those who hold office in this col- 
 ony, a line of policy which is at all times unwise and oppres- 
 sive, and decidedly opposed to that liberal system of govern- 
 ment which all those who understand the principles on which 
 the colony is founded hoped would have been adopted here." 
 
 After reading this very free expression of opinion, with 
 its subtle reflections upon the Governor, we are not surprised 
 to find a reference in the Governor's despatch to the "inso- 
 lence" of the Deputy-Surveyor. 
 
 Not only were there disputes between the Governor and 
 some of the officials, but the officials themselves were not "a 
 happy family." There was a street brawl between the Col- 
 onial Secretary (Robert Gouger) and the Colonial Treasurer 
 (Osmond Gilles), which Governor Hindmarsh dealt with in a 
 very prompt and firm manner. 
 
 Robert Gouger, whose temper was perhaps a little warm, 
 deserves sympathy. In preparing the plans and in laying 
 the foundations of the Province no one worked in a more 
 praiseworthy manner than he. But his colonial experience 
 was not at all happy. When Governor Hindmarsh was tak- 
 ing the oath of allegiance in the hut of Robert Gouger, and 
 the hearts of the settlers were full of joy, Mrs. Gouger 's 
 condition was most critical. The day after the colony was 
 proclaimed she gave birth to a son. Ere long both mother 
 and child passed into the unseen. She died on March 14th, 
 1837, and the child the next day. In addition to this be- 
 reavement there were the official disagreements of which I 
 have spoken. 
 
 The dispute between the Colonial Secretary and the 
 Colonial Treasui'er was investigated by the Governor. Robert 
 Gouger was suspended. This, with the loss of his wife and 
 child, preyed upon his mind. He decided to return to 
 England and to lay his case before the Commissioners. This
 
 142 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 he did, setting sail in the latter part of 1837. He was rein- 
 stated and left the Old Land for the colony in 1839. He ar- 
 rived safely, but hard work and incessant worry told upon 
 his mind and body to such an extent that he had to resign 
 his office. In 1844 he returned to England, and died in 
 1846. No monument, as yet, has been raised to his memory, 
 but no South Australian pioneer is worthier of honour 
 i an he. Our State will yet do him justice, and Colonel 
 Torrens, too. 
 
 The pioneer schoolmaster (John Banks Shepherdson) has 
 left on record a statement that throws light on these early 
 days. After describing his arrival by the Hartley in 1837, 
 he says : "In accordance with my instructions I got up a 
 public meeting in a temporary erection which then did duty 
 as Trinity Church, and the Governor, at my request, pro- 
 mised to take the chair. On the night appointed I pro- 
 ceeded to Government House to accompany His Excellency 
 to the meeting, but on learning from me on our way down 
 that James Hurtle Fisher, Charles Mann, and other of their 
 friends were to take part in the proceedings (the establish- 
 ment of a day-school) he declined to enter the place. After 
 using all the persuasion of which I was capable he at length 
 gave way, adding : 'Well, as Governor, I suppose I must coun- 
 tenance the thing, but as Jack Hindmarsh I'll do little.' ' 
 
 As a consequence of the squabbles to which we have 
 referred Governor Hindmarsh, before he had spent two years 
 in the colony, was recalled. The Commissioners in England 
 brought the following charges against him, all of them 
 trumpery : 1. He had interfered with the site for the capital. 
 2. There was a delay in proclaiming the Port. 3. He had 
 been guilty of an act of trespass and depredation because 
 some of the sailors of the Buffalo had cut down some pines 
 with which to make the necessary rafters for Government 
 Hut." 4. He had presumed to complain because the Resi- 
 dent Commissioner had refused to allow a small patch of 
 swampy ground on the river, near Government Hut, to be 
 appropriated as part of the Government domain. 5. He had 
 named places in the Province. 6. He had endangered the 
 safety of the Province by rejecting the police force and the 
 militia which the Commissioners proposed to supply. 7. He 
 had drawn upon the Treasury and thrown the finances into 
 disorder and embarrassment. Puerile as the charges were, 
 the Governor had to go. 
 
 It was wise and well that he should do so. A judicial 
 separation is sometimes an advantage in political as well as 
 in domestic life. When the strain between contending parties
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 143 
 
 has reached a climax and there is no hope of reconciliation 
 it is better for them to part. Governor Hindmarsh's posi- 
 tion was an intolerable and impossible one. His despatches 
 to the Crown were full of complaints about the disloyalty of 
 his officials, their want of respect for his office, and the slights 
 that he received. Probably his training as a naval officer 
 was not really helpful to him in the very peculiar position 
 that he was called upon to occupy. On board a vessel he 
 might command and insist upon the deference that he felt 
 to be his due. but not as the Governor of a body of earnest, 
 intelligent, and determined men who had actually come to a 
 vast country in search of freedom. There may have been a 
 tendency to coerce rather than to conciliate. But without 
 doubt there were also faults on the other side. The 
 primary cause of all the trouble was the dualistic system of 
 government with which the Province at its inception was 
 cursed. The '"squabbles" and the recall of Governor Hind- 
 marsh served a useful end. They made evident to British 
 statesmen the need for some change some better order of 
 things. 
 
 In a general sense Governor Hindmarsh served the Pro- 
 vince well. He made himself one of the people and was 
 highly esteemed. His farewell words recall the lofty tone 
 of his proclamation : "If the colonists do themselves justice ; 
 if they respect the laws and attend to the ordinances of 
 religion : if they continue the same habits of temperance 
 and industry which have so happily prevailed, South Aus- 
 tralia must realize the most ardent wishes of its friends and 
 acquire in a few years a rank among the Provinces of the 
 British Crown without example in colonial history." 
 
 On July 13th, 1838, a deputation of influential colonists 
 waited on Governor Hindmarsh and presented him with an 
 address. About 400 signatures were attached, and 
 the speakers spoke highly of his services. Captain Hind- 
 marsh was subsequently appointed Governor of Heligoland. 
 In 1851 he was knighted by the Queen. He died in July, 
 1860, aged seventy - eight years. The populous suburb of 
 Hindmarsh and Hindmarsh Square will keep him in per- 
 petual remembrance. 
 
 When Governor Hindmarsh left the colony the popula- 
 tion of Adelaide was nearly 4,000 souls. There were about 
 330 dwelling-houses of various descriptions, some of them very 
 rude and shaky. About 100 acres in the embryo city were 
 under culture as gardens and orchards. Native trees were 
 still in the streets and on some of the squares. The bulk of
 
 144 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 the population was in the city bounds, as the country sections 
 had been available only about four months. 
 
 The price of a 2-ft. loaf of bread was 9d. ; beef was from 
 lOd. to Is. per fib. ; mutton and pork the same. Wages for 
 labourers, from 1 10s. to 1 16s. per week: wages for 
 mechanics, from 2 14s. to 4 10s. per week. 
 
 The following statistics may be accepted as approxi- 
 mately correct. They were taken from the pioneer Press : 
 
 Population at end of 1837 ... ... 4,000 persons 
 
 Land under cultivation ... ... 200 acres 
 
 Sheep 28,000 
 
 Cattle 2,500 
 
 Horses 480 
 
 Value of exports (about) ... ... 6,442 
 
 GEORGE MILNER STEPHEN. 
 
 Pending the arrival of the Governor appointed by the 
 Crown, the Advocate-General (George Milner Stephen) acted 
 as administrator. His position was one of great difficulty. 
 There were no funds in the Treasury ; officers in the Civil Ser- 
 vice could not be paid ; there were only eighteen policemen to 
 keep order in a population of 4,000 persons. There were 
 more prisoners in an insecure wooden gaol than policemen 
 in the community. In addition to these misfortunes, des- 
 perate characters runaway convicts had found their way 
 to the New Settlement. Notwithstanding these disadvantages, 
 Mr. Stephen discharged the duties of his office with great 
 credit, and contributed to the revenue out of his private re- 
 sources. When his vice-regal duties came to an end he took 
 the position of Colonial Secretary. Later he went to Eng- 
 land to pursue his legal studies, and in 1845 was admitted to 
 the English Bar. Subsequently he sailed for New South 
 Wales and finally settled in Victoria. George M. Stephen 
 became famous as a faith-healer. He died in 1894 in Vic- 
 toria at an advanced age. 
 
 From the foregoing paragraph it will be seen that the 
 financial troubles that became so accentuated in Governor 
 Gawler's time began during the administration of Governor 
 Hindmarsh. He had detained twenty marines from the 
 Buffalo to act as police. In 1838 these were taken away by 
 a man-o'-war, and Governor Hindmarsh had to advance their 
 salaries, amounting to 43* The public Treasury was 
 empty and the Governor had to advance the money out of 
 his own pocket. When he left for England the salaries of
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 145 
 
 the officers of the Crown were not paid. He expressed the 
 fear that he would have to draw bills on the Home authori- 
 ties to meet colonial liabilities. 
 
 GOVERNOR GAWLER. 
 
 The next representative of the Crown to take up his 
 residence at Government Hut still a mud cottage was 
 Colonel George Gawler. He had been in the Peninsula cam- 
 paign, in which he was wounded, and had fought with great 
 gallantry under Wellington at Waterloo. He was recom- 
 mended to the Secretary of State for the Colonies on public 
 grounds alone. An officer of the army informed Colonel 
 Torrens that Colonel Gawler "was one of the best officers in 
 the army," adding, "I cannot conceive it possible that Gawler 
 should do a foolish thing." He arrived in the colony on Oc- 
 tober 12th, 1838. With the advent of Governor Gawler the 
 divided authority in the young community came to an end. 
 The services of a Resident Commissioner were dispensed with 
 and the duties of the office vested in the Governor. 
 
 Governor Gawler had a loyal reception. On October 17th 
 about a thousand persons went down the Glenelg track to 
 meet him. Many were on foot and some mounted on 
 horses. The immigrants assembled in front of Government 
 Hut, North Terrace, many of the Onkaparinga and Cowau- 
 dilla tribe of natives being present. The customary oaths 
 were taken and a deputation of leading colonists presented 
 an address. 
 
 Two or three weeks after Governor Gawler's arrival the 
 aborigines had a festive day such a day as they never before 
 or perhaps afterwards experienced. The Governor gave them a 
 feast. The settlers as well as the natives turned out en masse. 
 The picnic ground was a picturesque spot to the east of Gov- 
 ernment Hut. Rounds of roast beef as well as rice, biscuits, 
 and sugar and tea were provided. Ths natives prepared them- 
 selves for the occasion and came adorned with tassels and 
 ribbons. 
 
 About 200 men with their lubras and piccaninnies at- 
 tended. After the settlers had given them three hearty 
 cheers, the Governor addressed them as follows : 
 
 "Black men ! We wish to make yoxi happy. But you 
 cannot be happy unless you imitate good white men, build 
 huts, wear clothes, work, and be useful. Above all things, 
 you cannot be happy unless you love God, who made 
 heaven and earth and men and all things. Love white 
 men. Love other tribes of black men. Do not quarrel 
 together. Tell other tribes to love white men, and to build
 
 146 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 good huts and to wear clothes. Learn to speak English. 
 If any white man injure you tell the Protector, and he will 
 do you justice." 
 
 The tribe of aborigines to which these words were ad- 
 dressed has long since become extinct. It may interest 
 some readers if we give part of the Governor's speech as it 
 was interpreted to the natives by their Protector. It will 
 at least be a memorial of a tongue that has ceased to exist, 
 and of a tribe of natives that the world will no more see : 
 
 Boollyona mayoo ! Touara Peendingga mayoo Governor 
 ninko nutta wongan. Peende mayoo boollyona mayoo 
 touara wingoo. Turkere mocherta, arache tonke, perro mai- 
 imbe yungon. Boollyona mayoo, burkonna mayoo panny- 
 ape, komante icherle. Peende mayoo touannin, pong- 
 gareen, condan, wirilla koni icho werlingga. 
 
 Black men ! Great Englishman Governor you now 
 speak. Englishman black men very much love. Constantly 
 shirts, plenty clothing, flesh food give. Black men, white 
 men brothers, one Father. Englishmen quarrel with you, 
 fight, strike, quickly come my house. 
 
 After the speech a circle was formed and the blacks 
 sat down. The roast beef was carved and handed round. 
 The tea was poured out. No doubt, from what we know 
 of the native character, they did more than justice to the 
 good things provided. Rugs, blankets, frocks, caps were 
 distributed among them. The natives then gave an exhibi- 
 tion of their skill in throwing the spear. Whether they had 
 eaten too much or the excitement unnerved them we cannot 
 say, but tradition affirms that the spear-throwing was a very 
 poor display. Laden with spoil the fragments of the feast 
 men, lubras, and piccaninnies returned to their wurlies. 
 No wonder that the natives ever afterwards regarded Gov- 
 ernor Gawler as ''a bery good tuck-out Guvnor." 
 
 Governor Gawler's legislative policy was on a par with 
 the feast he gave to the blacks. It was "bold and compre- 
 hensive." The salaries of the Civil Servants were raised. 
 Roads were constructed. Government House a large and 
 well-appointed building- took the place of Government Hut. 
 A gaol, custom-house, and hospital sprang into existence. 
 There was a tendency on the part of many of the immigrants 
 to hang round the city, the consequence being a number of 
 unemployed, for whom the Governor felt it to be his duty 
 to make provision. The provision made intensified the evil. 
 The Government works begun in and round the city, and 
 works of a private nature, led to centralization on a vaster
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 147 
 
 scale. In 1840 a large population was settled in Adelaide 
 and its vicinty. There were seventy public-houses in the 
 municipality, and the working classes scouted the idea of 
 going into the country. 
 
 From a report that Governor Gawler laid before the 
 Executive Council of wo"k done in 1839 the following is 
 taken : Signal posts at Glenelg and on West Terrace. The 
 clearing of the parkland of the huts which were erected on 
 it by the early settlers. The clearing of a large number of 
 the streets of Adelaide of trees and stumps. The erection 
 of a wooden bridge across the Torrens, part of the expense 
 being defrayed by private contributions. The clearing of 
 great lines of road from Onkaparinga, through Willunga, to 
 Encounter Bay, Currency Creek, and Yankalilla. The Im- 
 migration Depot (a collection of wooden buildings erected 
 only two and a half years) had required an outlay of 700 
 to put in tolerable repair. Under the heading "Aborigines" 
 the Governor said: "The daily support of 120 men, 
 women, and children, even though it consists but of 
 biscuits or rice and sugar, becomes a large item. 
 There have also been erected in connection with this depart- 
 ment two houses for German missionaries, a schoolmaster's 
 residence, and five neat cottages for the natives of Adelaide ; 
 and a house for a missionary at Encounter Bay and a large- 
 sized building for a schoolhouse and hospital are also in 
 course of construction at Adelaide." In connection with 
 the police department it was stated that the conduct of immi- 
 grants from England had been very creditable, but a large 
 number of persons who had been transported to other colo- 
 nies had found their way to South Australia. To preserve 
 the public from offences of this class and to keep the natives 
 in check, a good police force was necessary. Connected with 
 the police were the keepers of the parklands. Six men at 
 first were necessary to preserve the parklands from the 
 depredations of dishonest persons. In connection with the 
 customs and harbours department the Governor stated that 
 good work had been done. In 1838 only a part of the plain 
 of Adelaide was surveyed, about 4 miles to the north and 
 7 miles to the south. The remainder of the country, 
 with a few exceptions, was not only unsurveyed, but posi- 
 tively unknown. A great advance had been made. Mr. 
 Pullen had sounded all the different channels between Lake 
 Alexandrina and the coast of Encounter Bay. The har- 
 bours of Streaky, Smoky, and Denial Bays had been sxir- 
 veyed and sounded, and a chart of them sent to the Com- 
 missioners.
 
 148 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Said the Governor, after his resume : ''1 foresaw dis- 
 tinctly that efforts made on a large scale for extensive public 
 objects must involve the risk of considerable irregularity, 
 but the danger would not be sufficient reason for limiting the 
 police force and thereby allowing the town to be overrun by 
 depredators and the country with bushrangers, or for keep- 
 ing the survey at a low establishment and preventing land 
 purchasers from entering on their sections for ruinous and 
 incalculable periods. I saw the risk of irregularities and 
 encountered it. I have no objection to say that risks 
 have occurred, but they have been very small in proportion 
 to the benefit effected. It would be strange indeed if the 
 Province had passed from what it was sixteen months ago to 
 what it now is without them. It appears to me that the 
 state of the Province affords most striking evidence of the 
 propriety of the financial course which its Government has 
 pursued. There is not in the history of the world an in- 
 stance in which after little more than three years from the 
 foundation any colony, at a great distance from its parent 
 State, has attained to the same high degree of peace, order, 
 and prosperity as that in which this Province now stands. 
 Three years and a half ago the spot on which we are now 
 standing was a desert unknown to Europeans. Now we 
 are surrounded by a prosperous and, to a considerable ex- 
 tent, handsome city. Our principal streets are lined with 
 well-filled warehouses and shops and crowded by all the at- 
 tendants of active traffic. Our port which a few years since 
 was an unknown salt water creek, covered only by water fowl 
 and enclosed in a mangrove swamp, is now filled with large 
 shipping from Europe, India, and the neighbouring colonies. 
 The swamp is traversed by a substantial road, and handsome 
 wharves and warehouses are rising on its borders. The 
 neighboiirhood of the capital is studded with numerous and 
 populous suburbs and villages, while the more distant coun- 
 try is rapidly assuming in population that healthy and natu- 
 ral proportion which it ought to bear to the metropolis." (19 ) 
 
 Yes, as the Governor stated, roads were being made, 
 harbours surveyed and sounded, public buildings erected, but 
 agriculture was neglected. It is from the soil that men 
 have to draw their sustenance, and the settlers were erecting 
 buildings when they ought to have been tilling the land. In 
 the year 1840 the enormous sum of 277,000 was sent out of 
 
 (19) It is interesting to note that amongst the items of Colonel 
 Crawler's expenditure were "four 18-tt). carronades,'' with the 
 explanatory note: "These were purchased when the alarm of a 
 maritime war and its consequences to small colonies were great."
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 149 
 
 the colony to procure the necessaries of life. Large areas of 
 land were being bought for purely speculative purposes. In 
 addition to this the tide of immigration was too strong. 
 Money received by the sale of waste lands, instead of being 
 employed partly in public works reproductive in their nature, 
 was spent in bringing out emigrants. There might have been 
 wisdom in such legislation if a large proportion of the emi- 
 grants had been capitalists. But such was not the case : they 
 were men and women without means. 
 
 The difficulties of Governor Gawler's position and how 
 the shadows were gathering round him is very evident from 
 his letters to the Commissioners in England. Shortly after 
 his arrival he wrote stating that he found the establishment 
 of public offices in the colony beyond what was represented to 
 him in England, but he was persuaded that he must not only 
 retain but probably increase the number. The population, 
 trade, commerce, and sales of land were much greater than 
 was anticipated in England. In his first year he had to 
 draw about 2,000 over the amount specified by the Com- 
 missioners, and the third quarter's salaries were still due. 
 The Treasury was absolutely empty, and public debts to a 
 considerable amount had been incurred. The Governor stated 
 that urgent demands were being made for payment. He 
 assured the Commissioners that on his part- care and exertion 
 would not be spared in the financial interests of the colony, 
 but he needed more money. "I must," he said, "surpass my 
 instructions and look to England for considerable unauthor- 
 ized pecuniary assistance." With liberal and judicious man- 
 agement he believed the colony would, "under God's blessing," 
 prosper "as none other had ever prospered before it." 
 
 Later on he wrote saying: "The affairs of the Province 
 at this moment are involved in the most aggravated and 
 complicated difficulties. I do not wish to make my situation 
 appear worse than it is when I say 1 do not think it pos- 
 sible that a Governor of a colony could be placed in more 
 trying circumstances than mine. On arrival here I found 
 the public offices with scarcely a pretension to system : every 
 man did as he would, and got on as he could. There were 
 scarcely any records of past proceedings, of public accounts, 
 or of issue of stores. The Survey Department was reduced 
 to the Deputy- Surveyor, one draughtsman, and one assistant 
 surveyor ; its instruments, to a great extent unserviceable, 
 and its office with scarcely any maps of the country, and 
 totally without system, records, or regulations. Scarcely 
 any settlers in the country ; no tillage : very little sheep or 
 cattle pasturing : the two leading places (Holdfast Bay
 
 150 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 and the Old Port) of the most indifferent description ; the 
 expense of transit to and from them most ruinous ; the 
 population shut up in Adelaide existing principally upon 
 the unhealthy and uncertain profits of land-jobbing : capi- 
 tal flowing out for the necessaries of life almost as fast as 
 it was brought in by passengers from England ; the colonial 
 finances in a state of thorough confusion and defalcation ; 
 the salaries of the public officers so small in proportion to the 
 high rate of wages and provisions that they could not live 
 upon them. The acting judge, upon the half salary of his 
 office, was living without a servant and boarding with the 
 Clerk of the Court. New buildings of every kind were 
 wanted." The Governor affirmed that his own household 
 and office accommodation was of the most straitened and 
 inconvenient description. 
 
 Later on he tells the Commissioners how the state of the 
 finances, and the inadequacy of the sum allowed for quarterly 
 expenditure, and the impossibility of complying with many 
 of the Commissioners' most prominent instructions were 
 most deeply harassing to his feelings. 
 
 When appointed to his position Governor Gawler had re- 
 ceived authority from the Commissioners to draw upon them 
 for the sum of 10,000 per annum for the general expenses 
 of his administration. He had permission to draw more 
 largely in case of emergency. These sums were independent 
 of what was raised in the colony by duties on wines and 
 spirits and publicans' and auctioneers' licences. The editor 
 of the pioneer Press stated that during the first year only of 
 Governor Gawler's administration the revenue from these 
 sources produced nearly 18,000. Not only were all the re- 
 sources at the hands of the Governor exhausted, but there was 
 an additional expenditure exceeding 200,000. 
 
 On August 26th, 1840, the Commissioners in England 
 wrote a letter to the Secretary of State for the Colonies 
 (Lord John Russell) explaining the position. Referring 
 to Governor Gawler they said: "That officer, we understand, 
 has always borne a high character. In his government he 
 appears to have displayed many qualities deserving of great 
 respect. He has shown, in trying circumstances, both firm- 
 ness and moderation. He put an end to dissensions which 
 previous to his arrival had distracted the colony. There 
 are many other indications of his possessing a faculty of 
 exercising a beneficial influence over the public mind. We 
 cannot doubt that he has been animated with a sincere de- 
 sire to improve the organization of the public departments.
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 151 
 
 All these merits we gladly concede to Colonel Gawler. But 
 upon subjects of finance he appears to us to have totally erred 
 in judgment. There is one other personal topic to which 
 we must still more reluctantly allude. It is a very painful 
 one. When the new Commissioners < 2 ) entered upon their 
 duties South Australia enjoyed the reputation of being one 
 of the most flourishing of recent British settlements. Almost 
 within six months afterwards it devolves on us to exhibit the 
 colony in a state of crisis and to show the probable defeat of 
 that experiment of self-support which has been watched by 
 numerous persons with so much interest and so many good 
 wishes. It is beyond all dispute that this unhappy change 
 can in no way be traced to any act or influence of the new 
 Board." The Commissioners asked that the Government 
 would afford them guidance and support in the difficulty in 
 which they found themselves. They asked for immediate 
 directions as to the course they should pursue in relation to 
 the bills which had been drawn upon them. They were 
 afraid that all the funds at their disposal would be exhausted. 
 
 They made various suggestions for the better government 
 of the Province. Among others were the following: The 
 diminution of expenditure ; a fixed acreable fee for survey 
 purposes, to be charged on each grant of land so that the 
 purchaser, and not the revenue, would bear the cost of sur- 
 vey : no further financial claim to be made for a police force ; 
 imposition of land tax ; the colonists to have some efficient 
 control over the colonial expenditure. At the earliest period 
 they should have the privilege of self-government. The 
 boundaries of South Australia should be enlarged so as to 
 take in a part of the Port Phillip (Victorian) district. 
 
 Lord John Russell's reply was that as soon as Parlia- 
 ment met the Government would try to appoint a committee 
 of enquiry into the state and prospects of the finances of 
 South Australia, and the proper course to be taken in the 
 direction of relieving necessities. In the meantime he sug- 
 gested that holders of the bills should be informed that they 
 could not be accepted, and that no pledge could be given for 
 the future acceptance or payment of them, and that the most 
 peremptory instructions should be given to Governor Gaw- 
 ler requiring him to confine the public expenditure within 
 the limits of the local revenue. 
 
 (20) At the beginning of 1840 a new commission for South Aiis- 
 tralia was appointed by the British Government. The first Com- 
 missioners, who with one exception had served gratuitously, were 
 set aside. Three salaried Commissioners were now appointed- 
 Colonel Torrens (Chairman), T. F. Elliot, and E. Villiers.
 
 152 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 This could not be considered satisfactory. Repudia- 
 tion of debts would tend to wreck the colony. The Commis- 
 sioners made further representations to the British Govern- 
 ment. It was necessary that something should be done im- 
 mediately, before Parliament met. The Government con- 
 sented to guarantee a loan of 120,000 till Parliament 
 could meet. Even with the Government guarantee the loan 
 could not be negotiated. The credit of the colony was gone. 
 The Government then refused to take any more steps without 
 the consent of Parliament. 
 
 The total indebtedness of the colony was 294,000, made up 
 as follows : Due to persons in England, 56,000 : dishonoured 
 bills, 97,000 : due to Emigration Fund (money taken from 
 the fund to meet liabilities), 56,000 ; public debt of the 
 colony (part of the 200,000 that the Commissioners were 
 authorized by the Act to borrow), 85,000 = 294,000. These 
 figures were taken by me from Parliamentary Papers to which 
 I had access in the Old Country. They were supplied by one 
 of the Commissioners to the Parliamentary Select Committee 
 which sat upon South Australian affairs in 1841. 
 
 In 1841 intelligence was conveyed to the colony that 
 Governor Gawler's unauthorized bills had been dishonoured 
 by the Commissioners in England. Ruin stared the colony 
 in the face. Its financial credit was gone. Colonists and 
 capitalists were deterred from coming to its shores. There 
 was general bankruptcy and great distress. One of our 
 pioneer builders (Sir Henry Ayers) who was in the colony at 
 the time, speaking many years afterwards, said : "The priva- 
 tion of the settlers was severe and everything seemed to be at 
 its lowest. The loss of capital incurred in founding the col- 
 ony cannot be estimated ; but it must have been very consid- 
 erable, inasmuch as nearly all those engaged in the importa- 
 tion and distribution of merchandise, with many others, were 
 ruined." 
 
 The Commissioners in England cast the responsibility for 
 the disaster upon the Governor. The latter pleaded the 
 peculiar exigencies of his position, and the permission given 
 to him by the Commissioners to make special drafts vipon 
 them in cases of emergency. In his defence addressed to Lord 
 John Russell he said : "I considered it 'emergency' when the 
 Survey Department could not keep nearly up to the demand, 
 when the police was not sufficient to repress bushrangers and 
 other lawless characters, to control the natives and to check 
 contraband trade ; 'emergency' when public officers of value 
 were leaving their situations on account of the insufficiency 
 of their salaries, and were trading and really plundering the
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 153 
 
 Government 011 what they called authorized principle ; 'emer- 
 gency' when the Survey and Land Offices were burned down 
 and there was not a public office belonging to the Govern- 
 ment in Adelaide, and none of reasonable permanent useful- 
 ness to be hired ; 'emergency' when, with an increasing pres- 
 sure of business and harassment of all kinds upon me, I, my 
 wife and family, Secretary, office, and servants, were limited 
 during the day to a mud cottage 50 ft. by 27 ft. ; and 
 'emergency' when, with a really beautiful natural port, com- 
 merce was suffering almost indescribable hindrances from the 
 difficulties of landing in a broad mangrove swamp. Many 
 others could be justly enumerated ; but these (in addition to 
 immigrant sickness and destitution) are the great and leading 
 objects which have been to my fullest conviction 'emergencies,' 
 and which have absorbed the greater part of the extraordin- 
 ary expenditure." 
 
 Governor Gawler was recalled. His expenditure had, 
 indeed, been lavish. Take, for example, the building of the 
 Adelaide Gaol. Of this Sir Henry Ayers said: "The one I 
 found on my arrival was certainly not adapted to the end 
 in view the safekeeping of prisoners. It consisted of a tent 
 with an airing ground in front, enclosed with a rope, round 
 which one or two turnkeys patrolled, armed with a Brown 
 Bess musket. But while it will be acknowledged that this 
 accommodation was altogether inadequate for the purpose, 
 there was no need why the other extreme should have been 
 adopted. High walls and strong doors were doubtless neces- 
 sary, but no angle towers, surmoxinted with cut-stone embat- 
 tlements, the stone alone costing 42s. per cube foot to work, 
 while for other services artisans were paid from 3 18s. to 4 
 4s. per week, and the cost generally was greatly enhanced 
 from the high price of labour and unforeseen contingencies 
 that it brought ruin upon a most respectable firm of contrac- 
 tors, and involved the colony in debt for years afterwards." 
 
 But posterity must be charitable. The difficulties of 
 Governor Gawler's position, as I have pointed out, were 
 great. The founding of South Australia was quite an ex- 
 periment in colonization on the Wakefield system, and the 
 governing powers were the other side of the world. To a 
 certain extent Governor Gawler was the victim of circum- 
 stances. Immigration (especially of persons without capital) 
 was too fast : and the new settlers, without means, needed 
 work. Public improvements were urgently required. Gov- 
 ernor Gawler had great faith in the resources of the colony, 
 and he boldly laiinched out, trusting to a future development 
 to meet the liabilities incurred. When the stress was most
 
 154 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 severe he believed that if he had a free hand he could steer 
 through the storm. It was not safe legislation, it is true; 
 but the money was not recklessly thrown away. The 
 improvements made were not temporary, but substantial. 
 He built not merely for the present, but for the future. 
 Perhaps the larger outlay at the beginning in the long run 
 was the wiser and cheaper. In nation-building, as well as 
 in domestic affairs, it is possible to be "penny wise and 
 pound foolish." He was an able and energetic officer; a 
 Christian man who set a high ideal before the early settlers, 
 and who himself strove to give practical expression to the 
 same. He was beloved by the people, who, out of their 
 diminished resources, presented him with 500 as an ex- 
 pression of their esteem. Such was his regard for the 
 colony and faith in its ultimate prosperity that he left 
 the sum to be invested in land on his own account. 
 
 Of Governor Gawler, David McLaren, of whom we shall 
 have to speak, said: "One of the best of men, one of the 
 most upright, conscientious, and intelligent public men I have 
 ever had the honour of meeting." 
 
 He was very strict in his religious views. Every morn- 
 ing and evening the family were called together, and there 
 was the practical recognition of an overruling Providence. 
 Sunday was strictly observed. Neither the Governor nor 
 Lady Gawler approved of dancing, and in place of balls din- 
 ner parties were given. 
 
 The spirit in which Governor Gawler laboured in build- 
 ing up the young Commonwealth is to be seen in one of his 
 farewell addresses. The descendants of the pioneers to-day 
 should lay his wise words to heart. The truth they 
 symbolize lies at the foundation of national stability and 
 prosperity. The pioneer Methodists had presented to him a 
 farewell address. Replying to the deputation, among 
 other things he said : 
 
 "I most sincerely pray that God, in His faithfulness 
 and power, may preserve and extend the pure and simple doc- 
 trines of His Word among yourselves and every denomina- 
 tion in South Australia, knowing as I do that there is no 
 other permanent foundation for individual or public pros- 
 perity. The harmony that has hitherto existed among the 
 Christian bodies of this colony has been a most pleasing sub- 
 ject of contemplation. I sincerely pray also that this may 
 long continue, and that men who hold the sound doctrines 
 of the Gospel, without being loose to forms, may keep them 
 in their proper places as shadows and not the substance of 
 religion, and exercise forbearance in regard to those who, in 
 
 \
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES 155 
 
 these things differ from them. If I were to leave a parting 
 sentence to such men of all denominations it should be See 
 that ye fall not out by the way. As long as sound Chris- 
 tian doctrines are extensively known and practised, and har- 
 mony among those who hold them is maintained, there will 
 be no reason to fear for South Australia." 
 
 The aborigines keenly felt his departure. Through their 
 missionaries (C. G. Teichelmann and S. G. Close), with their 
 Protector (Dr. M. Moorhouse) they presented him with the 
 following address : 
 
 "Us, the chest beats at his absence. Our commander, he 
 did sit ; on his side we did sit. For us he did contend. He 
 us did hide from the white men who insulted. Lament we 
 at his absence. He at us well did look. Our father he 
 did sit; regarding food, meat, clothing. Food, clothing, he 
 us did give. Land for food he gave us back. Schoolhouse 
 he for the children of us did build. Words to learn as white 
 children." 
 
 The address was written in the native tongue, the above 
 being a translation. 
 
 On June 22nd, 1841, a farewell meeting was held at Gov- 
 ernment House. James Hurtle Fisher presented an address to 
 Governor Gawler. He spoke of "the unfeigned gratification" 
 that the Governor must feel to see "his efforts for the ad- 
 vancement of the Province so highly appreciated by an intelli- 
 gent, thinking, and influential community." In reply Colonel 
 Gawler spoke of the pain that it gave him to leave the colony 
 in such an unsettled condition. He hoped that agriculture and 
 sound commercial pursuits would take the place of speculation, 
 and urged the colonists to stand by the principles revealed in 
 the Bible as a sure basis in times of prosperity and adversity. 
 After the company had dispersed a number of gentlemen on 
 horseback accompanied the Governor and his family to Port 
 Adelaide, where a fina.l farewell was spoken. He passed away 
 in May, 1869, aged seventy-three years, his name being per- 
 petuated in the flourishing town of Gawler and the Gawler 
 Ranges. 
 
 Some useful legislation was passed in Governor Gawler's 
 time. Among other Acts there was one to "Regulate the 
 Retail of Liquors and to Preserve Good Order in Public- 
 houses." Public-houses were to be closed all day on Sun- 
 day, except from 1.30 to 3 o'clock in the afternoon. They had 
 to close at 10 o'clock each evening. There was need for such 
 legislation in the young community, for drunkenness was the 
 besetting sin of many.
 
 156 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Ic was Governor Crawler who called into existence a 
 mounted police force that did splendid service. Prior to 
 his arrival the colony was drifting into anarchy. Internal 
 strife and the influx of bad characters from penal settle 
 ments jeopardized society. The mounted police force 
 that Governor Gawler created consisted of some of the brav- 
 est men and best riders that ever sat in a saddle. In pass- 
 ing I may mention Inspectors Inman and Tolmer and Ser- 
 geant-Major Alford. They checkmated the bushrangers 
 and cat tie -raiders, and taught the blacks to respect the 
 lives and property of the early settlers. 
 
 Sir Charles Cooper, a worthy nation-builder, came to the 
 Province during the administration of Governor Gawler. He 
 was sent out by the Colonization Commissioners to take the 
 position of Judge made vacant by the death of Sir John Jeffcott. 
 For many years Judge Cooper was a prominent figure among 
 the early settlers. In addition to valuable services rendered 
 as judge, he took an interest in the social life of the people. 
 In 1856 he visited England and was knighted by the Queen. 
 Returning to the Province, he discharged the duties of his 
 office for some years, and then resigning his position received 
 a pension. He returned to England and died at Bath in 
 May, 1887, having attained a fine old age. Cooper's Creek, 
 in the Far North, is named after him. 
 
 It was during Governor Gawler's time that the first 
 steamer arrived from London the (Courier.
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES.
 
 (inll, Photn 
 
 NATIVE LUBRA AND PICCANINNY.
 
 CHAPTER XT. 
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 
 
 In addition to financial reverses there were many other 
 burdens that the pioneers had to bear. In the building 
 up of a strong and vigorous nation adversity seems to be a 
 necessity. An old book says that "no chastening for the 
 present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, 
 afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to 
 them who are exercised thereby." There is a social and 
 general beside a spiritual and individual application of 
 this principle. Adverse circumstances furnish discipline ; 
 they develop thrift, caution, energy, determination, and self- 
 reliance. Nations as well as individuals have more to fear 
 in times of great prosperity than in seasons of adversity. 
 
 Perhaps this is the most fitting place in which to speak 
 a word of warning, especially as Australian Federation is 
 now an accomplished fact. It is a great nation that we 
 desire to see in these southern lands, and such a consumma- 
 tion is to be realized only by individual effort. Visionaries 
 may conceive ideals ; Senators may pass laws ; the strong 
 arm of the law may compel changes in the social system ; 
 but neither of these nor all combined can make a nation 
 determined, energetic, masculine, and self-reliant. It is in- 
 dividual character that constitutes and conditions national 
 character. One of the most effective ways of teaching a 
 lad to swim is to put him in deep water and let him 
 struggle to keep himself afloat. So to develop what is best in 
 men in a psychological sense it is necessary to cast them 
 upon their own resources let them boldly grapple with 
 difficulties and contend with adverse circumstances. It is 
 just here that Governments are in danger of making a mis- 
 take. It is possible to so pamper and coddle a people as to 
 take the backbone out of them. 
 
 With the humanitarian spirit that is abroad to-day I 
 am in full sympathy. In many directions there is urgent 
 need for reforms. Monopolies that enrich a few at the ex- 
 pense of many must be broken down. Property in land 
 must become as widely diffused as is consistent with a com- 
 fortable living. Wealth must pay its fair share to the 
 revenue. But men must not be taught to depend upon 
 the State as a lame man does iipon crutches. It must not
 
 160 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 be regarded as a kind of wet - nurse from whose prolific 
 breasts the improvident and lazy may draw. Henry George 
 has truly said that it is natural to man to seek to satisfy 
 his wants with the least exertion. The State must not en- 
 courage this tendency. The highest type of national man- 
 hood can be attained only by individual effort. Legislation 
 that has a tendency to relax individual effort will have a 
 relaxing tendency all round ; it will lead to national emas- 
 culation. Human nature is fearfully and wonderfully made 
 it needs discipline. The ideal that some social reformers 
 have set before them that of giving to every person "an 
 easy and comfortable living" if realized might be one of 
 the greatest disasters that ever befell humanity. Where 
 there is little effort no battles to fight, no foes to conquer, 
 no difficulties to surmount there will often be mental, 
 moral, and material degeneration. 
 
 It is grappling with difficulties, contending with ad- 
 verse circumstances, that made our pioneer fathers and 
 mothers the men and women they were. Look at some 
 of the difficulties they had to face. They came to a wil- 
 derness. Before their advent cosmic forces held undisputed 
 sway. The South Australian blackfellow had no genius for 
 cultivation. He never disturbed the earth unless it were 
 to search (as the rabbit does) for native roots that were edible. 
 Why should he trouble to clear the forest or to till the 
 ground ? The country abounded with game. The River 
 Murray and the ocean that lapped the shore teemed with 
 fish. At almost any hour of the day he could take spear, 
 boomerang, or net, and secure abundance of food for his 
 lubras and piccaninnies. He simply ate, hunted, and slept, 
 and had little more idea of agriculture than had the kangaroo. 
 Vast tracts of land were covered with dense scrub and prim- 
 eval forests. These had to be cleared before they could be 
 put under the spade or plough of the pioneers. The means 
 of transit were slow and very defective. Nature was not 
 always propitious. Water in many places was scarce. 
 
 The beautiful city of Adelaide to-day was in primitive 
 times a forlorn sort of place. In summer the dust at times 
 was almost unendurable. In winter roads and footpaths 
 were well-nigh impassable. From written statements handed 
 down by pioneers we can faithfully picture the scene. 
 The roads were marked out but not made. There were 
 few horses, and the heavy traffic was done by bullocks in 
 drays. In winter time the highways and byways were sadly 
 cut up. Looking back to these far-off times, that will never 
 again return, we can see bullock drays slowly ploughing their
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 161 
 
 way through the water arid through the mud. Here and there 
 the track is so bad that the teams encroach upon what are 
 intended to be footpaths. A lady describing her experiences 
 in Adelaide in pioneer times complained that "in wet and 
 muddy times" the bullock drivers "unceremoniously drove 
 their drays on both footpaths, to the danger and annoyance 
 of the pedestrians, particularly the ladies," and "as the weak- 
 est usually go to the wall" she herself "had frequently to 
 plunge ankle-deep in the road to escape being gored or run 
 over." The footpaths were also "obstructed by bakers' carts 
 and the German people's goat carts." There was a joke in 
 Adelaide in the early days about an immigrant who saw 
 a man's hat in the road. He went to pick it up. Down 
 below he heard a muffled and mysterious voice saying that 
 the hat belonged to him. The immigrant expressed sorrow 
 that the man should have sunken so low. The reply was 
 that not only was he buried in the mud, but under him was his 
 horse. 
 
 It was difficult sometimes to get labourers. One of our 
 old pioneers (Dr. Everard), who came out the year the col- 
 ony was founded, and who became a member of the First 
 Parliament, writing to a relative in England in 1837, said: 
 "I have ten acres in the town. ... I am now (with Wil- 
 liam's assistance only) felling and grubbing up the trees upon 
 one acre preparatory to building my town house. I have lost 
 my labourer. He would not work for me longer, although 
 
 I had agreed to give him 12s. per week 
 
 In England he did not earn on an average more than 
 6s. per week, and did not taste meat from one week's 
 end to the other : but here he got meat every day, and less 
 than a bottle of rum per day was not enough for him. Hon- 
 est, sober, industrious labourers are much wanted here." 
 
 All over the colony the natives were treacherous ; but the 
 more warlike and dangerous were the tribes along the River 
 Murray. Many of them were fine big men, bold and vigor- 
 ous. Both to the north and south-east of the New Settlement 
 the natives had a conception of the supernatural. No doubt 
 the famous corroboree was originally a religious festival. 
 Take the Narrinyeri tribe of natives, who were located in the 
 South-East, more especially round the lower part of the River 
 Murray. Of these the Rev. George Taplin said : "They call 
 the Supreme Being by two names Nurundere and Martum- 
 mere. He is said to have made all things on the earth and 
 to have given to men the weapons of war and hunting. Nur- 
 undere established all the rights and ceremonies which were 
 practised by the aborigines, whether connected with life or
 
 162 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 death. On enquiring why they adhere to any custom the 
 reply is, 'Because Nurundere commanded it.' " The Narrin- 
 yeri tribe had some conception of an after-life. The Rev. 
 H. E. A. Meyer, who laboured among them in the very 
 early days, has left on record one of their legends: "Nur- 
 unduri < 21 > removed with his children to a great distance to- 
 wards the west, where he still lives, a very old man. When 
 he went away one of his children was asleep, and, in conse- 
 quence, left behind. Nurunduri, when he arrived at the 
 place at which he intended to remain, missed him, and, mak- 
 ing fast one end of a string to his maralengk, he threw the 
 other end towards where he supposed his son to be, who, 
 catching hold of it, helped himself along to his father. This 
 line is still the guide by which the dead find their way to 
 Nurunduri. Old people become young and the infirm sound 
 in the presence of Nurunduri." 
 
 The Narrinyeri tribe had their rain- and disease-makers, 
 and were pronounced believers in sorcery. Disease was gen- 
 erally regarded as the effect of sorcery. They had peculiar 
 marriage customs, and were often guilty of infanticide. A 
 peculiar practice was making the youths of the tribe "young 
 men," an interesting rite, barbarous in the extreme. Pro- 
 bably the object was to make the young men hardy. Our 
 authority is the Rev. George Taplin : "The matted hair was 
 combed or torn out with the point of a spear. The mous- 
 tache and great part of the beard was plucked out by the 
 roots. This was done three times while the long initiation 
 lasted. For three days and three nights they were not al- 
 lowed to eat or drink. For several months the luxury of a 
 drinking vessel was denied to them. When thirsty they had 
 to drink water by sucking it through a reed. During the 
 whole period, which lasted some months, they were forbidden 
 to eat any food which belonged to the women, and from par- 
 taking of twenty different kinds of game. Only the ani- 
 mals which were most difficult to obtain were allowed to them, 
 no doubt with the object of making them expert hunters." 
 
 They had a strange way of disposing of the dead. Hav- 
 ing concluded that sorcery was the cause of death the nearest 
 relation slept with his head on the corpse, so that he might 
 dream who the sorcerer was. The body was then placed ovei 
 a slow fire for a day or two until the outer skin was blistered. 
 This outer skin and the hair was then removed. All the 
 apertures of the body were then sewn up. It was rubbed 
 with grease and red ochre, and set up naked on a stage in- 
 
 (21) He gives the spelling of the word a little differently from 
 that of Rev. G. Taplin.
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 163 
 
 side the wurley. A slow, fire was placed under the corpse in 
 order to dry it. The relatives lived, ate, drank, and slept 
 in the presence of this putrefying mass. When dried it was 
 wrapped up in mats and kept in the wurley. 
 
 Leaving the tribes located in the south-east of the New 
 Settlement, and travelling to the Far North, there was the 
 same conception of the supernatural and belief in a future 
 state, though expressed in a different way. The natives had 
 religious festivals, at which they sought for material good. 
 The source of our information is the record of Lutheran mis- 
 sionaries who spent some time among them. "Their gods 
 did not live together, rior even in the same locality. Mal- 
 bonga lived in their heavenly Paradise, or Laia. He once 
 made a journey to the neighbourhood where the tribe is 
 located, and founded it. After death it was believed their 
 souls would follow Malbonga to Laia." The after-life was 
 simply a prolongation, so to speak, of the life that now is, 
 but on a fuller scale. Laia was a locality in which fruit 
 and food were to be had in abundance. There was the same 
 fear of sorcery and disembodied spirits as in the south-east 
 of the colony. The dead in this tribe were buried. In some 
 other parts of the Far North they were placed upon frame- 
 works and left exposed to sun, wind, and rain until all the 
 flesh had disappeared. 
 
 These children of the bush, of whom I have given a 
 passing description, gave the early settlers much trouble. 
 
 Not long after the establishment of the colony a shepherd 
 was tending sheep within 7 miles of the small city. He 
 was assailed by the natives, struck down with a waddy, and 
 speared in the breast. Inspector Inman and others traced 
 the supposed murderers to Lyndoch Valley, and finally ar- 
 rested them at the Para River. They were found guilty and 
 condemned to death. A scaffold was erected on the North 
 Parklands, and the criminals, overwhelmed with terror, were 
 placed upon it. Many of the natives were present to wit- 
 ness the execution. After the death penalty had been in- 
 flicted there was loud lamentation weeping and wailing in 
 the native wurlies. This was the first execution of natives 
 in the primitive community. 
 
 The early settlers were dependent upon the older colonies 
 for their meat supply. When the New Settlement had been 
 in existence only about fourteen months Joseph Hawdon dis- 
 covered an overland route to South Australia. < 22 > He brought 
 over a mob of cattle and horses. Others soon followed, in- 
 
 (22) See Chapter VIII. 
 
 F'2
 
 164 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 eluding the explorers Edward J. Eyre and Captain Charles 
 Sturt. These overland trips were difficult and dangerous. 
 In 1841 Messrs. H. Imnan and H. Field were leading an 
 overland party in charge of sheep for the New Settlement. 
 For many miles the blacks the Murray tribe were very 
 troublesome. On the way Mr. Inman was wounded by a 
 spear. At the River Darling several of the sheep were 
 speared. The blacks followed the party to Lake Bonney. 
 In the vicinity of the lake thirty or forty natives were seen. 
 There were many more under cover in the bush, all armed 
 with spears, shields, and waddies and bent upon mischief. 
 This was evident from the attempt they made to conceal 
 their weapons from view in the long grass. They tried to 
 make friends with the small party of whites, but were warned 
 off without violence. They disappeared, but farther down 
 the track again made their appearance. It was clear to the 
 travelling party that the natives intended to make an attack. 
 Firearms were examined. Four horsemen rode to the front. 
 As they approached the natives shouted, struck their waddies 
 together, and prepared to dispute the advance of the whites. 
 A halt was made, the sheep were rounded up, and the whole 
 party gathered round a dray. Mr. Inman was able to do 
 but little. On the morning of the attack a piece of barbed 
 spear about 7 in. long was taken out of his back. It had 
 been there for nearly seven weeks. Command was given 
 to Mr. Field. A slow fire from three or four fowling pieces 
 went on from the dray. Unfortunately the rest of the fire- 
 arms were so bad that they would not discharge. Embold- 
 ened by the ineffectual shooting, the natives encircled the 
 party. They rushed on them from all quarters. Two shepherds 
 were speared at the dray, and one of them the blacks carried off. 
 The rest of the party, after struggling for some time, seeing 
 such a large force against them and their firearms useless, 
 retreated through the scrub. Mr. Field, who did his utmost 
 to save the sheep, endeavoured to bring the men back to the 
 rescue. But it was useless. The natives were in full pos- 
 session of the field. The whole party retreated, and Mr. 
 Field conducted them through the scrub till they reached the 
 Murray. The shepherd who was carried off by the natives, 
 and left by them as dead, recovered. He had seven wounds 
 on his body, and had nothing to sustain life for five days 
 but the tongue of a dog. The whole party barely escaped 
 with their lives. It was the sheep more than the men that 
 the natives desired to secure. 
 
 A party of gentlemen under Mr. Field set out to try 
 to recover the sheep, as well as to teach the blacks a lesson.
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 165 
 
 As they drew near Lake Bonney a large number of armed 
 natives were concealed in the scrub. Mr. Field and his 
 company formed in a line and rode toward them. At the 
 same time the natives approached within forty yards. The 
 chief gave the signal for attack by sticking his spear in the 
 ground and waving his hand. They then sounded their war- 
 cry and commenced throwing spears. The first man who 
 threw a spear Mr. Field shot through the head. He then 
 gave the order for the others to fire, thinking that when a 
 few of the blacks fell the others would retreat. But such 
 was not the case. On they came, in the form of a crescent. 
 There were about 200, and others were concealed in 
 the scrub. Mr. Field ordered his party to try to outflank 
 the natives on the right. While effecting this one of the 
 settlers' horses fell over a tree and the rider was thrown. 
 The party wheeled round to protect him. One of the horses 
 was now wounded with a spear and unable to carry its rider 
 any farther. The man then mounted behind another set- 
 tler. The battle had now lasted more than half an hour. 
 Several of the blacks had fallen. Mr. Field gave the order 
 to retreat. A spear struck him in the fore part of the head, 
 but as it passed through a thick tarpaulin hat the wound was 
 slight. The horse that he rode was speared in the shoulder. 
 Each time they secxired an advantage the natives gave a yell 
 of triumph. The party retreated for a mile, and then halted 
 to sew up the wound in the horse ridden by Mr. Field. All 
 escaped with their lives, but the sheep were not recovered, 
 nor were the blacks taught a salutary lesson. 
 
 It was not only along the Murray that the native tribes 
 were fierce and treacherous, but also on the west coast of the 
 new Province. When opportunity offered they spared neither 
 children nor adults. In previous chapters we have spoken 
 of Port Lincoln. Here a small settlement had been formed. 
 A short distance from Port Lincoln there was a pioneer sheep 
 station, where a lad was one day left at a hut while his 
 elder brother went into the port. The lad was only twelve 
 years of age. A band of natives put in an appearance. 
 They surrounded the hut in which the lad was, demanding 
 something to eat. He gave them bread and rice. The boy 
 was a brave little fellow. Seeing that they were determined 
 to enter the hut and probably pillage it he went outside, 
 fastened the door, and took up a position in front of it, 
 armed with a gun and sword. Two jagged spears were 
 thrown at him, which entered his breast. He shot one of 
 the natives, who fell, but got up again and ran away. The 
 natives then retired, but returned, and showed signs of throw-
 
 166 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 ing another spear ; but the gun in the lad's hand kept them 
 away. The poor boy remained with two spears, 7 ft. 
 long, sticking in his breast. He tried to cut and saw them 
 off, but failed to do so. He then sat upon the ground, and 
 put the ends of the spears in the fire, to try to burn them 
 off. In this position he was found at 10 o'clock at night 
 upon the return of his brother. He had been speared eleven 
 hours. The brother sawed the ends of the spears off, put 
 the lad on a horse, and took him into Port Lincoln. The 
 wounds proved fatal. A monument has been erected at Port 
 Lincoln to his memory. 
 
 Yet another outrage must be recorded. In 1840 tidings 
 were conveyed to Adelaide that a number of white people 
 who had escaped from a wreck had been murdered by the 
 blacks. The wreck had occurred on the coast near Lace- 
 pede Bay. At this time the country was little known. How 
 ever, under instructions from. Governor Gawler a search 
 party was organized, among whom were three blacks of 
 Encounter Bay. The country was scoured and a ghastly 
 discovery was made. The party found legs, arms, and other 
 portions of human bodies covered with sand and blood. Gath- 
 ering the fragments together by the aid of a doctor they 
 made them out to be those of two men, three women, and a 
 female child of ten, two male children, and a female infant. 
 The bodies were fearfully bruised and stripped of every rag. 
 In some of the native wurlies male and female garments were 
 found drenched with blood ; also letters, newspapers, the 
 leaves of a Bible, and part of the wrecked ship's log. The 
 body of one woman was found in a wombat hole with a 
 Bible, in which was a list of births, marriages, and 
 deaths. The number killed was about twenty-six. It 
 appears that the shipwrecked people were guided by the na- 
 tives a short distance inland. They were induced to separ- 
 ate into two companies, and were then killed. As the search 
 party followed up the tracks they noticed that occasionally 
 the marks of the children's feet disappeared. It was evi- 
 dent that the little ones became tired with their long journey 
 and were carried by their friends. The native women who 
 had been captured said the white people had been divided 
 into two parties, then some of the natives rushed upon them 
 and held them, while others beat them upon the head with 
 waddies until they were dead. It was an awful outrage. 
 This much may be said in extenuation the blacks suffered 
 much from lecherous whites. Like other savasre tribes, they 
 did not distinguish between the innocent and the guilty, but 
 took revenge on any who came in their way.
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 167 
 
 The search party rounded up as many natives as they 
 could, got evidence against them, and hung the leaders in 
 the sheaoak-trees over the graves of their victims. The bodies 
 were left hanging in the trees, and the natives were warned 
 not to touch them. They remained in suspension until 
 dissolution set in. 
 
 The ill-fated vessel that carried these unfortunate passen- 
 gers was the brigantine Maria, bound for Van Diemen's 
 Land. 
 
 I may mention in passing that King John, of the Ade- 
 laide tribe of natives, died in his wurley at the back of the 
 native location, on the North Parklands, on January 2nd, 
 1845. He was one of the first natives that the settlers in the 
 Province saw, and had acquired a considerable knowledge of the 
 English tongue. Among the natives he was known as Murla- 
 wirra-burka, i.e., "Dry Forest Man." The remnant of his 
 tribe carried him to Onkaparinga for burial. 
 
 The Protector of the Aborigines in the early days was 
 Dr. Moorhouse. He was sent from the Old Country, in 
 1840 to fill the position. In pioneer times there was a "Na- 
 tive Location," consisting of twelve huts, on the North Park- 
 lands, opposite the gaol. Here the native children were 
 taught to read, write, and sew. It was under the control 
 of Dr. Moorhouse. He passed through some stirring ex- 
 periences in the early times, and finally settled many miles 
 north of Adelaide, at Mount Remarkable. Here he had an 
 estate, to which he gave the name of "Bartigunya" a na- 
 tive name, no doubt. His body rests in the little cemetery 
 near the quaint village of Melrose. On the tombstone the 
 following verse is inscribed : 
 
 He hated falsehood's mean disguise, 
 
 And loved the thing that's just ; 
 His honour in his action lies, 
 
 And here remains his dust. 
 
 He died in 1876 at an advanced age. 
 
 Bushrangers in pioneer times were a source of terror. 
 These were desperate, dare-devil fellows. Some of them were 
 ticket-of-leave men, or convicts from England who had es- 
 caped from some of the penal settlements. They were handy 
 with firearms, and sometimes were well mounted on stolen 
 horses. They "stuck up" travellers and out-stations. They 
 made raids upon horses and cattle. Sometimes, under the 
 cover of night, they would visit the city and commit depreda- 
 tions. "Bail up!" was the demand, enforced at the point 
 of a pistol. There was nothing to do but surrender. Their 
 rendezvous, near Adelaide, was the "Tiers" in the Hills. Here
 
 168 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 they lurked in densely wooded and almost inaccessible gullies. 
 They knew the country well, and police in the early days, 
 trying to thread their way through the "Tiers," were at the 
 bushrangers' mercy. 
 
 Fortunately in those early days there were two or three 
 police officers as bold as lions Henry Inman, Alexander Tol- 
 mer, and Henry Alford. They had some thrilling experiences. 
 For some time a bushranger had been living in the scrub in 
 the vicinity of Encounter Bay. He had come overland from 
 one of the other colonies and rode a magnificent horse, and 
 was well armed. In return for rations he supplied the few 
 settlers of Encounter Bay with kangaroo flesh. A plot was 
 laid to capture him. He was asked to carrv a letter to 
 Adelaide to Mr. Edward Stephens at the Bank of South Aus- 
 tralia. Being a good bushman and well mounted, he, after 
 some hesitancy, consented. He duly arrived in Adelaide, 
 hitched his horse to the back fence, and entered the bank. Mr. 
 Stephens invited him into the kitchen and directed the cook 
 to provide him with a meal. The bushranger entered, carry- 
 ing with him his loaded double-barrelled gun. Presently 
 Superintendent Inman entered. In the most matter-of-fact 
 way he took up the gun to examine its merits. The bush- 
 ranger's suspicions were aroused. He bolted through the door 
 and made a rush for his horse. Just as he was mounting 
 Superintendent Inman seized the bridle. The bushranger 
 drew a pistol and presented it. Inman, who was a tall, 
 powerful young man, and had been a lancer in the British 
 Army, seized the pistol at the lock, prevented it from dis- 
 charging, and wrenched it out of the felon's hand. He was 
 immediately captured. W) 
 
 Cattle-raiders were a menace to society. About four 
 years after the founding of the colony intelligence was con- 
 veyed to the police that some cattle-raiders were at work in 
 the Black Forest. This was some -vnooded country down the 
 Glenelg track, about four miles from Adelaide. Sergeant 
 Alford and two or three other men set out for the locality. 
 Here they found a stockyard. It was situated in the midst 
 of a dense low scrub, well screened from view. Tn the stock- 
 yard there were three men, who appeared to be very busy at 
 work round a beast which was lying on its back on the 
 ground. Sergeant Alford stepped off his horse on to the 
 fence. The suspicions of the men were aroused. The three 
 
 (23) Henry Inman returned to England in the early days, 
 where it is said he became interested in spiritual work, ana 
 entered the ministry of the Episcopalian Church. The Tnman 
 River and Inman Valley bear his namo.
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 169 
 
 leaped over the fence on the opposite side and decamped. 
 Two of the police gave chase, and each succeeded in captur- 
 ing a man. One managed to escape from custody. Return- 
 ing to the secret stockyard they found three cattle slaught- 
 ered ; one cut up in quarters; another hanging up, cut in 
 halves; and the third the one on which the raiders were at 
 work when disturbed by the police. There were four large 
 empty casks in a bullock dray and a bag of salt lying be- 
 side it. Several head of cattle were found in the stockyard. 
 They had been stolen from various settlers. 
 
 Many of these raiders were escaped convicts or ticket- 
 of -leave-men of whom we have spoken. Alexander Tolmer, 
 in his "Reminiscences," says: "Cattle-stealing was rife among 
 them. The animals stolen mostly belonged to the South 
 Australian Company, and were driven to some appointed 
 place at night and shot. The beasts would then be skinned 
 and the hides destroyed to prevent identification of the 
 brands. To ensure instant destruction fires were peculiarly 
 constructed with dry logs cut to certain lengths and piled 
 one upon the top of the other in the shape of a chimney. 
 When lit a powerful draught of air was created which quickly 
 produced a fire capable of reducing anything to ashes in a 
 few minutes. After the meat had been cut up, salted, and 
 put into casks it was carted to Adelaide and received by a 
 notorious butcher, who it was ascertained had been for some 
 considerable time supplying the Mauritius market with meat. 
 
 Some of these criminals were cool, collected, atidacious 
 fellows. Under other circumstances they might have made 
 useful members of society. One of the pioneers (James C. 
 Hawker), in his "Reminiscences" has described one of these 
 men. He was on trial for larceny. Addressing the prisoner 
 His Honor (Sir Charles Cooper) said that on four previous 
 occasions he had appeared before him. Tie was not a fit person 
 to remain in the Province. He would sentence him to fourteen 
 years' transportation to Van Diemen's Land. The man re- 
 ceived his sentence with the utmost composure and thanked the 
 judge for his kindness in sending him to a decent settlement. 
 He stated he was glad to get out of such a beastly place, 
 ;and would have left the colony before if he had had the 
 means. 
 
 The first execution took place on May 2nd, 1838. The 
 culprit was Michael Magee, who made an attempt on the life 
 of the Sheriff. The gallows was a tree on the North Park- 
 lands. 
 
 In the midst of the trials enumerated, and many more 
 not mentioned, the early settlers, as a rule, kept up a good
 
 170 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 heart. One who had found his way to Little Para, about 
 twenty miles north of the nascent city, could sing. I found 
 his lay in one of the pioneer papers stored up in the Public 
 Library. No doubt the singer has long since passed away, 
 and the song was dead and buried, too. Where the dust of 
 the singer lies we cannot tell ; but the dust of the song has 
 been discovered, and shall have a resurrection. The mechan- 
 ism of the song may not be perfect, but the tuneful spirit 
 is there. In it the poetic reader can see the glinting of the 
 early Australian morning, listen to the wild bird's cry, and 
 feel and smell the fresh bracing air. 
 
 SUNRISE ON THE PARA. 
 There's gladness here when morning peeps 
 
 So fair and brightly through 
 Each tiny cloud, that lingering keeps 
 
 Across its path of blue. 
 . t . 
 
 Soft halo then of greenish light 
 
 Each verdant valley fills, 
 And dawning sunbeams settle bright 
 
 On Para's thousand hills. 
 
 Oh ! then each lone spot lovely seems. 
 
 That late was dim and drear; 
 And far-off azure highland gleams 
 
 More beautiful and clear. 
 
 '.! How gaily sings the mountain .breeze 
 
 The morning song of day ! 
 Among the high green forest trees, 
 Along its leafy way. 
 
 And when it early sweeps along 
 
 The blooming wattle bowers, 
 It leaves behind its native song, 
 
 The breath of distant flowers. 
 
 Sweet sounds the wild bird's startling note 
 
 In answering rapture then ! 
 And mellow streams of music float 
 
 Through every dewy glen. 
 
 Beneath each long-drawn forest aisle. 
 
 Where sportive zephyrs play, 
 Resounds the parrot's whistling call ! 
 
 The shrill kurraka's (24) lay. 
 
 And far-off voices varied meet 
 
 Round Para's sparkling rills, 
 Exulting choirs that love to greet 
 
 Young morning on the hills. 
 
 (24) The native magpie.
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 171 
 
 Hitherto I have spoken of reverses of some of the diffi- 
 culties with which the pioneers had to contend and the dan- 
 gers by which they were surrounded. But there were suc- 
 cesses as well as reverses joys as well as sorrows. 
 
 As yet no special reference has been made to David 
 McLaren. He was a pioneer nation-builder whose name, 
 worth, and work should be held in perpetual remembrance. 
 David McLaren was the father of the celebrated Manchester 
 preacher, Dr. Alexander McLaren. He was born in Perth, 
 Scotland, in 1785. It was his intention to enter the ministry 
 of the Presbyterian Church, and with this end in view en- 
 tered the Glasgow University. Finally he chose a commercial 
 life. In 1837 Mr. McLaren came to South Australia as mana- 
 ger of the South Australian Company. He was a good man, 
 and took a keen interest in the social and moral well-being 
 of the infant community. It was he who gave the first warn- 
 ing note against State-aid to religion, and who planned and 
 carried out the construction of the Port Road and the build- 
 ing of the wharves, as well as other works of utility in connec- 
 tion with the primitive settlement. 
 
 The so-called Port in Governor Hindmarsh's time was a 
 wretched place. A captain who visited it in 1838 said: "It is 
 the worst place I was ever in in my life." In approaching 
 the Port River his ship went aground twice. In addition 
 to this he could not get any fresh water at the Port. His 
 casks were sent up to Adelaide and filled at the River Torrens. 
 He had to pay a guinea per cask for his water. The Port 
 itself was a swamp. Goods were landed on low swampy 
 ground, and when the owner went down to take possession he 
 might see them floating in the water. 
 
 Describing the old Port an early arrival said: "The 
 shore is an uninhabitable swamp, and the few people who are 
 living in the wigwams at Port Adelaide are too busily engaged 
 in landing boards and rolling casks to take notice of a party 
 of ladies and gentlemen up to their knees in mud, trying to 
 reach the shore. This a-t last is managed without the loss 
 of life or limb, but it is certainly anything but pleasant. 
 Arrived on the dry land, the party wash the mud off their 
 legs and put on their stockings and shoes : then, carrying 
 their trunks as well as they can, they all walk up the side of a 
 little canal, as it is called, which brings them to the only spot 
 of land at the creek free from inxindation, which is called 'the 
 sandhills,' where 'one or two grog-shops made of branches of 
 trees' and 'a few natives (stark naked) and a large 
 iron store painted white,' belonging to the Commissioners, 
 
 4. K <r PU^ io "D/-v.4- A flaloisla I' 4-Vio nourlw arri\7**fl
 
 172 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 critic goes on to say. 'Port Misery!' would be a bet- 
 ter name, for nothing in any other part of the world can 
 surpass it in everything that is wretched and inconvenient. 
 Packages of goods and heaps of merchandise are lying about 
 in every direction, stacks of what were once beautiful Lon- 
 don bricks crumbling away like gingerbread, and evidently 
 at each returning tide half -covered with the flood. Trusses of 
 hay, now rotten ; and Norway deals scattered about as if 
 they had no owner. Iron ploughs and rusty harrows : cases 
 of door frames and windows that had once been glazed ; heaps 
 of the best slates half tumbling down : blocks of Roman ce- 
 ment, now hard as stone ; laths and shingles from Van Die- 
 men's Land in every direction ; while on the high ground 
 are to be seen pigs eating through the flour sacks, and kegs 
 of raisins with not only the head out, but half the contents 
 gone : onions and potatoes apparently to be had for the pick- 
 ing up. The sight is disheartening. What with the sun and 
 the rain, the sands and the floods, the thieves with four legs 
 and the thieves with two, the passengers hug themselves at 
 the recollection that they have brought no merchandise for 
 sale ; glad enough to be able to take care of themselves. The 
 sooner they get out of this horrid hole the better, so they 
 enquire if there is any coach to town. They are answered 
 by a careless shake of the head, and, like good settlers, they 
 determine to walk, carrying their light parcels with them 
 and leaving their heavy things with a friend who refuses to 
 go any farther. They ask for a drink of water before start - 
 ing ; there is not such a thing to be had ; but the bullock carts 
 are expected down every minute with the usual supply. 
 'What, no water?' exclaims one passenger. 'No, sir: the 
 Commissioners are sinking a well, though they have not found 
 any but salt water ; but they are going to dig in another place 
 shortly, we understand.' " f25 ) 
 
 Yes : the old Port in pioneer times was a wretched place, 
 and the track that led from it to the settlement at Adelaide 
 was quite as bad. As neither the Commissioners nor their 
 representatives took action in making an improvement, 
 David McLaren decided to do so. It was his wish to see a 
 macadamized road to the Port and a wharf at which vessels 
 could discharge their cargo. In 1839 the plans were pre- 
 pared and the material got ready. A large number of the 
 settlers came together to see the work inaugurated. After 
 a.n address by Captain Sturt, the Rev. C. B. Howard (Col- 
 fas) Water in the early days was a scarce and precious com- 
 modity, especially at the Port. It cost the Buffalo more thai> 
 100 for 20 tons of water sent from Adelaide to Glenelg.
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 173 
 
 onial Chaplain) asked the Divine blessing upon the undertak- 
 ing. (26) Mr. McLaren then made a statement of the case. 
 Said he : "Really, when one considers that this colony has been 
 only about two and a half years in existence that previously 
 it was almost unknown by name and that where we are lo- 
 cated was at that period a desert, to look round upon this 
 agreeable assemblage and witness what we do to-day is a 
 gratification of no ordinary kind and a scene never paralleled 
 in the history of colonization. We have, in fact, transplanted 
 British habits, British feelings, British capital, and British 
 enterprise to our adopted home. We might almost think our- 
 selves this day removed to Merry Old England. It is my in- 
 tention, as the humble representative of the South Australian 
 Company, to form a wharf at the termination of the road, 
 where vessels of 400 or 500 tons may discharge out of their 
 ship's hold upon the wharf. If that object be accomplished 
 we shall have laid the foundation of the prosperity of South 
 Australia on a broad, firm, and permanent basis." 
 
 After an address from Governor Gawler, who stated that 
 the population of the colony was about 8,000, he 
 removed a few spadefuls of earth. Cheers for the ladies and 
 the manager of the Company were then given, and Edward 
 Stephens (manager of the Pioneer Bank) followed with a 
 speech in which he stated that the cost of the work would 
 be about 25,000. A banquet in a large marquee ended the 
 day's festivities. 
 
 The new road to the Port and the wharves were finished 
 in 1840. It was a national event and marked a great stride 
 in nation-building. On October 14 some hundreds of the 
 pioneers men and women met on North Terrace, opposite 
 to where the Houses of Parliament now stand. The Governor 
 and leading officials were present. A procession was 
 formed. There were about 432 vehicles a motley assem- 
 blage. Four-in-hand coach, gig, spring waggon, cart, 
 bullock team, and donkey cart were all represented. 
 There were about 500 or 600 persons mounted on horses. 
 It was the largest assembly that had ever gathered in 
 the new colony, about 5,000 being present. A Royal 
 salute was fired. The vessels in the river were covered with 
 
 (26) This was a praiseworthy feature in the conduct of the 
 South Australian pilgrim fathers. In spite of the ridicule of 
 some of the members of the House of Commons and the attacks of 
 the London Times and The Courier, they had gone out to the 
 Great Lone Land to build up a substantial Commonwealth. They 
 believed in an overriding Providence, and in connection with 
 such a secular undertaking as the construction of a wharf or a 
 road they offered prayer.
 
 174 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 bunting. When the procession arrived at the Company's 
 Wharf a halt was made. The Rev. C. B. Howard offered 
 prayer. In a speech most appropriate to the occasion, Gov- 
 ernor Gawler christened the wharf "McLaren Wharf," a 
 name that it bears to this day. The first bale of goods was 
 then landed upon it, consisting of a box of tea and one of 
 spices. There were "thundering rounds of applause." The 
 Union Jack was "run up" and a Royal salute fired. A 
 regatta followed. Then came a banquet on a colossal scale 
 provided by the manager of the Company. The provision 
 was such that the pioneers evidently thought the various items 
 worth publishing. They were found by me among some old 
 papers in our Public Library, and deserve a resurrection. There 
 were five pieces of roast beef and five pieces of boiled beef, 
 five quarters of lamb, five pieces of veal, fifteen hams, thirty- 
 five tongues, five pieces of spiced beef, forty-five fowls, ten 
 ducks, twenty chicken pies, twenty veal pies, seventy -five cov- 
 ered and other tarts. The fluids were equal in quantity to 
 th~ solids. One woiild imagine that after such a feast there 
 would be little speaking. But it was "a day of great 
 things." The speeches were on a par with the provisions. 
 Governor Gawler proposed the first toast, "The Queen and 
 Prince Albert," David McLaren gave "The Health of His 
 Excellency Colonel Gawler." He spoke of the Governor's 
 exertions in extending and expediting the survey of waste 
 lands; the great interest he had shown in the labouring 
 classes and in bettering the condition of the aborigines; his 
 kindness and benevolence to all classes; his Christian prin- 
 ciples ; and the example set by the Governor and his wife to the 
 discouragement of vice and the promotion of piety and virtue. 
 In a word, he was "The Father of the People." The charac- 
 ter was well deserved. The Governor made an excellent 
 speech. Among other things, he said, "There are difficul- 
 ties to be overcome for the general good, and every colonist 
 has his own difficulties. We are not to sleep on a bed of 
 roses. By our exertions we are to make the wilderness re- 
 joice and blossom as the rose. Let us endeavour to carry 
 this out. Let us raise small towns throughout the country 
 which so lately was a wilderness." 
 
 At the end of 1840 the colony sustained a loss in the 
 departure of David McLaren. He was called to fill an im- 
 portant position in the service of the South Australian Com 
 pany in London. He had worked well not only in the in- 
 terests of the Company, but for the general good of the new 
 colony. A banquet was given in his honour. Judge Cooper 
 took the chair. In spite of bad times, every delicacy
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 175 
 
 that the colony could furnish was on the table. About 
 120 gentlemen sat down to dinner. Judge Cooper 
 spoke of the services rendered to the colony by the 
 South Australian Company : "Had it not been for the Com- 
 pany," said he, "South Australia would not be in existence; 
 at all events it would not have been what it is at the pre- 
 sent time. I can confidently say that Mr. McLaren has 
 performed his duties most honourably. There is one thing 
 which, were I to mention it, alone would entitle him for 
 ever to the thanks of the community. It is planning and 
 carrying out the new port. "When Mr. McLaren has left 
 and living (as I hope he may do for long years) in that repose, 
 comfort, and independence which he has so well earned, he 
 may say that he has greatly contributed to the success of the 
 colony by the undertaking which he has completed so nobly." 
 David McLaren, who was received with great enthusiasm, 
 and who spoke under considerable emotion, said : "I have 
 endeavoured to regulate my conduct in the prominent posi- 
 tion in which I have been placed by the principles of truth 
 and sincerity, of righteousness and integrity, of benevolence 
 and the fear of God. I have felt the obligation I was under 
 to exhibit thus publicly the perfect consistency between the 
 assiduous prosecution of business and the maintenance of 
 piety. Wherever I am South Australia shall not want a 
 friend. I have seen the day of small things. I have shared 
 in the difficulties and hardships of the early settlers." 
 
 David McLaren returned to England to take the con- 
 trol of the London business of the South Australian Com- 
 pany. He died on June 22nd, 1850. Of him his celebrated 
 son (Rev. Alexander McLaren, D.D.) has said: "His char- 
 acter had many excellences in it ; but the basis of all was 
 a firm grip of definite convictions, intelligently adopted and 
 unswervingly clung to. Storms of many sorts assailed, but 
 did not move him." Over his grave his children put the 
 two words, "Steadfast, unmovable." McLaren Wharf and 
 McLaren Vale in South Australia perpetuate his name. 
 
 In 1840 the settlers had for the first time the novelty 
 of an election. It was for Councillors and Aldermen for the 
 growing city. The polling-booths were erected at the inter- 
 section of King William and Hindley Streets. This will 
 give the colonial reader some idea of the "empty" condition 
 of the young city at that time. The experience was new, 
 and the settlers had an exciting time. The booths were 
 decorated with flags and various devices. At the top of the 
 poll for Councillors was James Hurtle Fisher (Ex-Resident 
 Commissioner). Seventeen citizens were elected. The Coun-
 
 176 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 cil chose J. H. Fisher as Mayor, a position that he occupied 
 five times. 
 
 Lovers of music to-day may be pleased to know that 
 the "first professional concert" in the primitive settlement 
 was held on February 20th, 1840. Of this very suggestive 
 event the pioneer Press said : "On a spot that three years 
 ago was a desert waste now stands a public assembly-room. 
 In a place that not long ago was a howling wilderness is now 
 advertised the first professional concert. Where the owl 
 shrieked and the wild dog yelled in emulation of his savage 
 master, the notes of Beethoven, Martini, and Bishop would 
 be heard." 
 
 It was during the period now under review that Colonel 
 Light died. He was born at Malacca about the year 1786. 
 Colonel Light came to England and entered the navy, after- 
 wards joining the army as a cavalry officer. He served in the 
 Peninsular war and rendered splendid service. He was a 
 man of considerable attainments especially as a linguist 
 and had special natural aptitude. It was at the express wish 
 of the Duke of Wellington (with whom Colonel Light had 
 been associated) that he was appointed Surveyor-General of 
 the proposed colony of South Australia. We have already 
 spoken of the difficulties of his position. He was very sensi- 
 tive to criticism, and the censures to which he was sub- 
 jected and the conditions that were imposed on him, especi- 
 ally by a body of Commissioners the other side of the world, 
 preyed upon his mind. In 1839 he tendered his resignation, 
 and soon after (October 5th, 1839) died of consumption. 
 Referring to this circumstance the Press of the period said : 
 "With extreme sorrow we have this week to record the 
 death of this truly great man, whose name will co-equal the 
 existence of South Australia, and whose fame will increase 
 as years roll round and the capabilities of the colony are 
 developed." All the immigrants did him honour at his 
 death. As the cortege proceeded from Thebarton to Ade- 
 laide minute guns were fired by a party stationed at 
 Hindmarsh. The colours at Government House were flying 
 half-mast. Governor Gawler and all the officials joined in 
 the procession. No business was transacted all day at the 
 public offices. The shops were closed the greater part of 
 the day. The body was first taken to Trinity Church, where 
 a short service was held. The Colonel's heart was always in 
 the city, and his body was buried in the city square called 
 after his name. A monument marks his resting-place and 
 a statue has been erected to his memory; but such, how- 
 ever, are not necessary to keep him in memory. Let the
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 177 
 
 visitor to South Australia or the descendants of the pioneers 
 ascend the Post Office tower, from the top of which a vaster 
 monument the creation of his genius may be seen. Fifty 
 years after the site for the city had been fixed Sir Henry 
 Ayers said: "Can anyone at this time, after fifty years' ex- 
 perience, and with all the knowledge possessed of our ex- 
 tensive seaboard, point out any other site so well adapted 
 in all respects, or, indeed, approaching, the suitableness of 
 the one chosen ? Harassed and annoyed by the interference 
 of some and the criticism of others, Colonel Light fearlessly 
 acted on his own good judgment, leaving it, as he said, to 
 posterity to decide 'whether I am entitled to praise or 
 blame.' Posterity speaks out, as succeeding generations will 
 through all time to come, loudly in praise of the man who, 
 by the exercise of his ability, was indeed the founder of 
 Adelaide, and whose dying wish to be so regarded has been 
 so singularly fulfilled." 
 
 At the end of 1840, though the colony was not yet four 
 years old, the circle of settlement had been extended to a 
 radius of about 70 miles from Adelaide, the population 
 was 15,000, and 3,000 acres were under cultivation. 
 
 On June 30th, 1840, the following statistics were pub- 
 lished : 
 
 Sheep 186,000 
 
 Cattle 14,800 
 
 Horses 1,250 
 
 Pigs 3,600 
 
 Goats 350 
 
 The price of a 2-Ib. loaf of bread was Is. 9d. : sheep 
 were from 26s. to 42s. : cows, from 9 to 18 : bullocks, 
 from 10 to 21 ; horses, from 35 to 120 : pigs, from 25s. 
 to 7 7s. ; goats, from 2 to 8 8s. 
 
 The exports for the year 1840 were 706 bales of wool, 
 395 barrels of oil, and 650 bundles of whalebone. 
 
 If the reader will compare these statistics with those in 
 the previous chapter he will have some idea of the material 
 growth of the Province.
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 Governor Gawler's recall was sudden. The action of the 
 Imperial authorities was so abrupt that it was ungracious. 
 Not even a week's notice was given of the action they in- 
 tended to take. On May 10th, 1841, the Lord Glenelg 
 dropped anchor in Holdfast Bay. On board was Captain 
 Grey, the newly-appointed Governor, and Colonel Gawler's 
 curt recall, which read as follows : 
 
 ''In consequence of the reports which have been made to 
 Her Majesty's Government by the Colonization Commissioners 
 for South Australia respecting the amount of the bills which 
 you have drawn on the Commissioners in excess of the 
 authority which you had received from them for that pur- 
 pose, it has become my unwelcome duty to advise Her 
 Majesty to relieve you from the office of Governor and Her 
 Majesty's Resident Commissioner in that Province. The 
 Queen, having been pleased to approve of that advice, has 
 appointed as your successor Captain Grey, who will proceed 
 to South Australia in the vessel that carries this despatch." 
 
 Colonel Gawler was a brave soldier and a Christian 
 gentleman. He had risked his life and shed his blood for 
 his country in the Peninsular wars. At the Battle of Water- 
 loo he rendered memorable service, for which he received 
 special honours. Notwithstanding his excessive expenditure 
 he had served well his Queen and his adopted country. Bear- 
 ing these facts in mind, the Secretary of State (Lord John Rus- 
 sell) might have performed his "unwelcome duty" in a more 
 gracious way. 
 
 When Captain Grey landed he proceeded to Government 
 House, read his commission, and entered upon the duties of 
 his office. He was not a stranger to South Australia, having 
 visited the colony in 1840. He had had a military training, 
 and had served the Imperial Government in exploring (he 
 west coast of the Australian Continent. 
 
 The advent of the new Governor was not at all wel- 
 come, and under the most distressing circumstances he began 
 his administration. A prejudice had been created against 
 him ; the pioneers resented his coming ; the settlement was 
 only five years old, and was in a, state of insolvency. The 
 commercial distress was so great that many of the immigrants
 
 182 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 left the colony. There was impending disaster, but Captain 
 Grey was the man for the hour. 
 
 Times of social distress are times of political upheaval. 
 Revolutionary ideas are abroad. A discontented spirit takes 
 possession ot the people. Someone must be blamed. A scape- 
 goat must be provided. There is one ready to hand in the 
 form of the Government. Mass meetings are held. Dema- 
 gogic harangues are delivered. Public works on a vaster 
 scale are demanded. Large sums of money must be bor- 
 rowed. Good wages must be given. Such is the popular 
 ideal an ideal that Governor Grey shunned and shattered. 
 Just as the born general at a glance takes in the position 
 of the foe and adjusts his forces, so Captain Grey instinct- 
 ively took in the position of affairs and made preparations for 
 battle. Writing to the Imperial authorities he said : 
 
 "While so many persons are maintaining that an ex- 
 travagant government expenditure is necessary and bene- 
 ficial in the early days of a colony, I may be permitted to 
 record my dissent from this opinion. In the early stages of 
 a colony there are no producers either of the necessaries of 
 life or of articles of export. Under such circumstances a 
 large outlay upon public buildings is no further benefit to 
 the colony than that these buildings and improvements are 
 obtained. The whole of the sum expended in labour is car- 
 ried out of the colony to purchase articles of consumption 
 and clothing. The colony thus depending altogether upon 
 imports (and the demand being uncertain), the necessaries 
 of life fluctuate in value and are generally extremely high. 
 This circumstance, combined with the great employment of 
 labour by the Government, raises inordinately the price of 
 labour. The country settler can thus not become a producer 
 of food or of articles of export. His agricultural operations 
 are limited and his capital eaten up by the high price of 
 wages." 
 
 Captain Grey's policy was economy, retrenchment, de- 
 centralization. His first despatch to the British Govern- 
 ment stated that the anticipated deficiency for the quarter 
 was between 16,000 and 18,000, and only a few hundred 
 pounds in the Treasury to meet it. In a few weeks he would 
 have to provide funds to meet the deficiency from some extra- 
 ordinary source or the local Government would be bankrupt 
 and the consequences calamitous. He felt that it was the 
 duty of the local Government to endeavour by ajl legitimate 
 means to provide for its own necessities. He recommended 
 the sale of Government Farm (an institution created by 
 Governor Gawler), of Government horses, and of other
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 183 
 
 property of this description. He decided to reduce the police 
 force, and to ask that two or three companies of in- 
 fantry might be transferred from New South Wales to main- 
 tain order. Not only was there retrenchment in the Govern- 
 ment service on a large scale, but public works that were 
 not of a reproductive character were stopped. 
 
 In reply to Governor Grey's first despatch Lord Stanley 
 said : "We rejoice to find that the Governor considered it his 
 chief duty to retrench unnecessary expenditure and to pro- 
 vide for what was necessary out of the resources of the colony. 
 ... . I have much pleasure in conveying to you my con- 
 currence in the expression of satisfaction at the measures 
 which you propose to adopt for meeting the demands on the 
 local Government." 
 
 But Governor Grey soon found himself confronted by 
 the same difficulty as had led largely to Governor Gawler's 
 embarrassment. He discovered that it was not so easy, as per- 
 haps he first imagined, for the "local Government to provide 
 for its own wants out of its own resources." The fact is 
 that the Wakefield plan of colonization had its weaknesses. 
 To spend all the revenue derived from the sale of Crown 
 lands in sending out emigrants with little or no capital 
 was a serious blunder. When they arrived and could not 
 find employment their necessities had to be met. This was 
 a big financial item. If they could have been employed by 
 the Governor on works that were immediately reproductive 
 the strain upon the Treasury would not have been so great. 
 But this, in the first stages of the settlement, was not pos- 
 sible. 
 
 When Governor Grey arrived in the Province about 142 
 men were receiving Government pay and 285 rations. These 
 men were employed in clearing the streets of Adelaide, 
 making the roads, raising material for the Adelaide Gaol, 
 and sawing and splitting wood, for which they received Is. 6d. 
 per day, with rations for themselves and families. 
 
 If opportunity offered for so doing many of these needy 
 immigrants were unwilling to leave the city and its environs 
 and go into the more unsettled parts of the Province. In 
 one of his despatches to the Secretary of State Governor 
 Grey said that many of the immigrants "found themselves so 
 well fed and so comfortably situated by being employed 
 within the vicinity of the town that they would not go out 
 into the country." This was especially so in the case of 
 married men, who received not only the Is. 6d. per day from 
 the Government, but rations for their wives and families.
 
 184 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 The British Government laid the matter before the Board 
 of Commissioners in London. They recommended that the 
 practice of supplying rations should be stopped : that the 
 unemployed immigrants, for whom the Government had to 
 provide, should be paid wages below the ordinary market 
 rate ; that by a system of advertising work should be sought 
 for them among the settlers in the outlying country; that 
 surplus labour should be diverted to one of the other colonies. 
 
 Before this communication reached Governor Grey he 
 had acted in some respects along the lines of these sug- 
 gestions. He had stopped the distribution of rations and 
 reduced the rate of remuneration for the unemployed to the 
 following scale: A single man, 7s. per week; a man and his 
 wife, 12s. per week, and every unemployed child in the family 
 2s. per week. 
 
 It was inevitable that Governor Grey's policy of re- 
 trenchment in the Government service and cessation of pub- 
 lic works should, for a time, increase and intensify the un- 
 employed difficulty. Very soon there were 1,245 persons 
 (one-twelfth of the population of the colony) applying to the 
 Government for help in the form of rations or work. In six 
 months fifty-eight persons died so completely destitute that 
 the Government had to pay the expenses of their burial. 
 
 Yet in the outlying districts we are told there was really 
 a demand for workers. So much so that it was with difficulty 
 that settlers on the soil gathered in their harvest. The evil 
 was centralization. 
 
 In spite of his communication to the Home Government 
 that "he felt it was the duty of the local Government to 
 endeavour, by all legitimate means, to provide for its own 
 necessities," Governor Grey found that he had actually to do 
 what Governor Gawler had done, viz., to draw upon the 
 British Treasury. In a despatch to the British Government 
 he stated that the difficulties in providing for the needs 
 of the indigent immigrants were such that he would have 
 to draw upon the Home authorities for 1,510, adding: "I 
 hope the fact of such sums being drawn to prevent British 
 subjects from starving will be deemed a valid excuse for 
 such drafts being drawn." 
 
 Lord Stanley's reply was that no immigrant dependent 
 upon the Government should have any assistance if he re- 
 fused wages at a higher rate than the Government allowance. 
 Governor Grey was also instructed to further reduce the 
 scale of wages for relief works. The British Government 
 paid the 1,510 under protest, feeling that more stringent
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 185 
 
 steps ought to be taken to compel the immigrants to go in 
 the country in search of employment. 
 
 Governor Grey enacted that if an unmarried immigrant 
 refused to work for a settler who offered him 20 a year 
 and rations he would not have any claim to Government 
 assistance. A married immigrant was not to refuse 30 a 
 year and rations, or a like penalty would be inflicted. 
 
 Slowly but surely there was an improvement. On No- 
 vember 10th, 1841, Governor Grey was able to report to 
 the Secretary of State that the expenditure had been re- 
 duced from 150,000 to 40,000 per annum. There was a 
 reduction of 110,000. Said Lord Stanley, in his reply: 
 "I have read the report with great satisfaction, and I feel 
 pleasure in expressing the assurance of my entire approval 
 of the bold and judicious measures of reduction which you 
 have effected in the expenditure of your Government." 
 
 A little later there was a rift within the lute. As 
 soon as Governor Grey heard that Colonel Gawler's bills were 
 in course of payment in England, he decided to place the 
 creditors in the colony on an equal footing. Speaking in 
 the Council in November, 1841, he said: "Gentlemen, on my 
 arrival in this Province, in the month of May last, a variety 
 of unpaid accounts were handed to me. I declined at that 
 time to pay those accounts, upon which a large deputation 
 of merchants and others waited upon me to urge the neces- 
 sity for immediate payment. I declined, however, to accede 
 to their request. The only mode in which I could have dis- 
 charged those accounts would have been by drawing upon 
 the British Treasury. . . . Having ascertained from the 
 most authentic sources that the bills of the late Governor 
 which had readied England are now in course of payment, 
 it appears to me that I ought now, immediately, to commence 
 paying off the outstanding claims. If I did not now pay the 
 Government creditors who are in the colony I should allow 
 them to be in a. worse position than the Government creditors 
 elsewhere. ... I have determined, therefore, to draw 
 upon the Lords of the Treasury for the payment of those out- 
 standing claims," which amounted to several thousand 
 pounds. 
 
 He did so, but the Governor's act was repudiated by 
 the British Government, which refused to pay these out- 
 standing claims. Lord Stanley wrote to the Governor to 
 say that his Government was of opinion that it ought 
 not to pay the bills which he had drawn. They were 
 drawn not only withoixt authority, but also contrary 
 to the express letter of his instructions. While criticiz
 
 186 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 ing the act of Governor Grey the Secretary of State added : 
 "I think it right to convey to you the assurance that al- 
 though Her Majesty's Government has seen fit to disapprove 
 of this particular proceeding, yet in other respects the tenor 
 of your administration has been such as to leave unimpaired 
 the confidence of the Government in the prudence and dis- 
 cretion of your measures." 
 
 Not only did Governor Grey have to reduce expenditure 
 but to increase taxation. How unwelcome, even in pros- 
 perous times, is legislation of this kind, and how unreason- 
 able is much of the opposition offered to Government dues. 
 It is individualism of the most miserly type. Men pay 
 butcher and baker without demur. Why ? Because the 
 benefit conferred is directly received and personally ab- 
 sorbed; but some object to pay taxation because the ad- 
 vantages secured are communal benefits in which all may 
 share. They seem to think that the Government is a kind 
 of self-sacrificing body which ought to produce, in some occult 
 way, from its own resources all that the community needs. 
 But we must not think of the pioneers in this way. They 
 had a grievance. No doubt there was an inherent dislike to 
 taxation, but in the case of the pioneers it was "taxation 
 without representation." They had no direct action in poli- 
 tical affairs. They felt that if they provided the money 
 they ought to have a voice as to how that money should be 
 spent. It was the continuance of nominee government that 
 made them rebellious and tempted them to be disloyal. 
 
 In August, 1842, the representative men of the com- 
 munity and many others met in the theatre, Gilles' Arcade. 
 Two things were troubling their souls : not only increased 
 taxation, but the form of government to which they had to 
 submit. They thought the time had come when they ought 
 to petition the British Government against further taxation 
 till the Constitution was so amended as to give the settlers 
 some political control. The Mayor (Thomas Wilson) was 
 in the chair. Around him were the intellectual and poli- 
 tical stalwarts of the community James Hurtle Fisher, John 
 Morphett, George S. Kingston, Edward Stephens, John 
 Brown, Charles Mann, Osmond Gilles, Jacob Hagen, Ed- 
 ward Gwynne, John Baker, William Peacock, Henry Mil- 
 dred, and others. ( 27 > 
 
 James H. Fisher said that it was long since he had 
 taken part in matters of a political character, as he had re- 
 tired into private life, but the subject before the meeting that 
 
 (27) For sketches of the lives of some of these men see the 
 chapter devoted to "Pioneer Builders."
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 187 
 
 morning was in its nature so interesting and in its impor- 
 tance of so overwhelming a character that he could not 
 withstand the request to appear on that occasion. They 
 should not be taxed without a voice in the matter. Taxation 
 without representation ought, in every proper and reasonable 
 way, to be resisted to the uttermost. Were they, or were 
 they not, to have a voice in the imposition of their own bur- 
 dens ? That was the sole point they had to consider. The 
 memorial he had to submit for adoption by the meeting 
 dealt with this question. 
 
 The memorial was then submitted, one clause of which 
 said : "That lately the Legislative Council of this Province 
 have passed certain acts for the imposition of taxes, and have 
 proposed certain other measures for the same purpose. That 
 such measures have not met with the favourable opinion of 
 the colonists, and are, in the opinion of your petitioners, 
 objectionable in principle, defective in their detail, and highly 
 injurious to the best interests of the Province." 
 
 The memorial asked that no taxes should be imposed 
 until the colonists had some representative power in the Legis- 
 lature. 
 
 Jacob Hagen seconded the motion for the adoption of 
 the memorial. 
 
 Charles Mann affirmed that there was a tendency on the 
 part of some of the more influential colonists to shirk public 
 responsibilities. He was left to fight the battles for the pub- 
 lic. He was glad that such a statement did not apply on 
 the present occasion. He saw round him men who had 
 entered with him on public service for the colony. They 
 had now come forward to join him in the full belief that they 
 could not have their just rights without representation of 
 their opinions in the manner described in the petition read. 
 Through a period of five years who could say that they had 
 not been loyal and dutiful ? There was not a colony on 
 the face of the globe where a clearer appreciation of the 
 monarchical principle had prevailed than among themselves, 
 or where there had been so much misgovernment without tu- 
 mult. What was the result? Constant aeerressions were 
 made on their principles and privileges. Everything had 
 been swept away except their fields of corn. 
 
 Other colonists spoke and two memorials were accepted 
 by the meeting. 
 
 Governor Grey became increasingly unpopular. He was 
 abused and denounced by the Press as well as by the public. 
 With an ancient Hebrew he could pathetically cry : "Mine 
 enemies speak evil of me : when shall he die and his name
 
 188 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 perish?' An editorial note in the Press said: "The belief 
 in Captain Grey's recall is every day gaining ground. . . . 
 We need not say with how much joy his recall would be 
 hailed by a united people, no Governor of a British colony 
 ever having been so deservedly unpopular and his measures 
 so universally execrated." This must have been most ex- 
 cruciating to the Governor, but he was not the man to show 
 that he winced. Some months later there was a leading 
 article in the newspaper under the heading "Hurrah for the 
 meeting!" It began as follows: "Colonists of South Aus- 
 tralia ! To-morrow at twelve is the time of your own ap- 
 pointing for the meeting to petition for Captain Grey's re- 
 call. . . . South Australia now expects that every man 
 will do his duty. Captain Grey has left himself without a 
 friend in the colony, not a dog being found to bark in his 
 favour, except as allured with the hope of paltry gain or 
 as influenced by the dread of some pitiful loss. . . . Before 
 Captain Grey had held the reins of Government three months 
 the unemployed immigrants were not only put on starvation 
 allowance, but were flatly refused the right of memorializing 
 His Excellency. . . . Every shopkeeper in Adelaide 
 should close his shop during the hour of meeting, and every 
 tradesman and labourer in Adelaide should be at the meet- 
 ing to give his best support." 
 
 On Thursday, March 16th, 1843, the meeting was held. 
 Most of the shops and stores in Hindley and Rundle Streets 
 were closed. There was a total cessation of business during 
 the hours of the meeting. The theatre, Gilles' Arcade, 
 was full to overflowing, about a thousand persons being 
 present. The Mayor of Adelaide (Thomas Wilson) occupied 
 the chair, and simply contented himself with a few remarks 
 of a non-committal character. 
 
 The first speaker was a "Mr. Hewitt, of Oxenbury 
 Farm," evidently a political agitator from the Old Country. 
 He rose to move the first resolution "That this meeting is 
 impressed with the deep importance of a good understanding 
 being maintained between the Governor and the colonists, 
 but deeply deplores its total want of confidence in the admin- 
 istration of His Excellency Captain Grey." Said the speaker: 
 "When he left the Old Country in quest of this his adopted 
 land he had no expectation of ever being placed in the cir- 
 cumstances in which he found himself that day. At Home 
 he had something to do with politics and with fighting the 
 cause of the people ; but he had hoped to spend the remnant 
 of his days in breaking up the clods of the earth and in the 
 quiet and undisturbed enjoyment of the privileges of a British
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 189 
 
 subject. They could not co-operate with Captain Grey; they 
 did not approve of the manner in which things were being 
 carried on ; and it was as much their duty as it was their 
 privilege to see whether they could not obtain redress. In 
 the present struggle either they or the Governor must fall. 
 It was useless for them to till their ground and raise crops 
 so long as laws were enacted and kept in force to the great 
 prejudice and destruction of the value of their produce." 
 
 William Peacock moved ''That the want of confidence 
 in His Excellency's administration is- mainly to be traced to 
 His Excellency's disregard of the general wishes of the colo- 
 nists." Then followed a long list of charges. 
 
 Mr. Moulden moved- "That this meeting, seeing no- 
 thing but disaster and ruin to the colony so long as the ad- 
 ministration of its affairs is left in the hands of Captain Grey, 
 records its solemn belief in the necessity of a representa- 
 tion to that effect being made to Her Majesty by a petition 
 from the colonists." 
 
 In passing we may remark that these "solemn beliefs" 
 and "conscientious asseverations," viewed in the light of sub- 
 sequent events, are amusing. One speaker affirmed that in 
 the struggle proceeding "either the colonists or Governor Grey 
 must fall," but neither suffered such a catastrophe. Both 
 came through with credit and success. 
 
 Councillor Mildred, who came out in 1837, and who 
 sat in the First Parliament in 1857, brought a petition for- 
 ward. He said: "On South Australia there is but one 
 spot, and that is a grey spot, which was mildewing and blight- 
 ing all their prospects." His resolution was "That the peti- 
 tion, founded upon the foregoing resolutions, be adopted by 
 the meeting, and, when signed by the colonists, should be 
 forwarded to His Excellency, with a respectful request that 
 he will be pleased to transmit the same, at his earliest con- 
 venience, for presentation to Her Majesty." 
 
 At the close of the meeting three groans were given for 
 Captain Grey and a rush was made to the tables to sign the 
 petition. 
 
 In a leader on the meeting one of the pioneer papers 
 said: "The die is cast. Captain Grey's days of political 
 misrule are numbered, and if he were not alike insensible 
 to his own duty at the present crisis as he confessedly is 
 to the real interests of the colony, he would at once throw 
 up the seals of office and go and make his peace with the 
 Colonial Office ere it be too late." 
 
 The petition contained nine charges against the Cover-
 
 190 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 But Governor Grey was not the man to be "bluffed" or 
 intimidated. Through good and evil report he calmly but 
 resolutely pursued his way. 
 
 In reply to one memorial addressed to him, asking for 
 something to which he could not consent, he said : "I am 
 prepared, most good humouredly, to undergo the customary 
 amount of odium." Speaking at a banquet which he at- 
 tended in 1843 he could consistently say: "I have laboured 
 earnestly for the benefit of the colony, and when the time 
 comes I hope my efforts will be appreciated : but it is one of 
 the difficulties of my present position that, until that time 
 comes, what has been done can neither be known nor ex- 
 plained." 
 
 The settlers were unfair in their attacks upon Governor 
 Grey. He was but the servant of the Crown and had to 
 do its bidding. How he was urged on to make retrenchments 
 the following despatch will show. In one of his communi- 
 cations to the British Government the Governor stated that 
 the expenditure for the quarter had been 15,603, of which 
 5,818 had been devoted to the support of destitute and un- 
 employed immigrants. Compared with the corresponding 
 quarter of the previous year there had been a saving of 
 25,024. But the British Government was not yet satis- 
 fied, because the ordinary expenditure had not been brought 
 within the ordinary income. Writing to Governor Grey 
 Lord Stanley said : "I must again urge upon you the impor- 
 tance of adequate measures being taken, at the earliest pos- 
 sible period, to equalize the expenditure and income of the 
 colony," adding, "I think it right to remark that the circum- 
 stance which has been repeatedly reverted to by you of the 
 expenditure under your administration being much less than 
 that which was in progress under your predecessor furnishes, 
 in itself, no proof of the sufficiency of your financial arrange- 
 ments." 
 
 Governor Grey had a sympathetic heart as well as a de- 
 termined will. Out of his salary of 1,000 a year he con- 
 tributed nearly 400 for charitable purposes. 
 
 The night seemed long and dark, but ultimately the 
 morning broke. A Select Committee, of which W. E. Glad- 
 stone was a member, was appointed by the British Parliament 
 to enquire into the financial condition of South Australia. 
 The finding of the Committee was that there were faults in 
 the plan on which the colony was founded. The powers 
 given to the Commissioners were too large powers that ought 
 not to have been confided to any other hands than those of 
 the Government. The appointment of a Board of Commis-
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 191 
 
 sioners, over whose proceedings the responsible Minister of 
 the Crown could exercise no adequate control, was in effect 
 to relieve the Government from its proper responsibility. 
 The Act created an inconvenient division of authority. The 
 uncertainty of the security on which money was borrowed 
 involved a high rate of interest. Thousands of people were 
 to be sent out and left in a country dependent (as to all 
 the primary wants of social existence) upon the regular remit- 
 tances of money borrowed upon this security. The provision 
 for securing the Mother Country from financial loss (20,000) 
 was quite inadequate. These were some of the inherent de- 
 fects which the Select Committee found in the Act for South 
 Australian colonization. 
 
 The Committee found that before the arrival of Governor 
 Gawler the accounts had fallen into confusion and the Treas- 
 ury was exhausted. They appreciated the difficulty of Gover- 
 nor Gawler's position, and had no doubt that he was actuated 
 in the course which he had taken by the most earnest desire 
 to advance the welfare of the colony. The Committee sug- 
 gested that South Australia should be made a Crown colony. 
 They advised the expediency of introducing a popular element 
 into the future Legislative Council of South Australia. An 
 alteration was also suggested in the matter of surveys. The 
 cost should no longer be borne by the general revenue of the 
 colony ; it should be provided for by an acreable charge, to be 
 declared from time to time by the Government on all land 
 sold, and to be paid by each purchaser in addition to the 
 actual price of the land. The Committee suggested that land 
 should be offered by public auction, half of the proceeds of 
 the sale to go to purposes of general revemie and half to emi- 
 gration. 
 
 As we have pointed out, the distinguishing feature in the 
 Act for the colonization of South Australia was the appro- 
 priation of money secured by the sale of Crown lands for 
 the purpose of emigration. This the Committee did not con- 
 demn. It pointed out defects revealed by experience. 
 
 The House of Commons voted 155,000 to meet the im- 
 mediate necessities of the colony. 
 
 The unfriendly attitude of the London Times to the col- 
 ony still continued. The reverses that overtook it, calling 
 for Parliamentary interference, afforded the editor an op- 
 portunity for scathing criticism, which he was not at all slow 
 to embrace. Said he : "Matters have at length come to sucli 
 a pass in South Australia (the firstborn of Mr. Wakefield's 
 genius) that Lord John Russell has obtained a Select Com- 
 mittee of the House of Commons to consider the whole con-
 
 192 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 dition of that bubble colony. . . . The whole settlement 
 from Fowler's Bay to Cape Northumberland has, in little 
 more than four^ears, fallen into bankruptcy and confusion. 
 The merit of having originated the colony belongs, in un- 
 equal proportions, to Mr. Gibbon Wakefield and a Mr. Rob- 
 ert Gouger. . . . The Province is about to fall into the 
 hands of the Colonial Office. So much for the self-support- 
 ing colony. ' According to The Times, the attempts made by 
 the promoters of the colony to establish their favourite specu- 
 lation would "have disgraced a fraternity of Jew crimps." 
 But we must not always take editorial comments seriously. 
 
 The question of the indebtedness of South Australia came 
 up again in July, 1842. Lord Stanley introduced a Bill 
 to make further advances to the colony to meet its liabilities 
 and to provide for its better government and the management 
 of the revenues. He thought that the House would agree 
 with him when he stated that the colony ought not to be 
 abandoned for the want of temporary assistance. He hoped 
 that in a short time, through the measures adopted by Gov- 
 ernor Grey, the colony would become self-supporting. To 
 place it in that condition it was necessary to make arrange- 
 ments to relieve it from its most pressing difficulties. He 
 asked that the House, in addition to making certain allow- 
 ances (59,936), would forego the payment of the 155,000 
 already advanced. 
 
 Mr. Williams denounced everything that had been done 
 in relation to the government of the colony. It presented 
 gross instances of jobbing and mismanagement. He knew 
 that it was useless to think of opposing the proposition of 
 the noble lord ; but he really thought it would be better to 
 give up the colony altogether than incur any further ex- 
 pense. 
 
 Mr. Mackinnon (after whom Mackinnou Parade is named 
 and whose portrait is in the Town Hall), a true friend 
 of the colony, stood up in its defence. He defended the 
 outlay. Nothing could be more absurd than to think of 
 abandoning a colony which, with fair treatment, might in 
 time become as powerful as the United States. 
 
 Mr. Smith agreed with the last speaker. He had heard 
 with cordial satisfaction the references which had been made 
 to the activity, vigour, and energy of his friend Captain 
 Grey, and on the whole he entertained the opinion that the 
 establishment of the colony would eventually be quite suc- 
 cessful. 
 
 Mr. Hume affirmed that the affairs of the colony had 
 been grossly mismanaged. He thought that the loan asked
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 193 
 
 for ought not to be granted. He would propose that the 
 colony be held liable for the whole of the advance to be 
 made. 
 
 A division taken on Mr. Hume's motion resulted : 
 For the motion, 10 ; against, 73. 
 
 When the third reading came on Mr. Hume again re- 
 turned to the attack. Said he : "The House seemed to be quite 
 indifferent to the giving away of the money of a distressed 
 people. He intended to move that the Bill be read a third 
 time that day three months; but he believed that he was 
 quite in order in moving a resolution which he had prepared 
 condemning the Bill as a waste of public money, and pro- 
 posing that the colony should be held liable for the payment 
 of all the money." 
 
 On a division there were 68 for the third reading 
 of the Government Bill and 15 against. A few days 
 later it received the sanction of the House of Lords, 
 i'he Bill provided for the better government of South Aus- 
 tralia. It became a Crown colony. Power was vested in 
 the Governor and a Council of seven persons all nominated by 
 the Crown, four of them (including the Governor) being offi- 
 cial and four non-official. The official members were the 
 paid servants of the Crown, and consisted of the Governor 
 (Captain Grey), the Colonial Secretary (Alfred M. Mundy), 
 the Advocate-General (William Smillie), and the Colonial 
 Treasurer (Captain Charles Sturt). The non-official mem- 
 bers of the Council were John Morphett, Major T. S. O'Hal- 
 loran, Captain G. F. Dashwood, and Thomas Williams. Ere 
 long the latter retired and Jacob Hagen was nominated in 
 his place. 
 
 The new Council was sworn in on Tuesday, June 20th, 
 1843. In his address to the members Governor Grey said: 
 "I feel great pleasure in directing your attention to the gra- 
 cious assurances contained in the despatch which I have laid 
 upon the table that, though the form of Council now insti- 
 tuted has for the present appeared to Her Majesty's Gov- 
 ernment best suited for the wants and conditions of the col- 
 ony, they concur in the view taken in the report of the Com- 
 mittee of the House of Commons that it may be expedient 
 at an early period to grant to the inhabitants of the colony 
 a certain degree of control over its revenues and expenditure 
 by the infusion of the element of popular representation into 
 the local Legislature." The new Council met for the tran- 
 saction of business on October 10th, 1843. A new departure 
 was now taken in another direction. Governor Grey allowed 
 the public admission to the Council room to listen to the 
 debates.
 
 194 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Another legislative enactment of the Imperial Parlia- 
 ment that gave great relief was an alteration in the sale of 
 waste lands. We have pointed out that the colony was 
 founded on the Wakefield system, that the land should be 
 sold at so much per acre and the money expended in emi- 
 gration. The consequence was, as stated in a previous chap- 
 ter, that the flow of immigration (especially of persons with- 
 out capital) was too strong. An Act was now passed by 
 which the waste lands of the colony (except 20,000-acre 
 blocks) were put up to auction, the minimum price being 1 
 per acre, one-half only of the proceeds to be devoted to emi- 
 gration, the other half to the revenue. 
 
 Gradually the prospects of the colony improved. The 
 Kapunda Mine was discovered in 1842, first by one of Captain 
 Bagot's sons, who was out gathering wild flowers, and then 
 by Francis S. Button (afterwards Premier and Agent-Gene- 
 ral), who was mustering sheep. He reined his horse up on 
 the top of a hill beside a large mass of clay slate. This was 
 found to be impregnated with carbonate of copper. Out of 
 this discovery the famous Kapunda Mine was developed. 
 
 In 1845 the more valuable Burra Mine was discovered 
 by a shepherd. In course of time about 900 men and 
 boys were employed upon the mine, 5 shares became 
 worth 220, and the profit obtained after about six years' 
 working is said to have been nearly half a million. 
 
 RIDLEY'S REAPING MACHINE. 
 
 These mines added greatly to the resources of the colony. 
 Not only were wealthy mines discovered, but an invention of 
 priceless value was made. By reducing the cost of produc- 
 tion and making farming on a larger scale possible it caused 
 a revolution in agriculture. The inventor was John Ridley, 
 a miller, who came to the settlement in 1840. The pioneers 
 had a difficult problem to solve. The soil and climate of the 
 colony were adapted to agriculture, and large areas were 
 available for wheat-growing. The difficulty at harvest time 
 was cost of reaping and scarcity of labour. A number of 
 pioneers formed themselves into a committee and offered a 
 prize for the best reaping machine that could be invented. 
 About thirteen persons competed, among whom was an old 
 and well-known colonist, J. W. Bull. The committee did 
 not accept any models submitted by these. John Ridley did 
 not compete, but he constructed a machine that at once came 
 into favour. He was a mechanical genius, and hit upon the 
 correct principle. With a magnanimity that did him credit 
 he presented the invention to the pioneers. No gain was
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 195 
 
 made by him out of the invention, except a profit on the 
 machines that he made and sold. As an expression of appre- 
 ciation and gratitude the settlers raised a sum of money and 
 presented it to him through Governor Grey. 
 
 In another way he did good service to the colonists 
 and added to their resources. A further problem the 
 pioneers had to face was how to grind the corn that 
 they gathered in. There was no machinery in the colony 
 equal to the demand. John Ridley brought the solution of 
 that problem with him. It was in the form of a steam mill, 
 which was soon at work at Hindmarsh.* 28 ) He returned to 
 the Old Land in 1853, and lived there to the ripe old age of 
 eighty-one years. 
 
 The early settlers in South Australia were alive to their 
 moral as well as to their material interests. Like the pre- 
 
 THE ORIGINAL REAPING MACHINE. 
 
 sent generation of Australians they desired a "white Austra- 
 lia," more especially in a moral sense. The British Govern- 
 ment wished to send out to the new Province a shipload of 
 Parkhurst prison boys (so called after the place in which they 
 were located). The settlers were soon up in arms against the 
 proposal. In January, 1845, a large meeting was held in 
 an auction room in Hindley Street to protest against the sug- 
 gestion of the British Government. John Morphett occupied 
 the chair, and the meeting was addressed by the Rev. James 
 
 (28) Near the Port Road, in the early days, there was a half- 
 finished monument of John Ridley's creative genius. It was a 
 large structure, on one of the paddocks, representing an attempt 
 made by him to raise water for the irrigation of the Adelaide 
 Plains, hy means of a kind of horizontal windmill. It remained 
 there for some years.
 
 196 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Farrell (Colonial Chaplain), George S. Kingston, James 
 Hurtle Fisher, Henry Mildred, William Giles, Edward Ste- 
 phens, and other leading colonists. Various resolutions in op- 
 position to the introduction of the Parkhurst boys were 
 passed. The speakers laid special emphasis on the Act of 
 Parliament ''which led them unitedly to set their feet on these 
 shores," one of the provisions of which Act was that no con- 
 victs were to be sent to South Australia. 
 
 On the same ground they objected to the proposal to 
 send "conditionally pardoned men" from Van Diemen's Land 
 to South Australia. Yes; the pilgrim fathers were alive to 
 the moral interests of the community, and posterity in South 
 Australia owes them a debt of gratitude which it can dis- 
 charge only by manifesting the same anxiety and care for the 
 moral interests of the generations that are yet to come. 
 
 The time drew near for Governor Grey to leave. The 
 last year of his administration was one of unparalleled pros- 
 perity. Extensive districts to the south and south-east had 
 been discovered and settled. The boundaries of settlement 
 to the north had been extended for a distance of nearly 
 200 miles. Much new land had been broken up. Large 
 importations of horses and cattle had been made. New 
 manufactures and arts had been introduced, including the 
 successful smelting of lead and copper ores. In the mining 
 operations of the young colony great strides had been made. 
 Toward the end of 1845, in the space of a few weeks, 1,200 
 tons of copper had been shipped. In six months about 
 50,000 had been paid, chiefly for mineral land, by parties 
 in the Province, exclusive of 20,000 paid in London. The 
 circulation of the banks more than doubled. It averaged 
 less than 10,000 in 1843. In 1845 it was about 21,000. 
 The deposits largely increased. Confidence had been com- 
 pletely restored. Everything was full of life and promise. 
 The Government was engaged forming and improving roads 
 and bridges on important lines of communication. The 
 value of exports for the year was 148,459. The pros- 
 perity that the colony now enjoyed is not to be attributed 
 merely to the discovery of mineral wealth, but largely to 
 Governor Grey's policy. This is seen in the fact that when 
 he took the reins of government there were only 6,722 acres 
 under cultivation; when he left the colony there were 26,218 
 acres under cultivation. While the value of mineral exports 
 for 1845 was only a little more than 19,000, that of wool was 
 over 72,000. The South Australian, one of the pioneer 
 papers, stated that in 1841 (the year when Captain Grey 
 arrived) the value of grain exported amounted to only 1,066.
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 197 
 
 In 1845 (the year that Governor Grey left) grain was exported 
 to the value of 22,442. 
 
 In July, 1845, such was the improved condition of the 
 colony that Governor Grey felt he was justified in pro- 
 claiming the port free. He abolished Port charges on ships 
 of all nations. This gave the colonists great joy. A public 
 meeting was held at the Supreme Court, Adelaide, to render 
 thanks to the Governor. An address was presented to him 
 in which the colonists spoke in the highest terras of his "able, 
 zealous, and diligent administration of public affairs," and 
 affirmed that "the Province of South Australia was at length 
 fulfilling the fond predictions of its founders and friends. ' 
 and "would become one of the brightest gems in the Imperial 
 diadem of Britain." 
 
 In the early part of his administration Governor Grey 
 had been bitterly assailed and abused. When the time came 
 for him to say farewell the whole colony sang his praises. 
 The Register (once bitterly opposed to him) now said : 
 "For the talent of promptly meeting financial difficulties, 
 for the firmness that will soon make a set of imbeciles 
 or encroaching officials feel that they have at length 
 a master mind to deal with, we give Captain Grey credit, as 
 well for legislative capacity and cool determination.'' 
 
 The following statistics for 1845 are taken from State 
 records : 
 
 Population 22,390 
 
 Revenue 36,182 
 
 Expenditure 32,099 
 
 Exports 148,459 
 
 Minerals 19,018 
 
 Acres under cultivation 26,218 
 
 Sheep 480,669 
 
 Cattle 26,146 
 
 Horses 1,044 
 
 Population in Adelaide 7,413 
 
 Public-houses -. 85 
 
 Manufactories 81 
 
 Rainfall 18'83 
 
 After Governor Grey had left, his successor (Governor 
 Robe) stated to the Council that the value of exports |29 > for 
 three years was as follows : 
 
 In 1843 81,000 
 
 In 1844 95,000 
 
 In 1845 148,000 
 
 <29) A little more than ten years previously the London Times 
 had ridiculed the idea of exports from the proposed r-olony to 
 England.
 
 198 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Shortly after Governor Grey had left John Stephens, the 
 able editor of The /(eyister, gave a glowing account of the 
 condition of the colony. Said he: "The population was 
 rapidly growing, work was plentiful, and wages good. The 
 appearance of the cornfields surpassed anything that had been 
 witnessed in South Australia. The time had gone by when 
 some of the first settlers had imported flour at 100 per 
 ton, and when a careworn country consumer deemed it a 
 most important service to be supplied by his town friends 
 with a temporary dole of flour at Is. Ib. The settlers 
 were able to ship about .5,000 worth of flour to the 
 Cape of Good Hope in one vessel. This, in addition to other 
 shipments to other parts of the globe. Valuable harbours 
 heretofore suspected rather than known to exist had been sub- 
 jected to careful examination and survey. The painful sea- 
 son of privation of fruit had gone by. Butchers' meat and 
 poultry the settlers enjoyed in ample sufficiency." He wound 
 up this glowing description by saying that of the colony 
 (only a few years of age) it might be said : The sons are as 
 "plants grown up in their youth" the daughters are "polished 
 after the similitude of a palace" ; the "garners are full, afford- 
 ing all manner of store" : the sheep are "bringing forth thou- 
 sands and tens of thousands" ; the "oxen are strong to la- 
 bour" : in the streets there is "no complaining" : and with pro- 
 per joy and humility we may assert the happiness of a people 
 who "are in such a case" ! 
 
 Governor Grey left the colony on October 26th, 1845, 
 to administer the government in New Zealand at a most 
 critical time. 
 
 Subsequently he was appointed High Commissioner for 
 Africa. He rendered notable service to the Empire. In 
 the Botanical Gardens, Cape Town, a statue has been erected 
 to his memory. He is described as "a Governor who, by 
 his high character as a Christian, a statesman, and a gentle- 
 man, had endeared himself to all classes of the community, 
 and who, by his zealous devotion to the best interests of South 
 Africa and his able and just administration, has secured the 
 approbation and gratitude of all Her Majesty's subjects in 
 this part of her dominions." 
 
 After a "splendid career" he died in the Old Land in 
 1898, about eighty-six years of age, and was buried in St. 
 Paul's Cathedral, London. 
 
 Speaking of Sir George Grey nearly fifty years after his 
 departure the late Sir Henry Ayers said : "As an old colonist 
 and a citizen of more than fifty years he knew how much 
 South Australia was indebted to Sir George Grey. He
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 199 
 
 had lived in the colony during the whole of Sir George Grey's 
 administration ; in fact, he was in the colony before that 
 gentleman, and knew what a deplorable state it was in. Sir 
 George's task was of a severe character. For four and a 
 half years he stood to his guns, and great were the changes 
 that he made. Sir George was about the best hated man 
 in Australia, but he had the happiness of finding, before he 
 left, that those who were loudest in their denunciation 
 turned round, and had the courage to acknowledge how 
 much they were indebted to him for his excellent service." 
 
 After Sir George Grey had been absent from South 
 Australia nearly fifty years he revisited it on his seventy- 
 ninth birthday. A warm welcome was given him. Hun- 
 dreds of citizens lined the terraces and streets. They cheered 
 the grand old man as he once more trod the streets of the 
 city. What a change ! As a vigorous young man, nearly 
 fifty years before, he had left the primitive settlement. A 
 great battle had been fought and a victory won. As the 
 young administrator sailed away from our shores he felt that 
 he had done his duty, and had faith in the future of the 
 colony. Now, as an old man, grey in the service of the 
 Empire, he returned to see his expectations more than rea- 
 lized. They put him in a carriage and drove him through 
 the streets in triumph. It was in the cemetery of this city 
 that his only child a son was buried. Speaking of this 
 visit one of his biographers said: "As he looked upon the 
 handsome buildings, the beautiful gardens, the whole aspect 
 of the town familiar, yet so changed as he breathed the 
 invigorating air and rejoiced in the peculiar glory of the blue 
 skies, what wonder that his heart was overflowing with emo- 
 tion, that his brain was dizzy. He said that he felt like a 
 man who was dreaming, as though the glowing scenes were 
 glorified visions, suggested by the memories of the past, which 
 would presently fade away." On another occasion he de- 
 scribed his feelings as similar to those of a man who had been 
 dead for fifty years and then had come to life, and had revisit- 
 ed the scenes of his youth. They took the sapient old war- 
 rior to the Town Hall. The self-reliant, self-contained, and 
 determined spirit was overcome with emotion. Said he: "I 
 can scarcely realize the fact that this is the Adelaide of old, 
 and that I am actually here. The scene swims before me. 
 Therefore do not ask me to say more." He sat down with 
 his eyes full of tears. 
 
 Let English-speaking people everywhere ponder this 
 grand old man's testimony. Said he: "It was a comfort to 
 me in trying hours to feel that I was working according to
 
 200 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 the way of my Maker so far as I could comprehend it. 
 I have always been supported by the belief in God's goodness 
 as manifested to me. My judgment is that man cannot pros- 
 per if he falls from faith by which I mean trust in a Su- 
 preme Being." 
 
 It was during Governor Grey's time that one of the most 
 honoured and beloved of the pioneers passed away. This 
 was the first Colonial Chaplain, the Rev. Charles B. Howard. 
 The affairs of Trinity Church were in a troubled state when he 
 died, and this lay heavily upon his mind. Said he to a 
 friend: "What I have done I have done in God's cause; I 
 must leave it to Him." Except when under the influence of 
 fever his time was spent in singing, offering extemporary 
 prayers, or repeating his favourite hymn, "Again the Sacred 
 Day of Rest Returns." To-a friend who enquired whether he 
 had a well-grounded hope he replied, "Yes, firmer than ever, 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom alone poor 
 sinners can hope for salvation." 
 
 There was loud lamentation at his death and burial. He 
 had been with the pioneers through all their troubles. Their 
 joys and sorrows had been his. High and low, young and 
 old wept. He was but thirty-six years of age when he died. 
 They laid the body to rest in the West Terrace Cemetery on 
 Saturday, July 22nd, 1845. 
 
 In October and November, 1844, the colony was visited, 
 for the first time since its settlement, by a plague of locusts. 
 They came in myriads. People who were out walking found 
 it necessary to put up umbrellas or to tie handkerchiefs 
 round their faces to protect themselves from nasty blows 
 caused by the hard heads of the locusts as they flew through 
 space. They did a great deal of damage, destroying more 
 vegetation than they actually consumed. 
 
 In the ea.rly part of Governor Grey's administration the 
 Collector of Customs (Robert R. Torrens) and the colonists 
 generally had an exciting experience. 
 
 A French vessel, the Ville de Bordeaux, dropped anchor 
 in Holdfast Bay. The captain affirmed that he had come 
 to take in sheep. The boarding officer at Holdfast Bay 
 did not consider that satisfactory credentials were presented. 
 Robert R. Torrens was of the same mind. The captain lost 
 his temper and set sail in St. Vincent's Gulf with the 
 boarding officer on board. There was a small steamer at 
 Port Adelaide (the first possessed by the settlers) and the 
 Collector of Customs determined to give chase. Anything 
 that would ??rve as fuel shingles and palings were pressed 
 into service Steam was got up, and away the "Shingle
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 201. 
 
 Expedition" went. The crew of the French vessel saved the 
 Collector of Customs much trouble. They took the matter 
 in their own Hands. The captain was made to stand aside, 
 and the sailors brought the vessel back. The affair did 
 not end here. The authorities sued the captain for expenses 
 connected with the chase. The case was given in favour of 
 the Collector of Customs, and the vessel was detained and 
 used as a light ship. It was a bold act on the part of the 
 pioneer fathers; many feared that it might lead to a collision 
 between France and England. The Collector of Customs 
 seems to have muddled the matter. Alexander Tolmer, in 
 his "Reminiscences," affirms that ultimately the Colonial 
 Government "had to disburse to the tune of 14,000 irre- 
 spective of other expenses." 
 
 NOTE. It was in the early part of Governor Grey's term 
 that the colony reached its lowest level. This seems to be 
 a fitting place to give the substance of "A Letter from a 
 Gentleman in Adelaide" which appeared in the London 
 Times. It was dated January 19th, 1842. The writer 
 was evidently a fairminded and observant critic. He said 
 that the colonists were experiencing the height of summer, 
 the thermometer standing sometimes as high as 110 degrees 
 in the shade, but the writer did not find the heat oppressive : 
 it agreed with Europeans wonderfully well ; and on the 
 whole he considered the climate delightful. The fineness 
 and salubrity of the climate, added to the beauty of the 
 country and its fertility, made it a desirable place to live 
 in. He went on to affirm that when the English had 
 been settled in South Australia for half a century and had 
 their roads and bridges made, together with other essen- 
 tials of civilization, lie thought that the colony would be 
 one of the most delightful places in the. world. He then 
 passed from the climate to social conditions, and had a 
 different story to tell. The fine colony seemed likely to 
 be abandoned, and would, perhaps, be really so if it were 
 not that those who had property in it were tied to it, and 
 others were too poor to pay the expenses of removal. The 
 harvest had been gathered in and the sheep had been 
 shorn, but this had only enabled the settlers to lift up their 
 heads and get a little breath : it had produced no good 
 effects that were permanent. The reason was that the 
 produce was not commensurate with the needs of the set- 
 tlers. Although the harvest had been bountiful hundreds 
 were pining in want, and were in the extreme of destitu-
 
 202 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 tion. The writer undertook to trace the difficulties of 
 the colony to their source a very important matter. 
 He stated that the settlement had been in existence five years, 
 and that he would sketch the events of that period. He 
 began with the arrival of Governor Hindmarsh and the 
 temporary settlement of the immigrants on the banks of 
 the Torrens. The site of the town not having been fixed 
 or surveyed had led to a great loss of time and money. 
 In 1837 and 1838 immigrants arrived in great numbers, 
 bringing land orders with them, but the surveys not being 
 completed they could not settle on the land. The conse- 
 quence was that they settled in Adelaide and became shop- 
 keepers instead of farmers. While waiting for their land 
 some spent all their money. Then in 1839 there came a 
 rise in land values which was really fictitious the land was 
 never worth the price put upon it. The writer attributed 
 the principal cause of the settlers' troubles to the inflated 
 value of land. Both town and rural lands were let out at 
 extravagant values, and the unfortunate leaseholders were 
 almost ruined. It was a common occuri-ence for a tenant to 
 give up all the improvements which he had made, even the 
 house which he had built, on the condition that the land- 
 owner would take the lease off his hands. The colonists spent 
 three years without doing anything to keep themselves. They 
 had not tilled the land nor followed pastoral pursuits. 
 Money, owing to the constant influx of capital, by the arrival 
 of immigrants, had been plentiful ; the colonists had lived 
 freely, and wages were so high that the price of provisions 
 had not been thought of : but as the colonists produced no- 
 thing, the money was leaving South Australian shores daily 
 to pay for the necessaries of life. These were imported from 
 Hobart Town and from Sydney. A great deal of money was 
 spent in malt liquors and spirits ; of these a great quantity 
 was drunk ; money went to Manila and the West Indies for 
 cigars and tobacco." Said the writer : "Some future historian 
 will have to say of us, 'truly we are a nation of drinkers 
 and smokers.' " All the money not absurdly invested in rash 
 speculation in land went out of the colony for other purposes. 
 To crown all, the bills of Governor Gawler (who did everything 
 on a grand scale) came back dishonoured. The writer stated 
 that he arrived in Adelaide in 1841. Affairs were in a bad 
 state then, and they had been growing worse every day since. 
 The only bright feature was that the harvest which had just 
 been gathered in proved the soil to be excellent ; sheep and 
 cattle were increasing rapidly, and provisions had been re- 
 duced in price. "But," the writer said, "there is no money
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 203 
 
 in the colony." It had all gone to pay for three or four 
 years' provisions consumed "while the immigrants lived in 
 idleness." The colonists, without exception of rank or 
 class, were completely paralysed by the sudden transition from 
 a state of apparent prosperity to one of absolute prostration. 
 "To add to our difficulties," the writer said, "our new Gov- 
 ernor (Captain Grey) arrives with very limited powers, and 
 he does not bring with him the money to pay Colonel Gaw- 
 ler's bills." The "bills are not paid to this day." Affairs be- 
 ing in so depressed a state farmers and others were not able 
 to pay labourers if they hired them, and as many as 
 2,000, out of a population of 15,000, were receiving 
 relief from the Government. Well might the writer 
 add: "This is a sad state of things." The Governor ground 
 down the poor men terribly. He paid labouring men, work- 
 ing 10 hours a day, with the thermometer at 100 or 110 de- 
 grees in the shade, Is. 3d. per day without rations or 
 lodging. There was another trouble. The immigrants 
 brought to South Australia by the Emigration Fund were fast 
 leaving the New Settlement. Every vessel from Port Ade- 
 laide was crowded with them. New Zealand was the favour- 
 ite place of retreat. No less than five vessels were running 
 between Port Adelaide and New Zealand. "Thus," the writer 
 said, "I have attempted to sketch the present state of 
 things, but if I were to attempt a prognostic for the year 
 on which we have just entered, I confess that I have not suffi- 
 cient data for very confident predictions." He thought that 
 those possessed of sheep and cattle could not fail to do well. 
 Those following agricultural pursuits might do well, and cer- 
 tainly would do so if they could produce corn for exportation. 
 The more the writer saw of the colony the more was he im- 
 pressed with its uniqueness. South Australia possessed this 
 peculiar excellence : it presented fewer difficulties in the way 
 of settling in it than were to be found in most countries. No 
 more labourers should come to it in its present condition, and 
 no people without money. 
 
 A little later "A Gentleman in Adelaide" wrote to the 
 London Times again. This letter, too, has considerable his- 
 torical value. He stated that it was nearly three months since 
 a vessel had arrived from England. Consequently the immi- 
 grants were without any letters and the Governor without any 
 definite instructions from the Colonial Secretary, though in- 
 telligence was looked for with intense anxiety, as poverty, 
 discontent, and actual starvation existed among many hitherto 
 prosperous colonists. Capital was the only thing wanted to 
 develop the resources of the colony. The colony could be
 
 204 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 compared to a rich mine. As some outlay, risk, and some 
 expense must be incurred before the ore could be brought 
 from the bowels of the earth, so labour and money must be 
 spent by a people who go forth to "make war with the desert," 
 to subdue the earth, and to cultivate it. He told how Gov- 
 ernor Grey, "no doubt acting under instructions," was pur- 
 suing a course diametrically opposite to that pursued by Gov- 
 ernor Gawler. Whether right or wrong, it was too sudden 
 a change for the small community to bear. As a consequence 
 the Government was obliged to support many labourers and 
 mechanics "as paupers" who were previously in full employ- 
 ment. The Governor had amalgamated offices, reduced sal- 
 aries, discharged clerks, messengers, and labourers from every 
 department. All the evils in the colony were not to be attri- 
 buted to the change in the government, to the Commissioners 
 in England, nor to Governor Gawler. Nothing worth men- 
 tioning in the way of agriculture had been done till the last 
 year (1841). The writer put the pertinent question : "Whose 
 fault is this?" Was it the colonists'? He went on to say: 
 "Let me ask, could it be expected that the settlers would 
 commence while wages were so high ? Immigration kept 
 pouring in upon us, and yet the increase of population seemed 
 but to increase the rate of wages. ( 3 ) 
 
 The high rate of wages led to a state of great profusion 
 and luxury among the working classes, and this, with the pur- 
 chase of all the necessaries of life outside the colony, turned 
 the tide completely against the settlers. The circulating 
 capital of the colony became absorbed and the crisis came. 
 Many causes, beyond the control of the Government or the 
 colonists, that could not be foreseen or guarded against 
 materially aided in bringing about the distress. The writer 
 thought that the colonists could boldly claim, and were en- 
 titled to, the sympathy and support of the Home Government. 
 The state of the colony was a perfect anomaly. In the midst 
 of plenty the settlers were almost starving. They could not 
 complain of a sterile soil or blighting seasons; no, the soil 
 was fertile, the seasons fruitful, and the climate genial. The 
 crops generally had more than answered the expectations of 
 the settlers and the flocks and herds had greatly increased. 
 "Here is a country," the writer said, "beautifully fertile and 
 capable of abundant gifts for the plough, the fleece, and the 
 vine, for horses, cattle, and sheep, yet the colony is in a state 
 of bankruptcy. All is darkened and negatived . . . for 
 
 (30) The explanation was that the people were living on their 
 capital, which was soon eaten iip : then apparent prosperity gave 
 way to poverty.
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 205 
 
 the want of money." Meanwhile the conduct of the Home 
 Government added to the settlers' trouble. "They under- 
 took to work a cure for the evils of our system ; a struggle 
 for power ensues ; and we become the subject of the most cruel 
 neglect." The Governor remained without his long-looked - 
 for despatches, and the hopes raised by the resolutions of the 
 House of Commons were deferred till the hearts of the settlers 
 were sick Said the writer : "If the debts due on account of 
 the colony are to be paid, why not pay them and save our 
 credit and good name ?" Governor Grey's bills would never 
 need have been drawn but for the non-payment of his prede- 
 cessors in the first instance. The writer added : "The neigh- 
 bouring colonies are in much the same predicament as our- 
 selves, but not to the same extent. I have still, as I ever 
 had, a great attachment to the colony. The good land is not 
 extensive, not one-fourth of the colony is available as far as 
 we are at present acquainted with it, though I have no doubt 
 that many good patches will be discovered as it becomes fur- 
 ther explored. I never saw a finer country. The splendid 
 tracts of country that I have been over in the course of my 
 travels more than ever convince me that it stands unrivalled. 
 Land, labour, and production are now cheap, and nothing is 
 wanting but the circulation of a little of 'the ready' (to use 
 a colonial phrase) to infuse new life into us and put the set- 
 tlers on their legs again. I must now conclude this already 
 too lengthy epistle, and trust if you have not received other 
 and better information this will in some measure explain the 
 cause of the present depressed state of affairs in the colony." 
 This letter, discovered by me in the London Times, is 
 one of the most valuable that has come down to us from our 
 pioneer fathers. It throws interesting and instructive light 
 on the period under review in this chapter.
 
 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM.
 
 CO 
 
 -r 
 
 CO 
 
 K 
 
 W 
 K 
 e-i 
 CO
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 
 
 The first four Governors appointed by the Crown were offi- 
 cers in the army or the navy. The Imperial authorities must 
 have taken it for granted that men who could rule soldiers 
 could rule free men. But such does not always follow. Com- 
 munities cannot be ruled in the same way as armies. He 
 who attempts to do so must fail. The Duke of Wellington was 
 "a man of authority, having soldiers under him." He could 
 say to one, "Go, and he goeth" ; to another, "Come, and he 
 cometh." He was a born military administrator, but failed as 
 a ruler of free men. The general and the statesman move in 
 different spheres. 
 
 The fourth Governor of the young Province of South 
 Australia was Major Robe, of the Royal Irish Fusiliers. At 
 the time of his appointment he was occupying a military posi- 
 tion at Gibraltar. He arrived by the Elphinstone on October 
 14th, 1845. 
 
 No doubt Major Robe was an excellent military officer. 
 He could demand obedience and exercise discipline, but he 
 knew very little of the art of '"governing" men. Perhaps no 
 Governor felt more truly than he the "uneasiness of the head 
 that wears the crown." 
 
 Soon after his arrival John Stephens, editor of the lead- 
 ing pioneer paper, wrote of him as follows : "Whilst we both 
 deplore and deprecate the ignorant, ill-natured bearing of 
 the man to whose care the destinies of this rich and rising 
 colony are for the moment confided, we can scarcely find lan- 
 guage strong enough to express our detestation of the prin- 
 ciples which could induce a minister of the British Crown to 
 impose upon an already sufficiently ill-used community as their 
 Governor one whose manners and understanding seem rather 
 to qualify him for the office of a martinet than for the repre- 
 sentative of the bright and friendly lady who now fills the 
 throne of Great Britain." 
 
 The reader must not take all this seriously. Perhaps 
 the editor of the leading paper of the young colony was un- 
 well. All the Governors came in for some degree of severe 
 criticism. Speaking of Governor Robe the Hon. B. T. Fin- 
 niss (who knew him well) said: "He was a blunt, honest 
 soldier, not prepossessing in his manner, bTit under this ex- 
 
 ( 209 )
 
 210 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 terior he possessed a warm and amiable nature and real 
 ability in the requirements of his profession, though he was 
 not versed in the arts of persuasion and oratory, and had 
 studied little the march of liberal opinions in civil government. 
 He was, at the same time, a High-Churchman, and took no 
 pains to conceal it, or to conciliate the Nonconformists as Gov- 
 ernor Grey had done." Sir Samuel Davenport, one of the 
 worthiest of our pioneers, writing to me, said : "Colonel 
 Robe in himself was an eminently kind and honour- 
 able man." Sir Samuel, who saw the social as well as the 
 official side of the Governor's character, was in a position to 
 speak with authority. 
 
 Making every allowance for the tendency of human na- 
 ture to find fault, the fact remains that Governor Robe was 
 unpopular, and continued so to the end of his term. As a 
 private gentleman his demeanour was all that one could de- 
 sire, but as a Crown official he was too austere and magis- 
 terial. He tried to govern a body of free men much on the 
 same principles as officers govern armies. Is it any won- 
 der that he failed ? 
 
 On one occasion he charged the non-official members of 
 the Council with "dishonourable conduct." There was a 
 scene. Captain Bagot asked that the statement should be 
 withdrawn. His Excellency said that he had used the phrase 
 advisedly and would do so again. The Council adjourned 
 and the Governor had time to consider the position. On the 
 next occasion when the Council met he made an explanation. 
 It was to the effect that he had used the term hastily, but he 
 would be willing to supply any other term, equally applic- 
 able, which might suggest itself to honourable mem- 
 bers. He would most fully and unequivocally 
 withdraw the expression, leaving it to each honourable 
 member to supply the blank according to the dictates 
 of his own heart. This somewhat clever ruse did not 
 satisfy Major O'Halloran, who was also an Irishman. He 
 rose "with much warmth" and demanded "a full, complete, 
 and unconditional retractation of the expression which had 
 been made use of by His Excellency," stating that "nothing 
 less would satisfy him as a gentleman, as a soldier like His 
 Excellency, and one who held his place at the Council table 
 as representing his Sovereign and the colonists. The insult 
 had been publicly made, and he demanded a full, public, 
 and unconditional retractation. He trusted that His Ex- 
 cellency, as a gentleman and a soldier, belonging to the same 
 profession in life as himself, having committed an error, would 
 make the retractation that he had demanded." After a fur-
 
 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 211 
 
 ther explanation by the Governor the storm subsided, but 
 these political breaches and recriminations leave a sting. 
 
 It fell to Governor Robe's lot to introduce some unwelcome 
 legislation. Great mineral wealth had been discovered in the 
 colony. The Imperial Government wished to lay some of 
 this under tribute. The subject had been mooted in Governor 
 Grey's time. Governor Robe was in favour of the proposal. 
 He thought that there ought to be reservations, so far as 
 mineral wealth was concerned, on the sale of all lands not yet 
 alienated from the Crown. In relation to land already sold 
 he thought that the early settlers who had purchased these 
 lands, and "who had borne the ills of an infant settlement," 
 were entitled to any reward, in the way of mineral wealth, 
 on their property that they might receive. 
 
 The Governor and the Crown officials framed a Bill the 
 offending clause in connection with which was as follows : 
 
 "On all waste lands of the Crown hereafter to be alienated 
 there will be reserved to Her Majesty one-fifteenth 
 of all metal and ores lying upon, in, or under such lands, pay- 
 able in kind at the mouth of the pit, shaft, gallery, or quarry 
 from which they may be raised. ... A right of free ac- 
 cess to all mines by duly appointed servants of the Crown. 
 A right to select, for free occupancy, a portion of 
 land not exceeding one quarter of an acre, near the mouth 
 of every pit, shaft, gallery, or quarry for a residence or store 
 for such person as may be appointed to receive the Queen's 
 dues. . . . Land in general to be sold as heretofore, but 
 with the reservation already stated." 
 
 These proposals aroused a storm of indignation. The 
 public Press represented them as ''an arbitrary impost on the 
 mineral wealth of the colony, laid on in a manner altogether 
 so illegal and unprecedented that, unqualified and united re- 
 sistance to it becomes the absolute duty on the part of all the 
 colonists." "The question," said the Press, "at the present 
 moment is not whether a tax upon minerals raised from the 
 mines in the Province is a tax such as the colonial Legislature 
 might impose, and the mine proprietors be fairly called upon 
 to pay ; the main point is : Has the Crown power to make reser- 
 vations in the sale of waste lands within the colony save those 
 expressly authorized by the Land Sales Act ?" Two leading 
 solicitors in the Old Country said "Ye.s." This the colonists 
 disputed. One difficulty was that much land had been sold 
 under the existing Act and mines had been opened up. The 
 proposed legislation was regarded as making an invidious dis- 
 tinction. Not only so, but the emigrants had come to the 
 colony with the distinct understanding that there was to be no
 
 212 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 reservation or minerals ; and, more than this, the proposal to 
 reserve a block of land near the pit's mouth for a residence or 
 store for the officer who was "to receive the Queen's dues" was 
 looked upon as an unwarranted attempt at espionage. 
 
 It must be understood that the royalties were to be ap- 
 plied to the public service of the colony. 
 
 An indignation meeting of the colonists was called. It 
 was the most numerously attended meeting ever held in 
 the new Province. The settlers assembled on a block of land 
 at the corner of King William Street and North Terrace, 
 somewhere near where the Bank of New South Wales now 
 stands. Here a platform was erected. 
 
 The first resolution was moved by JAMES HURTLE 
 FISHER. Said he: "They had met to complain of certain re- 
 gulations made by the Governor, with the consent of the Exe- 
 cutive Council. By the Act establishing the Province all 
 land was declared open to purchase, without reservation, ex- 
 cept for the purpose of roads and footpaths. The Commis- 
 sioners issued a regulation that nothing either above or below 
 the land would be reserved. Not only did they issue this 
 regulation, but they followed it out by making sales under it, 
 which sales were followed by the issue of land grants which 
 expressly conveyed all minerals to the purchaser." 
 
 EDWARD STEPHENS, the pioneer banker, made a most 
 vigorous speech. He affirmed that "Her Majesty never had 
 under that flag (pointing to the Royal Ensign that waved in 
 the breeze at Government House) a more devoted and loyal 
 people. They had left the home of their fathers, but they 
 were Britishers still. They came hither to perpetuate her 
 institutions, to introduce and venerate her laws, to share her 
 privileges, to be governed by her wisdom, to link their des- 
 tinies to hers, but they came also to enjoy her freedom. They 
 went forth alone and unaided by the Parent State to a land 
 whose existence was almost unknown to extend the boundaries 
 of her empire, and by their energies, their industry, and their 
 capital to add another flourishing Province to her dominions. 
 Did England out of her Treasury assist them ? Did she give 
 to their departure pomp or circumstance ? No. They crossed 
 the wide waste of waters in humility, but with fixity of pur- 
 pose ; in peace, but with fervency of hope ; to make for them- 
 selves a home and to found an empire in the wilderness. Not 
 one shilling did England contribute. Nay, more. Let it not be 
 forgotten that before she suffered them to quit her shores 
 she compelled them to leave behind 20,000 pledges 
 in the shape of so many pounds sterling that they should not
 
 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 213 
 
 be a burden upon the Parent State. < 31 ) English statesmen 
 conveyed the land to us in fee simple. We discover its riches 
 and they turn round and say, 'We'll trouble you for that back 
 again.' True, you have gone from one end of the world to 
 another on an adventure which might have proved ruinous ; 
 true, you have turned the desert into a garden; true, you 
 have planted and sown in sorrow, and expended life's best 
 energies in your enterprise ; but what of that ? Ah ! What 
 of that? says my Lord Stanley. True, you have faithfully 
 fulfilled your pledge, but we will not fulfil ours ; and now, by 
 a coup de main, he wrests from South Australia its distinctive 
 character as a colony. If there was one duty (if duty it 
 could be called) more hateful than another it was that of a 
 Government spy ; but not only were they to have the spy, 
 but a quarter of an acre was to be reserved (for the spy) 
 at the mouth of each pit. This he would say : That if a 
 hireling was to be planted in the way proposed he should be 
 astonished if he remained always at the pit's mouth." 
 
 After the speeches a petition to the House of Lords and 
 the House of Commons against the proposed legislation was 
 adopted and signed. 
 
 Previous to this meeting another had been held at which 
 a petition had been adopted for presentation to the Queen. 
 Major O'Halloran, as chairman of that meeting, was to pre- 
 sent it to the Governor. It contained the names of some 
 of the most influential settlers. The deputation journeyed 
 to Government House and requested an audience with the 
 Governor. They were received in the drawing-room by the 
 private secretary. His Excellency entered. All bowed. 
 The Governor's response was a slight careless half -nod. Said 
 Major O'Halloran : "May it please Your Excellency As chair- 
 man of the late public meeting it devolves upon me to present 
 to Your Excellency the memorial then adopted, as also to re- 
 quest you to transmit to Her Majesty the address of the colo- 
 nists, for although the gratifying intelligence has reached us 
 that Lord Stanley's offensive Waste Lands Bill has not re- 
 ceived the sanction of the House of Commons, it has been 
 deemed no less desirable that Her Majesty should be made 
 acquainted with the feelings of the colonists." 
 
 His EXCELLENCY (with slight impatience) : ''Then I am 
 to understand that this is a deputation from the public meet- 
 ing of the 13th ?" 
 
 (31) In the flow of his oratory he forgot that when the Province 
 was nearly wrecked England advanced the money to meet the 
 liabilities.
 
 214 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN : "Yes, sir. With your permission 
 I will first read the memorial to Your Excellency." 
 
 His EXCELLENCY: "If you please." 
 
 The substance of the memorial was that "in order to af- 
 ford the colonists an opportunity of obtaining relief from the 
 oppressive measure of which they complained (the imposition 
 of royalties) His Excellency would suspend or defer the oper- 
 ation of that measure within the Province until an appeal 
 had been made to the Queen for protection." 
 
 His EXCELLENCY (in cold, caustic tones) : ''Your memor- 
 ial stigmatizes as oppressive certain proposed measures of the 
 Queen's Government having reference to Her Majesty's waste 
 lands in this part of her dominions, and you request me, in 
 the event of those measures having actually passed the Houses 
 of Parliament, to interpose such authority as may be confided 
 to me in order to frustrate for a period the intentions of the 
 Queen and Parliament. It is barely consistent with common 
 sense to imagine that such a large" discretion would in any 
 case be confided to a local Governor of so distant a possession 
 of the Crown, and you make this request at a time when it is 
 a matter of public notoriety that the measures of which you 
 complain have not met the sanction of the Imperial Parlia- 
 ment. Under these circumstances you will not be surprised 
 at my declining to give any other reply to your memorial 
 than an assurance that I will at all times feel a pleasure in 
 being made the medium of transmitting, for presentation to 
 the Queen, the dutiful and loyal petitions and addresses 
 which Her Majesty's subjects in this Province may desire to 
 have laid at the foot of the throne." 
 
 This studied, oracular, condescending, and magisterial 
 utterance must have taken the humiliated deputation by 
 surprise. Tradition does not say whether or not they re- 
 treated backwards. They withdrew, and after leaving the 
 precincts of Government House a halt was called, and the 
 staggered deputation, having slightly recovered, again read 
 the imperious gubernatorial reply. 
 
 John Stephens, the brilliant editor of The Observer 
 {who we believe was one of the deputation), said: "His 
 Excellency read his speech in a clear and emphatic tone. 
 Perhaps we can hardly describe it better than by saying that 
 it was precisely in the spirit of the words. He reminded us 
 of some man-of-war captain of the old school addressing a 
 mutinous crew who had signed a round robin, and whom he 
 was dismissing to their duty with a hint that they should be 
 thankful he had not stopped their grog."
 
 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 215 
 
 This circumstance suggests another episode in the admin- 
 istration of Major Robe. Some of the leading colonists 
 waited upon him with a petition asking that State-aid to 
 religion might be delayed. After the petition had been read 
 he simply said : "Gentlemen, I have no reply to make," and 
 bowed them out. 
 
 The first reading of the Royalties Bill was moved on 
 September 30th, 1846. JOHN MORPHETT said that he must 
 rise to oppose the Bill at this early stage. He was quite 
 aware that in so doing he was adopting a novel course. 
 
 The COLONIAL SECRETARY (Alfred M. Mundy) in- 
 terrupted. "He rose on a point of order. He did not see 
 what right honourable members had to speak on the first 
 reading of a Bill." 
 
 JOHN MORPHETT (continuing) : "In this instance his ob- 
 jections to the Bill were so strong that he thought himself 
 bound to oppose it in every way and at every stage." 
 
 The Bill was read a first time, and ordered to be read 
 the second time on the following Friday. The day came. 
 The ADVOCATE-GENERAL (William Smillie) moved the second 
 reading of the Bill. 
 
 Again JOHN MORPHETT rose. "He must oppose it. He 
 denied the authority of the Secretary of State or the Queen 
 herself to resume rights which had been solemnly ceded 
 when the Bill was passed establishing the colony. The Roy- 
 alty Bill was an unjust Act and an inquisitorial one." 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN, CAPTAIN BAGOT, and SAMUEL DAV- 
 ENPORT took up the same position. 
 
 When the Council divided the Governor announced that 
 the amendment moved by Mr. Morphett had been lost and 
 the second reading of the Bill was carried (on the 
 casting vote of the Governor). Then there was a scene. In- 
 stantly the four non -official members one after another rose, 
 bowed to the Governor, and then walked out. The Strangers' 
 Gallery was crowded. There were cries of "Bravo!" 
 The Governor for a moment was nonplussed. He said a few 
 words to some of his officials and looked at the vacant seats. 
 There was no quorum. The business of the small commu- 
 nity was at a standstill. He then said: "The Council stands 
 adjourned." 
 
 When the Council next met the Governor had a rod in 
 pickle for the protesting members. 
 
 The ADVOCATE-GENERAL moved that the Council should 
 go into Committee on the Bill. 
 
 GOVERNOR ROBE rose. Said he: "After the unfortunate 
 occurrence of last Friday he thought it right to second the
 
 216 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 motion himself merely to give him an opportunity of ex- 
 pressing his regret at the course the non-official members 
 had thought fit to adopt. He had reason to believe that 
 some of them at least were convinced that they had adopted 
 an unconstitutional mode of opposing the Government. By 
 such a retirement, not leaving sufficient to form a quorum, 
 the power of legislation was held in abeyance. It was very 
 far from his disposition to deny them any lawful mode of re- 
 sisting a measure, but the course they had adopted was 
 clearly at variance with the constitution of the Council. It 
 was therefore his duty to give them the option of again 
 supporting the dignity and authority of the Crown." 
 
 Up rose JOHN MORPHETT to oppose the motion. He 
 stated that he must claim the power to use his own judg- 
 ment and to adopt that course best calculated to subserve 
 the interests of the colony and the Crown. It was for that 
 purpose, he conceived, that the Queen had placed him there. 
 He opposed the motion, as he believed the Bill to be inexpedi- 
 ent and unlawful. He claimed the right of retiring when 
 he could not conscientiously support any measure. He 
 moved ''That it was inexpedient to go into committee on 
 the Bill for the collection of royalties until His Excellency 
 the Governor shall have received from the Right Honour- 
 able the Secretary of the State information as to the fate of 
 the Bill proposed to be introduced by the Secretary of the 
 State during the sessions of 1846 into the House of Com- 
 mons." 
 
 SAMUEL DAVENPORT seconded the amendment, and it was 
 supported by CAPTAIN BAGOT and MAJOR O'HALLOKAN. Said 
 the Major: "He considered that he had done perfectly right 
 in retiring, and should have been a traitor to his adopted 
 country had he done otherwise. He had the authority of 
 no less a man than Governor Grey for saying that the course 
 he and the other honourable members had adopted was 
 constitutional. He had asked Governor Grey what he should 
 do in the event of a measure being forced by the Govern- 
 ment, and his answer was: 'Retire from the room.' ' 
 
 The ADVOCATE- GENERAL (William Smillie) defended the 
 action of the Governor in giving his casting vote in favour 
 of the Bill. He condemned the action of the four members 
 who had retired from the Council Chamber. Said he: "The 
 dignity of the Crown required that the motion he had moved 
 should be carried." 
 
 Again the members of the Council came to "the parting 
 of the ways." The Governor and his three official nominees 
 representing the Crown were pitted against the four non-
 
 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 217 
 
 official nominees representing the people. The Council divi- 
 ded. John Morphett's amendment was lost lost on the 
 casting vote of the Governor. The motion was carried. 
 
 It was a moment of great suspense. . Great issues were 
 trembling in the balances. In the Strangers' Gallery there 
 was breathless silence. Would the four dissenting members 
 again retire ? After a pause GOVERNOR ROBE rose. Said 
 he : "Having vindicated the dignity of the Crown and as- 
 serted its right to insist upon the presence of its members, 
 he had no hesitation in saying that he should, in deference 
 to the strongly expressed opinion of all the non-official mem- 
 bers, authorize the withdrawal of the Bill. At the same 
 time he must repeat that he should on no occasion suffer mem- 
 bers to absent themselves without permission." 
 
 It was a delightful ending for the time being to a great 
 difficulty. No doubt all parties in the Council and the colo- 
 nists were much relieved. It was a happy stroke of the 
 stern old Governor's. There were loud cheers in the gal- 
 lery which could not be suppressed, in the midst of which 
 Major O'Halloran rose to thank His Excellency. 
 
 The question suggests itself : How would the British 
 Government regard the withdrawal of the Bill by the Gov- 
 ernor and the action of the non-official members in retiring 
 from the Council zoom ? 
 
 In a despatch to Governor Robe the Secretary of State 
 (Earl Grey) said : "Considering the decided opposition which 
 that measure met with in the Council you acted wisely in 
 withdrawing it." He added: "You will continue to sell the 
 Crown lands subject to a reservation of one-fifteenth of the 
 minerals contained within them." But the Governor was 
 advised to be very cautious. "You will abstain," said Earl 
 Grey, "from bringing in any fresh measures on the subject. 
 You will also avoid adopting any measures for the collection 
 of the dues which would bring the Government into collision 
 with the proprietors, or raise considerable controversies." 
 He expressed a hope that Governor Robe would not find it 
 necessary to abandon this plan of raising revenue by an im- 
 post upon mineral wealth. 
 
 With regard to the question of the power of the Gover- 
 nor to compel the attendance of the non-official members of 
 the Council, or to enforce their retirement, Earl Grey said: 
 "I certainly subscribe to the principle that a wilful and per- 
 tinacious refusal (especially a concerted refusal) to exercise 
 a public franchise involves a forfeiture of that franchise." 
 That is, the Governor, according to the ntling of Earl Grey, 
 had the right to remove offending members from their office.
 
 218 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 But he was advised to be very discreet. "The time had 
 come," Earl Grey said, "when, in the judgment of Her Ma- 
 jesty's Government, representative institutions should be ac- 
 corded to South Australia." At such a time he was to be 
 careful not to bring the people into conflict with the Crown. 
 
 Writing to me fifty-four years after this historical event 
 Sir Samuel Davenport said : "I knew nothing of the inten- 
 tion of the other non-official members. I knew only that to 
 impose royalties on public lands was a distinct breach of 
 faith on the terms under which (from the first) the British 
 public had been specially induced to buy land in the colony, 
 and so most earnestly had I informed the Governor that I 
 could be no party to such enactment. The four non-official 
 nominees rising and leaving at the same time, however, would 
 not unnaturally induce in the mind of a military Governor 
 the suspicion of a conspiracy, and I felt I should rather have 
 sent in a resignation. However, Governor Robe took com- 
 placently our individual subsequent explanations, and I con- 
 cluded the proposal of royalties had come to the Governor 
 as an order from England." 
 
 The division in the Council over the Royalty Bill demon- 
 strated the need for some constitutional change. The con- 
 stitution of the Council was such that it brought the Crown 
 into conflict with the people. The four non-official members 
 voted in the interests of the people ; the Governor and the 
 three official members represented the Crown ; there was a 
 deadlock to be decided by the casting vote of the Governor.
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
 
 GOVERNOR ROBE.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 
 
 The pioneers came from a land in which there was an 
 Established Church. It is not a matter of surprise that 
 many desired to see such in South Australia. It was a 
 Christian Commonwealth that our fathers wished to build 
 up, and it was the conviction of many of them that in order 
 to do so the State, in a monetary sense, must support the 
 Christian religion. There were others good men and true 
 who looked upon the Church and State as two distinct 
 spheres, and who were wedded to what is known as the 
 voluntary principle. 
 
 Over this question the pioneers were divided into two 
 factions, and the administration of Governor Robe will be 
 ever memorable as the time when the question of State-aid 
 versus the voluntary principle was brought to an issue. 
 
 The first immigrant to utter a word of warning was 
 David McLaren. Before the colony had been founded eight 
 months he published the following letter : 
 
 "We have an Episcopal Church, the worship of which 
 is conducted by our excellent friend, Mr. Howard, who is 
 deservedly popular. The Episcopal Church, we know, is 
 the Established Church in England, but not in South Aus- 
 tralia, and I have no hesitation in saying I trust it will never 
 be. I trust we shall never see in this our adopted country 
 any church by law established, but earnestly do I pray that 
 here the true Church of Christ may prosper, and be exten- 
 sively established in the hearts of a willing people." 
 
 Some months after a correspondent signing himself 
 "Churchman" revived the subject. He stated that the Epis- 
 copal Church in South Australia was by law established, and 
 that an effort would soon be made to grant, out of the col- 
 onial revenue, an annual sum for religious purposes gener- 
 ally and for the support of clergymen of the Establishment. 
 In the Act establishing the colony the thin edge of the State- 
 aid wedge had been inserted by provision being made for the 
 appointment of chaplains. 
 
 Governor Gawler was an eai'iiest Christian man. State- 
 aid to religion powerfully appealed to him. It was his wish 
 that land purchased by private parties for the siipport and 
 maintenance of religion and education should be charged at 
 
 ( 221 )
 
 222 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 only one-fourth or one-half of the ordinary selling price ; 
 that persons devoting part of their land for religious or edu- 
 cational purposes should be allowed to select land elsewhere 
 to the value of one-half or three-quarters of the original cost 
 of the land donated. Governor Gawler also wanted a con- 
 tinuance of the provision made by Act of Parliament for the 
 appointment of colonial chaplains, the number, however, 
 "being so limited as to prevent any support that could 
 reasonably be complained of as burdensome by the Dissent- 
 ers." 
 
 He called a meeting of the ministers of the different 
 denominations in Adelaide and its vicinity to consider his 
 proposals, "but could not get unity of support." Said he in 
 a despatch to the Secretary of State : "They strongly main- 
 tain their point that the State should not support religion 
 in any way. . . . As, however, a large and respectable 
 portion of the community hold the directly opposite of these 
 opinions" the Governor would suggest to his lordship the pro- 
 priety of amending the Act dealing with the appointment, 
 of chaplains in the way lie had indicated. 
 
 It will thus be seen that for a long time the subject 
 had been agitating the public mind, but nothing definite was 
 done. There was parleying between the two opposite camps, 
 but war had not been actually declared. It remained for 
 Governor Robe voluntarily to take the initiative. He was 
 the one man equal to the task. Though the heavens should 
 fall and the elements melt with fervent heat, he would do 
 what he conceived to be his duty. 
 
 In a despatch to Earl Grey Governor Robe said : "Up 
 to the present time, although the population of South Aus- 
 tralia exceeds 20,000 souls, the only grant from the public 
 Treasury towards religious instruction is about 350 a year 
 to a clergyman of the Church of England." There were 
 several chapels or meeting-houses built by Dissenters, but as 
 a rule these were small. To these Episcopalians had some- 
 times to go from, want of ministers of their own persuasion. 
 The Governor went on to say : "Religious instruction had been 
 a charge on the produce of the land from the earliest stages of 
 the world." The relief of the land from this charge was but a 
 modern innovation. ''Whether the Mosaic proportion of one- 
 tenth is, or is not, adapted to the present age, ' the Governor 
 said, "it was not his purpose to discuss." He "thought 
 that something ought to be done in the way of aiding re- 
 ligion out of the local revenues of South Australia." The 
 Governor suggested that 10 per cent, of the land revenue 
 should be devoted to this purpose. ''My previous des-
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 223 
 
 patches," said he, "will apprise your lordship of the present 
 state of the land revenues, and, as regards the appropria- 
 tion of any portion of it to religious purposes, you will have 
 much more able counsel from His Grace of Canterbury." 
 
 On June 24th, 1846, he introduced the subject into the 
 Council. Said be: "It would appear that South Australia 
 is the most backward of all the colonies of the British Em- 
 pire in providing from its public revenues for the means of 
 worshipping that Being to whom we owe our existence 
 and all the blessings we enjoy. Let it no longer be a re- 
 proach upon the Government of the Province having control 
 over the public finances. The members of the Church of 
 England, forming more than one-half of the entire popula- 
 tion, have lately received the benefit of two additional clergy- 
 men. . . . The due apportioning of Government aid 
 among the different sects of professing Christians is a ques- 
 tion of some difficulty, but it is not, I trust, insurmountable." 
 
 Those who desired the Government grant immediately 
 set to work. There was no delay. The day after the Gov- 
 ernor's address John Morphett presented a petition to the 
 Council asking for the grant-in-aid. It said : 
 
 "That your petitioners, while they rejoice in the present 
 temporal prosperity of the colony, view with feelings of 
 painful apprehension the great destitution of the means of 
 moral instruction for the inhabitants of the Province. 
 
 "That while your petitioners fully appreciate and desire 
 to see brought into general operation the voluntary prin- 
 ciple, they cannot close their minds to the fact that it has 
 hitherto proved utterly inadequate to supply the destitution. 
 
 "That your petitioners, therefore, humbly but earnestly 
 pray Your Excellency and honourable Council to take under 
 your consideration this important subject." 
 
 The petition was very skilfully expressed. "While the 
 petitioners desired to see brought into general operation the 
 voluntary principle," yet "they could not close their minds 
 to the fact that it had proved utterly inadequate." They 
 did not boldly ask that the grant should be given, but that 
 "His Excellency and honourable Council should take the im- 
 portant subject into consideration." 
 
 Those opposed to the grant were not inactive. At 
 
 once a meeting was held in the South Australian Company's 
 office. A memorial was drawn up and signed. The Register 
 affirmed that of all the subjects "broached by the Governor the 
 most dangerous and impracticable of all worse a- thousand 
 times than the imposing of royalties was State support to 
 the clergy."
 
 224 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 At the next meeting of the Council a memorial against 
 the grant was presented by Mr. SAMUEL DAVENPORT. It was 
 signed by all the Nonconformist ministers and by many of 
 the immigrants. 
 
 In presenting the petition Mr. DAVENPORT delivered an 
 able speech against the proposal. 
 
 The subject of State-aid to religion is a most important 
 one. There are no questions on which men feel more 
 deeply than religious ones. It will be most interesting to 
 see how our pilgrim fathers dealt with this thorny subject. 
 The better, the more realistic plan, will be to give an .epi- 
 tome of the speeches. 
 
 It was JOHN MORPHETT who led the party in favour of 
 the grant. He moved : "That His Excellency be requested 
 to introduce into the estimates for the year 1846 a sum 
 which shall be available to the respective bodies of Christians." 
 
 This was seconded by the REGISTRAR-GENERAL (Captain 
 Charles Sturt). 
 
 CAPTAIN BAGOT was opposed to the proposal. He would 
 vote for the building of schools and the temporary payment 
 of teachers, but in this case he would stipulate that they 
 should be distinct from religion. In Ireland he had done 
 all that he could to unite religion with instruction, but ex- 
 perience had shown him that it could not be done. 
 
 The COLONIAL SECRETARY (Alfred M. Mundy) was in fa- 
 vour of State-aid. The voluntary principle, he thought, 
 would not be found sufficient in any place. 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN considered that State-aid should be 
 given to all classes of Christians willing to receive it. 
 
 The ADVOCATE-GENERAL (William Smillie) said he did not 
 attack the voluntary principle, but if he were asked what he 
 thought had been its effect here he should say at once that 
 there was a great deficiency. The ministers were ill-paid. 
 
 JOHN MORPHETT'S motion was carried. Later on he 
 moved: ''That the sum of 1,110 10s. be introduced into 
 the Estimates to be divided among the different sects of pro- 
 fessing Christians in proportion to their numbers according 
 to the census returns." 
 
 This was seconded by the REGISTRAR-GENERAL and sup- 
 ported by the COLONIAL SECRETARY and the ADVOCATE-GENE- 
 RAL. Said the latter: ''Let dissenters < 32) go on and make as 
 many proselytes as they could. God speed them ! But if a 
 vast number of sheep were out of the fold it was the duty of 
 our rulers to look after them." 
 
 (32) Dissenters to the principle of State-aid.
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 225 
 
 CAPTAIN BAGOT and SAMUEL DAVENPORT opposed the mo- 
 tion, but it was carried. 
 
 The members of the Jewish faith had sent in a petition 
 asking that if State-aid to religion were to become law that 
 they should share in the grant. 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN moved: "That the Jews should be 
 included in the grant." They contributed largely to the 
 revenue and had as much right as others to participate. 
 
 The ADVOCATE-GENERAL seconded. 
 
 JOHN MORPHETT then moved a substantive motion that a 
 grant of 5 16s. be made to the Jews. 
 
 GOVERNOR ROBE said : "There is an objection to that, as 
 it would be giving to the Jews twice as much as to the Chris- 
 tians." 
 
 The COLONIAL SECRETARY said: "I must object to this. 
 It will look so ridiculous in the Estimates to see such a trifle 
 as a separate item, and it cannot be of the slightest use to 
 them." 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN replied : "I only want to establish 
 the precedent. It is true that wie only have fifty-eight 
 Jews here at present, but we may have more. I have a great 
 objection to partial legislation." 
 
 CAPTAIN BAGOT said : "The Jews, though few, are 
 wealthy, and probably contribute thirty times as much to 
 the revenue as the average amount according to numbers. 
 But this shows the position in which you have placed your- 
 selves. The Jews have as much right to their share as the 
 Christians have." 
 
 The motion giving 5 16s. to the members of the Jewish 
 faith was carried. 
 
 Said GOVERNOR ROBE : "Do you mean to propose pa- 
 gans ?" 
 
 CAPTAIN BAGOT replied : "Most assuredly. All who con- 
 tribute." 
 
 Said MAJOR O'HALLORAN : "Certainly. I have been in 
 all parts of the world and have seen much of the natives of 
 India, and bear my testimony that more upright and honest 
 men do not exist." 
 
 This somewhat undignified debate, of which I have given 
 items, shows the difficulty in which a Government lands itself 
 when it proposes to give monetary aid to religion. 
 
 The battle now raged in earnest. A League was formed 
 for the "Maintenance of Religious Freedom in the Province." 
 On the Committee were such representative names as Anthony 
 Forster, William Giles, George S. Kingston, William Pea- 
 cock, and John and Edward Stephens. Edward Stephens
 
 226 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 was chosen chairman. The people had a mind to work, and 
 107 in the interests of the objects of the League was im- 
 mediately subscribed. Its manifesto said : 
 
 "Friends and Fellow-Colonists: For the first time since 
 the formation of this colony the principle of State support 
 to religion has been avowed and adopted by the Legislature. 
 The right of every man to entire, unqualified freedom in all 
 matters pertaining to religious belief and worship has been 
 violated, and the claim of the State to make religion subser- 
 vient to political purposes has been asserted. 
 
 "The evils involved in the principle of State support to 
 religion have been sufficiently obvious to most, if not all of 
 you in the Mother Country. It has impeded the spread of 
 Christian principle by requiring mere outward conformity, 
 and has, at the same time, imposed penalties upon a failure 
 in these outward observations as though they were essential 
 and all-important. It has thus corrupted religion by mak- 
 ing it formal, and weakened the State by compelling it to 
 persecute, and wherever carried out to its legitimate conse- 
 quences it has proved an effectual bar to the advance of a 
 community in any of the paths of social or material progress. 
 Judged by its fruit it is condemned by the voices of experi- 
 ence from the first moment of its adoption to the present time. 
 
 "It is not, however, solely upon this universal experience 
 of its results that its introduction is now resisted, but even 
 more because its principles are opposed to the spirit of Chris- 
 tianity and subversive of the rights of conscience. Chris- 
 tianity is, in its very essence, a voluntary as contradistin- 
 guished from a State religion. It appeals not to nations, 
 but to individuals. Its motives and its sanctions, its pro- 
 misings and its threatenings, its consequences in this world 
 and in the next, are purely individual and personal. It 
 imposes upon every individual by whom it is embraced the 
 obligation of contributing by his personal example, by the de- 
 votion of his time and wealth and energy to its maintenance 
 and diffusion ; but it rejects compulsion, and holds itself in- 
 dependent of the support of such as are indifferent and hos- 
 tile. Those who believe in its Divine origin and who are 
 acquainted with its history cannot imagine that it stands in 
 need of support from the State : and those who know the 
 spirit in which it was taught must feel that any compelled 
 support destroys the very ground upon which alone a Chris- 
 tian believes that pure religion shall be diffused and prevail. 
 
 "And we further conceive that it is subversive of the 
 rights of conscience. Of the various denominations of 
 Christians many conscientiously believe that the doctrines
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 227 
 
 and forms of other sections are inconsistent with the spirit 
 of their common faith. Any contribution by the State is 
 therefore to compel every member of the State to aid in the 
 support and propagation of doctrines of which he conscien- 
 tiously disapproves, and thus to make him an agent in the 
 dissemination and maintenance of what he believes to be 
 error. 
 
 "In all political matters we know that obedience is due 
 to the Government. We may doubt the expediency or even 
 the justice of their measures, but we are still bound to obey 
 them, except in those rare cases which we may hope will 
 never arise in the colony. But in religion we owe no 
 allegiance to the State. This is a matter beyond the control 
 of Governments, and in which they cannot rightfully inter- 
 fere. If the State should overstep its legitimate boundaries 
 in this matter resistance is always the right, and may often 
 be the duty, of every individual. It is a point in which there 
 can be no concession and no compromise ; and at all times 
 and under all circumstances we are bound to protest against, 
 and, so far as may be done by lawful and peaceful means, 
 to impede the execution of laws which violate these our high- 
 est and most essential rights. We are ready to 'render to 
 Caesar the things that are Caesar's,' but we render to God and 
 to God only 'the things that are God's.' ' 
 
 A petition against State-aid to religion was forwarded 
 to the Queen. In a despatch to Governor Robe the Secre- 
 tary of State said : "You will acquaint the petitioners that 
 I have not been able to advise the Queen to assent to their 
 request. On the contrary it has been my duty humbly to 
 submit to Her Majesty my opinion that the course pursued by 
 the local Legislature, in applying some part of the local re- 
 venue towards the promotion of religious knowledge and edu- 
 cation in the colony, merits Her Majesty's approbation. The 
 Queen has been graciously pleased to adopt and sanction that 
 opinion." 
 
 For the first half-year that the Bill was in operation 
 the Churches received as follows : 
 
 Episcopalian Church 597 5 
 
 Roman Catholic Church 82 9 
 
 Church of Scotland 97 18 
 
 Methodist Church ... 112 6 
 
 Later on there was trouble in the Council over this ques- 
 tion. MAJOR O'HALLORAN was not satisfied with the way 
 in which money voted by the Council for religious purposes 
 was spent. He moved for copies of all correspondence which 
 had taken place between the Government and the denomina- 
 02
 
 228 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 tions which had forwarded returns of money received, and as 
 to the manner in which such money had been expended. 
 
 GOVERNOR ROBE objected. He thought that the church 
 officers had done all that they were required to do by the 
 Act. He did not think it wise to go into the temporal 
 affairs of each denomination. 
 
 SAMUEL DAVENPORT seconded Major O'Halloran's motion. 
 
 The COLONIAL SECRETARY (Alfred M. Mundy) stated that 
 the Major had singled out the Episcopalian Church, and ex- 
 plained his action as the result of a dispute between the Ma- 
 jor and some of the office-bearers of that church. He moved 
 as an amendment "That the statement already furnished by 
 the office-bearers of the Episcopalian Church is in strict ac- 
 cordance with the Act of Council No. 13 of 1846, and that 
 the information therein given is sufficient for the purposes 
 of the Act." 
 
 R. F. NEAVLAND seconded the amendment. He consid- 
 ered that the Act had been passed on the principle that the 
 money should be given without any restriction or interference 
 by the Government. 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN disclaimed all private feeling or ani- 
 mosity. He wished it to be distinctly understood that he 
 cast no reflection upon any office-bearers other than a want 
 of judgment. 
 
 The COLONIAL SECRETARY thought that it was a question 
 with which the Council had nothing to do. 
 
 CAPTAIN BAGOT said it was reasonable that all public 
 moneys should be under the scrutiny of the Council. 
 
 GOVERNOR ROBE affirmed that the grant was made in the 
 spirit that the various religious bodies should have unfettered 
 control over the money voted. 
 
 The COLONIAL SECRETARY'S amendment was carried, and 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN "felt bound to make a protest which he 
 begged might be entered on the minutes of the Council." 
 The State-aid Bill was a veritable bone of contention. 
 
 In course of time this vexed question came up again. 
 
 GOVERNOR ROBE laid upon the table another Bill pro- 
 viding for "The building of Places of Worship, and making 
 provision for the maintenance of Ministers of Religion." 
 
 Again the South Australian League entered its pro- 
 test. A petition on behalf of the League against the Bill 
 was presented signed by Edward Stephens, John Brown (first 
 Emigration Agent), A. H. Davis, and Richard D. Hanson. 
 
 In a long speech the ADVOCATE-GENERAL (William Smil- 
 lie) moved the second reading of the Bill, and the COLONIAL 
 SECRETARY (Alfred M. Mundy) seconded.
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 229 
 
 As an amendment MAJOR O'HALLORAN moved that the 
 Bill be read a second time that day six months. 
 
 JACOB HAGEN asked : "Would the Council vote money to 
 assist a number of Mussulmen to build a mosque? If not, 
 they sat in judgment on their opinions. Great attention 
 should be paid to the opinion of the colonists, and members 
 should, in a great measure, be guided by the opinions of those 
 out of doors. The Bill was a violation of the express prin- 
 ciples on which the colony was founded. It was one of the 
 inducements held out to early settlers that there should be 
 no State interference with religion and no dominant church." 
 
 CAPTAIN BAGOT supported the motion of MAJOR O'HAL- 
 LORAN shelving the Bill, as did SAMUEL DAVENPORT. The 
 Major stated that it was no use pressing his amendment, a-s 
 Governor Robe's casting vote would carry any Bill. 
 
 In committee JACOB HAGEN said it was impossible to 
 legislate for religion at all without defining what kind of re- 
 ligion. He moved the insertion of the word Christian. 
 
 The GOVERNOR and COLONIAL SECRETARY supported the 
 motion. 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN said: "No." If the Chinese, Hin- 
 dus, or New Zealanders came to South Australia he consid- 
 ered that they would be as fully entitled to their quota as 
 members of the Christian religion. If the motion inserting 
 the word Christian were carried the Jews would be shxit 
 out. 
 
 GOVERNOR ROBE replied that the Council was legislating 
 for the Christian religion. The Bill for the promotion of 
 Mohammedanism was not before them. 
 
 JACOB HAGEN'S motion was carried. 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN affirmed that he would like to see in- 
 serted 20 instead of 150 as the amount to be raised by 
 private contributions before a grant-in-aid of building would 
 be given. 
 
 GOVERNOR ROBE stated that it was the intention of 
 the Act to afford only such assistance as would lead to the 
 building of twice as good a house as that which a denomination 
 would otherwise have. 
 
 CAPTAIN BAGOT: "There were very useful chapels in the 
 colony which did not cost more than 40. The Wesleyans 
 in particular had sprinkled their chapels all over the colony, 
 and from them at all hours the hymn of praise could be heard. 
 It was the poor worshippers in the country who ought to be 
 assisted." 
 
 JACOB HAGEN thought the sum of 20 to be too small, 
 and would like to make it 40.
 
 230 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN instanced a chapel in his neighbour- 
 hood which had not cost more than 40, the congregation 
 of which on one Sunday had subscribed 9 for the relief of 
 the poor in England. It was such persons who ought to be 
 encouraged by the Government, not the rich. 
 
 The COLONIAL SECRETARY said that they had to guard 
 against the encouragement of the smaller sects, who were by 
 no means desirable. 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN : "The Creator could be worshipped 
 as sincerely in a humble hut as in the proudest cathedral. 
 Sometimes he went to a humble building in his own village 
 and could pray there with as much fervour and zeal as in St. 
 John's or St. Mary's. It was such places as these humble 
 buildings that he would like to see encouraged." 
 
 CAPTAIN BAGOT said the idea in making the sum of money 
 so large as 150 was to create a dominant church. 
 
 It was finally agreed that the amount to be raised by 
 private subscription before a grant could be given in aid of 
 church building should be 50. 
 
 There was another long discussion, bristling with diffi- 
 culties, as to the basis on which ministers' salaries should be 
 supplemented. At the next meeting of the Council there 
 were six petitions against the Bill. The third reading was 
 carried. 
 
 These items of discussion are very suggestive. They 
 teach valuable lessons in relation to State-aid, and the reader 
 is requested to bear them in mind, as we shall have to again 
 refer to the question. 
 
 Governor Robe found his position uncongenial. He made 
 pressing application to be relieved of his duties. The .Imperial 
 authorities granted his desire. He was promoted to the 
 rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the army, and appointed 
 Deputy-Quartermaster and General at Mauritius, with a 
 salary of 1,000 a year and a seat in the Legislative Council. 
 
 He was a man of fine presence and very hospitable. One 
 cannot help feeling some degree of admiration for him. Not 
 only had he convictions, but the courage to express them. 
 It was impossible for him to be a "Mr. Facing-both-ways." 
 John Stephens, editor of The Reyister, who had severely 
 criticized him, said : "Much as we have had occasion to differ 
 from Colonel Robe as a politician, we cannot but respect 
 his stern inflexibility of character and high sense of duty, 
 which have invariably led him to sacrifice any love of popu- 
 larity to public duty." The spirit of the man came out 
 in his farewell address to the Council. "He wished them 
 and the colonists individually health, wealth, and happiness.
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 231 
 
 In relinquishing the duties which had devolved upon him he 
 looked to his Sovereign alone for any expression of approba- 
 tion." 
 
 It will come as a revelation to many South Australians 
 to-day that when Governor Robe vacated his position Captain 
 Sturt, the discoverer of the Murray and of the interior of 
 our Province, applied to the Imperial authorities that he 
 might be appointed Governor of South Australia. The reply 
 of the Secretary of State was that the position had been filled 
 before Captain Sturt's application had come to hand. 
 
 The pretty little seaport town in the south-east of the 
 Province (Robe) is named after Governor Robe. He died 
 in England in 1872.
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION.
 
 SIR HENRY EDWARD Fox YOUNG.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 
 
 We now enter upon a new era. The foundations of the 
 Commonwealth had been laid, and for some eleven years the 
 pioneers had been raising the superstructure. But, as we 
 have seen, they laboured under serious disadvantages. Not 
 only were there financial and social reverses in the early part 
 of their history, but up to the time of which we are speaking 
 they were without political and religious freedom. The mem- 
 bers of the Council were nominated by the Governor, and 
 his casting vote was sufficient to keep in existence the Roy- 
 alty Bill or State-aid to religion. 
 
 But a better time was coming. Sir Henry Edward Fox 
 Young was appointed Governor. On March llth, 1848, a 
 banquet was held in his honour at the Albion Hotel, Alders- 
 gate Street, London. W. Wolryche Whitmore was in the 
 -chair, forty or fifty gentlemen being present. The speech 
 that Sir Henry delivered on this occasion so impressed the 
 editor of the London Times that he was constrained to pub- 
 lish it in full. He spoke of it in the most complimentary 
 terms. It was a "Statesmanlike deliverance." Sir Henry 
 felt glad that he was called by Her Majesty to superintend 
 the public service in a colony the cardinal principle of which 
 was a provision to secure a continuance of an untainted 
 stream of British emigration. He esteemed it to be no mean 
 privilege to be a member of a community remarkably alive to 
 the blessings of civil and religious liberty. Although by 
 descent, education, and conviction a member of the Church 
 of England, he nevertheless considered himself to be inti- 
 mately incorporated in that far wider and more universal 
 body which included the whole race redeemed by the Divine 
 Saviour, and of which the Established Church was but a frac- 
 tional part. So far then as lay in his power, both by pre- 
 cept and example he would try to inculcate in South Aus- 
 tralia Lord Bacon's maxim that church controversies ought 
 not to be like the briar and thistle, rending and tearing, but 
 like the vine and olive, bearing useful fruit. 
 
 No doubt the new Governor was anticipating, perhaps 
 with some anxiety, the coming struggle over the question of 
 ;State-aid to religion in the colony over which he had been 
 
 ( 235 )
 
 236 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 called to rule. The few words of his address just quoted 
 reveal him as a prudent and conciliatory man. 
 
 On August 1, 1848, the For far shire dropped anchor in 
 South Australian waters, having on board the new Gover- 
 nor (Sir Henry Young) and his lady. They met with a 
 chilling reception more correctly with no reception at all. 
 No heads of departments not even the official nominees of 
 the Crown were present to board the vessel or to speak 
 a word of welcome. What was termed a "unicorn coach" 
 and two mounted policemen were sent down to the Port to 
 await the Governor's arrival. When he landed the only 
 cheers that greeted him were those of some half-dozen barge- 
 men. No official was at the waterside to receive His Ex- 
 cellency and lady. No respectful demonstration followed. 
 They came up to Adelaide in the "unicorn coach," escorted 
 by the two mounted policemen. On arrival at Government 
 House there was no guard of honour to receive him, nor any 
 member of the Executive, and the "respectable colonists" were 
 represented by a "knot of the unwashed" whose cheers were 
 "anything but deafening." So said the versatile John Ste- 
 phens, editor of The Register. 
 
 Can we not, at this time of day, discover a reason ? The 
 people had outgrown the system of government to which they 
 had been subjected. The infancy of the colony had gone 
 by. It was approaching manhood. 
 
 When the colony was proclaimed it was ruled by a body 
 of Commissioners. These were appointed by the Crown. 
 A Governor and a Resident Commissioner were sent out. 
 It was a strange piece of legislation : a dual aiithority in the 
 Old Land and a dual authority in the New. There was 
 the danger of the Commissioners in England coming into 
 conflict with the Crown, and of the Commissioner in the col- 
 ony coming into conflict with the Governor. The possible 
 and probable, as we have seen, became actual. 
 
 When Governor Gawler came out supreme authority 
 was vested in him, and he was assisted by an Executive 
 Council consisting of some of the Government officials. 
 This was a step in the right direction. 
 
 When financial reverses overtook the colony, and the 
 British Government came to the rescue and practically took 
 control, the Commissioners' rule came to an end. This was 
 a further step in the right direction. 
 
 In 1842 another improvement was made. An Act was 
 passed for the "Better Government of South Australia." This, 
 to a limited degree only, gave the settlers some voice in the 
 management of their political affairs. A Legislative Coun-
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 237 
 
 cil was formed, composed of eight members, each nominated 
 by the Crown. 
 
 A constitution of this kind could not long satisfy, especially 
 when we remember that just previous to the founding of the 
 colony England had rung with the cry for constitutional 
 reform. Not only so, but when the new Legislative Council 
 was constituted Governor Grey held out the promise that ere 
 long the settlers would be granted a certain degree of control 
 over their revenue and expenditure by the infusion of the 
 element of popiilar representation into the Legislature. Then 
 we must not lose sight of the fact that the constitution of the 
 nominee Council led to strife and division, especially under 
 Governor Robe's autocratic rule. It brought the people into 
 conflict with the Crown. The four official nominees paid ser- 
 vants of the Crown voted in favour of Government measures. 
 The four non-official members voted for legislation in harmony 
 with the wishes of the people. There was a deadlock. 
 The question was decided and in some instances decided 
 against the people by the casting vote of the Governor. 
 No legislation could be passed in opposition to the Governor's 
 policy. 
 
 Under such circumstances as these the people could not 
 be expected to give a very cordial welcome to a representa- 
 tive of the Crown. They had outgrown this kind of tute- 
 lage and were weary of nominee rule. No doubt this was 
 the main reason why Sir Henry Young met with such a 
 heartless reception. 
 
 The new Governor was unfortunate. The settlers were 
 eagerly anticipating the time when the British Government 
 would redeem its promise and give them "a more popular 
 representation." After the arrival of Governor Young the 
 people were full of expectancy. Had he brought a new 
 Constitution ? Were they to be no longer under tutelage ? 
 
 The Governor took his seat in the Council and delivered 
 his opening speech. It fell like a hailstorm in time of har- 
 vest. Expectations were disappointed, and the settlers ex- 
 perienced the ''hope deferred" that "maketh the heart sick." 
 Said John Stephens : "It was expected that when Sir Henry 
 Young left England to assume the government of this colony 
 he would bring with him the authority to introduce popular 
 representation. Bitterly w>as the expectation disappointed in 
 His Excellency's opening speech. Breathless was the expec- 
 tation that awaited Sir Henry's euphonious delivery, but as 
 soon as it was perceived that the whole burden of his mes- 
 sage had reference to the augmentation of his own salary 
 honourable members looked aghast and strangers in the gallery
 
 238 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 turned their pale faces to the wall in mute astonishment, 
 and when the first day's business was noised abroad the 
 general feeling was one of sad disappointment or unmitigated 
 disgust." 
 
 But Governor Young, like Governor Grey, was the man 
 for the hour. He was a "repairer of breaches" and "restorer 
 of paths to dwell in." At a glance he took in the position 
 of affairs, and on his own responsibility suspended the opera- 
 tion of the obnoxious Royalty Bill. Shortly after his arrival 
 the following announcement was gazetted : 
 
 "His Excellency the Governor, with the advice of the 
 Council of Government, has been pleased to direct that until 
 the further signification of Her Majesty's pleasure the Crown 
 lands will be sold in the same manner and subject to the 
 same terms and conditions as before the 3rd of March, 1846." 
 
 This was a bold and sagacious stroke. His action at 
 once secured for him the goodwill of the settlers. It was 
 the very reverse of Governor Robe's. Loud were the demon- 
 strations in his honour. The Press affirmed that his action 
 was a proof that the colonists "now had a Governor of the 
 character that they long had needed, and that it was the 
 shadowing forth of better days." So it proved to be. 
 
 The Province was fortunate not only in securing a liberal 
 Governor who could read the signs of the times, but in the 
 advent of George Fife Angas, who had done so much to pro- 
 mote its interests. He arrived by the Ascendant on Janu- 
 ary 16th, 1851. The day after "Black Thursday" a banquet 
 was spread in his honour. James Hurtle Fisher presided, 
 and among the guests were the leading men of the Pro- 
 vince. In his address Mr. Fisher said : ''When the coloniz- 
 ation scheme was in danger of collapse Mr. Angas stepped 
 forward and founded the South Australian Company, with a 
 view to completing the purchase of the remaining portion of 
 land upon which the establishment of the colony depended. He 
 did more than that; he embarked, on his own responsibility, 
 many thousands of pounds, the safety of which at that time 
 was precarious. By his instrumentality the money was raised 
 on which depended the settlement of the Province. Then he 
 (Mr. Fisher) would ask them Were they really not indebted 
 to his friend for the creation of the colony ? What meed of 
 praise was too high for him by whose spirited exertions a 
 colony of such unexampled prosperity was founded ? No 
 colony exhibited such progress as South Australia had done 
 in the very brief period in which it had been in existence." 
 
 Mr. Angas made a characteristic reply. In all the steps 
 that he had taken he had been guided by principle. He was 
 impressed with the importance of colonization rightly con-
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 239 
 
 ducted. It was that consideration which induced him to 
 become a member of the Board of Commissioners. All 
 he presumed to say was that he had worked with able coad- 
 jutors who all had as much right to honour and to credit 
 as he had. They had been eminently successful. The his- 
 tory of the world did not furnish an instance of such trium- 
 phant success in colonization, mainly attributable to the cour- 
 age, prudence, and industry of the pioneers of the Province. 
 But it should be remembered that no wisdom of design, no 
 vigorous carrying out of any scheme could secure success if 
 the Divine blessing were withheld from it. Human wisdom 
 could, indeed, effect but little if it were opposed to Divine 
 power. Were it not for that merciful Providence he would 
 not have been in their midst. With the development of 
 natural resources they had not neglected to cultivate mind 
 and morals, and he hoped they would pay increasing attention 
 to those important considerations. 
 
 In the vessel that brought out George Fife Angas there 
 came a new Constitution for the Province. When the ship 
 cast anchor it could not be found. Ultimately it was dis- 
 covered at the bottom of the Captain's dirty linen bag, the 
 steward having hurriedly put it there for security, and then 
 forgotten it. 
 
 It was an Act for the "Better Government of Her Ma- 
 jesty's Australian Colonies." Colonists were still forbidden 
 to interfere with the expenditure of their customs and excise 
 departments, and the Crown lands were still to be adminis- 
 tered by the Executive and Lords of the Treasury ; provision 
 was also made for the continuation of nomineeism, though 
 on a much more limited scale. 
 
 The new Constitution provided for a Legislative Council 
 to consist of twenty-four members, one-third to be nominated 
 by the Crown and two-thirds elected by the colonists. Voting 
 was to be by means of voting papers on which were to be 
 entered the Christian name and surname of each voter, the 
 nature of the qualifications, and where situated. The qualifica- 
 tion was possession of a freehold property of the annual value 
 of 100. 
 
 At once an agitation was begun for voting by ballot. 
 Letters were written to the Press and meetings were held in 
 Adelaide and the suburbs. 
 
 The old political regime that had existed for nearly 
 eight years came to an end in February, 1851. The Legis- 
 lative Council on the old basis was no more. In his vale- 
 dictory address to the members the Governor said : "The or- 
 dinance which has just been enacted devolves upon me the 
 issuing of writs for an enlarged Council under the new Con-
 
 240 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 stitution, and from and after the dates of which writs the 
 existing Council will be no more. Under these circumstances 
 I cannot refrain from making one brief observation before we 
 separate. Your successors, gentlemen, will have a field of 
 universal extent and of universal responsibility; a field, how- 
 ever, well suited to the genius of Britons, and giving scope 
 to that patriotic ambition of promoting the common weal 
 which has ever been our national characteristic. In bidding 
 you farewell, I feel it to be a public and most agreeable duty 
 to tender to you the expression of my sincere and grateful 
 appreciation of the harmony and good feeling which have 
 uninterruptedly marked your co-operation with me in the 
 business of legislation during the two and a half years in 
 which I have had the honour of presiding in this Council." 
 So ended another course in the Commonwealth that our 
 fathers were building up. 
 
 Before the old Council became defunct the question of 
 State-aid to religion again revived. As it would be some 
 time before the new Council on the more popular basis 
 would be elected, some members were anxious that payments 
 should be made to the denominations accepting aid in the 
 interim. JOHN MORPHETT rose "to perform what he consid- 
 ered to be a duty. It was probably the last time that the 
 old Council would assemble. He thought it was his 
 duty to move that His Excellency be empowered to continue 
 State-aid until the new Council legislate on the subject." 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN rose to say that he could not support 
 the motion. 
 
 The COLONIAL SECRETARY (Captain Sturt) seconded the 
 motion, and the REGISTRAR-GENERAL (Boyle Travers Finniss) , 
 with the ADVOCATE-GENERAL (William Smillie), supported it 
 The motion was carried. 
 
 During the year 1850 grants to denominations had been 
 made as follows : 
 
 Toward supplementing ministers' salaries ... 2,050 15 10 
 In aid of building churches 
 
 Episcopalian Church 1,465 
 
 Roman Catholic Church 510 
 
 Methodist Church 426 10 6 
 
 Church of Scotland 122 
 
 But the days of State-aid were numbered. The people 
 for years had been up in arms against it. It was merely 
 kept in existence by a majority of one or two votes in the 
 old Council. Although some of the Methodist Church offi- 
 cials accepted the grant the majority of the members of that 
 church were opposed to it. The acceptance of the grant
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 241 
 
 created schism in the body. It led to the retirement from 
 the church of two worthy pioneers, Edward Stephens and 
 Thomas Reynolds, men who made their mark in the State ; 
 it also led to the expulsion of some local preachers. 
 
 Searching in the public archives for material for this his- 
 tory in one of the pioneer papers I met with the following 
 paragraph, published in 1847: 
 
 "The Wesleyan Society of Happy Valley has been one 
 of the most united and flourishing in the colony, but to a man 
 its members were opposed to the reception of the unholy 
 grant, and since its acceptance by office-bearers, who have 
 avowedly disregarded the opinions of the people, the congre- 
 gation has withdrawn <n masse from the chapel and the 
 meetings are held from house to house. The Rev. William 
 Longbottom, unaware of the fact, went over, according to 
 station list, to preach to them. After waiting in the deserted 
 chapel for a considerable time, and marvelling much at the 
 absence of the congregation, he was enlightened by one of 
 the flock who was on his way to the more primitive form of 
 service. He informed the minister of their unanimous re- 
 solve, assured him that nothing personal was intended to- 
 ward him, but at the same time warned him that he would' 
 wait in vain, as not one of the Happy Valley people would, 
 by his presence, sanction the appropriation of the Babylonish 
 garment. The rev. gentleman had no course open to him 
 but to mount his horse and return home." 
 
 The resurrection of this ancient paragraph will give the 
 modern reader some idea how the souls of men were vexed 
 and agitated over the question of State-aid to religion. 
 
 Writs were issued for the elections to the new Council. 
 The first candidate in the field was Francis Stacker Dut- 
 ton, a worthy pioneer builder, who became Agent-General for 
 the Province in London. 
 
 Great interest was taken in the elections. A test ques- 
 tion was State-aid to religion. It was necessary that the 
 ablest men should be elected. These would not only have to 
 deal with State-aid, but later on with an alteration of the 
 Constitution to wipe out nomineeism and bring in responsible 
 government. It was an epoch in the life of the people. They 
 rose to the occasion. The League for the "Maintenance of 
 Religious Freedom" was much in evidence. Flags were fly- 
 ing and banners were carried about the streets. 
 
 An evidence of the practical working of State-aid to 
 religion is given in the following incident that occurred during 
 the elections. It was from the pen of Walter Duffield, one 
 of our nation-builders, who for some time sat in Parliament 
 Writing to The Retjisttr in 1851 he said:
 
 242 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 "As an illustration of the manner in which State grant- 
 in-aid of religion is working I may instance the proceedings 
 of the Rev. Michael - - at the polling-pla-ce at Salisbury. 
 That gentleman not only attended there to give his vote for 
 the grant candidate, but remained there throughout the day, 
 apparently for the purpose of influencing electors ; and I 
 believe that he did actually succeed in depriving Mr. Hanson 
 (opposed to the grant) of the votes of some electors who had 
 attended to vote for that gentleman. I thought that the 
 practice of priestly interference in politics had been left 
 behind in the Old Country, but it appears that I am mis- 
 taken." 
 
 The elections to the new more representative Legislative 
 Council took place in July, 1851, with the following result : 
 
 The Province was divided into sixteen districts, to repre- 
 sent which sixteen members were chosen by the people. The 
 other eight members were nominated by the Crown. 
 
 NOMINATED BY GOVERNOR YOUNG. 
 Official Nominees (paid servants of the Crown) 
 
 Captain Charles Sturt (Colonial Secretary). 
 
 Boyle Travers Finniss (Registrar-General). 
 
 Richard D. Hanson (Advocate-General). 
 
 Robert R. Torrens (Collector of Customs). 
 Non-official Nominees 
 
 John Morphett. 
 
 Edward C. Gwynne. 
 
 John Grainger. 
 
 Major Norman Campbell. 
 
 ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE. 
 Name. District. 
 
 Francis S. Dutton East Adelaide. 
 
 John B. Neales North Adelaide. 
 
 Alexander L. Elder West Adelaide. 
 
 George Hall Port Adelaide. 
 
 George M. Waterhouse East Torrens. 
 
 Charles Simeon Hare West Torrens. 
 
 William Peacock Noarlunga. 
 
 John Baker Mount Barker. 
 
 Robert Davenport Hindmarsh. 
 
 George Fife Angas Barossa. 
 
 John Hart Victoria. 
 
 Captain C. Bagot Light. 
 
 William Younghusband Stanley. 
 
 George S. Kingston Burra. 
 
 John Ellis Flinders. 
 
 William Giles . Yatala.
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 243 
 
 The Council met on August 20th, 1851, in the Supreme 
 Court, Adelaide. Great interest was taken in the gathering. 
 There was a large assembly of spectators. It was a national 
 event. Heads of Churches, ministers of religion, and a 
 'brilliant array of ladies" comprising a large proportion of 
 "the beauty and fashion of Adelaide," magistrates, profes- 
 sional men, merchants, traders, and sturdy yeomen, "all good 
 men and true," so the Press said, were present. The ap- 
 proaches to the collonade entrance of the court were lined 
 by a strong body of the metropolitan police, while a military 
 guard of honour and a squadron of the mounted constabulary 
 drawn up in front of the eastern and western wings increased 
 materially the "pomp and circumstance" of the occasion. A 
 Royal salute was fired from the field guns stationed in the 
 principal square of the city. 
 
 It reminds one of the day when the foundations of the 
 colony were laid. The people were inspirited. They were 
 proud of their representatives. These were the men whom 
 they had chosen the first-fruits of the franchise. It was the 
 first representative assembly in the colony which the pioneers 
 had founded. 
 
 On August 29th, 1851, the great battle over the question 
 of State-aid began. EDWARD CASTRES GWYNNE (one of the 
 nominees) moved the first reading of a Bill "to continue an 
 ordinance to promote the building of churches and chapels 
 for Christian worship, and to provide for the maintenance of 
 ministers of the Christian religion." lie said: ''With regard 
 to the ultimate objects of the Bill it was impossible that there 
 could be two opinions. It was impossible that any honour- 
 able member could dissent from the proposition that it was 
 desirable to promote the Christian religion, or that religion 
 and morals were an unmixed good, and the observance of 
 public worship attended with countless advantages. There- 
 fore there could be no objection to the objects of the Bill. 
 There would be discussion on the principle of the measure. 
 The Bill made no distinction between Christian bodies : it 
 proposed to aid the common Christianity. It fostered the 
 system known as the voluntary system, because it did not pro- 
 pose to give unconditionally, but to give supplementary aid. 
 The State assumed the position of an indulgent parent who, 
 desirous of encoxiraging habits of economy in a child, would 
 say : Save one shilling and I will give you another. The 
 principle of the Bill was to promote what was good and to 
 stimulate the efforts of the much-talked-of voluntary system." 
 
 The COLONIAL SECRETARY (Hon. Captain Sturt) seconded 
 the motion.
 
 244 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 CAPTAIN BAGOT rose with a view of accounting to the 
 House why the honourable members who were with him 
 would not follow the usual course of allowing the first read- 
 ing of the Bill to pass without comment. The Bill that he 
 held in his hand supplied a sufficient explanation of and ex- 
 cuse for the course they had determined to adopt. There was 
 nothing for them to deal with but the principle. He thought 
 that it would be well if they could come to a determination 
 upon the subject without debate without raising acrimonious 
 feeling. 
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN HART then proposed "That the Bill 
 should be read the first time that day six months." This was 
 tantamount to its rejection. He was willing to aid religion 
 in special cases, as they might be brought before the Council, 
 but he was convinced that the battle had been fought out of 
 doors, and he thought that the measure was brought before 
 them as an apple of discord. If they threw out the Bill at 
 that stage they would prevent much ill-feeling. 
 
 GEORGE S. KINGSTON seconded the amendment and ex- 
 pressed his regret that the Bill should have been introduced 
 after the all but unanimous demonstration of the colonists 
 against it. 
 
 MAJOR CAMPBELL, although he thought the Bill would be 
 thrown out, felt that it was their duty as legislators to 
 evince a desire to support the Christian religion. He felt that 
 to refuse to support it would be to degrade it in the eyes of 
 the public; to reduce it apparently to the level of paganism. 
 He believed that the people had not the means to build 
 churches or to maintain ministers. He had hoped that the 
 Bill would have been modified ; that no support would be 
 granted to towns, only to the thinly-populated districts. His 
 views were against the provisions of the Bill, though he 
 agreed with the principle. 
 
 WILLIAM PEACOCK was not pledged to his constituents to 
 oppose the grant further than having expressed to them his 
 conscientious objection to the measure. 
 
 ROBERT DAVENPORT advocated the voluntary principle. 
 
 The REGISTRAR-GENERAL (Hon. B. T. Finniss) felt con- 
 vinced that thousands came to the colony in the hope of find- 
 ing provision made for religion, and that, as at home, Chris- 
 tianity was part and parcel of the law of the land. Why 
 should the State be excluded by law from contributing to the 
 support of the Christian religion which was part of the com- 
 mon law of the country ? 
 
 GEORGE HALL had great satisfaction in supporting the 
 first reading of the Bill. He could hardly realize the idea,
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION U45 
 
 much less the stern reality, that a community so blessed and 
 favoured by Providence should refuse to devote a portion of 
 its wealth to the service of God. They had taken the oath of 
 allegiance to their beloved monarch, and he would say that 
 to throw out the present Bill would be the first step to throw- 
 ing off their allegiance to the King of kings. 
 
 CHARLES SIMEON HARE Nonsense. 
 
 JOHN BAKER was not opposed to the principle of the Bill, 
 for he was returned pledged to support State-aid to country 
 districts. It was said that the battle had been fought out of 
 doors, but if all battles were to be fought out of doors what 
 was the use for the House to assemble ? He would beseech 
 those members who were disposed to throw out the Bill to 
 have it discussed. Great injury would be done to the char- 
 acter of the colony if it were noised abroad that a measure 
 so important had been thrown out without due discussion. 
 
 FRANCIS S. BUTTON said that those who were opposed to 
 the measure had come to the conclusion that it would be ad- 
 visable to decide the matter without long discussion. The 
 wisdom of such determination was apparent from the fact 
 that one honourable member who had announced himself as a 
 man of peace in warming to the subject had lost his temper. 
 If this occurred on the first reading, what might they expect 
 if the Bill reached a second stage ? He had informed his 
 constituents that as a trustee for the public he should vott> 
 against the measure. 
 
 ALEXANDER L. ELDER held that the Bill should not be 
 entertained at all. He had seen a great deal of antagonism 
 between the Government and the people, and it was high time 
 for such things to end. He did not come to offer a factious 
 opposition, but seeing the present measure he despaired of 
 peace. Five years ago the unjust measure was passed, and 
 he well remembered the indignation manifested at a large 
 and important public meeting. He was one of a deputation 
 appointed to remonstrate with Governor Robe, and lie could 
 never forget bhe insulting reply with which he had met their 
 application to delay the measure. The country was alive to 
 the character of the hateful measure, and resolved to get rid 
 of it. He was convinced that religion could propagate itself 
 without Government aid. He saw the unity and fellowship 
 that once existed between denominations destroyed by the 
 measure before the House. A despotic Governor, with all 
 the haughtiness of a Russian autocrat, passed this hateful 
 Bill, and they were involved in discord where harmony had 
 previously obtained. South Australians would revere the 
 memory of the Dissenters of to-day.
 
 246 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 The COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS (Hon. Robert R. Torrens) 
 said the measure before the House could not have the effect 
 of giving one Church a predominance, as it proposed to dis- 
 tribute to all in the same proportion. So far as religious 
 instruction went voluntaryism was a fallacy, as was proved in 
 the early days of the colony, when the burden of supporting 
 public worship fell on a few and the working classes con- 
 tributed nothing. It was also a fallacy to suppose that the 
 law of the land would supply the place of the love of God, 
 even in preserving peace or even in promoting order and 
 prosperity. The strong arm of the law might punish offences, 
 but religion would reclaim the offender and prevent crime. 
 He concluded an eloquent speech with the words (addressed 
 to the Opposition): "Woe unto you, lawmakers ! for ye have 
 taken away the key of knowledge ; ye entered not in your- 
 selves, and them that were entering in ye hindered." The 
 last sentence of the quotation was prophetic, as the division- 
 list soon showed. 
 
 After Mr. Gwynne (the mover of the Bill for State-aid) 
 had replied the amendment (throwing out the Bill) was put 
 and carried by a majority of three. 
 
 For the Bill. Against the Bill. 
 
 Colonial Secretary (Hon. Advocate-General (Hon. R. 
 
 Captain Sturt) D. Hanson) 
 
 Registrar-General (Hon. B. Captain Bagot 
 
 T. Finniss) John Hart 
 
 Collector of Customs (Hon. Francis S. Button 
 
 R. R. Torrens) John B. Neales 
 
 Major Campbell George Fife Angas 
 
 George Hall William Giles 
 
 William Younghusband Robert Davenport 
 
 John Grainger Alexander L. Elder 
 
 John Ellis George S. Kingston 
 
 John Baker Charles Simeon Hare 
 
 Edward C. Gwynne George M. Waterhouse 
 
 William Peacock 
 
 So ended a five years' battle. State-aid to religion re- 
 ceived such a blow that it has been prostrate ever since. It 
 is dead in South Australia, beyond the probability of a 
 resurrection. 
 
 The early settlers had trials from natural as well as from 
 social and political sources. Fortunately they were not of 
 long continuance. In the early days the heat at times was 
 intense, and the dust, caught up and carried long distances 
 by the hot wind, that continued for several days was almost
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 247 
 
 insufferable. One year the heat was so great that birds fell 
 from the trees and some sought refuge and shelter in houses. 
 On February 6th, 1851, there was a duststorm in Adelaide 
 unparalleled in the history of the Province. It has ever since 
 been known as "Black Thursday.'' Several shops were closed 
 up. The Court-house was so full of dust that the Court had to 
 adjourn till the next day. The disturbance was especially 
 severe in Victoria, where the sun's heat was intensified by 
 awful bush fires. Men, women, children, cattle, sheep, and 
 native animals were overtaken by the fiery element. It rushed 
 along the dry herbage, flew up the trees, and carried every- 
 thing before it.
 
 SOiME USEFUL LEGISLATION.
 
 PS 
 
 W 
 
 - 
 03 
 
 O 
 CO
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 
 
 The Legislative Council on its broader and more repre- 
 sentative basis did good work. 
 
 It is the rational nature that makes such a wide diverg- 
 ence between man and the brute and in the building up of 
 national life this cannot be neglected. An ignorant nation 
 no matter how virile in a material sense cannot be a great 
 nation. The whole man must be developed. A nation that 
 neglects to develop the intellectual faculties of the young 
 must fall back in the onward march of civilization. It is 
 the intellect that makes the man. The intellectual faculties 
 to a certain extent are dormant and must be drawn out. 
 The South Australian pioneers recognized the fact. In a 
 social sense our fathers came to a land that was empty. When 
 they set foot upon these southern shores there were no schools 
 nor colleges, no institutes nor libraries, no well-developed social 
 organization. This they had to call into existence. But 
 man's most pressing needs are material. The instincts of 
 hunger and thirst must be satisfied and a shelter be provided 
 for the body. Our fathers came to a land that was destitute 
 of the material as well as the mental necessities of civilization. 
 There were no fields of growing corn nor fruitful gardens : 
 no flocks and herds : no roads nor dwelling-places these 
 they had to call into existence. Houses had to be built, 
 land cleared, fields tilled and sown, gardens planted, roads 
 constructed. They might have been so absorbed in the 
 material as to forget or neglect the mental and moral. But 
 not so. So far as their means would allow provision was 
 made for the education of the young. Among the pioneers 
 was a man named Captain Bromley. For many years before 
 coming to the new land he had taken an interest in religious 
 and educational work. In common with the early emigrants 
 lie landed at Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island, and here 
 he gathered round him the children of the settlers and 
 taught them the first principles of education. 
 
 The short but touching story of the first school in South 
 Australia is best told in Captain Bromley's own words: ''I 
 collected all the children I possibly could : but the whole 
 mimber amounted to only twenty-four, and nearly half of 
 
 ( 251 )
 
 252 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 them were infants. They were therefore taught on the 
 infant-school system, and all except one (a mere babe) could 
 either spell or read before I came away from the island. 
 While thus employed I could hardly obtain money enough 
 to purchase bread and cheese, the weekly pay of the children 
 not amounting to 10s., so that instead of building a hut 
 I was obliged to purchase common necessaries to live 
 on. I had therefore no alternative but to teach the children 
 under the shade of a large tree, which would have accom- 
 modated forty or fifty more." He did, however, afterwards 
 contrive with his own hands to build a small hut, so that 
 when a change of weather drove the children from the tree he 
 was able to shelter them from the rain. Captain Bromley also 
 had the honour of planting the first British school in British 
 North America in the year 1813. He remained on Kangaroo 
 Island from December 5th, 1836, to May 19th, 1837, and 
 then removed to Adelaide, having accepted the office of Pro- 
 tector of the Aborigines. Shortly after he was drowned in 
 the River Torrens. 
 
 The first schoolmaster appointed to the colony was John 
 Banks Shepherdson. George Fife Angas had been instru- 
 mental in founding in England a "South Australian School 
 Society. " (33) John B. Shepherdson was sent out as a teacher. 
 He arrived a few months after the colony was founded, and 
 opened his school in a wooden erection on the parklands 
 opposite Trinity Church. 
 
 Speaking of his arrival and early experiences Mr. 
 Shepherdson said : "Adelaide had just been laid out, and the 
 few people living there were located in tents, reed huts, 
 wooden erections and pise houses. Serious quarrels had 
 taken place as a result of divided authority. Robert 
 Gouger (the Colonial Secretary) was just returning Home for 
 the purpose of appealing to the Home Government for a 
 settlement of unhappy differences. His tent was segured at 
 a rental of 1 per week." 
 
 The pioneer schoolmaster did not long continue his schol- 
 astic duties. In Governor Robe's time he was chosen as Clerk 
 of the Mount Barker Bench of Magistrates. In 1861 he was 
 appointed Stipendiary Magistrate for Yorke's Peninsula, a 
 position which he occupied for twenty-six years. In 1887 he 
 sent in his resignation, receiving a letter from the Attorney- 
 General thanking him for "his forty years of faithful service." 
 He died May 24th, 1897, aged eighty-eight years. 
 
 (33) The South Australian School Society building is still in 
 existence on North Terrace, one wing of which is occupied by the 
 South Australian Company.
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 253 
 
 Some of the pioneer preachers took up educational work. 
 The Rev. Thomas Q. Stow (Congregationalist) taught a school 
 in a cottage at the corner of Freeman and Pirie Streets, 
 where the State Bank now stands. The Rev. Ralph Drum- 
 mond, the first Presbyterian minister in the New Settlement, 
 also conducted a school in Angas Street in addition to his 
 clerical work. 
 
 A classical school, too, was held in Gawler Place 
 under the guidance of Mr. MacGowan. Apparently he had 
 been a teacher in the Old Country before emigrating to South 
 Australia. The London Literary Gazette spoke of "Mr. 
 MacGowan's successful method of instruction," which "taught 
 children to think" instead of "condemning them to learn 
 things by rote." Mrs. MacGowan conducted a ladies' school. 
 
 As the colony became more settled the Government took 
 up the question of education. The first legislative body to 
 really deal with it was the old Nominee Council under Gover- 
 nor Robe. A Bill was then passed giving a grant to those 
 who were engaged in teaching at the rate of 26 per annum 
 for twenty scholars, and 40 for fifty scholars and upwards. 
 
 But it was the Legislative Council on the more popular 
 basis that fully and adequately (for the time being) dealt 
 with the matter of education. Soon after it met in 1851 
 a Bill was introduced in which it was proposed to teach not 
 only the preliminary arts of reading, writing, and arithmetic, 
 but to give instruction in the higher branches of educa- 
 tion the rudiments of geometry, mathematics, and the 
 sciences. It proposed the establishment of a Central Board 
 of Education and the formation of a normal school or train- 
 ing institution for teachers. Undenominational religious in- 
 struction was to be given. The Bill was "to provide a good 
 secular education based on the Christian religion, but apart 
 from all theological and controversial differences on discipline 
 and doctrine." The minimum salary of every licensed tea- 
 cher was to be 40, the maximum 100. In addition, the 
 teachers were allowed to retain the school fees. 
 
 With the passing of the new Education Act Dr. Wyatt 
 was appointed Inspector. In the history of our Province he 
 deserves honourable mention. Dr. Wyatt may be represented 
 as the father of our educational system. In 1851 he wrote to 
 the Government making various suggestions in regard to edu- 
 cation. Among others were these: the establishment of a 
 normal college for the education and training of teachers ; the 
 erection of schoolhouses, especially in country districts ; a 
 fixed stipend for teachers ; the separation of teachers into 
 classes, according to their qualifications : the formation of a
 
 254 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Government Depot for supplying school books : the formation 
 of local committees (school boards), with authority to exer- 
 cise a limited surveillance over the schools, and to co-operate 
 generally in carrying out the provisions of the Legislature. 
 Dr. Wyatt was in favour of Bible-reading in the schools. 
 
 He came to the Province by the John Renwitk early in 
 1837, and was one of the purchasers at the first land sale in 
 the embryo city. In 1837 he was appointed by Governor 
 Hindmarsh as Protector of the Aborigines (pro tem.) and 
 City Coroner. For many years he was Chairman of the Ade-. 
 laide Hospital. Dr. Wyatt did good service to the pioneers 
 and to their posterity by making meteorological observations 
 and keeping a methodical record of them. Up to the end 
 of his useful life Dr. Wyatt was connected with various social 
 institutions to which he rendered special service. He died 
 in 1866 in his eighty-second year. 
 
 Another piece of useful legislation passed by the new 
 Council was the District Councils Act, giving to the people, 
 in relation to local requirements, local self-government 
 power to tax themselves and to spend the money in local 
 improvements such as paths, reads, and bridges. 
 
 This Council also passed the Bullion Act, which saved 
 the colony from ruin. The difficulty was created through the 
 discovery of gold in the adjoining colonies. Such was the 
 rush to the diggings that South Australia was nearly drained 
 of its male population. It was said that in one of the 
 suburbs of the city only one man was left, and that children, 
 on seeing one of the sterner sex, were accustomed to say : 
 "Look here, mother, there's a man!" The social system was 
 thrown out of gear. The banks had been denuded of their 
 coin by the thousands who rushed to the diggings. There 
 was no medium of exchange. Industry came to a standstill. 
 Shops were closed ; some newspapers ceased to exist : the 
 police force was almost reduced to chaos : the working of the 
 copper mines was seriously interrupted. The whole indus- 
 trial system was out of joint. Wealth was fast going out of 
 the colony and little money coming in. There were goods, 
 but no coin with which to purchase them. In some in- 
 stances the colonists resorted to a system of barter. Diggers 
 returned with nuggets of gold, but these could not be put 
 into circulation. What way could be suggested out of the 
 difficulty ? There was wealth in the form of gold dust and 
 nuggets, but it was the minted and legal coin that the settlers 
 needed. George Tinline, the acting manager of the Bank of 
 South Australia, with other shrewd men, concluded that the 
 only way in which relief could be obtained was by assaying
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 255 
 
 and coining some of the diggers' gold. They suggested that 
 pieces of gold should be stamped with a fixed value and put 
 into circulation. Governor Young demurred to the proposal. 
 However, there was no time to lose. In the absence of tele- 
 graphic communication it was impossible to ask the consent 
 of the Imperial authorities. A special session of the Legis- 
 lative Council was convened, and the Bullion Act was intro- 
 duced and passed in a day. Governor Young gave his con- 
 sent to the Bill, and it became law as a temporary expedient 
 to relieve the colonists from a crushing difficulty. For his 
 services at this critical juncture the colonists presented George 
 Tinline with a testimonial consisting of 2,500. 
 
 After the passing of the Bullion Act in 1852 the Govern- 
 ment took steps to secure gold for its Mint. The first thing 
 to be done was to open up the nearest overland route to the 
 diggings in Victoria, and the next was to provide an armed 
 escort for the safe custody of the gold to be brought over the 
 route to Adelaide. The task was assigned to Captain Alex- 
 ander Tolmer (Commissioner of Police), than whom, perhaps, 
 a more suitable person could not have been found. The first 
 escort, under Captain Tolmer, with about a quarter of a ton of 
 gold, arrived in Adelaide on March 19th, 1852. The arrival 
 of the party had been eagerly and anxiously anticipated. 
 Many eyes were watching the road that led from the Mount 
 Lofty ranges to Adelaide. About the middle of the day 
 Captain Tolmer and his armed cavalcade, with their load of 
 gold, appeared in sight. They met with a right royal wel- 
 come. Not only did they bring gold from husbands and sons 
 at the diggings, but 400 or 500 letters for anxious wives and 
 mothers. 
 
 The Legislative Council that assembled on July 21st, 
 1853, was the most important political gathering in the his- 
 tory of the Province. Governor Young laid before the mem- 
 bers copies of despatches announcing Her Majesty's readiness, 
 upon certain conditions, to grant to the colony the right of 
 self-government. It was to have the entire management of 
 the revenue of the waste lands of the Crown. A Bill was 
 laid before the Council for constituting a Parliament, con- 
 sisting of a Legislative Council and a House of Assembly. 
 The Assembly was to consist entirely of representatives chosen 
 by the people. The elective franchise was to be extended. 
 The basis was freehold value of 20, or occupancy of a dwel- 
 ling-house value 5 per annum. There were to be thirty-six 
 members, and the duration of membership was to be three 
 years. The Legislative Council was to consist of twelve mem- 
 bers nominated by the Crown, who were to hold seats for
 
 256 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 life, and thus be independent of the Government and the 
 people. It was entitled "A Bill to Establish a Parliament iu 
 South Australia." The proposed constitution of the Upper 
 House did not suit the people. They wished to make it elec- 
 tive instead of nominative, and were opposed to life mem- 
 bership. 
 
 To test the case, before the Bill was fully discussed, 
 FRANCIS S. BUTTON brought forward a motion "That in the 
 proposed Bill for constituting a Parliament for South Aus- 
 tralia this Council is of the opinion that the Upper House 
 should be elective." Said he: "The question was brought for- 
 ward at this time because it was thought to be the primary 
 centre on which the Constitution about to be formed would 
 turn. He did not pretend to any great amount of wisdom, 
 and was young in legislatorial duties, but he had given the 
 subject his best attention, and had arrived at the conclusion 
 that the proper object of an Upper House was a security 
 against hasty legislation. How was it to be effected ? It was 
 acknowledged that the Lower House was to be the centre of 
 power was to hold the purse strings it was acknowledged 
 that no Executive could exist a day longer than it could 
 command a majority in the Lower House. Then he would 
 ask : How could the Upper House act harmoniously with the 
 Lower Chamber unless the people had a voice in its forma- 
 tion ? He was quite satisfied as to the fitness of the people, 
 and was prepared to place the trust in their hands." 
 
 A long and able discussion followed. The members of 
 the Council rose to the occasion. The debate was a lofty and 
 statesmanlike one. The members felt that they were making 
 history that they had arrived at a critical time in the build- 
 ing up of the Commonwealth. This Council will ever have 
 historical value. It had to form a Constitution, and there 
 was a keen contest between the Tories and the Liberals in 
 the nascent State. The former favoured a Legislative Coun- 
 cil nominated by the Crown and holding seats for life ; this 
 was supposed to approximate to the House of Lords. To show 
 the spirit in which the pioneer politicians did their work we 
 give a few items of the debate. 
 
 EDWARD C. GWYNNE rose with considerable diffidence to 
 speak upon the motion. It involved a subject of great mag- 
 nitude. Looking at the state of the colony, the extent of its 
 population, and the means of the people, he considered that 
 the colony did not require any more elaborate Constitution 
 than it already possessed. He thought the measure was pre- 
 mature. His fear was the fear of the tyranny of a democratic 
 majority. Many who thought with him objected to the moa-
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 257 
 
 sure on account of its democratic tendencies. He would be 
 willing to support the measure to take all risks if a nom- 
 inated Upper House were conceded. If they refused a 
 nominee Upper House the Constitution would be nothing 
 more nor less than a pure democracy, and they would soon 
 sink into a republic. Although they could not make a House 
 of Lords, they might establish a germ of what in time would 
 give them a similar institution. 
 
 GEORGE M. WATEKHOUSE approached the subject with a 
 strong conviction of its importance. A second Chamber would 
 be a check upon hasty legislation and a link between the 
 Crown and the people, but a nominated Upper Chamber 
 would create difficulties. It was no answer that its members 
 might be men of independence, for it would not be supposed 
 that the head of the Government would be so foolish as to 
 appoint a majority of persons opposed to his policy, or that 
 men would act in opposition to the hand that raised them to 
 power. There was no real analogy between the House of 
 Lords and the proposed nominated Upper House, nor could 
 they make a comparison between the colony and England. 
 People appeared to labour under the apprehension of some 
 indefinable evil connected with an elective Upper House, 
 but such was not a necessary feature of a republic. 
 
 The COLONIAL SECRETARY (Hon. Boyle Travers Finniss), 
 in reply to a member, stated that the Bill would be with- 
 drawn if the House carried the motion making the Upper 
 Chamber elective. 
 
 The REGISTRAR-GENERAL (Hon. Robt. R. Torrens) deliv- 
 ered a long and able speech in favour of nomineeism. He 
 had not heard any rational statement of the benefits likely 
 to be derived from an Upper House elected for a term of 
 years by the same constituency which would return members 
 for the Lower House. It was evident that such an Upper 
 Chamber would be but a reflex of the Lower. Why this 
 jealousy of the Crown displayed here ? Why should they de- 
 sire to see its power rendered absolutely null and void in the 
 colony ? Strip the Crown of the privileges of nomination and 
 what would remain ? Democracy. He who desired to see 
 democracy established in the colony and its connection with 
 the Mother Country destroyed would vote for an elective 
 Upper House. He who desired to live under the form of 
 constitutional monarchy would vote for an Upper House 
 nominated for life. This question had been his study 
 for years. He had given it the best and fullest consider- 
 ation of which he was capable. If convicted of error he 
 would at all hazards to himself support the motion. Oppos-
 
 258 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 ing members might win his vote if they could show any form 
 of Constitution that would secure a greater amount of true 
 liberty or of happiness than that afforded under the model 
 of the British Constitution. Failing this, hon. members 
 must excuse his declining to adopt the creation of their 
 genius, for they were in no condition to experimentalize. The 
 British Constitution they had tried and proved. He main- 
 tained that the proposed Constitution a nominated Upper 
 House assimilated closely to that of Great Britain. He 
 would prove from history that the British Constitution 
 afforded more true liberty than that of any other country 
 now existing or that ever had existed. In the ancient re- 
 publics of Greece and of Rome the great bulk of the people 
 were slaves and helots. In the United States (so frequently 
 and triumphantly appealed to by the advocates of democracy) , 
 as in the more ancient republics, slavery was a national in- 
 stitution. What deeds were done under the sacred name of 
 liberty ! The example of an elective Upper House was 
 shown in America. What were its fruits ? Popular opin- 
 ion substituted for law : the judges of the land bowing 
 before it; the rights of property invaded. There reigned 
 the despotism of despotisms "The will of the majority!" 
 
 EDWARD STEPHENS said he had been asked whether he 
 was on the liberal side of the House. He was but he was 
 for those best principles on which liberty was founded. He 
 considered the proposed Constitution to be applicable to the 
 state of the colony. A nominated Upper House was an 
 improvement upon the House of Lords inasmuch as the here- 
 ditary principle was abolished. The opponents of the Bill 
 went upon the monstrous assumption that the Governor 
 would abuse the power of nomination. He agreed with the 
 opinion that an elective Upper Chamber would be only a re- 
 flex of the Lower. 
 
 JAMES H. FISHER was of opinion that a change in the 
 Constitution was not yet required. The colony, young as it 
 was, had expanded under its present form of government to 
 an extent which was unparalleled. 
 
 GEORGE F. ANGAS said he had been told by elo- 
 quent gentlemen that the Bill providing for a nominated 
 Upper House was in accordance with the British Constitu- 
 tion, but he maintained that in the House of Lords the 
 elective principle to a certain extent obtained. Had they 
 forgotten the election of bishops, who held seats in that 
 House, and who were elected by the Houses of Convocation ? 
 He defended the American Constitution from the attacks
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 259 
 
 made upon it by the Registrar-General. Under that Con- 
 stitution nourished the most perfect system of education 
 and the best modes of religious instruction. If slavery 
 were tolerated in America it was a fact that proved the de- 
 moralization of the people, and should not be charged to the 
 Constitution founded by the descendants of the religious 
 fathers. It had been said that those who desired to intro- 
 duce democracy would vote for an elective Upper House. 
 He would do so. Yet he was the last man who would 
 desire to introduce disorder into the colony or separation 
 from the parent State. He possessed, perhaps, as large a 
 landed property in the colony as any man, and could not be 
 suspect/ed of indifference to the form of Constitution which 
 would so materially influence the progress of the colony 
 and the character of its inhabitants. He had duly weighed 
 all that had been advanced by honourable members on the 
 subject. He had given the matter his best consideration, 
 and would vote for an elective Upper House. 
 
 The COLONIAL SECRETARY (Hon. Boyle Travers Finniss) 
 was of opinion that the nominee principle gave large scope 
 for selecting men most distinguished for talent, for informa- 
 tion, for wealth. There would be no such scope under the 
 elective principle. The nominee would follow the dictates 
 of his experience, and his interests being identical with those 
 of the colony, he could have no party purpose to serve. 
 The argument that the Governor might abuse his power 
 amounted to nothing, as it could be applied to the people 
 as well. Wherever there was power it was liable to abuse. 
 There was no precedent in favour of an elective Upper 
 House but that of the Cape, and it was a mere experiment. 
 He trusted that in their zeal to serve South Australia they 
 would adopt the results of experience rather than untried 
 theories. 
 
 JOHN BAKER argued in favour of an elective Upper 
 House on the basis that the members should be elected for 
 life. By the elective principle only would their object b* 
 attained of creating a bulwark against the encroachments 
 of both the Crown and the people, and by being elected 
 for life their independence would be secured. They could 
 consider every question on its merits, and not how it was re- 
 garded in some particular district. But he would rather 
 accept the Government scheme of a nominated Upper House 
 than have no alteration at all. He advocated a compromise 
 between the Government and the Opposition. 
 
 GEORGE S. KINGSTON said that the Hon. Mr. Gwynne 
 had expressed himself favourable to a nominated Upper 
 i 2
 
 260 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 House on the ground that an aristocratic form of government 
 was preferable to a democracy ; but in the colony there was 
 no aristocratic class; they were all South Australians. He 
 regarded a nominated Upper House as a retrograde move- 
 ment. If it were carried party spirit would be raised, as 
 the colonists would never rest till they had got rid of a 
 nominated Upper House. 
 
 The COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS (Hon. Captain G. F. Dash- 
 wood) wished it to be distinctly understood that he would never 
 give his vote to any amended form of the Constitution which 
 was not based upon the model of the British Constitution, or as 
 nearly assimilated to it as circumstances would permit. To 
 the best of his judgment the Bill before the House was the 
 best that could be devised to secure that object. He ob- 
 jected to an elective Upper House in every shape and form. 
 No member of that House could be independent if he were 
 the representative of others. It had been said that nomi- 
 nees would be mere tools of the Governor. It was not to 
 be supposed that when members were nominated for life 
 they would be controlled and influenced by any Governor 
 during his brief tenure of office. 
 
 JOHN T. BAGOT was fully convinced that an elective 
 Upper House was by far the best form of Constitution to 
 meet the requirements of the colony, and though those hon- 
 ourable members who opposed the motion seemed to suppose 
 that all the argument was on their side, he (with the other 
 members who thought with him) was quite willing to leave 
 the decision of the question to the intelligent people of the 
 Province. A nominated Upper House was an attempt to 
 control and check the popular power. It proposed to place 
 in the hands of a few the entire control of the Government. 
 If there were any particular measure which the colonists 
 might at any time wish to be adopted the elective members, 
 by uniting together, could carry it, but by a nominated 
 Upper House their objects could at any time be defeated. 
 
 ROBERT DAVENPORT (brother to Sir Samuel) said that 
 after long and patient consideration of the subject he had 
 come to the conclusion that the formation of an Upper House 
 on the nominee principle was most in accordance with the 
 British Constitution, and he thought the analogy of the 
 British Constitution was the best they could adopt in framing 
 a Constitution for the colony. He affirmed that the House 
 of Lords had displayed more talent, tact, and knowledge in 
 expounding the law, and was more adapted to interpret 
 rightly the wishes of the people than the House of Commons. 
 Why? Because they were an aristocracy of mind. He
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 261 
 
 feared that they would get on badly in the colony unless 
 they had an aristocracy of that kind. What a splendid 
 spectacle did England exhibit a short time ago when Char- 
 tism was apparently in the ascendancy ; when the most dar- 
 ing threats were made, public meetings held, and gigantic 
 processions organized to overawe the Government. What a 
 magnificent proof was then given of the value of the strength 
 of a constitutional Executive. The Government looked on 
 with silent dignity. It threw itself back upon its own ma- 
 jesty, prepared to resist the first outbreak and to assert the 
 supremacy of law. Contrast this with the conduct of the 
 Executive in America in the case of the invasion of Cuba, 
 in direct violation of the law of nations as well as of their 
 own. Men belonging to the professions, students in uni- 
 versities, and persons holding the position of gentlemen 
 openly violated the law and bearded its authorities, who 
 were obliged to submit to the indignity and look on in help- 
 less silence. One reason why he favoured a nominee Upper 
 House was because he thought the Governor had better op- 
 portunities of judging the capacities of men to form an 
 Upper House than the public had, because the colony was 
 of too recent a date to have allowed time for men to prove 
 their abilities by a course of public action. The intellect, 
 talent, and knowledge of the House of Lords was the key- 
 stone to the British Constitution, and which they should 
 endeavour to adopt as far as possible. 
 
 WILLIAM PEACOCK said that so great so determined 
 was his aversion to the nominee principle of the proposed 
 Upper Chamber that he would rather lay his head on the 
 block than entail on his children such a farcical imitation of 
 the House of Lords. Let them ask the opinion of the 
 people out of doors, and nineteen out of twenty would be 
 found strenuously opposed to a nominee Upper House. 
 
 WILLIAM GILES was for an Upper House elected for a 
 term of years. He had given the question full considera- 
 tion, and nothing that any man could say would alter his 
 convictions on the subject. 
 
 WILLIAM YOUNGHUSBAND thought that a second elective 
 Chamber would be the best. 
 
 The ADVOCATE-GENERAL (Hon. Richard Davies Hanson) 
 said one objection that had been raised to a nominee 
 Upper House was that it would place its members above law. 
 This could not be. Look at the House of Lords. They 
 were in a much higher position than the twelve nominees 
 proposed by the Parliament Bill could be, yet they could not 
 set themselves permanently against the people. Was not
 
 262 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Catholic Emancipation, the Reform Bill, the Repeal of the 
 Corn Laws carried against the richest and most potent 
 aristocracy in the world? He wished to see independent 
 men in the Upper House, men who would not feel the neces- 
 sity of looking with one eye to the merits of a question and 
 with the other to the desires of their constituents. He did 
 not think the opinions of the people to be always correct. 
 He did not hold the maxim voj populi, vox Dei, though he 
 believed that the second voice of the people was always right. 
 He was prepared to yield to the people when he knew that 
 they had time for dispassionate reflection, and when a mat- 
 ter was placed before them in all its bearings. He was for 
 the people having power to make laws, but he wished to see 
 the people submit to the laws. He defied honourable mem- 
 bers to show him a country where there were two elective 
 Chambers, and where the will of the people was not above 
 law. 
 
 Mr. Button's motion for an elective Chamber was lost, 
 a majority of eight voting against it. 
 
 The second reading of the Parliament Bill was then 
 passed. A clumsy compromise between the Government and 
 the Opposition was then effected, and the Parliament Bill, 
 providing for a nominated Upper House, was read a third 
 time and transmitted to the Imperial authorities for their 
 consideration. Farther on we shall see that it was not ac- 
 cepted by the British Government. 
 
 In the next chapter it will be seen that a satisfactory via 
 media was arranged by providing for a Lower House elected 
 on the basis of manhood suffrage, and an Upper House the 
 members of which were to be elected on the basis of a pro- 
 perty qualification. 
 
 The time now came for His Excellency (Governor 
 Young) to leave the colony. He had occupied the vice-regal 
 position for nearly seven years, and had faithfully served 
 both Sovereign and subjects. The colony had outgrown its 
 childhood and youth and was now approaching its majority. 
 For such a period Governor Young was an ideal ruler. Dur- 
 ing the tenure of his office legislation became more and more 
 in harmony with the will of the people. He did not re- 
 main to see, in the full sense of the word, responsible govern- 
 ment established, but he remained long enough to witness a 
 Bill providing for an elective Assembly pass the Legislative 
 Council and then transmitted to the British Government for 
 approval. 
 
 It was during Sir Henry's term that the Murray trade 
 was developed. In this question he took a very keen in- 
 terest.
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 263 
 
 It was Captain Randall who put the first steamer on 
 the Murray for commercial enterprise. She was named 
 the Mary Ann, and was built by Captain Randall at a cost 
 of 1,500. Great interest was taken in this event. The 
 Governor and Lady Young, with a party of leading colo- 
 nists, went to Goolwa to greet the steamer and her 
 captain. Some 200 persons assembled. A volley from 
 19 guns was fired and hearty cheers were given. Speak- 
 ing of this historic event the editor of The Register said : 
 "In future times, when the steam navigation of the River 
 Murray shall have attained the paramount importance for 
 which it is destined, when numerous and powerful steamers 
 shall be regularly employed in transporting the pastoral 
 produce of Australia, the diminutive size and power of Mr. 
 Randall's boat will be of little consequence, but the interest 
 and honour attaching to the first voyage of a steamer on the 
 waters of the Murray will redound to his credit and sub- 
 serve the best interests of his adopted country." 
 
 Captain Randall (the pioneer of the Murray trade) con- 
 tinued with us a long time. He died on March 4th, 1911, 
 aged eighty-six years. 
 
 The Legislative Council in 1850 voted a sum of 4,000 
 as a bonus for a successful navigation of the Murray from 
 the Goolwa to the Darling. The steamers were to be of 
 not less than 40 h.p., and were not to exceed in 
 draught 2 ft. of water when loaded. Captain Francis 
 Cadell was the successful competitor. He first embarked 
 in a canvas boat a bold undertaking on the upper Mur- 
 ray, and descended the stream for a distance of 1,300 
 miles, demonstrating that the river could be navigated by 
 steamers of shallow draught. He forced a steamer (the 
 Lad;/ Augusta, so called after Lady Young) through the 
 Murray mouth, a most risky feat, steamed to the Goolwa, 
 and made fast. Here the population of the surrounding dis- 
 trict and a great number of blacks had gathered. The 
 Governor was also present with a party from Adelaide, in- 
 cluding Mr. and Mrs. Younghusband and their three 
 daughters. Volleys of musketry were fired, and the blacks 
 were provided with a feast in the form of two sheep, which 
 they roasted whole. 
 
 A cargo boat (the Eureka) had been built for Captain 
 Cadell at Goolwa. This marked another course in the Com- 
 monwealth which the pioneers were building up. They de- 
 termined to do honour to the occasion. With a garland of 
 wild flowers upon her head Miss Eliza Younghusband, a 
 maiden of thirteen, christened the Eureka. After the local
 
 264 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 festivities were over the Lady Auy-usta, with a distinguished 
 party on board, including the Governor, steamed up the 
 river with the cargo boat in tow. This was on August 26th, 
 1853. The party reached Swan Hill on September 17th 
 three weeks later. 
 
 On the way back the boats took in 444 bales of wool, 
 about 1,000 sheepskins, and a quantity of tallow. Such 
 was the inauguration of the Murray trade which the pio- 
 neers celebrated with eager, great, and glowing anticipations. 
 
 A public banquet was tendered to Captain Cadell. This 
 was on Wednesday evening, October 26th, 1853. The ban- 
 quet was spread in the Council Chamber, North Terrace. 
 This was another historic occasion. The chair was occupied 
 by John Morphett (Speaker of the Legislative Council). 
 Able and congratulatory addresses were given by such noted 
 nation-builders as Richard D. Hanson, John Stephens, 
 George Marsden Waterhouse, William Younghusband, John 
 Baker, William Giles, and George Fife Angas. 
 
 The Governor (Sir Henry Young) proposed the toast 
 of Cadell, and in doing so delivered an eloquent speech. 
 Said he : "The great river constitutes a permanent bond of 
 union between three large and prosperous colonies, and as 
 surely as its waters terminate in the ocean at Encounter Bay, 
 so surely has a gracious and omnipotent Providence destined 
 the river to give an especial impulse to the commerce and 
 social improvement of South Australia. The steam navi- 
 gation of the Murray this Australian Mississippi when 
 fully developed will form an important epoch, and will has- 
 ten the culmination of the population and trade of South 
 Australia. And, gentlemen, it cannot be out of season, 
 even at this festive board, to indulge the belief, to breathe 
 the aspiration, that as waste after waste of the wilderness 
 shall become the populous scene of many useful productions 
 .as the grim visage and uncouth accents of the savage are 
 gradually changed into the smiling aspect and the busy hum 
 of the voices of industrious and civilized man so likewise a 
 way will be opened for the message of Him who hath made 
 of one blood all nations of men." 
 
 Captain Cadell (the hero of the hour) was greeted with 
 a storm of applause. He affirmed that in his attempt to 
 open up the Murray trade he had not been inspired by mer- 
 cenary motives. His ambition was "the waking up of a 
 mighty but hitherto torpid stream," so that it "might fulfil 
 its allotted duties, as intended by the Creator of all things, 
 and to render it subservient to the uses of mankind."
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 265 
 
 It is said that in after-years Captain Cadell went in for 
 pearl-fishing on the north-west coast of Australia, and while 
 asleep was murdered by one of the crew in 1879. 
 
 Governor Young was the father of South Australian 
 railways. It was during his time that the railway to the 
 Port was constructed, and consent was given for the forma- 
 tion of the Adelaide and Gawler line. During his adminis- 
 tration steam postal communication was established between 
 South Australia and England, and the electric telegraph 
 within the colony came into use. 
 
 The chilling reception that Governor Young received on 
 his arrival was more than atoned for by the practical ex- 
 pression of esteem that marked his departure. An address 
 was presented to him, as well as- a handsome silver claret jug 
 and salver. Lady Young received a silver tea service valued 
 at a hundred guineas. The party left Government Houso 
 on December 20th, 1854. A salute of 13 guns was 
 fired. There was a detachment of mounted police in front 
 of the carriage, and in the rear a guard of honoiir com- 
 posed of the Adelaide Mounted Volunteer Rifle Corps. A 
 large number of gentlemen on horseback and various 
 vehicles brought up the rear. Governor Young was ap- 
 pointed administrator of the Government in Tasmania. 
 After leaving Tasmania he visited New Zealand and re- 
 turned to the Old Land, where he spent most of his time in 
 London. He died September 18th, 1870.
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT.
 
 GOVERNOR SIR RICHARD MACDONNELL.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 
 
 It was not till June 7th, 1855, that Governor Sir Rich- 
 ard and Lady MacDonnell arrived. During the interim the 
 Hon. B. T. Finniss acted as administrator. 
 
 The liberal rule of Sir Henry E. Young had evidently 
 won the hearts of the people. It stimulated their loyalty. 
 The vice-regal appointment was no longer regarded with im- 
 patience or indifference. The result was that Sir Richard 
 MacDonnell and his lady met with a most effusive welcome. 
 The ships in the harbour were decorated, and flags from vari- 
 ous positions waved in the breeze. An address was pre- 
 sented to him at Port Adelaide. A salute of 17 guns 
 was fired. A cavalcade followed him from the Port to the 
 city. Volunteers were arranged in file two deep along 
 North Terrace. A company of the Fortieth Regiment was 
 drawn up in the same locality. The soldiers presented 
 arms and the multitude cheered. 
 
 Sir Richard was the son of Dr. MacDonnell, Provost 
 of Trinity College, Dublin. He was born in 1815, and 
 was educated at Trinity College, where he took a high posi- 
 tion. For some time he practised as a lawyer in London. 
 He was appointed Chief Justice of the British possessions 
 at Gambia, and in course of time became Governor of the 
 Gambia settlements. Mere he narrowly escaped with his 
 life. In one of his expeditions, visiting a native town, he 
 fell into an ambush. His clothes were pierced in many 
 places with spear and sword cuts. It was the want of 
 union among his assailants and the gallantry of some na- 
 tive allies that saved him. Afterwards he was appointed to 
 a Governorship in the West Indies, and then to South Aus- 
 tralia. He spent nearly seven years as Governor of this 
 colony. During his administration self-government became 
 an actual fact, the Real Property Act was passed, and the 
 colony reached its majority. He identified himself with every 
 movement for the good of the colony, whether literary, 
 artistic, educational, or philanthropic. 
 
 Of Governor MacDonnell a visitor to Adelaide during 
 his administration said: "The Governor and his lady are 
 very popular, and deservedly so. They mix freely in so- 
 ciety and take a lead in all the amusements of the place 
 
 ( 269 )
 
 270 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Sir Richard is spoken of as rather too clever a man for his 
 position, and as being rather inclined to chafe under the 
 restraints inherent to the condition of the strictly consti- 
 tutional Governor. He is a fine, powerful, masculine fel- 
 low, full of life, vigour, and animal spirits; hospitable, 
 devoted to outdoor sports, and a perfect Ulysses with the 
 bow." 
 
 In Governor Young's time we saw the third reading 
 of the Parliament Bill passed, and the Bill transmitted to 
 the British Government for approval. Sir Richard 
 MacDonnell received a despatch from Lord John Russell ad- 
 vising a reconsideration of the Bill. Before attempting 
 further legislation Lord John Russell suggested the expedi- 
 ency of a new election, and pointed out two courses of 
 procedure that the new Legislative Council could take 
 either to amend the Parliament Bill or to bring in a new one. 
 The people were to have a free hand in the matter. 
 
 A few days after the receipt of this despatch the disso- 
 lution of the old Legislative Council was gazetted. Writs 
 were again issued and candidates announced themselves. 
 Opponents of State-aid, fearful of its resurrection, again 
 bestirred themselves. Another epoch had come in the his- 
 tory of the people, and a great responsibility rested upon 
 the electors. In the previous chapter the pioneers had to 
 consider a Constitution that had been submitted to them by 
 the Imperial authorities. Now they were at liberty to for- 
 mulate their own. Said the editor of The Register: "We 
 are now called upon to reconstitute our Legislature under 
 different auspices and for greater purposes than before. It 
 is no light responsibility that has devolved upon us. We 
 are not called to elect men to make an ordinary law, but to 
 make a Constitution. We are laying the foundations of a 
 new political and social State." 
 
 Governor MacDonnell, whose legal training was of ser- 
 vice to the colonists, suggested the lines on which he thought 
 a new Constitution should be based, providing for a single 
 Chamber of forty members, with four official nominees. The 
 suggestion did not meet with the approval of the people. 
 They had made up their minds to sweep away the last ves- 
 tige of nomineeism, and great interest was taken in the elec- 
 tions. 
 
 South Australians to-day would like to see how their 
 fathers fifty-five years ago went about their electioneering 
 business. Voting by ballot had not yet come into vogue. 
 Party feeling often ran very high, especially in connection 
 with nomineeism and State-aid to religion. Personalities
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 271 
 
 were sometimes indulged in ; rival colours were worn and rival 
 flags carried, and the advertising column of the news- 
 paper was made the medium for caustic and cutting criticism. 
 
 Major O'Halloran and Thomas Reynolds were contesting 
 the same district. An advertisement appeared in the public 
 Press to the following effect: ''To the Electors of West Tor- 
 rens A fine specimen of the chamelion (a species of lizard 
 which changes its colour to suit itself to circumstances) may 
 be seen at Lizard Lodge, O'Halloran Hill, daily, gratis." 
 Another advertisement also appeared, equally uncomplimen- 
 tary, in reference to Thomas Reynolds 'Teapot Tommy" 
 as he was sarcastically called, because of his advocacy of total 
 abstinence principles. 
 
 In these primitive elections there was life, vigour, and 
 boundless enthusiasm ; sometimes there was riot and rowdy- 
 ism. 
 
 The nominations usually took place at some public-house 
 in the district. The rival candidates would sometimes repair 
 to the place of nomination in state, riding in a carriage fol- 
 lowed by a long retinue of enthusiastic supporters carrying 
 flags and wearing the colours. 
 
 When the time to commence business arrived the Return- 
 ing Officer read the writ and called for nominations. Can- 
 didates were then proposed and seconded by their supporters. 
 Each supporter, as a rule, made a speech in the interests of 
 his favourite, giving reasons why he should be elected. The 
 candidates themselves then took the floor and delivered ad- 
 dresses. The addresses over, the Returning Officer called 
 for a show of hands, and then declared the name of the can- 
 didate who had the preference. The other side would then 
 demand a poll, which would take place a few days afterwards. 
 
 Rival colours were sometimes attacked and rival flags 
 torn down. In West Adelaide, where the Hibernian ele- 
 ment prevailed, James Hurtle Fisher and Anthony Forster 
 were struggling for the same seat. Early on the morning of 
 the election there was trouble. There was a fight in the poll- 
 ing-booth almost as soon as it was opened. Sixty policemen 
 were ordered to the scene by the Governor. These were 
 drawn up in double column and stationed during the day 
 in Gilbert Place, near to the polling-booth. The military, 
 concealed from public view, stood near by in case of emer 
 gency. At the close of the election, when Mr. Forster wa-s 
 chosen, an attack was made upon his supporters. Shillelaghs 
 were freely used, chairs were broken, persons were injured. 
 The police, both horse and foot, charged the mob, and ulti- 
 mately the street was cleared and some arrests were made.
 
 272 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 The successful candidate for West Torrens (Thomas Rey- 
 nolds) rode to the declaration of the poll in a carriage drawn 
 by four horses and followed by a large procession made up 
 of vehicles and horsemen. The defeated candidate (Major 
 O'Halloran) also had a carriage and four. At East Ade- 
 laide banners and decorations were in great profusion. 
 
 The new Legislative Council consisted of the following : 
 
 NOMINATED BY THE GOVERNOR. 
 Official Nominees 
 
 Hon. Boyle T. Finniss (Colonial Secretary). 
 
 Hon. Richard D. Hanson (Advocate-General). 
 
 Hon. Captain Arthur H. Freeling (Surveyor-General). 
 
 Hon. Robert R. Torrens (Colonial Treasurer). 
 Non- Official Nominees 
 
 James H. Fisher Marshall McDermott 
 
 Samuel Davenport Edward Stirling 
 
 ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE. 
 
 North Adelaide John Bentham Neales 
 East Adelaide Francis Stacker Dutton 
 West Adelaide Anthony Forster 
 Port Adelaide William Scott 
 Yatala Arthur Blyth 
 East Torrens John B. Hughes 
 West Torrens Thomas Reynolds 
 Noarlunga William Peacock 
 Mount Barker John Baker 
 Hindmarsh John Rankine 
 Barossa George Fife Angas 
 Victoria John Hart- 
 Light John T. Bagot 
 Stanley William Younghusband 
 Burra George S. Kingston 
 Flinders. Alfred Watts 
 
 Among the defeated candidates were such well-known set- 
 tlers as Sir James H. Fisher, Major O'Halloran, Walter Duf- 
 field, Alexander Hay, Edward C. Gwynne, Marshall McDer- 
 mott, and Edward Stirling. 
 
 The Governor chose three of the defeated candidates as 
 non-official nominees. 
 
 Upon this new Legislative Council devolved the responsi- 
 bility of making a new Constitution. A critical time had 
 come in the building up of the Commonwealth. It was 
 necessary that the work should be wisely and thoroughly done.
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 273 
 
 They had to lay a course in the building up of national life 
 upon which great issues would depend. 
 
 They met for the first time on Thursday, November 
 1st, 1855, in the new Chamber on North Terrace. The pub- 
 lic gallery was crowded with citizens and representative pub- 
 lic men. James H. Fisher was elected Speaker. 
 
 Governor MacDonnell's address was a very long one. 
 He stated that Her Majesty's representative was no longer 
 styled Lieutenant-Governor, but Governor-in-Chief of South 
 Australia. This he took to be an indication of the growing 
 importance of the colony. As the colony was still young the 
 Governor expressed a preference for a single Chamber, but 
 as the majority of the people desired two Houses he thought 
 that their wish should prevail. He then laid before the 
 Council, as a kind of working model, a Bill providing for two 
 Houses. Both Houses were to be elective. The Legislative 
 Council was to consist of eighteen members, one of whom 
 was to be President. At the end of every four years five 
 members were to vacate their seats and five new members 
 were to be elected. The House of Assembly was to consist of 
 thirty members. The franchise for both Houses, according 
 to the Governor's proposal, was to be alike. His suggestion 
 was a cumbrous one. Every man of the age of twenty-one, 
 having freehold estate of the clear value of .20, or occupying 
 a dwelling-house of the clear annual value of 5, or having 
 a leasehold of the .value of 10 per annum, or having a salary 
 of 100, or being a graduate of any British University, or 
 practitioner of the Supreme Court, or minister of religion, 
 was to have a vote for both Houses. Such was the Governor's 
 somewhat inflated proposal. 
 
 As soon as the Bill was presented it was condemned. 
 On the motion for its second reading the Government, to 
 avoid an inevitable defeat, declared that if its second reading 
 were carried it would be with the distinct knowledge thai 
 the Council would not be pledged to any of its clauses. With 
 this understanding the Council went into Committee on the 
 Bill. The outcome of the deliberations was: Two Houses; 
 both elective. The Upper House to consist of eighteen mem- 
 bers elected by the whole colony ; the Lower House of thirty- 
 six members elected by districts. In the Upper House six 
 members were to retire every four years. The Lower House 
 was to be elected every three years on the basis of manhood 
 suffrage. The qualifications for a vote for the Upper House 
 were: Freehold of 50 clear value; lease of 20 per annum, 
 with three years to run ; a right of purchase ; and 25 tenants
 
 274 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 All voting was to be by ballot. This Parliament Bill was 
 passed on January 2nd, 1856. While it was under discussion 
 the colonists took a great interest in it. Many letters were 
 written to the Press, and public meetings in the interests of 
 the Bill were held. 
 
 In proroguing the Council Governor MacDonnell said : 
 "The session about to close will long be remembered as that 
 in which the principles were established and the broad founda- 
 tion laid of the Constitution under which South Australia 
 will, I trust, long continue to extend the prosperity which, 
 under Divine Providence, has hitherto blessed the energy 
 and honourable industry of her children. I confidently expect 
 that the extended political power entrusted to the people of 
 this country, and the universal suffrage conceded by the new 
 Constitution, will prove a safe and conservative measure, 
 and, whilst conferring the utmost possible powers of self- 
 government, will render stronger and more enduring than 
 ever the cherished ties of affection and loyalty which link 
 this Province to the throne of our respected and beloved 
 Sovereign." He spoke of the session as the longest and most 
 remarkable of the South Australian Legislature.^ 
 
 Intelligence came by the White Swan on October 24th, 
 1856, that the new Parliament Bill had received Royal assent. 
 Governor MacDonnell nominated the first Ministry under 
 responsible government: Chief Secretary, Hon. B. T. 
 Finniss ; Attorney -General. Hon. Richard D. Hanson; Trea- 
 surer, Hon. Robert R. Torrens; Commissioner of Public 
 Works, Hon. Captain Arthur H. Freeling ; Commissioner of 
 Crown Lands, Hon. Charles Bonney. 
 
 The elections under the new regime were very orderly. 
 The battle over State-aid had been fought ; a Constitution in 
 harmony with the wishes of the people had been granted. All 
 the community now had to do was to quietly and wisely vote 
 for the new representatives. 
 
 The Parliament under the new Constitution met on April 
 22nd, 1857. About a thousand spectators assembled on 
 North Terrace. A guard of honour was drawn up in front 
 of the Council Chambers and a detachment of police 
 stationed on the Terrace. A Royal salute was fired. The 
 multitude cheered. They brought forth the top stone 
 shouting grace ! grace ! unto it. 
 
 (34) One of the most important Acts passed in 1856 was "An 
 Act to provide for the water supply and drainage of the City of 
 Adelaide."
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 275 
 
 As this event will ever be memorable in history we give 
 the names of the members who were elected to the First 
 Parliament : 
 
 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. 
 
 Hon. Thomas S. O'Halloran Hon. Henry Ayers 
 
 John Baker Arthur H. Freeling 
 
 William Younghusband George Fife Angas 
 
 John Morphett Edward Stirling 
 
 Edward C. Gwynne James II. Fisher 
 
 Anthony Forster Captain C. Bagot 
 
 Abraham Scott Samuel Davenport 
 
 William Scott Charles Davies 
 
 George Hall . Charles G. Everard 
 
 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY. 
 
 City of Adelaide Hon. Boyle T. Finniss, Hon. Robert 
 
 R. Torrens, Hon. Richard D. Hanson, Francis S. 
 
 Button, John B. Neales, William H. Burford. 
 Port Adelaide John Hart and John B. Hughes. 
 West Torrens Luther Scammell (35 > and James W. Cole. 
 Yatala John Harvey and Charles Simeon Hare. 
 Gumeracha Arthur Blyth and Alexander Hay. 
 East Torrens George M. Waterhouse and Hon. Charles 
 
 Bonney. 
 
 Sturt Thomas Reynolds and John Hallett. 
 Noarlunga Thomas Young and Henry Mildred. 
 Mount Barker Friederich E. H. Krichauff and John 
 
 Dunn. 
 
 Onkaparinga William Milne and William B. Davies. 
 Encounter Bay Benjamin H. Babbage and Arthvir F. 
 
 Lindsay. 
 
 Barossa Walter Duffield and Horace Dean. 
 The Murray David Wark. 
 
 Light John T. Bagot and Carrington Smedley. 
 Victoria Robert R. Leake. 
 Burra and Clare George S. Kingston, Morris Marks, 
 
 and Edward J. Peake. 
 Flinders Marshall McDermott. 
 
 Summing up after the elections the editor of The Register 
 said : "Responsible government inaugurated this day will 
 henceforth direct, for weal or for woe, the destinies of this 
 Province. We have no fear as to the result." 
 
 (35) Mr. Luther Scammell outlived all the members of the First 
 Parliament, and died at Unley on Marcli llth, 1910.
 
 276 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Said the London Times in commenting upon the cir- 
 cumstance : "It must be confessed that it is rather an odd 
 position for a new community of rising tradesmen, farmers, 
 cattle-breeders, builders, mechanics, with a sprinkling of 
 doctors and attorneys, to find that it is suddenly called upon 
 to find Prime Ministers, Cabinets, a Ministerial side and an 
 Opposition side, and all the apparatus of a Parliamentary 
 Government to awake one fine morning and discover that it 
 is no longer a colony but a nation, saddled with all the rules 
 and traditions of the political life of the Mother Country." 
 
 The statistics for the year in which responsible govern- 
 ment was granted were as follow : 
 
 Population 109,917 
 
 Acres under cultivation 235,965 
 
 Horses 26,220 
 
 Cattle 310,400 
 
 Sheep 2,075,805 
 
 Exports 1,958,572 
 
 Revenue 455,211 
 
 Breadstuffs 755,840 
 
 Minerals 458,839 
 
 Wool 504,520 
 
 A visitor to Adelaide in 1857 published his "Remini- 
 scences." From these we may learn what Adelaide and its 
 suburbs looked like in the year in which responsible govern- 
 ment was granted and the colony reached its majority. The 
 old print says : "Adelaide has many advantages of situation, 
 and has in some respects been well laid out. Yet during 
 several months of the year it is virtually uninhabitable. The 
 dust is incessant and overwhelming. But for this peculiarity 
 it would be an agreeable town enough. In one thing the 
 people of Adelaide are setting a good example. They are 
 taking active steps in planting the city. Private persons 
 are allowed, with proper restrictions, to plant along the kerb 
 in front of their premises, and all along the terraces which 
 surround the town, and in all the squares which occur at 
 regular intervals, ornamental trees have been planted by the 
 Corporation. Adelaide is situated on a very extensive plain. 
 The Torrens runs through it and supplies it with water. The 
 river during the summer months is very insignificant; how- 
 ever, it continues to run all the year, and the water is of 
 good quality. Waterworks upon a rather large scale are in 
 progress, the river being dammed up about 10 miles from the 
 town, and the water will be brought in by gravitation. Upon 
 one side Adelaide is sheltered by a range of hills, of which,
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 277 
 
 considering their extreme beauty, I am surprised that I have 
 heard so little. The Tiers slope down into the plains, the 
 entire way from the coast to the Burra a hundred miles up- 
 country, presenting everywhere a very beautiful appearance ; 
 gently undulating, sometimes well covered with timber, some- 
 times open down, broken up into all sorts of pretty forms ; 
 the eye never tires of resting on these delightful ranges. As 
 the sun rises, culminates, and declines new beauties of light 
 and shadow reveal themselves, and every passing cloud adds 
 its quota to the general effect. The gardens in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Adelaide exceed any I have seen in the 
 colonies. They are very extensive, highly cultivated, and 
 most productive. In season fruit abounds to such an extent 
 that much of the more perishable kinds is lost altogether. 
 The kinds range from the gooseberry to the loquat and the 
 orange. Extensive olive gardens present themselves here and 
 there, but to my great surprise no use whatever is made of the 
 produce. The vine is being extensively cultivated. Wine- 
 making is progressing in numerous directions. The railway 
 and the electric telegraph are progressing at a moderate rate. 
 The railway has already connected Adelaide with the Port, a 
 distance of 8 miles, and also stretched away to Gawler 
 town, 25 miles into the interior. These lines are in 
 the hands of the Government, and are badly worked. Little 
 attention is paid to either punctuality or regularity of work- 
 ing in any respect. Your ticket is asked for either two or 
 three times or not at all, and to my intense amuse 
 ment I saw a lady, unprovided with tickets for herself and 
 friend, count out the fare to the guard and send him awav 
 for the necessary change. The leading politicians, as in all 
 the colonies, have expended a great deal of their strength in 
 selfish struggles for power." 
 
 Such were the impressions made by our Province upon 
 an observing mind half a century ago. Our railway system 
 then had only just been born, and no doubt was in a crude 
 condition.
 
 SOME DIFFICULTIES IN CONNECTION 
 WITH RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT.
 
 THE HON. BOYLE TRAVERS FINNISS. 
 The First Premier under Responsible Government.
 
 CHAPTER XVI II. 
 
 SOME DIFFICULTIES IN CONNECTION WITH 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 
 
 It was during the year responsible government was 
 granted that South Australia reached her majority. 
 
 Before we look at some of the difficulties the early 
 politicians had to face and the strife and division that marred 
 the first and second Parliaments a fairer scene must come 
 under view. 
 
 On December 28th, 1857, the pioneers celebrated the 
 twenty-first anniversary of the colony. They determined to 
 do honour to the occasion. Early in the morning thousands 
 were astir. A mysterious force seemed to be drawing all the 
 colonists in one direction. From every point of the compass 
 faces were turned toward Holdfast Bay. It was here that 
 many of the pioneer fathers and mothers had landed twenty- 
 one years before. It was here that they had lived in tents 
 and in rush huts till the site for the city had been fixed. 
 For three hours in the morning a dense mass of humanity 
 moved in obedience to one law. 
 
 In front of "Government Cottage," facing the place 
 where Governor Hindmarsh and party had landed, a large 
 tent had been erected. Here Governor MacDonnell and his 
 lady, with the leading public men of the community and their 
 wives, were expected to dine. Round this large pavilion 
 were many smaller ones for the accommodation of visitors. 
 The scene was a gay one. Thousands of colonists were pre- 
 sent, attired for the occasion. Flags were flying and sti'ains 
 of music floating on the breeze. On every hand hearty laugh- 
 ter and merry conversation was heard. 
 
 There were to be athletic sports, sailing matches, rifle 
 shooting, and many other attractions. At the banquet in 
 the large pavilion Sir James Hurtle Fisher, first Resident 
 Commissioner of South Australia and President of the Legis- 
 lative Council, was to preside. At the "old gum-tree" a 
 special ceremony was to take place. A brass plate was to 
 be affixed bearing the following inscription: 
 
 "On this spot on the 28th of December, 1836, the col- 
 ony of South Australia was proclaimed and established as a 
 Province by Captain John Hindmarsh, R.N., the Governor 
 
 ( 281 )
 
 282 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 thereof, acting in the name and on behalf of His Majesty 
 King William Fourth, in the presence of the chief officers of 
 the Government and other colonists. On the 28th Decem- 
 ber, 1857, the record of the above fact was here publicly af- 
 fixed by Sir R. G. MacDonnell, Knight, C.B., Governor-in- 
 Chief of the Province, in the presence of the assembled colo- 
 nists, to commemorate the event of the colony attaining its 
 twenty-first year, and to testify their feeling by a day of pub- 
 lic rejoicing. 
 
 "God Save the Queen!" 
 
 The day opened most auspiciously. The most admirable 
 arrangements had been made. Alas ! how soon the brightest 
 scene is clouded. How uncertain are all mundane events. 
 The clouds gathered. About noon the rain began to fall. 
 Hour after hour it continued. The hotels were crowded. 
 The booths were "fine-weather erections" ; they offered no 
 adequate protection. Thousands were drenched to the skin. 
 The large pavilion crowded with guests was not waterproof. 
 The rain came through. The guests were soaked, and the 
 provisions too. The Register of the period said : "Every 
 delicacy of the season was upon the tables ; but, unfortunately, 
 the pelting of the pitiless storm had the effect of dashing the 
 cup of pleasure from the lips of the numerous guests." 
 
 In spite of the rain a large number of colonists went to 
 the old gum-tree. Here at about noon the brass plate was 
 to be affixed. Biit being detained by the rain, Governor 
 MacDonnell failed at the time appointed to put in an 
 appearance. 
 
 The Hon. James Hurtle Fisher presided at the banquet. 
 Among the guests were Governor MacDonnell and his lady. 
 After the Queen, the Prince Consort, and the Royal Family 
 had been duly honoured, the Chairman rose to propose a toast 
 'upon which he could, but perhaps ought not to, say a great 
 deal. It was a subject Here there was a loud report 
 
 (it was the first boom of a Royal sahite). The Chairman was 
 equal to the occasion. Said he : "It was a subject evidently 
 worthy of a good report. It was a - There was 
 
 another loud boom. James Hurtle Fisher could no doubt 
 contend with the antagonistic voices of political opponents, 
 but he was no match for artillery. Amid great merriment he 
 sat down and waited patiently for the last peal. The salute 
 of 17 guns over, he rose again. "He thought he was 
 to have fired the great gun on that occasion, but it appeared 
 that there were others outside who appreciated, by inspiration, 
 the toast he was about to propose. It was the health of their
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT DIFFICULTIES. 283 
 
 excellent and most worthy Governor-in-Chief, Sir Richard 
 MacDonnell." 
 
 The Governor now rises : "My first and most natural 
 feeling, as you may suppose, would be to thank you for the 
 marked kindness with which you have been pleased to receive 
 my health. My predominant feeling at present is one of 
 regret that the change in the weather should have incon- 
 venienced so many of our fellow-colonists. South Australia 
 is, however, a colony that has risen superior to many more 
 trying circumstances, and her people have ever exhibited a 
 spirit that enabled them, like Mark Tapley, to be merry 
 under the most adverse circumstances. Gentlemen, twenty- 
 one years is not a long term in the history of a country or 
 race, but it is a long portion of the life of those who founded 
 the colony. Therefore its termination furnishes a fitting 
 occasion for commemoration. . . . Those who can look 
 back upon the past twenty-one years can see its history 
 diversified by many a difficulty, encountered manfully and 
 overcome; by many sanguine hopes deferred, but eventually 
 realized. The first twenty-one years represented all the 
 struggles incident to a country's infancy ; but now and 
 henceforth it will be incumbent upon you to realize the high 
 hopes and assume the resolute bearing of vigorous man- 
 hood. . . . Everyone may have his own way of looking 
 at the past, and I have mine, which is this : that in propor- 
 tion as the colony has grown up and the colonists been 
 blessed with free institutions and complete control of their 
 own affairs, in the same proportion has their loyalty 
 strengthened and their love and affection for their Sovereign 
 become more manifest. . . . When colonies were founded 
 formerly it was too often to gratify avarice or lust of conquest ; 
 but South Australia stood out a singular exception to the 
 rule on which colonies were founded, whether in the classic 
 days of Greece or Rome or later by Spain and other maritime 
 countries. It was the result of an intelligent design which 
 marked an important epoch in colonization, and I am happy 
 to be with you to commemorate the success of that experi- 
 ment. Gentlemen, not an acre was surveyed when the design 
 of your colony was conceived. The peculiar feature of that 
 design was to make the money received for the purchase 
 of land the means of introducing emigrants to make that 
 land productive, and to construct lines of communication 
 between one point and another. That design has hitherto 
 been more or less steadily adhered to, and I hope it will be 
 long before you abandon the principle upon which your colony 
 was founded, and upon which it has flourished."
 
 284 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 After an able and appropriate speech, of which we have 
 given only a part, the Governor gave "The Prosperity of 
 South Australia" and "The Health of the Hon. James Hurtle 
 Fisher." This was received with enthusiastic applause. 
 
 Now came the event of the day. It was the Chairman's 
 speech in reply. The pavilion stood on the beach where 
 Governor Hindmarsh and staff had landed just twenty-one 
 years before. James Hurtle Fisher was present on that 
 occasion. Could he ever forget the scene ? One after another 
 the events of foundation-day rise before him. Said he : 
 ''The imposing spectacle we now behold cannot fail to remind 
 many among us of the scene presented on this same spot now 
 twenty-one years since a scene which, though less grand and 
 gay, yet possessed an interest and momentousness all its own, 
 as containing the germ and promise of what we now gaze upon 
 with such emotions of joy and gratitude. On that occasion 
 how different was our appearance. Here we stood, fresh 
 from the tossings of the ocean, surrounded by great novelties 
 of uncertain omen, amid stern cares, eager questionings, and 
 unaffected toils of mind and muscle. Here we stood, now 
 looking back with tender, perhaps poignant thoughts of the 
 homes we had left ; now looking forward, peering into the dark 
 future for the homes we sought. Here we stood, and under 
 the formalities of that memorable hour swore allegiance to 
 our Sovereign, vowed fidelity to our common interest as an 
 organized community, and looked up to the Lord and King 
 of all nations to shield and bless us. . . . The forms of 
 Howard, of Light, of Gouger, of Stevenson stood on this 
 ground on that interesting day, and we may not withhold 
 from names of more tender, more profound import the 
 tribute of a tear and pang all that we dare pay on this 
 occasion, though far less than is due. It is pleasant, however, 
 to remember that the inroads of mortality have not been great 
 among the oldest settlers, and that vast accessions have been 
 made to our numbers, including multitudes whose social 
 virtues and moral worth have won the confidence and esteem 
 of their precursors ; and that from among our own playful, 
 prattling circles some have risen to the leadership of families, 
 the activities of gainful commerce, and the responsibilities of 
 position and influence. We meet to celebrate the majority of 
 our colony. As a child South Australia attracted more than 
 ordinary notice. It could never be called feeble or dull or 
 idle. It always had vivacity, energy, and confidence quite 
 equal to its years.''
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT DIFFICULTIES. 285 
 
 LEGISLATIVE DIFFICULTIES. 
 
 The colony had now reached its majority and responsible 
 government had been granted, but the pioneers found that 
 the new situation created difficulties. The London Times had 
 referred to the peculiar circumstances in which the pioneer 
 legislators would be placed. The very novelty of the position 
 would have a tendency to make them uncertain and unsteady. 
 They were like children no longer dependent upon the sup- 
 port and tutelage of others, but set down upon their feet and 
 compelled to walk. There was the danger of excessive timid- 
 ity on the one hand and of an overweening sense of their 
 own importance on the other. 
 
 The new Parliament had not been sitting two months 
 before the two Houses came into conflict. It was over a 
 question of "privilege." In June, 1857, the Chief Secretary 
 (Hon. B. T. Finniss) moved "That the Bill passed by this 
 House, intituled 'An Act to Repeal Tonnage Duties on Ship- 
 ping' . . . having been returned to this House with 
 amendments modifying the Bill in an essential principle, this 
 House requests the Legislative Council to reconsider the Bill, 
 inasmuch as it is a breach of privilege for the Legislative 
 Council to modify any money Bill passed by this House." The 
 motion was carried. At the same time a motion was sub- 
 mitted by William Younghusband in the Legislative Coun- 
 cil to this effect "That in the opinion of this Council the 
 policy pursued by the Ministry in attempting to legislate by 
 resolution in only one branch of the Legislature is detrimental 
 to the interests of the colony, subversive to the Constitution, 
 and calculated to bring about a collision between the two 
 Houses of Parliament." 
 
 This resolution was withdrawn, several of the members 
 thinking it premature. However, the two Houses were 
 at issue with each other over the question of their 
 respective rights and privileges. The outcome was a deadlock. 
 The public mind was excited. There was a great discussion 
 in the Press over the question of privilege, and debates in 
 Parliament dragged wearily along. The way out of the dif- 
 ficulty was opened up by a compromise. The Legislative 
 Council submitted to the House of Assembly a series of reso- 
 lutions. Among the number were the following clauses : 
 
 3. "That this Council declares its opinion that all 
 
 Bills the object of which shall be to raise money 
 shall be held to be money Bills. 
 
 4. "That it shall be competent for this Council to 
 
 suggest any alteration in any such Bill (except
 
 286 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 that portion of the Appropriation Bill that pro- 
 vides for the ordinary annual expenses of the 
 Government), and in the case of such sugges- 
 tions not being agreed to by the House of As- 
 sembly such Bill may be returned by the House 
 of Assembly to this Council for reconsideration, 
 in which case the Bill shall then be either as- 
 sented to or rejected by this Council as origin- 
 ally passed by the House of Assembly. 
 5. "That this Council, while claiming the full right to 
 deal with the monetary affairs of the Province, 
 does not consider it advisable to enforce its 
 right to deal with the ordinary detail of the 
 annual expenses of the Government. That on the 
 Appropriation Bill, in the usual form, being 
 submitted to this Council this Council shall, if 
 any clause therein appear objectionable, de- 
 mand a conference with the House of Assembly 
 to state the objections of this Council, and re- 
 ceive information." 
 
 In response to these overtures on the part of the Legis- 
 lative Council the Lower House adopted the following resolu- 
 tion : 
 
 ''That in order to facilitate the conduct of public busi- 
 ness this House of Assembly, while asserting its sole right to 
 direct, limit, and appoint in all money Bills the ends and 
 purposes . . . will, nevertheless, for the present adopt 
 the third, fourth, and fifth resolutions agreed to by the Legis- 
 lative Council." 
 
 The First Parliament was noted for its frequent Minis- 
 terial changes. The first Ministry (the Finniss Government) 
 lasted about four months. On August llth, 1857, Mr. Fin- 
 niss had to admit that "the Ministry had ceased to command 
 a majority in the House." Therefore it was their duty to re- 
 sign the power into the hands of those who might be able to 
 do so. 
 
 A description of the personnel of the first Ministry may 
 interest the reader of to-day. It was written by a contem- 
 porary who \vas well acquainted with all the members of the 
 first Cabinet under responsible government. "The Attorney- 
 General (Hon. R. D. Hanson) seldom makes an altogether 
 unprovoked attack. Unfortunately, however, he frequently 
 carries his rejoinders to an extreme. A casual and, perhaps, 
 playful sarcasm he meets with a set and crushing retort, 
 and this converts a good-humoured opponent into an exasper- 
 ated enemy. There are no bounds to the intensity of Mr.
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT DIFFICULTIES. 287 
 
 Hanson's caustic counter-attacks within the range of his intel- 
 lectual power. Unfortunately, also, he is not careful as to 
 the weapons he uses. His sole object seems to be to inflict 
 a blow that shall produce the utmost possible effect. The 
 consequence is that his political antagonists sometimes find 
 their feelings outraged rather than their judgment convinced. 
 . With the exception of this fault a fault in policy 
 as well as in temper perhaps there is little to complain of 
 in the personal demeanour of the Attorney-General. Were 
 we able to say as much conscientiously for the Treasurer 
 (Hon. R. R. Torrens) our faith in the stability of the Min- 
 istry would be much stronger than it now is. The attacks 
 of Mr. Torrens are as frequently made without apparent pro- 
 vocation as in self-defence. If we were to compare him with 
 Apollo instead of with Hercules, and to arm him with a bow 
 instead of a club, we should describe him by saying that his 
 arrows are barbed and envenomed, and that he shoots them 
 almost at random. He has not the strength of arm of the 
 Attorney-General, but the poison of his weapons causes the 
 wounds he makes to rankle and fester when those inflicted by 
 his colleagues have been healed and forgotten." Of the Chief 
 Secretary (Hon. B. T. Finniss) the critic said: "He is ordin- 
 arily courteous and conciliatory ; he gives respectful attention 
 to suggestions from any quarter ; and he does not appear to 
 take a savage delight in wounding the feelings of those from 
 whom he differs." The Commissioner of Public Works (Hon. 
 C. Bonney) "by his gentlemanly bearing frequently pre- 
 vented opposition in the Legislative Council. It would be 
 impossible to find an official with less of the insolence of office 
 pertaining to him. Mr. Bonney had scarcely less suavity 
 than the Hon. Mr. Davenport, and his deportment in the 
 House was unexceptionable." 
 
 After the resignation of the first Ministry under respon- 
 sible government, the character of which lias just been de- 
 scribed, George Marsden Waterhouse was requested to form a 
 Ministry, but could not see his way clear to accept office. 
 
 John Baker was sent for and undertook the task, with 
 the following result : 
 
 Hon. John Baker, Chief Secretary. 
 
 Hon. John Hart, Treasurer. 
 
 Hon. Edward C. Gwynne, Attorney-General. 
 
 Hon. Arthur Blyth, Commissioner of Public Works. 
 
 Hon. William Milne, Commissioner of Crown Lands. 
 
 This was a strong combination, but it was born, dead, 
 and buried in the course of a few days. Shortly after its
 
 288 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 formation Robert Torrens moved "That this House has no 
 confidence in the existing Administration." The voting was 
 twenty-four for the motion and seven against, so that the 
 Baker Ministry fell without having the opportunity of trying 
 its hand at controlling the destinies of the Province. 
 
 Robert Torrens was then asked to form a Government. 
 This he did, choosing the following members: 
 
 Hon. Robert Torrens, Chief Secretary. 
 Hon. John B. Hughes, Treasurer. 
 Hon. R. B. Andrews Attorney-General. 
 Hon. Samuel Davenport, Commissioner of Public Works. 
 Hon. Marshall MacDermott, Commissioner of Crown 
 Lands. 
 
 Nemesis soon overtook this Government. Concerning 
 the Torrens Ministry Richard Davies Hanson sarcastically 
 and truly said : "The round men were all in square holes 
 and the square men in round holes ; everybody was in the very 
 place for which he was least fit. Mr. Hughes, a judge of 
 sheep and of runs, who might have been fit for the office of 
 Commissioner of Crown Lands, had been appointed Treasurer, 
 and Mr. MacDermott, whose banking experience qualified him 
 for administering finance, had been placed at the head of a 
 department charged with the management of sheep, cattle, 
 and pasturage Commissioner of Crown Lands." 
 
 The Torrens Administration lasted only a few weeks. 
 
 Speaking of these frequent changes of government The 
 Register said : "The grand struggle for office has now fairly 
 set in. The representatives of the people are more or less 
 engaged in a sublime scramble. Regardless of the decencies 
 of political usage, careless of the ordinary courtesies of offi- 
 cial intercourse, each is trying to elbow his neighbour in the 
 great place-hunting melee. It is a spectacle worthy the con- 
 templation of a free and enlightened community. 
 The whole time of the country is now occupied in Parliamen- 
 tary place-hunting. We refuse to give it any other name." 
 
 After the defeat of the Torrens Ministry Richard 
 Davies Hanson was asked to form an Administration. This 
 he did, as follows : 
 
 Hon William Younghusband, Chief Secretary. 
 
 Hon John Hart, Treasurer. 
 
 Hon. Richard D. Hanson, Attorney-General. 
 
 Hon. Thomas Reynolds, Commissioner of Public Works. 
 
 Hon. Francis S. Dutton, Commissioner of Crown Lands.
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT DIFFICULTIES. 289 
 
 This was a very strong Ministry. Each member was an 
 able man and apparently well fitted for his office. It was 
 defeated on May 27th, 1859, on a motion of Mr. Strangways 
 expressing dissatisfaction with the conduct of the Government 
 in reference to the Babbage Exploring Expedition. The re- 
 sult was that the Ministry did not go out of office. Mr. 
 Hanson reconstructed his Cabinet. 
 
 The First Parliament, so far as the House of Assembly 
 was concerned, came to an end on March 1st, 1860. On the 
 ninth day of the same month the elections for the second Par- 
 liament began. The working classes awoke to a consciousness 
 of their power and took great interest in the elections. 
 One of the main questions on which the elections turned was 
 that of the continuance of immigration at the public expense 
 The working classes stoutly opposed the continuance of the 
 system; they believed it to be responsible for much of the 
 distress that had prevailed in their ranks. At the ballot-box 
 they made their influence felt. The consequence was that 
 seventeen of the members elected to the second Parliament 
 were new men. 
 
 The second House of Assembly was constituted as 
 follows : 
 
 City of Adelaide Thomas Reynolds, Matthew Moor- 
 house, Philip Santo, Samuel Bakewell, Richard 
 Davies Hanson, and William Parkin. (Later James 
 Penn Boucaut took Mr. Hanson's place.) 
 
 Port Adelaide William Owen and Patrick B. Coglin. 
 
 West Torrens Thomas Magarey and George Morphett. 
 
 Yatala Lavington Glyde and Edward McEllister. 
 
 Gumeracha Arthur Blyth and Alexander Hay. 
 
 East Torrens Henry Mildred and Neville Blyth. 
 
 Sturt Joseph Peacock and John Hallett. 
 
 Ncarlunga David Sutherland and Alex. Anderson. 
 
 Mount Barker Boyle Travers Finniss and John Dunn. 
 
 Onkaparinga William Milne and William Townsend. 
 
 Encounter Bay John Lindsay and Henry Bull Templar 
 Strangways. 
 
 Barossa Edward L. Grundy and Walter Duffield. 
 
 Murray David Wark 
 
 Light John T. Bagot and Francis S. Dutton. 
 
 Victoria George C. Hawker. 
 
 Burra and Clare William Dale, George W. Cole, and 
 William Lennon. 
 
 Flinders William J. Browne. 
 
 John Bentham Neales and George S. Kingston were 
 among the rejected.
 
 290 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 The elections were very orderly. This was due largely to 
 the ballot. "Hurrah for the Ballot!" said the Press. "It 
 is the great peace-monger, the great anti-bribery agent, and 
 the champion and guardian of political independence. Take 
 the city elections. Under any other than the present system 
 the struggle would have been fearful. We have every element 
 of political strife in the city of Adelaide. There is, first of 
 all, the Government influence: next, the influence of the 
 Political Association ; then the moneyed interest ; the Protes- 
 tant interest; the Irish, German, and other interests. It is 
 enough that ten candidates have been eagerly contending 
 for six seats; yet what a marvel of quietness and good order 
 we have witnessed." 
 
 The second Parliament was opened on April 27th, 1860. 
 Mr. G. C. Hawker was chosen as Speaker. Although the 
 Ministry had submitted a fairly liberal policy the character 
 of the House had so changed that the Government had little 
 hope of retaining its position. Thomas Reynolds moved a 
 resolution which was tantamount to a want of confidence, and 
 the Hanson Administration was defeated by a majority of 
 two to one. 
 
 On this occasion Mr. Hanson delivered a very able 
 speech. "To have elicited such a speech," so the Press said, 
 "was almost a compensation for the overthrow of the Minis- 
 try." For "power, lucidity, and brilliant effect it had never 
 been equalled in a South Australian Legislature." All who 
 listened to it with an unprejudiced mind "must have felt 
 proud that the Assembly of the colony contained a man of 
 such surpassing powers." 
 
 When the Hanson Ministry was defeated Mr. Reynolds 
 was sent for and entrusted with the task of forming a new 
 Administration. In this he succeeded, choosing the fol- 
 lowing : 
 
 Hon. Thomas Reynolds, Premier and Treasurer. 
 
 Hon. George M. Waterhouse, Chief Secretary. 
 
 Hon. H. B. T. Strangways, Attorney-General. 
 
 Hon. Alex. Hay, Commissioner of Public Works. 
 
 Hon. John T. Bagot, Commissioner of Crown Lands. 
 
 This Ministry was defeated on May 10th, 1861, on a 
 very small matter. Consequently His Excellency again sent 
 for Mr. Reynolds and asked him to reconstruct his Govern- 
 ment. At first he was unable to do this, there being so many 
 difficulties in the way. 
 
 The Governor then asked Samuel Davenport to form a 
 Cabinet, but he could not succeed in doing so.
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT DIFFICULTIES. 291 
 
 A message was again sent to Mr. Reynolds, asking him 
 once more to attempt the reconstruction of his Government. 
 This time he succeeded, taking into the Ministry the Hons. 
 John Morphett and Randolph I. Stow, who had been elected 
 to take the place of George Morphett in the second Par- 
 liament. 
 
 What is known as the Boothby case created great 
 difficulties and dissensions. Speaking of this case the Press 
 said : "It was felt that His Honor (Judge Boothby) was 
 impeding the settlement of questions arising in the Supreme 
 Court and involving suitors in heavy expenses by arbitrary 
 and technical objections against many of the Acts passed by 
 the Legislature, and Select Committees were appointed by 
 Parliament to enquire into the state of the laws impugned by 
 His Honor, and into His Honor's judicial conduct. When 
 the Committees had reported resolutions were brought forward 
 and passed in both Houses praying Her Majesty to remove 
 Mr. Justice Boothby from the Bench." 
 
 All the members of Parliament did not take the view 
 above expressed. The consequence was that there was strife, 
 rancour, division, and recrimination in the Legislature. The 
 Ministry was divided against itself, and the whole Province, 
 as well as Parliament, was stirred from centre to circum- 
 ference. 
 
 The Hon. John Morphett (Chief Secretary) and the Hon. 
 R. I. Stow (Attorney-General) could not support the motion 
 for the removal of the Judge, and like honest men they resigned 
 their positions. The Hon. Thomas Reynolds could not recon- 
 struct his Cabinet. "Mr. Reynolds applied to Mr. Water- 
 house, but Mr. Waterhouse did not feel inclined to join Mr. 
 Reynolds. Consequently the latter and his colleagues had to 
 resign. Mr. Waterhouse was then sent for, and he applied to 
 Mr. Reynolds, who returned the compliment by declining to 
 join Mr. Waterhouse. Each of these gentlemen wanted the 
 other, but neither felt disposed to be subordinate." There 
 were two political leaders at bay. The result was that on 
 October 8th, 1861, the Reynolds Ministry had to hand in 
 its resignation. 
 
 George M. Waterhouse was then sent for, and formed a 
 pro tern. Ministry as follows: 
 
 Hon. George M. Waterhouse, Chief Secretary. 
 
 Hon. Arthur Blyth, Treasurer. 
 
 Henry Gawler, Attorney-General. 
 
 Hon. P. Santo, Commissioner of Public Works 
 
 Hon. Matthew Moorhouse, Commissioner of Crown 
 Lands.
 
 292 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 This was peculiar legislation. The Ministry was simply 
 formed and supported until the motion in relation to Judge 
 Boothby was carried. Mr. Waterhouse had to go outside 
 Parliament for an Attorney-General. 
 
 As soon as the Boothby case was disposed of by Parlia- 
 ment the pro tern. Ministry resigned. It held office about 
 nine days. Mr. Waterhouse was again sent for, and ex- 
 perienced great difficulty in forming an Administration. 
 Ultimately the following consented to act : 
 
 Hon. George M. Waterhouse, Chief Secretary. 
 Hon. Thomas Reynolds, Treasurer. 
 Hon. R. I. Stow, Attorney-General. 
 Hon. John Lindsay, Commissioner of Public Works. 
 Hon. H. B. T. Strangways, Commissioner of Crown 
 Lands. 
 
 The Advertise)-, speaking of the formation of this Min- 
 istry, said : "The difficulties that have occurred in the forma- 
 tion of the new Ministry strongly exhibit the impolicy of 
 making personal enemies in a Legislature so limited. It 
 would be absurd to deny that during the late debates on the 
 Boothby question much acrimony was evinced. As the result 
 of these debates there are several members who will not act 
 with certain other members. Such a feeling does exist, and 
 we advert to it merely to point out how injurious it is to 
 the public interest for debates in Parliament to degenerate 
 into personalities, and for honourable members to so conduct 
 themselves towards opponent in discussion as to be unable to 
 act cordially with them afterwards." 
 
 The Waterhouse Ministry resigned on February 17th, 
 1862, but was reconstructed, the Hon. Arthur Blyth taking 
 the place of the Hon. Thomas Reynolds as Treasurer and 
 the Hon. William Milne taking the place of the Hon. J. 
 Lindsay as Commissioner of Public Works.
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR 
 AND ATTEMPTS TO PENETRATE IT.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR AND ATTEMPTS 
 TO PENETRATE IT. 
 
 Round all mystery there is a fascination. It is this 
 fact that has led so many men to risk their lives in attempts 
 to penetrate into the interior of Africa and to reach the 
 North Pole. What lies beyond ? This is a question that 
 man is not only constrained to ask, but must endeavour to 
 answer. The first immigrants were located on a vast plain. 
 All the country beyond the range of vision was a terra 
 incognita. What lies beyond ? Is the interior inhabited or 
 uninhabited ? Mountainous or level ? Barren or fertile ? 
 What kind of plants does it produce ? Are there any new 
 species of animals? By what kind of race is it peopled? 
 What are their manners and customs ? Are there any large 
 rivers, lakes, or inland seas? Is it possible to traverse tne 
 continent ? Such were the questions that appealed to the 
 pioneers and which they soon endeavoured to answer. 
 
 Sheep, cattle, and horses were needed in the New Settle- 
 ment. Would it be possible to bring these overland from 
 some of the other colonies ? The first to solve the problem, as 
 we have pointed out, were Joseph Hawdon and Charles 
 Bonney. 
 
 Shortly after Edward John Eyre, another pastoralist in 
 New South Wales, brought over a mob of cattle. He found 
 the journey a perilous one. Six horses died, and himself 
 and two men nearly perished from want of food and water. 
 Mr. Eyre was the first man to bring sheep over from New 
 South Wales. Farther on we shall see that he was a born 
 adventurer bold, determined, cool, calculating, and resource- 
 ful. He was not the man to give way to panic or to lose 
 his wits in the presence of difficulty and danger. Eyre had 
 the "conquer or die" spirit. He was the stuff out of which 
 heroes are made the material that is wanted in nation- 
 building. 
 
 THE EYRE EXPEDITION. 
 
 Eyre was the first man to endeavour to penetrate the 
 interior of the Continent. His expedition grew out of a visit 
 that Captain (afterwards Governor) George Grey paid to the 
 New Settlement in 1840. He suggested to some of the leading 
 
 ( 295 )
 
 296 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 immigrants the advisableness of trying to find an overland 
 route between South and Western Australia. If a route were 
 discovered Captain Grey thought it might be possible to send 
 stock from one colony to another. Eyre felt a great interest 
 in the proposal. His eyes, however, were directed to the 
 northern interior. He suggested that public attention should 
 be given to it, so that, if possible, the veil might be lifted 
 from the xinknown and mysterious centre of the vast Aus- 
 tralian Continent. Eyre dined with Governor Gawler, and 
 the two balked the matter over. He volunteered to take charge 
 of a party and to find one-third of the number of horses required 
 and one-third of the money. To make this possible he broke 
 up his sheep station on the river Light. The pioneers took 
 the matter up, raising by subscription 582. Governor Gawler 
 contributed 100, and Mr. Eyre gave 680 out of his own 
 resources. Governor Gawler offered the use of any two horses 
 belonging to the police, and a small vessel, the Waterwitch, 
 was also placed at his disposal. The vessel was to convey 
 stores to the head of Spencer's Gulf. Eyre was to proceed 
 to Lake Torrens and examine it, and then to penetrate as far 
 into the northern interior of the Continent as possible. Pre- 
 vious to this, at his own expense, he had made excursions 
 to the north both from Port Lincoln and Adelaide. 
 
 The party consisted of Mr. Eyre and his companion (Mr. 
 Scott), John Baxter (who had been the overseer of his sheep 
 station), Corporal Coles (of the Royal Engineers), John Hous- 
 ton, R. McRoberts, and two blackboys. All the preparations 
 were now made. 
 
 It is Thursday morning, June 18th, 1840. The little 
 settlement on the plains is astir. Something very unusual 
 must be about to happen. Outside of Government House, 
 North Terrace, are some drays and several horses. The drays 
 are laden with camping requirements. Two blackboys and 
 several white men are in attendance. Gentlemen are riding 
 ; nto the Government Domain. Several conveyances are driv- 
 ing up and the occupants are alighting. While the black- 
 boys and men partake of a meal provided by Governor 
 Gawler a meeting is held in the drawing-room of Government 
 House. It is the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, in which 
 Governor Gawler took so prominent and courageous a part. 
 No wonder there is so much animation among the ladies and 
 gentlemen present. Who could forget the battle of Waterloo ? 
 Least of all the Governor. But it is not the famous battle 
 that the Governor and guests have so much in mind. They
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 297 
 
 have met to say farewell to Edward John Eyre, who is about 
 to enter upon one of the most heroic and hazardous enterprises 
 ever undertaken by man. 
 
 After breakfast Governor Gawler rises and addresses the 
 company: 'We are assembled to promote one of the most 
 important undertakings that remains to be accomplished on 
 the face of the globe the discovery of the interior of Aus- 
 tralia. Mr. Eyre goes forth this day to endeavour to plant 
 the British flag in the very centre of our island Continent. 
 May triumph crown his efforts. All have given to Mr. Eyre 
 their best wishes, but to good wishes right-minded men always 
 .add fervent prayers. There is an almighty, invisible Being 
 in whose hands are all events. Let us, therefore, implore 
 His protection." 
 
 Some of the pioneer ladies, among others Miss Hmd- 
 marsh (daughter of the first Governor) and Miss Lipson 
 (daughter of the first harbourmaster), had worked in silk a 
 handsome Union Jack for presentation to Mr. Eyre. The gal- 
 lant explorer Captain Sturt now rises: "I am to deliver you 
 this flag in the name of the ladies who made it, with their 
 best wishes for your success and their earnest prayers for your 
 safety. This noble colour, the ensign of our country, has 
 cheered the brave on many occasions. You have to carry it 
 to the centre of a mighty Continent, there to leave it as a sign 
 to the savage that the footprints of civilized man have pro- 
 ceeded so far. Go forth, then, on your journey with a full 
 confidence in the goodness of Providence, and may Heaven 
 direct your steps." Under deep emotion Mr. Eyre receives 
 the flag and tenders his thanks. All heads are bowed while 
 the Rev. C. B. Howard (Colonial Chaplain) offers prayer. 
 
 It is now 12 o'clock. A large party of the pioneer 
 immigrants have gathered round Government House. A 
 procession of horsemen is formed, cheers are given, and away 
 the fearless explorer canters down the North Adelaide track 
 accompanied by sympathizing friends. After proceeding a 
 few miles they say farewell, and Edward J. Eyre and party 
 are left alone to pursue their journey into an unknown land 
 a land of sand, drought, stones, saltbush, and scrub, into 
 the mysteries of which the mind of civilized man has never 
 peered, and over which the foot of white man has never trod. 
 That day they travelled as far as the Little Para, and then 
 camped for the night. Said Eyre : "From the crowded draw- 
 ing-room of civilized life I had in a few hours been trans- 
 ferred to the solitude and silence of the wilds. ... I had 
 suddenly become isolated with regard to the world which, so 
 far as T was concerned, now consisted only of the few brave
 
 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 men who accompanied me, and who were dependent for their 
 very existence upon the energy, perseverance, and prudence 
 with which I might conduct the task. With this small but 
 gallant and faithful band I was to attempt the vast recesses 
 of the interior of Australia, and to lift up the veil which 
 had hitherto shrouded its mysteries. . . . When all 
 nature around me was buried in deep repose I alone was 
 waking and anxious." 
 
 He looked to the Flinders Range as a stepping-stone to 
 the interior. 
 
 The next morning they marched on to Gawler, where 
 they had lunch. They then pushed on to Mr. Eyre's station 
 on the Light. When the station was left they had thirteen 
 horses, forty sheep, and provisions to last about three months, 
 in addition to what had been sent by the Waterwitch to the 
 head of Spencer's Gulf. 
 
 About 120 miles north of the primitive settlement the 
 party met a poor old emaciated native, apparently left by his 
 tribe to die. He was reduced to a mere skeleton, and life 
 was slowly ebbing away. They also fell in with a party of 
 natives at a stream that Eyre had named Rocky River. 
 
 Travelling on, Eyre saw a high-pointed hill in the 
 Flinders Range which he named Mount Remarkable. He also 
 came to a watercourse, to which he gave the name of Crystal 
 Brook. The party pushed on to Mount Arden. At the head 
 of Spencer's Gulf they received their stores which had been 
 shipped by the Waterwitch. At Mount Arden a depot was 
 formed, and stores and men were left there while Eyre and a 
 blackboy, with two horses, proceeded to explore the interior. 
 They went on to Mount Eyre. This was the most northerly 
 limit of a journey that Mr. Eyre had made in 1839. He 
 climbed to the top, but all around saw little but sterility. 
 In the distance, apparently about 25 miles off, was the 
 glittering bed of Lake Torrens. Pushing on the travellers 
 came to the lake. It seemed to be from 15 to 20 
 miles across and from 40 to 50 miles long. The bed of 
 the lake was a saline deposit that glittered brilliantly in the 
 sun. Beneath this salt crust there was a bog. Consequently 
 Eyre could not go far enough into the centre of the lake to see 
 whether or not it contained water. It was evident that he 
 could not travel farther in this direction. His hope of success 
 in penetrating farther into the interior lay in the continuation 
 of the Flinders Range. In its recesses he thought that it 
 might be possible to obtain food and water. The party now 
 turned in the direction of the range. Fortunately here and 
 there the travellers came to a puddle in the plain a kind of
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 299 
 
 claypan where they obtained a little water. A great many 
 emus were seen, and occasionally the party saw indications 
 of the presence of blacks. They came upon a young lubra 
 (female native) miserably thin and squalid, like the wretched 
 country in which her lot had been cast. Everywhere Eyre 
 found the presence of salt. Said he : "In such country what 
 accommodation could I expect, or what hopes could I enter- 
 tain for the future when the very water shed from the clouds 
 would not be drinkable after remaining a few hours on the 
 ground? Whichever way I turned myself to the west, east, 
 or north nothing but difficulties met my view. 
 The very stones lying upon the hills looked like the scorched 
 and withering scoria of a volcanic region ; and even the 
 natives, judging, from the specimens I had seen, partook of 
 the general misery and wretchedness of the place." Eyre and 
 the blackboy now moved in the direction of Mount Deception. 
 Having ascended this mount they travelled backward in a 
 south-easterly direction to search for water in the hills. Eyre 
 was anxioiis to find permanent water so that he might remove 
 his depot farther into the interior. He discovered a small 
 but deep pool of water in a hole in a rock that would last 
 for some time, and resolved to bring the whole party this 
 far. This he called Depot Pool. He was now about 120 miles 
 from the depot at Mount Arden. In the journey back both 
 the blackboy and himself suffered great privation. The 
 country was terribly rough, water scarce, and food unpalat- 
 able. Occasionally the blackboy secured an opossum or Eyre 
 shot a kangaroo, which was a welcome change from damper. 
 After being absent sixteen days they arrived safely at the 
 depot at Mount Arden and found all well. Here they buried 
 some provisions, and made preparations again to penetrate 
 into the interior. In the course of a few days the whole party 
 reached Depot Pool. 
 
 With a blackboy and a man on horseback leading a pack- 
 horse carrying water, Mr. Eyre again made for the interior. 
 They travelled for the most westerly point of Mount Decep- 
 tion Range. In every direction the prospect was cheerless 
 and disheartening. They surprised a camp of blacks aroand 
 a fire, who, overwhelmed with terror, took to flight, leaving 
 two small children behind. In the blacks' camp Eyre and 
 his party found some water in kangaroo skins, to which they 
 helped themselves, leaving as payment a pocket-handker- 
 chief. When they retraced their steps the next day they 
 found the two terrified children still in the camp, apparently 
 abandoned by the lubras. The fire had gone out, and the 
 elder of the two had scraped a hole in the ashes, in which
 
 300 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 they had spent the cold winter's night. Eyre and party again 
 returned to Depot Pool and found all well, but the water 
 almost exhausted. What to do or where to go Eyre could 
 not tell. He had found a pool of water in some rocks near 
 the Mount Deception Range, and decided to move the whole 
 party to this. Forming a depot here, Eyre determined to 
 push as far northward as possible. He took with him a black- 
 boy, a cart loaded with water (about 65 gallons), three 
 horses, and a driver. They steered for a high hill, which he 
 named Mount Norwest. In the journey they surprised four 
 wretched natives, who fled in terror. Eyre, anxious to obtain 
 information if possible, galloped after them and narrowly 
 escaped being speared. The native overtaken was so terrified 
 that no information could be obtained from him. All round 
 Mount Norwest was a scene of desolation. To save their 
 lives and the lives of the horses the party had to go back 
 50 miles to a pla^e where they had buried some water, and 
 thence they returned to the depot. Drawing near the 
 depot, Eyre was surprised to see about thirty savages round 
 it brandishing their spears. It appears that in his absence 
 his overseer (Baxter) had captured a native woman to gain 
 information about water, and the savages had gathered for 
 the purpose of revenge. Eyre was a wise and kind-hearted 
 man. He determined that nothing but dire necessity should 
 lead him to take the life of a black. Fortunately the natives 
 retired. The party now set out to search for water. Eyre 
 again went to examine the western shore of Lake Torrens. 
 No special discoveries were made, and he returned to the 
 depot. Preparations were now made for breaking up the 
 encampment. The party steered north for some distance. 
 Eyre then ascended a mountain, which he named Mount 
 Serle. From the summit there was a very wide and forlorn 
 view. Said he : "At one glance I saw the realization of my 
 worst forebodings and the termination of the expedition 
 of which I had command. On every side we were hemmed 
 in by a barrier which we could never hope to pass. Our 
 toils and labours and privations had all been endured to no 
 pur pose, f 36 ) 
 
 His last effort in the North was to decide the actual 
 termination of the Flinders Range. He steered for a moun- 
 tain, to which he gave the name of Mount Hopeless. Having 
 ascended this, he saw "a cheerless and hopeless prospect," 
 and demonstrated the termination of the Flinders Range in 
 
 (36) Thirty-two years later a telegraph line was stretched across 
 thi& apparently impracticable country.
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 301 
 
 the basin of Lake Torrens. The whole party then went back 
 to the first depot at Mount Arden. 
 
 Eyre was not yet discouraged. His was a heroic spirit. 
 He determined to try to penetrate into the interior either 
 eastward or westward. He made up his mind to travel to 
 Streaky Bay and to find a route into the interior of the Aus- 
 tralian Continent by travelling westward. The buried stores 
 were now dug up and the party travelled in the direction of 
 Streaky Bay. A depot was formed on the West Coast, at 
 Point Fowler. 
 
 Leaving a party in charge of the stores at Point Fowler 
 Eyre, with a native and two horses, set out westward. After 
 travelling some distance they were driven back to the 
 depot from want of water. 
 
 It was Eyre's desire to get round what is known as the 
 Great Australian Bight. A dray was now fitted up and 
 laden with 70 gallons of water. With a blackboy and one 
 of his men Eyre again set his face westward. After travel- 
 ling many miles in the bush over terrific country, suffer- 
 ing great privations and losing by death three horses, he 
 and his party were again compelled to return to the depot 
 at Point Fowler. The chief difficulty was need of water. 
 
 At all hazards the heroic explorer was determined to get 
 round the Australian Bight. He now decided to reduce the 
 number of his party. Two men were sent back to Adelaide 
 by the Waterwilch, then lying in Fowler's Bay. He would 
 make one more effort to get round the Bight. Once again, 
 in face of appalling difficulties, he faced the west. This time 
 he took with him his overseer (Baxter), a man driving three 
 horses in a dray with water, and a blackboy. They fell in 
 with a party of natives who gave them to understand that 
 there was no water inland. However, there were 85 gallons 
 on the dray, and the party pushed on. The horses gave in, 
 and were taken back by the overseer for water and 
 rest. After two days they were ready to make another 
 start. A cask of water was buried for future use, if need be. 
 Some miles farther on another cask was buried. This was to 
 provide for a possible return journey. The overseer was 
 now sent back with the dray to the depot. Eyre, with one 
 of his men and one of his blackboys, again went forward. 
 Ere long the man lost heart and was sent back. Eyre and 
 the blackboy were now alone in the bush. Near the head 
 of the Bight they came to a native pathway, and suddenly 
 came upon four blacks camped by a waterhole. At first these 
 were hostile, but Eyre soon gained their confidence. From
 
 302 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 the blacks they obtained both food and water. The "bar- 
 barous people showed them no little kindness," guiding them 
 some miles onward to a place called by them Yeerkumban 
 Kauwe. Here there were food and water for the horses. The 
 natives gave them to understand that in the interior there was 
 no water. For some time Eyre and the blackboy remained 
 here. Having renewed their strength they again proceeded 
 westward. This time Eyre achieved his purpose. He got 
 round the Australian Bight and obtained some knowledge 
 of the country. He and the black now retraced their steps. 
 On the way back to the depot they again fell in with the 
 friendly natives who had shown them such kindness before. 
 These had the half-roasted body of a kangaroo, of which Eyre 
 and the blackboy were invited to partake. They got back to 
 the place where they had buried 20 gallons of water, and 
 here they found the overseer on the lookout for them, with 
 two fresh horses to assist them back to the depot at Point 
 Fowler. 
 
 Eyre had been 45 miles beyond the head of the 
 Australian Bight. He was now satisfied that in this direc- 
 tion there was no route into the mysterious interior. In 
 trying to go round the Bight he had travelled 643 miles. 
 
 As soon as the horses were rested he determined to force 
 a passage, if possible, round the coast to King George's 
 Sound a formidable undertaking. 
 
 Having secured a native (Wylie) from Western Aus- 
 tralia and made the necessary preparation, Eyre again started 
 westward, taking with him his overseer (Baxter), two black- 
 boys, and the native from Western Australia. To reach 
 King George's Sound meant a journey of nearly 900 miles, 
 much of it through almost impracticable desert. Said he: 
 "We were now alone, myself, my overseer, and three native 
 boys, with a fearful task before us. We must reach King 
 George's Sound or perish. The result we humbly left to that 
 Almighty Being who had guided and guarded us hitherto 
 amidst all our difficulties." 
 
 They had with them some sheep and ten horses. Eyre 
 took the same course as previously. He passed the farthest 
 point that he had reached on his former journey round the 
 Bight. He now calculated that they had travelled 110 miles 
 from the last water, but the country remained the same 
 waterless. The sheep had to be left behind for a time with 
 the overseer while Eyre pushed on in search of water to save 
 the horses. These hact been four days without water, and 
 the supply for the men was now exhausted. The blackboy 
 was worn out and Eyre was little better. He tells how he
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR, 303 
 
 lay down to wait for daylight, but not to sleep, agitated by 
 apprehensions as to the fate of the overseer and blackboys 
 left behind. They were now 128 miles from the last water, 
 and had been four days without any and without food. If 
 water could not be discovered in the morning the horses must 
 perish, and perhaps the men too. 
 
 The next morning, after travelling some distance, they 
 came to a native pathway leading down to the seashore. Fol- 
 lowing this they providentially, as Eyre affirmed, came to 
 some native wells where was a good supply of water. Where 
 were the overseer and the two native boys ? Would they reach 
 this God-send ? Such were the thoughts that agitated Eyre's 
 mind. Next morning with the first streak of daylight he 
 and the blackboy hurried back to meet the overseer and 
 party, carrying with them some water. Eyre met them slowly 
 travelling onward, though greatly exhausted. 
 
 Having rested for some time at the native wells they 
 again proceeded westward. There were still from 600 to 800 
 miles to travel through absolutely unknown country. The 
 sheep that the overseer had brought on were now reduced in 
 number to three, and the stock of flour amounted to only 
 142 Bb., to be shared among five persons. Said the heroic 
 traveller : "The task before us was indeed a fearful one, but I 
 firmly hoped, by patience and perseverance, safely and suc- 
 cessfully to accomplish it." 
 
 They were now 72 miles from water. On they 
 travelled over sandy ridges, salt swamps, and past dense 
 scrub. Soon they were 120 miles from the last water. The 
 native boys extracted some from the roots of trees, but not 
 sufficient in quantity to be serviceable to the horses. Again 
 the horses began to collapse ; one had to be abandoned to 
 certain death. Five days had passed since the last water 
 had been left. Said Eyre: "Whenever we halted they (the 
 horses) followed us aboiit like dogs, appearing to look to us 
 only for aid, and exhibiting that confidence in us which I 
 trust we reposed in the Almighty." Another horse fell. 
 Their supply of water in the keg was nearly gone. Now the 
 last drop was consumed. With a sponge Eyre gathered some 
 of the dew that had fallen on the grass during the night, and 
 in this way secured a little water. After resting for a night 
 they travelled on again, a.nd then tried to secure water by 
 digging in the sand. To their great joy they were successful. 
 "Words would be inadequate," said the explorer, "to express 
 the joy and thankfulness of my little party at once more 
 finding ourselves in safety, with abundance of water near
 
 304 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 us." Since leaving the last water they had travelled 160 
 miles, and the horses had been seven days without water and 
 almost without food. The party was now reduced to one 
 sheep. In his Journal the leader wrote : "That gracious God, 
 without whose assistance all hope of safety had been in vain, 
 had heard our earnest prayers for His aid, and I trust that 
 in our deliverance we recognized and acknowledged with sin- 
 cerity and thankfulness His guiding and protecting hand." 
 
 After camping here for some time they resumed their 
 journey. The party was now about half-way between Fow- 
 ler's Bay and King George's Sound. Food and water were 
 again almost exhausted, but there was nothing to do but to 
 push on and trust in Providence. Even if they had wished 
 to retrace their steps to Fowler's Bay such was now impos- 
 sible. A horse was killed for food. Eyre had trouble 
 with the blackboys. They became mutinous and stole the 
 rations. Consequently they were put on less allowance. Two 
 of them left the party, but subsequently returned. Wearily 
 and painfully they pushed on in the direction of King 
 George's Sound. 
 
 Camping one night an awful tragedy occurred. Eyre 
 left the camp to keep the horses from straying. He saw 
 a flash of fire and heard the report of a gun. In a few 
 minutes the King George's Sound native (Wylie) came run- 
 ning toward him crying, "Oh, massa ! Oh, massa, come 
 here!" Upon reaching the camp he saw his faithful overseer 
 (Baxter) weltering in his blood and in the agonies of death. 
 He had been shot by the other two blackboys and the camp 
 had been plundered. Said the stricken leader: "He who 
 had faithfully served me for many years, who had followed 
 my fortunes in adversity and prosperity, who had accom- 
 panied me in all my wanderings, and whose attachment to 
 me had been his sole inducement to remain with me in this 
 last and (to him) fatal journey was now no more. 
 The horrors of my situation glared upon me in such startling 
 reality as for an instant almost to paralyse the mind. At the 
 dead of night, in the wildest and most inhospitable waste of 
 Australia, with the fierce wind raging in unison with the 
 scene of violence before me, I was left with a single native, 
 whose fidelity I could not rely upon, and who, for aught I 
 knew, might be in league with the other two, who perhaps 
 were even now lurking about with the view of taking away 
 my life. . . . Three days had passed away since we left 
 the last water, and it was doubtful when we might find any 
 more. Six hundred miles of country had to be traversed 
 before I could hope to obtain assistance."
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 305 
 
 It was night-time. Eyre and the native boy had to 
 leave the scene of violence to look after the horses. If they 
 lost these, all was lost. "Ages," said Eyre, ''can never efface 
 the horrors of this single night, nor would the wealth of the 
 world even tempt me to go through similar ones again." 
 
 The awful night came to an end. Morning dawned. 
 The corpse of the murdered man lay upon the ground with 
 eyes opened, but glazed in death. It seemed as though he 
 had been awakened by the- blackboys plundering the camp, 
 and had risen to prevent them, but was shot in the act. 
 Wylie disclaimed all knowledge of the circumstances. The 
 younger of the blackboys had been with Eyre for four years ; 
 the other two and a half years. It was an awful tragedy, 
 but probably had not been premeditated. 
 
 The nature of the ground was so rocky that Eyre could 
 not dig a grave. He had to reverently wrap the body in a 
 blanket and leave it where it lay. 
 
 Everything had now to be abandoned but the bare neces- 
 saries of life. Some specimens that had been collected, 
 books, and instruments were thrown away. Every additional 
 pound weight jeopardized the lives of the weak horses. Some 
 bread was baked, and Eyre and the blackboy (Wylie) again 
 faced westward. On the way the other two blackboys made 
 their appearance in the distance and tried to induce Wylie to 
 join them, but without success. Eyre lost sight of them, and 
 probably they perished in the bush. 
 
 A welcome cha.nge was now observed in the nature of 
 the country. Their water was again getting low. Several 
 holes in the rocks were seen, but they did not contain water. 
 They were now 130 miles from the last water. "The poor 
 horses still crawled on," said the forlorn traveller. ''I was 
 surprised that they were still alive. As for ourselves, we 
 were both getting weaker and worn out, as well as lame, 
 [t was with the greatest difficulty that I could get Wylie to 
 move if he once sat down. I had myself the same kind of 
 apathetic feeling, and would gladly have lain down and slept 
 for ever. Nothing but a strong sense of duty prevented me 
 from giving way to this indulgence." They came to a native 
 road leading to the beach, and to their great joy discovered 
 a native well containing water. 
 
 After resting here for a time the travellers again went 
 forward. A light rain now fell for about three hours. 
 One of the horses was so exhausted that it could 
 not keep up with the others. It was killed for food. With 
 a fresh supply of food and water they travelled on, keeping 
 near the seashore. Vegetation continued to improve and
 
 306 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 good water was found. Both Eyre and the blackboy were 
 unwell, and they decided, as water and food for the horses 
 were now abundant, to rest for a few days. After doing so 
 slowly and wearily they again moved on. The shooting of a 
 kangaroo was a welcome change from horseflesh. Of this 
 circumstance Eyre says : "Having seen some kangaroos near 
 our camp I sent Wylie with his rifle to try and get one." 
 He brought home one large enough for two good meals. This 
 was cooked. ''Wylie commenced by eating 1| ft>. of horse- 
 flesh and a little bread ; he then ate entrails, paunch, liver, 
 lights, tail, and two hindlegs of the kangaroo. Next followed 
 a penguin that he had found upon the beach ; upon this 
 he forced the whole of the hide of the kangaroo, after singe- 
 ing the hair off, and wound up this meal by swallowing the 
 tough skin of the penguin. He then made a fire and lay 
 down to sleep." 
 
 The next day they came upon traces of the former pre- 
 sence of Europeans. On one of the trees near the beach 
 letters had been cut. Evidently some whalers had camped 
 upon the shore. 
 
 In the course of their journey they came to a fresh-water 
 lake the first permanent water they had seen since leaving 
 Fowler's Bay, a distance of nearly 700 miles. Farther on 
 they went down to the seashore, and were joyfully svirprised 
 to see some boats in the distance. Looking westward they 
 saw the masts of a large vessel. Ere long the intrepid ex- 
 plorer and his blackboy were on board a French whaler, in 
 a bay that Eyre named Rossiter Bay, after the captain of the 
 vessel. In the evening the traveller lay down to rest, as he 
 tells, "sincerely grateful to the Almighty for having guided 
 him through so many difficulties, and for the inexpressible 
 relief afforded when so much needed." 
 
 After spending some weeks on board, and having received 
 stores from the captain, Eyre and Wylie once more resumed 
 their journey to King George's Sound. They bade farewell 
 to Captain Rossiter and his crew on June 15th, and on July 
 7th reached King George's Sound, Western Australia. After 
 a warm welcome from the residents of Albany, in a few days 
 Eyre was sailing for Port Adelaide. Wylie, after having 
 received a reward from the Government, rejoined his tribe at 
 King George's Sound. 
 
 Once again we are in the primitive settlement on the 
 banks of the Torrens. It is Thursday, August 26th, 1841. 
 A banquet is spread. Captain Charles Sturt is in the chair.
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 307 
 
 Governor Gawler has left the colony, but his successor (Gov- 
 ernor Grey) is present. He proposes the health of the gallant 
 explorer Eyre. Edward John Eyre, who had passed through 
 tragic experiences that would have crushed the life out of 
 any ordinary man, rises to acknowledge the toast. He says : 
 'Although we have not been able to lift the veil which is 
 drawn before the centre of this still mysterious Continent, J 
 would yet hope that others may profit by our ill-success, and 
 that some future and more fortunate traveller may, by know- 
 ing where the interior is not practicable, be directed to where 
 it is. I have much reason to be most sincerely grateful to 
 that merciful and protecting Providence who has guided me 
 through so many difficulties and guarded me through so many 
 dangers." 
 
 The pioneers presented him with a testimonial, and four 
 of them, as an expression of admiration, gave him eighty 
 sheep a valuable gift in the early days. Eyre demonstrated 
 the fact that there was not a single watercourse on the coast 
 of Australia from Port Lincoln to King George's Sound. He 
 thought that from the nature of the country through which 
 he had passed it was not likely to be invaded again, but in 
 1870 John Forrest (now Sir John, of Western Australia) and 
 a party came through from Western Australia to Adelaide. 
 They accomplished the joiirney in five months Along the 
 route that Eyre took a telegraph line is now stretched be- 
 tween the two States. 
 
 Associated with Eyre in his attempt to penetrate the 
 interior was Edward Bate Scott, to whom in our "Sketches 
 of the Pioneer Explorers" reference will be made. 
 
 THE FROME EXPEDITION. 
 
 After Eyre's return to Adelaide Captain Frome was sent 
 out with an exploring party. This was in 1843. The object 
 of the expedition was to examine the country in the vicinity 
 of Lake Torrens. The expedition revealed little but the 
 sterile nature of the country they had to examine. Frome 
 proved that what appeared to Eyre to be the eastern arm of 
 Lake Torrens was a desert of drifting sand. On their way they 
 lost one of the party in the scrub, but fortunately he found 
 his way back to the camp after being five days without food 
 or water. 
 
 Captain Froine was the surveyor-general appointed by 
 the Commissioners in London to succeed Colonel Light. He 
 returned to England in 1849 and became a colonel in the 
 Royal Engineers. Frome Road within the city bounds. Lake
 
 308 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Frome, and the District of Frome are named after him. He 
 died in the Old Land in 1890, aged eighty-eight years. 
 
 THE STURT EXPEDITION. 
 
 In connection with this a romantic incident must be 
 related. In 1903 I wrote some historical sketches for the 
 South Australian Advertiser. One of these dealt with Cap- 
 tain Sturt. A letter came to hand some time after con- 
 taining an extraordinary statement. The writer said : "I 
 have something of interest to tell you. I have in my 
 possession Captain Sturt's diary, written by his own hand. 
 How did I come into possession of this book? you may ask. 
 My father was Captain Sturt's gardener. When the captain 
 left for England (this was in 1853) he told my father to clear 
 up all the rubbish and burn it. My mother, who was helping 
 him, thought that it was a pity to burn this book, so she took 
 it home and kept it. When she died she gave it to me. 
 That is the history of Captain Sturt's diary." The writer's 
 romantic story appeared to be true. As soon as oppor- 
 tunity offered I examined the diary and found the man's 
 statement to be correct. It was the diary which Sturt had 
 kept in connection with the stirring expedition that we are 
 about to consider. There was the daily record for at least 
 eight months of his experiences in the wilds of Australia in 
 1845. 
 
 Here, indeed, was a remarkable circumstance. Captain 
 Sturt was a great and good man. Among the pioneers of 
 South Australia he stands unique. As stated in our first 
 chapter, he was the discoverer of the Province in 1830. It was 
 he who discovered and named the river Murray, and who, as 
 we shall farther on see in a sketch of his life, ably served 
 the young Province in many ways. Here, then, was his diary 
 that had been slumbering for about fifty years in the cottage 
 of a labouring man till an article of mine in the newspaper 
 called it forth. There was something fascinating in handling 
 that manuscript volume the very book which Captain Sturt 
 had handled some fifty-nine years ago, that he had carried 
 from point to point in the Australian wilds, and in which 
 he had written his daily experiences. The Journal was pur- 
 chased by the Public Library authorities, and is now one of 
 the most valuable of several historical relics. On it I shall 
 partly draw as the Sturt expedition lives and moves before us. 
 
 It is Saturday, August 10th, 1844. The New Settlement 
 is not yet nine years old, and the city of Adelaide is still
 
 CAPTAIN CHARLES STUKT.
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 311 
 
 in a very primitive condition. Many of the roads are not 
 made : in some places they are in a deplorable condition. 
 Within the bounds of the city are many vacant places. Some 
 of these are fenced in, and on them crops are growing. Though 
 it is Saturday, the busy day of the week, the shops are shut. 
 The whole community is astir. What is the explanation ? 
 This is the day that Captain Sturt's party is going to start 
 to explore the interior. In honour of the event the Govern- 
 ment has proclaimed a public holiday. The heroic Eyre had 
 failed to lift the veil that shrouded the interior of the Con- 
 tinent from view, and now the gallant Sturt is about to 
 attempt to do so. On this day he is to be banqueted. 
 
 The feast is spread in Messrs. Stocks' "great warehouse," 
 Grenfell Street. Many of the leading colonists are present 
 and Major O'Halloran takes the chair. Addressing the com- 
 pany the chairman says: "We are assembled here in great 
 number to do all the honour in our power to one whom 
 we claim as our own the discoverer of this Pro- 
 vince, a settler of South Australia one with whom we have 
 been intimately associated and of whom we feel justly proud. 
 He is now about to separate from us and to proceed on an 
 expedition of at least as great importance as any that has 
 hitherto been undertaken throughout New Holland. His 
 courage, energy, and science will now again be brought into 
 full action in endeavouring to penetrate into the interior of 
 this vast Continent which as yet lies hid from the knowledge 
 of civilized man. May Sturt, the selected of his country for 
 so great and glorious an undertaking, be the fortunate in- 
 dividual reserved to solve the great problem, and by with- 
 drawing the veil which has hitherto darkened our gaze gain 
 fame's highest pinnacle." 
 
 The gallant explorer rises to reply: "My Friends It is 
 a long time since I met an assembly such as this, and if the 
 recollection of similar scenes for a moment subdues me I 
 trust you will excuse it. I have brought my young son with 
 me to the meeting that he may witness and bear in memory, 
 when he rises to manhood, the scenes of this day. I love the 
 Province, and since I have come to it have made many dear 
 and valued friends from whom I am sorry to part. I will go 
 forth inspirited by what I have seen, felt, and heard, and my 
 men who are present will also remember it in the hour of 
 danger. All that human effort or perseverance can do shall 
 be done to accomplish the great undertaking in the ultimate 
 success of which I have every confidence, and if I return T 
 pray God that I might find all in prosperity and happiness."
 
 312 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 The banquet is now over. In the front of the store a 
 procession is arranged. Captain Sturt takes the lead, with 
 Judge Cooper on one side and Major O'Halloran on the other 
 They are followed by more than 100 of the pioneer settlers 
 mounted on horses. The loaded bullock drays with the pro- 
 visions and camp necessities bring up the rear. Down King 
 William Street the procession wends its way, past Govern- 
 ment House, over the Torrens, and then on to the North 
 Road. The farewell is said at "Dry Creek." How very sug- 
 gestive. Before Captain Sturt returns he will meet with many 
 a dry creek and will often be in need of water. 
 
 The exploring party consisted of : 
 
 Captain Sturt (in command) 
 
 Jno. M. Stuart (draughtsman) 
 
 J. Lewis (mariner) < 37 ) 
 
 L. Piesse (storekeeper) 
 
 J. Poole (second in command) 
 
 J. Browne (medical officer) 
 
 D. G. Brock (scientist) 
 
 ATTENDANTS. 
 
 D. Morgan R. Flood 
 
 A. Turpin J. Kirby 
 
 H. Foulkes J. Sullivan 
 
 J. Cowley J. Mack 
 
 G. Davenport J. Jones 
 
 The expedition was provided with eleven horses, thirty 
 bullocks, four drays, a spring cart, 200 sheep, and 
 a supply of provisions for twelve months. The party also 
 took a boat 22 ft. long. The explanation is that some were 
 of opinion that in the interior of Australia there was an 
 inland sea. 
 
 The party reached Moorunde, on the river Murray. 
 Eyre had gone north, and finding no practicable route had 
 traversed the west coast. Sturt set out in an easterly direc- 
 tion. At Moorunde he appointed the men to their respective 
 positions and addressed them. He forbade any communica- 
 tion with the natives unless permission was given. A desire 
 was expressed that they would work together in harmony, and 
 Sturt asked them, as the journey was a perilous one, to seek 
 the guidance and protection of Providence. After a few 
 appropriate prayers had been read the expedition started. 
 Sturt states how he watched it "with an anxiety that made 
 him forgetful of everything else." How many of his men 
 
 <37) Father of the Hon. J. Lewis.
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 313 
 
 would be permitted to return to their homes ? Would his own 
 body be laid in the desert 1 Or would he be more successful in 
 lifting the veil from the interior than Edward John Eyre 
 had been ? 
 
 For some distance the party followed the course of the 
 Murray. Eyre (who was now at Moorunde as a special magis- 
 trate) travelled with them part of the way. Captain Sturt's 
 attendant was a blackboy named Tampawang. For several 
 days the party travelled up the Darling River till they reached 
 Laidley Ponds. At Cawndilla they formed a camp, and Cap- 
 tain Stui't, Dr. Browne, two men, and a native named Topar 
 made an incursion into the interior to the north-west. Cap- 
 tain Sturt's motive in so doing was to find a spot to which 
 the whole party could move. As there were many natives 
 around Cawndilla he was anxious to get his men away for fear 
 of collision or misunderstanding. He discovered a waterhole, 
 to which he gave the name of Parnari, and to this the whole 
 party moved. After staying here for a few days they moved 
 farther on to a pond of water. Here Captain Sturt had a 
 tank of water fixed in a dray, and he and Dr. Browne, with 
 some of the men, set out to penetrate still farther into the 
 interior. After several days' exploration Flood (one of the 
 party) was fortunate enough to discover a creek containing 
 water. This Sturt called Flood's Creek. At this creek there 
 was food as well as water, and here the whole party camped. 
 They saw few natives. One day the black boy Tampawang 
 told Sturt that there were three natives in the distance. Sturt, 
 being anxious if possible to get information, set off in pur- 
 suit, and finally overtook them. The blacks an old woman 
 and two younger ones were terrified. No information could 
 be gained from them. Sturt tried to make them understand 
 where his camp was, and that it was his wish that the other 
 natives should visit it. Some time after he was surprised 
 to see seven blacks bending their steps to the camp, "keeping 
 their eyes on the ground" and looking as though they were 
 "marching to execution." Said Sturt: "A group of the most 
 miserable human beings I ever saw. Poor emaciated creatures 
 all of them, and who no doubt thought the mandate they 
 had received was from a superior being, and obeyed it in fear 
 and in trembling." They sat down upon the ground and 
 were hospitably entertained, but no information could be 
 obtained from them. 
 
 After much wandering to and fro the party found a 
 fine sheet of water. This place Sturt decided to make his 
 depot. Here was a large party of quiet, inoffensive natives, 
 who shunned the presence of the whites.
 
 314 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 At this depot they were destined to wait six weary 
 months. Said Captain Sturt: "It was not, however, until 
 after we had run down every creek in the neighbourhood and 
 had traversed the country in every direction that the truth 
 flashed across my mind that we were locked up in the deso- 
 late and heated region into which we had penetrated as effec- 
 tively as if we had wintered at the pole. . . . Providence 
 had, in its all-wise purposes, guided us to the only spot in 
 that widespread desert where our wants could have been 
 permanently supplied, but had there stayed our further pro- 
 gress into a region that almost appeared to be forbidden 
 ground." Food and water were both here for the animals 
 and men. Sturt called this Depot Glen. Here Dr. Browne 
 had a serious illness, and the health of several of the 
 men broke down. Sturt was also attacked with a fearful 
 malady that proved to be scurvy. 
 
 The leader of the party felt convinced that in the interior 
 there was an inland sea. He decided to make another 
 attempt to pierce more deeply into the heart of the Con- 
 tinent. Taking with him his draughtsman (John Mc- 
 Douall Stuart) and two men, he again went forward. They 
 came to a body of water. Here Sturt left the draughts- 
 man and one of the men while he and a lad named Joseph 
 tried to penetrate still farther north. They took with them 
 a horse and cart laden with 69 gallons of water. 
 Gradually the country became more inhospitable. Sturt says 
 that they were "now in one of the most gloomy regions that 
 man ever traversed. The stillness of death reigned around us; 
 no living creature was to be heard. Sand and spinifex were 
 the universal covering of the land." They returned to the 
 water where they had left the other two men. After scouring 
 the country in various directions the party came back to Glen 
 Depot. 
 
 They had been absent from Adelaide nine months when 
 Mr. Poole, the second in command, who had been unwell for 
 some time,, became worse. "All his skin along the muscles 
 turned black, and large pieces of spongy flesh hung from the 
 roof of his mouth." 
 
 Pathetic indeed are Sturt's references in his manuscript 
 diary to Mr. Poole's illness. On April 26th, 1845, he 
 wrote : 
 
 "I regret to find that it is Mr. Browne's opinion that 
 Mr. Poole's symptoms are assuming the more violent character 
 of scurvy, in which case I fear his illness will be exceedingly 
 protracted, as we have no comforts for him, neither have we
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 315 
 
 the means of changing his diet. I pray that neither Mr. 
 Browne nor myself (on whom the first symptoms still con- 
 tinue) may be similarly afflicted." 
 
 "April 28th. I regret to say that Mr. Poole is worse. I 
 am really concerned at the melancholy prospect he has before 
 him." 
 
 "May 1st. Mr. Poole has almost lost the use of his limbs, 
 and he is daily getting worse." 
 
 "May 3rd. Mr. Poole is now perfectly helpless, and the 
 skin over his principal muscles is entirely discoloured and his 
 sinews are slightly contracted. So long, however, as he is in 
 a reclining posture or is stationary he feels no inconvenience ; 
 but when he moves or endeavours to stretch his limbs he is 
 put to great pain. His mouth is also in a bad state." 
 
 In addition to this trouble there had not been any rain 
 for several months. The water was decreasing; provision:; 
 were getting low. The animals had made the ground bare for 
 miles round the depot. Said Sturt : "Had the drought 
 continued for a month longer than it pleased the Almighty 
 to terminate it the creek would have been as dry as the desert 
 on either side." Toward the end of June they had been five 
 months at the depot, and still the long drought had not 
 broken up. 
 
 On July 12th, 1845, rain began to fall. "How thankful 
 was I for this change," said Sturt, "and how earnestly did I 
 pray that the Almighty would still further extend His mercy 
 to us." All night the rain came down, and the next morning 
 the creek had risen 5 in. 
 
 Sturt now decided that some of the party, with Mr. 
 Poole, should return to Adelaide. A dray was specially 
 fitted up for the sick man's convenience. The farewell be- 
 tween Sturt and his second in command was a most affecting 
 one. "Poole wept bitterly." 
 
 On July 16th the depot was broken up, and Sturt and 
 Dr. Browne (who had decided to remain with him), with the 
 balance of the party, again went forth to penetrate into the 
 interior. Before they finally left the locality one of the party 
 returning to Adelaide came back to Glen Depot with the sad 
 intelligence that Poole was dead. 
 
 In his manuscript diary Sturt wrote : 
 
 "July 15th. About 7 o'clock we were surprised by 
 the sudden return of Joseph Cowley, who attended Mr. Pool? 
 as his servant, and who now came to announce to us that GUI 
 unfortunate companion was no more. This sad intelligence 
 has come like a thunderbolt on myself and Mr. Browne."
 
 316 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Apart from the sadness of the event the delay must have 
 been very distressing to Captain Sturt. The long-looked-for 
 rain had come, and after being confined at Glen Depot for 
 about six months he must have been burning with desire to 
 press on to the interior. 
 
 On July 16th he wrote in his fine, nervous hand: 
 We had a melancholy ride this morning to the home- 
 returning drays, which we reached about noon. On an in- 
 spection of Mr. Poole's remains Mr. Browne has no doubt as 
 to the immediate cause of his death. Some sudden internal 
 rupture had carried him off. I have determined on depositing 
 Mr. Poole's remains at the depot and once more to collect the 
 party to be present at the funeral." 
 
 "July 17th. Joseph arrived early to inform me that he 
 had taken Mr. Poole's remains to the depot. At 12 I 
 went over to the depot, at which place 1 read the funeral 
 service over our departed comrade, who now sleeps in the 
 desert. As we had not the material with which to make a 
 coffin, I suggested that an open space should be left at the 
 bottom of the grave to be boarded over, so as to prevent the 
 earth from falling in. In this we laid Mr. Poole's remains, 
 enveloped in a blanket and laid upon his mattress. I had his 
 initials and the year cut deep in the tree under which he is 
 buried, and I could not but feel that this painful ceremony 
 was a fitting close to our detention on a spot on which our 
 feelings had been so long and so painfully taxed." 
 
 The party returning to Adelaide were now put under the 
 leadership of Mr. Piesse, while Sturt and those who remained 
 with him pushed on to the north-west. A fresh depot was 
 formed, to which they gave the name of Park Depot. From 
 this point Sturt, accompanied by Browne, travelled toward 
 the higher part of Lake Torrens, beyond Mount Hopeless. 
 In doing so they surprised some natives on the top of a sand- 
 hill. "Two of them saw us approaching and ran away; the 
 third could not make his escape before we were upon him, 
 but he was dreadfully alarmed. In order to allay his fears 
 Mr. Browne dismounted and walked up to him. On this 
 the poor fellow began to dance and to call out most vehem 
 ently, but finding that all he could do was to no purpose 
 he sat down and began to cry. We managed, however, to 
 pacify him. So much so that he mustered courage to follow us, 
 with his companions, to our halting place. The wanderers of 
 the desert had their bags full of jerboas (a small animal 
 which they had captured on the hills). . . . Our friends 
 cooked all they had in hot sand and devoured them entire,
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 317 
 
 fur, skin, entrails, and all, only breaking away the under 
 jaw and nipping off the tail with their teeth." 
 
 Having ascertained that to proceed to the north- 
 west of Lake Torrens was not practicable, they retraced 
 their steps to Park Depot. It was now August 10th, 1845. 
 They had been absent from Adelaide twelve months. 
 
 After setting everything in order at the depot and 
 leaving J. M. Stuart in charge Sturt, Browne, and three 
 men again went forward into the interior, taking provisions 
 with them for fifteen weeks. They started on August 14th, 
 1845. 
 
 By August 23rd they had travelled many miles into the 
 interior. On that day the manuscript diary says : 
 
 "We observed three natives collecting food in the open 
 space who allowed Mr. Browne to approach them, and who had 
 also dismounted for that purpose. They proved to be three 
 women gathering and cleaning grass seeds. They were greatly 
 alarmed, and when we asked where there was water (this was 
 by signs), assured us most earnestly that there was plenty to 
 the east, but none in the direction in which we were going. 
 Pursuing our journey to the north-west, notwithstanding the 
 incessant assurances of these poor creatures, we came upon 
 their huts under a sandhill, opposite to a small and shallow 
 pool of water. There were several children playing about 
 in front of them who crept into these like so many puppies 
 when they saw us. We kept wide of them, however, and, not 
 wishing to annoy the natives, passed on in search of another 
 pond ; but not finding one we were obliged to turn back and 
 encamp a little distance from their huts." 
 
 After travelling several days they came to what Sturt 
 has called the "Stony Desert." Here in the distance they 
 saw two natives, proving that this gloomy region was not 
 uninhabited. Of this stony desert Sturt wrote in his diary : 
 "This plain is a most remarkable feature in the geology of 
 the interior. It is about 10 miles in width ... so 
 thickly covered with stones as to entirely exclude vegetation. 
 The stones are indurated quartz. They are of all 
 sizes, though mostly small. That these stones were 
 deposited on the plain and brought from the north-east 
 during some violent change in the central parts of the Con- 
 tinent there can be no doubt." 
 
 The travellers came to a forest. Here was to be heard 
 once more the music of birds. In the forest was a native 
 village consisting of several huts, but the natives had fled. 
 Stones for grinding seeds were lying about, also broken 
 weapons of war and of the chase. Here they discovered a
 
 318 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 well of good water. Said Sturt : "The fact of there being 
 so large a well at this point a well that must have required 
 the united labours of a powerful tribe to complete assured 
 us that this distant part of the interior was not without 
 inhabitants, but at the same time it plainly indicated that 
 water must be scarce. Indeed, considering that the birds 
 of the forest had powers of flight to go anywhere they 
 would, I could not but regard it as an unfavourable sign 
 that so many had collected here." Now the travellers passed 
 over a plain rent and torn by solar heat, with chasms in it 
 many feet deep, into which the horses' feet were likely to 
 slip. They were now getting into still drier and more diffi- 
 cult country. Fortunately as they travelled still farther into 
 the interior they again came to a pool with water. 
 
 Turning again to Sturt's manuscript diary we read : 
 
 "August 31. Towards the close of the day we traversed 
 bare plains. The ground absolutely yawned under our horses, 
 so large and deep were the fissures in it. It was to no pur- 
 pose that we ran down every creek and searched the flats for 
 water. The whole left by the late rains had disappeared, and 
 our hitting upon any must be considered as most providential. 
 . We overtook an old native woman and her daughter 
 as we were crossing a ridge, who were shifting their camp. 
 Mr. Browne dismounted and went to them. The reason of 
 their staying so quietly was that the old lady was lame. They 
 pointed to the north as the place where they were going, and 
 we intended to have followed them, but they suddenly dis- 
 appeared. Close to us there was a small puddle at which tin. 
 natives appeared to have stopped until they could stop no longei 
 the dregs of one of those pools left by the late rains, iii 
 which a stick would stand upright. To this all kinds oi 
 birds resorted, a sad indication to us of the dry state of the 
 country when even the denizens of the air were driven to 
 such extremity." 
 
 Soon the question suggested itself to the mind of Sturt 
 whether it was prudent to proceed farther. Dr. Browne was 
 unwell. The horses were becoming exhausted. They were 
 some distance from water. Said Sturt: "If I had advanced 
 and had found water all would have been well for the time 
 at least ; if not there would have been the certain loss of all 
 our horses, and I know not if one of us would ever have 
 returned to the depot, then more than 400 miles distant, to 
 tell the fate of his companions." 
 
 Turning again to his recently discovered diary we find 
 this entry :
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 319 
 
 "Sept-ember 7th. The more anxiously we look out for 
 rain the less likely is any to fall. Our position, in truth, is 
 one of very great anxiety. . . . We were now in a country 
 in which I could not hope to find water ; still I was reluctant 
 to turn back. We pushed on for 10 miles, when I stopped 
 the cart, as the horses would necessarily be without water for 
 three days, and went over to a high round hill to examine 
 the country before I ultimately decided on turning back. From 
 this sandhill the view was very extensive, and was over such 
 a region of sand that I felt assured any further effort in that 
 direction, in the present dry state of the weather, would be 
 worse than useless." 
 
 He decided to fall back upon a creek and to make this 
 the basis of any further explorations. This was the only 
 rational course to pursue, as they had come to a point at 
 which both water and feed had failed. How reluctant he was 
 to turn back the diary reveals. He was within 150 miles of 
 the centre of the Continent. He tried to strike out in other 
 directions, but circumstances were against him. On Septem- 
 ber 14th he wrote : ''On a review of our position, after taking 
 the circumstances in which we are placed in all their bearings, 
 I have determined on returning to the camp (Park Depot), 
 from thence to try such other quarter as shall appear to open 
 the widest door to success. This morning, in accordance with 
 this resolution, we commenced our retreat, yet it is with a 
 heavy step that I retire from even this dreary region without 
 the accomplishment of the object for which the expedition 
 was fitted out." 
 
 We shall not follow them in their backward route till 
 they reached the Park Depot. This was on October 2nd, 1845. 
 They had been absent from the depot seven weeks and had 
 ridden 800 miles. They foimd Mr. Stuart and party well. 
 
 Sturt now decided that Dr. Browne should return to 
 Adelaide with all the party but three, whilst he himself made 
 another attempt to reach the centre. Dr. Browne was not 
 willing to leave him. Browne was then left in charge of the 
 depot, and the gallant explorer and his draughtsman (John 
 McDouall Stuart), with two of the men, again bent their 
 steps to the interior. 
 
 Referring to this new departure the diary says : 
 
 "Left the depot with Mr. Stuart, Morgan, and Mack, 
 taking four riding and four pack horses, with ten weeks' pro- 
 visions. It is very doubtful how far I shall be able to go." 
 
 In this heroic attempt Captain Sturt again failed. He 
 came to his old enemy, the Stony Desert, and was driven 
 back from want of water.
 
 320 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 The following extracts from his manuscript diary indicate 
 his position : 
 
 "October 20th. From the summit of one of the ridges 
 hereabouts \ve observed the Stony Desert extending all around 
 us, flanked by high red sandhills, apparently covered with 
 spinifex. Up to this point the country we had travelled was 
 worse than any we had seen on our former journey. It was, 
 indeed, a terrific region, and absolutely made me shudder as 
 I gazed upon it. I conscientiously believe there is not a 
 parallel to it on the earth's surface. Other deserts there are, 
 but they present not the steel-shod surface of this desperate 
 region." 
 
 "October 21st. It was really painful to ride the horses 
 over such terrible ground, unshod as they were. Their hoofs 
 were almost to a level with the quick, and they limped at 
 every step. I had now advanced 53 miles into this 
 ironclad desert, and had passed over 38 miles of bare 
 stones. My horses had been one night, as well as ourselves, 
 without water, and we were 41 miles from the nearest 
 of which we knew. Immediately in front of us there rose a 
 succession of ranges similar to that on which we stood as far 
 as the eye could reach. Yet I sat for more than an hour on 
 that burning hill before I could make up my mind to turn 
 back, and I am free to observe that it was some unknown 
 influence not my own inclination that absolutely deter- 
 mined me to do so. I accordingly descended the hill and 
 retraced my steps to the place in which we had slept. I 
 stopped there for an hour and a half to let the horses feed, 
 and then pushed on for water . . . and halted at an hour 
 and a half after sunset about 12 miles short of it. My 
 horses suffered greatly and I lost one, which I was obliged 
 to leave in a dying state." 
 
 "October 23rd. Few men could have laid themselves 
 down to rest (if that might be called rest which was only a 
 temporary cessation from exposure and fatigue) with more 
 embarrassed and more disappointed feelings than I did last 
 night. I had once again been forced back more than 40 
 miles from the heartless and impracticable desert I had en- 
 tered, and I really knew not which way to turn. I was un- 
 willing to cede an inch of ground, yet I knew not in what 
 direction I should soonest surmount the steel-clad region 
 around me. I stood, as it were, in the centre of the shivered 
 fragments of some mountain chain. . . . There was no 
 visible termination to that dark and stony region. To which- 
 ever quarter I turned the same gloomy view presented itself. 
 Yet I would not have turned from even such a scene as that
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 321 
 
 if I had not felt convinced that my horses were not equal 
 to the task, and that in pushing forward I should only 
 sacrifice my own life a.nd the lives of those who were with me." 
 
 "Arrived at a temporary place of safety I thought I 
 might find a narrow passage across the desert to the N.E. 
 I determined on riding a few miles in that direction to ascer- 
 tain if there were any hope for me before I finally retreated 
 across the remainder of the stony plains." 
 
 The diary shows that there was no hope. The inevitable 
 had to be accepted. 
 
 "The ground was more thickly covered than ever with 
 the pointed fragments of rocks. . . . They appeared to 
 have been dashed against the ground and firmly embedded in 
 it when the surface was soft. I had advanced from 10 to 
 12 miles, and it had been painful to ride the horses 
 on such ground. Splinters from 1 to 2 in. flew from 
 their hoofs as they struck them against the fragments of rocks 
 they could not avoid. ... I found, therefore, that I 
 had insurmountable difficulties to contend against, and I 
 made up my mind to turn back. It is a remarkable fact, and 
 one that strongly proves the dry and uninhabitable state of 
 the country, on the line on which we had been moving we had 
 not seen a living creature, either beast or bird, if I except 
 the seafowl. The deathlike stillness of these solitudes is 
 awful and oppressive. . . . When I descended into the 
 interior I expected to find to a certain distance a sandy desert, 
 but I had every hope that it would terminate in an inland 
 sea. I was not wrong in the general impression, but I had 
 no idea of such a desert as that which really exists, the very 
 geological formation of which (if I may use the expression) 
 gives the clearest evidence that the whole was once under 
 water, and that some tremendous current that could only be 
 caused by a great convulsion has left its effects thus 
 prominently stamped on its surface." 
 
 The recently discovered diary from which we have so 
 largely quoted shows that Sturt made efforts to find success 
 in all directions, but they were fruitless. Finally the party 
 retraced their steps to the depot. 
 
 On this trip "Cooper's Creek" was discovered, and was 
 so named by Sturt in honour of the pioneer judge of the New 
 Settlement. 
 
 When they arrived at Park Depot (also named "Grey 
 Fort" in honour of Governor Grey) they found that it had 
 been abandoned. A letter had been left behind informing 
 Sturt that the men were ill through the water at the creek 
 becoming impure, and they had gone back to the first depot
 
 322 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 (Glen Depot). Soon Sturt and Browne again had the joy of 
 meeting each other, and the party started on its homeward 
 way. They reached Cawndilla in safety, where Sturt received 
 news from Adelaide. He travelled on to Moornnde. Here a 
 carriage was in waiting to convey him to Adelaide. On 
 January 19th, 1846, he was once more in the primitive settle- 
 ment with his wife and family. 
 
 Now we sit down at another banquet. It is spread in 
 the Freemasons' Tavern. About 256 guests are present. 
 Major O'Halloran again occupies the chair. Among the 
 speakers are Judge Cooper, John Morphett, Edward Stephens, 
 and James Hurtle Fisher. In his reply Captain Sturt said : 
 "They had sent him forth to the desert with every good wish, 
 and they now met to greet him after his vain struggle with as 
 much warmth as if the most brilliant success had attended 
 his efforts. Had he discovered a rich country he might have 
 expected this, but the case had been very different. If he had 
 penetrated far into the north it was only to expose its barren- 
 ness. He had indeed travelled through an awful desert, and 
 had passed no hour since he left the Darling which was not 
 one of anxiety, for they all knew that in this country there 
 was no surface water, and it was to Providence more than to 
 his own prudence that he owed his safety. Experience, indeed, 
 had assisted him, or he should not have had the pleasure that 
 he now enjoyed. It was not a little that had driven him back 
 when he was within so very short a distance of the point which 
 he would have given almost his life to have gained. He would 
 that it had been his lot to have found a better country, but 
 when it did not exist it was impossible to find it. But, 
 geographically speaking, as he had penetrated from latitude 
 30 degrees to the verge of the tropics there could be but 
 little doubt now entertained that the desert extended over 
 what would comprehend the whole of the interior. At all 
 events, he had been the pioneer and might be useful to 
 others." 
 
 Dr. J. Harris Browne, of the Sturt Expedition, deserves 
 special mention. His loyalty to his leader should be put on 
 permanent record. Of him the late John Bagot said: "He 
 was one of the most high-souled gentlemen that we have had 
 in South Australia; a most practical and well-informed man, 
 but modest withal, and therefore not so publicly known as 
 many far less worthy men." Dr. Browne's fault (if I may 
 term it such) was that he shrank too much from publicity. 
 He and his brother (William J. Browne) were enterprising
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 323 
 
 pioneers in the pastoral industry in the early days and 
 colonists of a fine type. "Booboorowie" was their most import- 
 ant property. Dr. Browne outlived all the members of the 
 gallant Sturt party. He saw the third generation of South 
 Australians, and died in England January, 1904, at a great 
 age. 
 
 THE DARKB EXPEDITION. 
 
 About the same time as Captain Sturt embarked upon 
 his central expedition another party was fitted out to open 
 up the country in the north-west. In this expedition John 
 Bentham Neales (to whom further reference will be made) 
 took a great interest. His was the organizing spirit. Of 
 Mr. Darke it is said that he was a man "of great courage 
 and scientific attainments, with a large colonial experience 
 as an explorer and surveyor." Tents, provisions, ammuni- 
 tion, etc., were shipped to Port Lincoln. This was the 
 starting point. The party left in August, 1844. They had 
 to pass over some of the ground that Edward John Eyre, two 
 or three years before, had trodden. They reached a point 
 nearly 300 miles to the north of Port Lincoln. On their 
 return journey they met with three natives, and intimated by 
 signs that they wanted water. The blacks went to a native 
 well and returned bringing some water. They remained at 
 the camp all night. In the morning they were joined by 
 other natives, who conducted the party to a water spring, and 
 also offered them some of their food, consisting of roots and 
 lizards. In return for these Mr. Darke gave them sugar and 
 such other articles as he could spare. The blacks continued 
 with the party till about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, When 
 they went away, but returned the following morning. After 
 finishing his breakfast Mr. Darke went toward the scrub in 
 a direction opposite to where the blacks were sitting, and had 
 scarcely reached the spot when he found many blacks in 
 ambush. Having left his gun behind and being otherwise 
 defenceless, he could only give an alarm to his comrades in 
 the tent. Mr. Theakstone immediately ran to his assistance 
 with gun in hand, and saw a native in the act of spearing 
 Mr. Darke. Mr. Theakstone fired, but missed his assailant, 
 who, with others, fled. Mr. Darke was transfixed by three 
 spears. He suffered much for two days, when mortification 
 set in and in about two hours terminated his life. The un- 
 fortunate leader met his end bravely, speaking of the ex- 
 pedition and making his dying requests with great calmness. 
 His comrades carried his remains for about 30 miles, and 
 then dug a deep grave in the midst of a grassy plain, in 
 
 K2
 
 324 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 which the body was deposited. In 1909 the grave was dis- 
 covered and the skeleton found in a remarkable state of 
 preservation. The South Australian Government has now 
 placed a headstone on the grave, surrounded by an iron 
 railing. 
 
 THE HORROCKS EXPEDITION. 
 
 John A. Horrocks, the leader of this expedition, was a 
 young man of splendid physique, who had had some experi- 
 ence in the work of exploration. In July, 1846, he and a 
 party set out to penetrate the interior. Undeterred by the 
 tragic experiences of Eyre, his aim was to cross the head of 
 Spencer's Gulf and then travel in the direction of Western 
 Australia. Horrocks was better prepared for the journey 
 than Eyre. As a guide he had the experiences of the latter 
 explorer, and was provided with a camel the only one in 
 the colony. He also took with him a flock of goats. At 
 Mount Remarkable he was informed by the natives that there 
 was a pass across the range in the direction of what is now 
 known as Port Augusta. The expedition went through the 
 pass and made for Depot Creek, where Eyre had camped 
 some five years before. At Depot Creek it was decided that a 
 part of the company should strike out in a north-westerly 
 direction. Horrocks, S. T. Gill (the artist of the expedition), 
 and Kilroy formed the party. They reached a lake called 
 by Horrocks Lake Gill, now known as Lake Dutton. Here 
 a tragic circumstance transpired. Horrocks wished to shoot 
 a bird to add to the collection they were making. 
 Unfortunately while he was handling the gun the charge ex- 
 ploded, wounding him in the face. The wound was a serious 
 one, and the party had to retrace their steps. After suffer- 
 ing great pain Horrocks reached his home at Penwortham, and 
 passed away three days after his arrival. The famous "Hor- 
 rocks Pass" will ever keep him in memory. He was young 
 in years, and if his life had been spared no doubt he would 
 have been one of the most famous of Australian explorers. 
 
 OTHER AND LATER EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 In 1856 the Government voted 1,000 as a bonus for the 
 discovery of a payable goldfield. Mr. Herschel Babbage and 
 a party set out in search of gold. The country in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Tanunda Creek, the Rhine, the head of the Gaw- 
 ler River, Truro, and the Murray was examined. Mr. Bab- 
 bage then proceeded northward. Though he failed to dis- 
 cover a goldfield he found a large creek, to which he gave the 
 name of "MacDonnell Creek," as a compliment to the Cover-
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS INTERIOR. 325 
 
 nor. He also found a long reach of water, which he named 
 "Blanchewater," as a compliment to Lady Blanche Mac- 
 Donnell. 
 
 Following on Mr. Babbage's discoveries Mr. Goyder was 
 sent out with a survey party. He was to triangulate the 
 country between Mount Serle and Lake Torrens. As the 
 season was favourable, he pushed on to the neighbourhood of 
 Lake Torrens, where he found an extensive body of fresh 
 water, with apparently fertile wooded islands, and on the 
 opposite shore what appeared to be high and rich country. 
 Mr. Goyder was obliged to return from the margin of the 
 lake without crossing it. His observations of the country 
 beyond were confined to a distant vision. 
 
 Captain Freeling (Surveyor-General) set out to test the 
 accuracy of Mr. Goyder's discoveries. He found that his pre- 
 decessor was apparently mistaken. Lake Torrens was a body 
 of salt water surrounded by a veritable bog. After the most 
 persistent attempts it was found to be impossible to launch 
 a boat upon it. Captain Freeling saw the country under 
 different conditions from those that obtained when Mr. Goy- 
 der visited it ; this partly accounts for the difference between 
 the two reports. A wet or a dry season makes a marvellous 
 change in the appearance of the interior. 
 
 Later on the Government offered a bonus for the explor- 
 ation of the north-western interior. An expedition was 
 entrusted to Mr. Stephen Hack. He was to proceed with his 
 party to Port Lincoln by sea, to travel to Streaky Bay, then 
 to strike out in a northerly direction. Mr. Hack was away 
 nearly five months, and reported that he had found some good 
 country for pastoral purposes. 
 
 In the early part of 1857 Mr. Babbage was put in charge 
 of an expedition to explore the country round Lake Torrens. 
 A public breakfast was tendered him. As the expedition 
 did not make what was considered to be satisfactory progress 
 Mr. Babbage was recalled and Major Warburton put in his 
 place. A lot of money was spent with little real advantage 
 to the colony. 
 
 It was while on the expedition above recorded that Mr. 
 Babbage found the dead body of W. Coulthard, an early set- 
 tler, who apparently had a passion for exploration. Near 
 the body was found a tin canteen on which (in the agony of 
 death) several words had been scratched, among others the 
 following: "Bleeding Pomp to leive on his blood. 
 My tung is stiking to my mouth, and I see what I have rote, 
 and know this is the last time I may have of expressing feel-
 
 326 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 ing. Blind ( ?) altho feeling exce for want of water. My 
 ey dazels. My tung burn. I can see no way. God help." 
 The tragedy of the sad event was intensified by the fact that 
 not far from the dying man was a waterhole with a good 
 supply of water, of which the poor fellow was quite uncon- 
 scious. 
 
 In 1861 John McKinlay led a party into the interior 
 to search for Burke and Wills. Reference will be made to 
 this in the chapter "Sketches of Pioneer Explorers."
 
 THE VEIL LIFTED.
 
 JOHN McDouALL STUART.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE VEIL LIFTED. 
 
 We have seen the heroic attempts made by Edward John 
 Eyre and Captain Charles Sturt to penetrate the interior of 
 the Australian Continent. The difficulties promised to be 
 insuperable. It seemed as though the interior contained 
 some grim secret that cosmic forces and natural con.- 
 ditions were bent on keeping. One explorer after 
 another faced the north with hope, and after a desperate 
 struggle with adverse circumstances came back in despair. 
 It was John McDouall Stuart who finally triumphed over all 
 difficulties and dangers and wrung from the inhospitable 
 interior its secret. He had been with Captain Sturt in his 
 attempts to reach the centre of the Continent, his position in 
 the party being that of draughtsman. Some time after the 
 Sturt Expedition was disbanded Stuart was employed by 
 Messrs. Chambers and Finke (38) in searching for new country 
 suitable for pastxirage and in surveying runs. 
 
 In 1858 Stuart travelled in the direction of Lake Torrens 
 and made a detour westward, discovering and naming Mount 
 Finke. Of this landmark and the country surrounding it 
 he wrote: "I got on the lower spurs of Mount Finke to see 
 what was before me. The prospect was gloomy in the extreme. 
 I could see a long distance, but nothing met the eye save a 
 dense scrub as black and dismal as midnight. ... A 
 fearful country. . After leaving the mount we 
 have a thick mallee and mulga scrub to go through, 
 with spinifex. In the last 8 miles we have not 
 seen a mouthful for the horses to eat, and not a drop of 
 Avater. It is even worse than Captain Sturt's desert." Later 
 
 (38) These men were enterprising colonists who deserve special 
 mention. In the last letter received by me from Edward Bate 
 Scott, written shortly before his death, he said: "James Cham- 
 bers was a livery-stable keeper and horse-dealer, dating from the 
 earliest days of the colony, and at one time an extensive mail 
 contractor. His brother (John Chambers') was a dairy farmer at 
 Cherry Gardens. Suliseqnently John Chambers took up Lake 
 Honney run as a cattle and sheep station, and I believe that 
 James and John Chambers were partners. Finke was a close 
 friend. Jame and John Chambers, with Finke, spared no ex- 
 pense to start Stuart on his explorations." Stuart named some 
 points of geographical interest after these men, e.g., the Finko 
 River and Chambers' Creek and Pillar. 
 
 ( 329 )
 
 330 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 on he wrote: ''To-day's few miles have been through the 
 same dreary, dreadful, dismal desert of heavy sandhills and 
 spinifex, with mallee very dense, scarcely a mouthful for the 
 horses to eat. When will it all end ?" Stuart was now 
 making for Fowler's Bay, on the West Coast, where Edward 
 John Eyre had been some years before. Not able to reach 
 Fowler's Bay he shaped his course for Streaky Bay, where 
 a few immigrants had settled. 
 
 The party suffered from want of food and water. Stuart 
 found the kangaroo mice and the plant commonly called 
 "pig's-face" (Mesembryanthemum) very useful. In his Journal 
 he wrote: "For upwards of a month we have been existing 
 upon a little flour-cake daily, without animal food. Since we 
 commenced the journey all the animal food we have been 
 able to obtain has been four wallabies, one opossum, one 
 small duck, one pigeon, and latterly a few kangaroo mice. 
 These are elegant little animals, about 4 in. in length, 
 and resemble the kangaroo in shape, with a long tail termin- 
 ating in a sort of brush. Their habitations are of a conical 
 form, built with twigs and rotten wood, about 6 ft. in 
 diameter at the base and rising to a height of 3 or 
 4 ft. When the natives discover one of these nests they 
 surround it, treading firmly round the base in order to secure 
 any outlet. Then they remove the top of the cone, and 
 as the mice endeavour to escape they kill them with their 
 waddies. . . . We have been forced to boil the tops of 
 the pig's-face to satisfy the wants of nature. Being short of 
 water we boiled them in their own juice. . . . Yesterday 
 we obtained a few sow thistles, which we boiled and found to 
 be very good." 
 
 Eventually Stuart reached Mr. Gibson's station, Streaky 
 Bay, where he and his companion Forster were kindly 
 entertained. This was one of the most arduous of his explora- 
 tions. In his Journal he wrote : "Both Forster and myself 
 felt very unwell, especially Forster, who is very bad. 
 I am suffering chiefly from weakness and a very severe pain 
 between the shoulders. It is a dreadful pain, and nearly 
 incapacitated me from sitting in the saddle. I thought that 
 I should not have been able to reach here." 
 
 A SECOND EXPEDITION NORTHWARD. 
 
 In 1859 Stuart was again exploring the northern interior. 
 On this trip he discovered and named several points of 
 geographical interest. Hergott Springs (well known to-day) 
 were discovered by one of his party named Hergott. Writing 
 in his Journal Stuart said : "Hergott did not return until
 
 THE VEIL LIFTED. 331 
 
 noon to-day. . . . He states that he has found a batch of 
 springs 3 miles on this side of the ponds, with abundance 
 of water. They are twelve in number." 
 
 Stuart was now in the vicinity of what at times is a vast 
 quagmire, Lake Eyre. He found some good country and a 
 large waterhole containing plenty of water. Of the country 
 round Chambers' Creek, which he had discovered and named, 
 he wrote: "I intend to move to-day to the large waterhole 
 westward, where I first struck the creek. About 14 
 miles from last night's camp the chain of large watorholes 
 commences. . . . They are indeed most splendid water- 
 holes long ponds; they are nearly one continuous sheet 
 of water, and the scenery is beautiful." Travelling farther 
 into the interior of the Continent Stuart came to Mount 
 Hamilton and to Beresford's Springs. Of the country in 
 this direction he wrote : ''The country travelled over to-day 
 has been very well grassed, with saltbush. Take it altogether, 
 1 have not seen better runs in the colony, and in the driest 
 summer the furthest distance from water will not be above 
 5 miles at the most, but the feed is so abundant that they 
 would not require to go so far. On that account they will 
 feed double and treble the number of stock that the runs 
 down the country do." 
 
 It was information like this that the pioneer immigrants 
 needed. They were intensely anxious to know whether or not 
 the unexplored interior of the land of their adoption was 
 suitable for pastoral purposes. Stuart slowly but surely was 
 helping to solve the problem. All was not stones, sand, and 
 spinifex an arid and waterless region. 
 
 Later on in his daily Journal he wrote: "Discovered 
 another batch of springs, with plenty of water running fro^i 
 them. There are about eight or nine of them very good. . . . 
 I have named them Elizabeth Springs. . . . They are 
 really remarkable springs such a height above the level of 
 the plain. . . . From whence do they derive their supph 
 of water to cause them to rise to such a height? This is 
 another strange feature of the mysterious interior of 
 Australia." 
 
 As a rule Stuart named striking natural features after 
 prominent pioneers whose history is recorded in these pages 
 f.f/.j "Davenport Creek," "Hawker Springs," "Blyth Creek," 
 "Hanson Range," "Mount Younghusband," "Mount King- 
 ston," "Freeling Springs," "Mount O'Halloran," "Neales' 
 Creek," "Mount Dutton." On this trip Stuart not only 
 discovered some good country, but came to the conclusion 
 that it would be possible to cross the Continent.
 
 332 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 THE CENTRE OF THE CONTINENT REACHED. 
 
 In 1859 the South Australian Legislative Council voted 
 .2,000 as a bonus to the explorer who should first cross the 
 Australian Continent. The first man to make the attempt 
 was Alexander Tolmer, with a party of men and several 
 horses. They left Adelaide in September and returned 
 toward the end of November, with the loss of nine horses. 
 The attempt was a failure, the party being unable to agree. 
 Meanwhile John McDouall Stuart, in conjunction with 
 Messrs. Chambers and Finke, made preparations for another 
 incursion into the forbidden interior. On this trip he dis- 
 covered and named the Finke River, after William Finke, 
 who had been one of his supporters in his various explorations. 
 He also discovered a remarkable pillar, which he named 
 Chambers' Pillar, in honour of his friend and supporter James 
 Chambers. Other points of interest were named after men 
 whose names repeatedly appear in this volume : "Waterhouse 
 Range," "MacDonnell Range," after His Excellency Sir 
 Richard MacDonnell : "Mount Hay," "Strangways' Range," 
 "Mount Freeling," "Reynolds' Range," "Stirling Creek, " 
 "Mount Gwynne." "Mount Mann," so called after the first 
 Advocate-General, Charles Mann : "Mount Morphett," 
 "Forster Range," "Bonney's Creek," "Short Range," "Baker 
 Creek," "Davenport Range." 
 
 It was on this trip that he succeeded in reaching the 
 centre of the Continent. In his Journal he wrote: "Sunday, 
 April 22nd. 1860. To-day I find, from my observations of 
 the sun, that I am now camped in the centre of Australia. I 
 have marked a tree and planted the British flag there. 
 There is a high mount about 2i miles to the north- 
 north-east. I wish it had been in the centre; but on it to- 
 morrow I will raise a cone of stones and plant the flag there, 
 and name it 'Central Mount Stuart.' ' On the next day this 
 was done. A large mound of stones was raised, in the centre 
 of which was placed a pole with the British flag nailed to it. 
 Near the top of the mound a bottle was placed containing a 
 slip of paper on which were written the names of the party .< 39 ^ 
 Stuart then says : "We gave three hearty cheers for the flag^ 
 the emblem of civil and religious liberty, and may it be a 
 sign to the natives that the dawn of liberty, civilization, and 
 Christianity is about to break upon them." Stuart had solved 
 the problem as far as the centre of the Australian Continent 
 
 (39) The slip of paper was discovered afterwards by a Govern- 
 ment officer, who was making; preparations for the laying of the 
 Overland Telegraph Line. It is now in the Public Library. Ade- 
 laide, where, with other valuable historical relics, it may be seen
 
 THE VEIL LIFTED. 333 
 
 was concerned that it was not a desert nor, as Captain Sturt 
 supposed, an inland sea. 
 
 William P. Auld (one of the survivors of the Stuart 
 party) has informed me that Stuart really named the mount, 
 in the centre of the Continent, "Central Mount Sturt," in 
 honour of his old chief, Captain Charles Sturt. 
 
 On this expedition Stuart made heroic attempts to cross 
 the Continent, but could not succeed. Writing in his Journal 
 he said : "I wish that my horses had had water last night 
 or yesterday. They seem to be very much in want of it. I 
 must devote the rest of the day to a search for it. ... 
 Searched all around, but can find no water. . . . The 
 day is intensely hot, and my horses cannot stand two more 
 nights without water. Would that they had more endurance ! 
 It is dreadful to have to return back almost at the threshold 
 of success. I cannot be far from the dip of the country to 
 the Gulf" i.e., the Gulf of Carpentaria, to reach which 
 would have been to cross the Continent. Stuart further 
 wrote: "I would fain try the plain to the south, but 
 I dare not risk the loss of more horses." 
 
 Stuart had to pay the penalty for his heroic devotion. 
 He was attacked with the dreadful disease scurvy. Said he : 
 "I have again had another dreadful night of suffering. I 
 had, however, about two hours' sleep, which, as it was the 
 first sleep that I have had for the last three nights, was a 
 great boon. This morning I observe that the muscles of my 
 limbs are changing from yellow-green to black ; my mouth is 
 getting worse, and it is with difficulty that I can swallow 
 anything. I am determined not to give in. I shall move 
 about as long as I am able." 
 
 Stuart was not the only one who suffered on this trip. 
 His faithful associate Kekwick was also afflicted. Stuart 
 wrote : " Kekwick was unwell last night, but I cannot stop 
 on his account. . . Kekwick is still very ill. Poor 
 
 fellow, he is suffering much. T have not shown him much 
 pity or I should have the other giving in altogether. I hope 
 and trust that he will soon be better again, and that to- 
 morrow's rest may do him good. He has been a most valuable 
 man to me." 
 
 Stuart's diary was brightened by frequent references to 
 the natives. In going through some scrub they disturbed 
 some natives, but could only see children. "One, a little 
 fellow about seven years old, was cleaning some grass seeds 
 in a wurley, with a child who could just walk. The moment 
 he saw us he jumped up and, seizing his father's spear, took
 
 334 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 the child by the hand and walked off out of our way. Jt 
 was quite pleasing to see the bold spirit of the little fellow." 
 
 Stuart* returned to Adelaide from the trip with his two 
 companions on Sunday. October 7th, 1860. Ijj a letter to 
 his friend and patron, Mr. Chambers, describing the expedi- 
 tion, he said : "I am sorry to say that I have not been able 
 to make the north-west coast (that is, to cross the Continent). 
 The difficulties have been more than I was able to overcome. 
 After making the centre I was assailed by that dreadful 
 disease, the scurvy, which completely prostrated me. Still 
 I persevered, and endeavoured to reach the mouth of the 
 Victoria River, on a north-west course, but was obliged to 
 relinquish the attempt three separate times through want of 
 water. ... I was forced to go back to the centre. Three 
 miles to the north of the centre is a high hill, on which I 
 planted the flag and named it Central Mount Stuart. I 
 thought I might get an opening that would lead me to the 
 north- west of Gem and Spinifex Plain. ... I was obliged 
 to return from want of water. I had the misfortune to 
 lose three horses from want of water. We were 111 
 hours without a drop of water, under a burning hot 
 sun. After this journey I gave up all hope of making the 
 Victoria (river), and tried for the Gulf of Carpentaria. Not 
 a drop of water could we find. My horses were without 
 water two days and a night, and were in such a weak state 
 that I was afraid to risk their being without water any longer 
 in case I should lose the lot." 
 
 From his letter we gather that he made yet another 
 attempt in the direction of crossing the Continent, but the 
 inhospitable nature of the country again prevented him from 
 so doing. He was now attacked by natives. The letter con- 
 tinues : "Three times they came rushing to the attack, but 
 were repulsed. They also endeavoured to surround us and 
 cut us off from the horses, but that I prevented. They were 
 the first natives I encountered, and were in appearance tall, 
 powerful, muscular men; bold, daring, and courageous, not 
 at all frightened either by us or the horses, but rushing boldly 
 to the charge. The moment we entered the scrub they were 
 upon us. Every bush seemed to have hidden a man, and 
 upward of thirty attacked us in the front, and how many 
 more there were endeavouring to surround us and cut us off 
 from our packhorses I cannot tell. . . . They set fire 
 to the grass all round, and the shouting and yelling from 
 numerous voices was most fearful. It was with difficulty that 
 we could restrain the horses from bolting away." Stuart and 
 his party managed to keep them at bay with their guns. The
 
 THE VEIL LIFTED. 335 
 
 party then fell back upon a long open plain. ''During the 
 night," the leader in his letter says, "I took into consideration 
 the position in which I was then placed my horses tired and 
 weary ; three of them being unable to be longer than one 
 night without water; the men complaining six weeks before 
 this of being so weak from want of suitable food that they 
 were unable to perform their duty. Their movements were 
 more those of men 100 years old than young men 
 of twenty-five years, myself being so unwell that I was 
 unable to sit in the saddle all day without suffering the most 
 excruciating pain ; our provisions scarcely sufficient to carry 
 us back, and now in the midst of hostile natives, who were 
 wily, bold, and daring. If I proceeded I should leave enemies 
 behind, and in all probability meet with enemies in front. 
 Thus I would have to fight my way to the coast and back 
 again. To do that with only two men and myself, and having 
 six packhorses to look after, would be utterly impossible. I 
 therefore made up my mind, with great reluctance, to return.'' 
 
 The two men with Stuart were Kekwick and Head. 
 Although the gallant explorer did not succeed on this occasion 
 in crossing the Continent, he had obtained a better know- 
 ledge of the country, had reached the centre of the Continent, 
 and had prepared the way for further efforts in the same 
 direction. 
 
 The Press in the growing City of Adelaide, speaking of 
 this expedition, said : "We need not dwell on the heroism of 
 the gallant men to whom we are indebted for all this satisfac- 
 tory knowledge. Their praise is on every tongue. No 
 higher compliment can be paid to them than that implied in 
 the prompt resolution of the Parliament to send them once 
 again, and quickly, into the no longer tintrodden wilderness 
 of the interior." 
 
 On the return of Stuart and his two men from the trip a 
 public breakfast was laid in their honour in White's 
 Rooms, Adelaide. About 400 gentlemen were present. 
 The chair was occupied by the Commissioner of Crown Lands 
 (John T. Bagot). He was supported on his right by the 
 Governor-in-Chief (Sir Richard MacDonnell). In the course 
 of a long and able address the Governor said : "I have still 
 another very gratifying duty to perform. I have to ask Mr. 
 Stuart, on the part of the Hon. John Morphett, to accept this 
 rifle as a trusty weapon, not of defiance but of defence. It 
 is the only rifle of the kind that has reached South Australia. 
 I understand that another weapon is to be presented to you, 
 sir. I hope that you will be able to traverse the Continent 
 without having to use it against any human being.
 
 336 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 The best proof of your courage is to be found in your judicious 
 forbearance on so many previous occasions, and your avoidance 
 of all unnecessary collision with the natives." Sir James 
 Hurtle Fisher also presented a rifle subscribed for by a hun- 
 dred fellow-colonists. 
 
 ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO CROSS THE CONTINENT. 
 In November, 1860, Stuart left on another expedition 
 into the interior. On this occasion he got beyond the centre 
 and reached the locality named by him Sturt's Plains. Al- 
 though he had thus far succeeded in accomplishing his object, 
 he was, as we shall see, again driven back. Writing in his 
 Journal after reaching Sturt's Plains, he said : "Before leaving 
 the Ponds I shall try once more to the westward. 
 Started with Thring, Woodforde, and Wall, nine horses, and 
 fourteen days' provision. . . . At 14 miles gained 
 the top of a sand rise. . . . From here the country seems 
 to be a dense forest. I am afraid this will be another hope- 
 less journey. ... I shall try a little further on to-mor- 
 row. . . . Took Thring with me, and proceeded on the 
 same course to see if I could get through the horrid forest 
 and scrub, or meet with a change of country, or find some 
 water. . . . At 11 miles the scrub became so dense 
 that it was nearly impenetrable. The horses would not face 
 it. I saw that it was hopeless to force through any further. 
 Not a drop of water have we seen. I therefore returned to 
 where I left Woodforde and Wall. This is the third long 
 journey by which I have tried to make the Victoria River 
 (which would probably mean the crossing of the Continent) 
 in this latitude, but have been driven back every time by the 
 same description of country and want of water. I would 
 have proceeded further, but my horses are unable to do it. 
 Thus ends my hope of reaching the Victoria in this latitude, 
 which is a great disappointment. . . . To-day I shall 
 move the camp to the easternmost part of Newcastle Waters, 
 and shall try if I can cross Sturt's Plains and reach the Gulf 
 of Carpentaria (which would be to cross the Continent). . . 
 We are reduced to 4 Tb. of flour and 1 ft), of dried meat 
 per man each week . . . but I can leave nothing 
 untried where there is the least shadow of gaining the 
 desired object." Again he was forced to turn back. How- 
 ever, he was determined to try once more. Sitting down in 
 the wilds of Australia with a sad heart, and writing in his 
 Journal, Stuart said: "This is very disheartening work. I 
 shall proceed to the soxith and try once more to round that 
 horrid western forest; it is now my only hope. If that fail I
 
 THE VEIL LIFTED. 337 
 
 shall have to return." Again lie was defeated. Later on 
 he wrote: "Tomkinson's Creek Shoeing horses and prepar- 
 ing for another start. I shall try once more to make the Gulf 
 of Carpentaria from this." The attempt was made, but 
 without success. Said he : "No appearance of water. It is 
 hopeless to proceed further. It will only be rendering my 
 return more difficult by reducing the strength of my horses, 
 without the slightest hope of success." But Stuart could not 
 accept defeat. He would sacrifice his life to secure his ob- 
 jective, i.e., to cross the Australian Continent. Later on he 
 wrote that before he retraced his steps to Adelaide he would 
 make one more attempt to reach the Victoria River. Said 
 he: "I am very unwilling to return without trying all that is 
 in my power." So Stuart made another detour to accomplish 
 his purpose; but after travelling several miles in the face of 
 great difficulties he was again beaten back. Said he: "We got 
 into dense scrub. ... I felt that there was not the 
 slightest hope of obtaining water. It would be hopeless to 
 continue such sandy country, as it can never hold water on 
 the surface. . . . The travelling has been heavy, tearing 
 through thick scrub. I must now give up all hope of reaching 
 the Victoria, and am unwillingly forced to return. 
 We are all nearly naked ; the scrub has been so severe on our 
 clothes. Our boots are also gone. It is with great reluc- 
 tance that I am forced to return without a further trial. . . 
 I only wish I had sufficient (provisions) to carry me on until 
 the rain will fall in next March. I think I would be able to 
 make both the Victoria and the Gulf of Carpentaria. 
 It certainly is a great disappointment to me not to be able to 
 get through, but I believe that I have left nothing untried 
 that was within my power." 
 
 John McDouall Stuart and party returned to Adelaide 
 discouraged but not yet defeated. He offered to make another 
 attempt to cross the Continent. 
 
 SUCCESS THE CONTINENT CROSSED. 
 
 The South Australian Parliament favoured Stuart's fur- 
 ther offer. A party was formed, consisting of the following : 
 John McDouall Stuart, leader. 
 William Darton Kekwick, second officer. 
 Francis William Thring, third officer. 
 William Patrick Auld, assistant. 
 Frederick George Waterhouse, naturalist. 
 Stephen King, John Billiatt, James Frew, Heath Nash, 
 and John McGorrey.
 
 338 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Before starting Mr. Stuart met with a nasty accident. 
 One of the horses reared and struck him on the temple with 
 its fore foot, rendering him insensible. It then sprang for- 
 ward and placed one of its hind feet in Stuart's right hand, 
 doing it considerable injury. 
 
 The party reached the centre of the Continent in safety, 
 and thence travelled on to Sturt's Plains. It was here 
 that Stuart's progress had been previously arrested. In his 
 Journal he now wrote: "I have made many twistings and 
 turnings, but my general course is north-west for 10 miles." 
 He met with the same difficulties as confronted him on his 
 former trip dense forests and want of water but he was 
 better prepared to meet them. Fortunately he came on some 
 fine ponds of water about H miles long, 20 ft. broad, and 
 3i ft. deep. Said he : ''I examined them on both sides to 
 see if they would do for a permanent camp for the party. 
 I think I may depend on the water lasting two 
 months, without any more rain. I shall camp here to-night, 
 and try another day to the westward to make the Victoria. 
 I name these ponds after John Howell, Esq., of Adelaide." 
 
 From "Howell's Ponds" he made various attempts to go 
 forward. He wrote : "Leaving Mr. Kekwick in charge of the 
 party, I started with Thring and Frew. ... I have 
 skirted the border of the forest land in the hope of finding 
 water, but am disappointed. I have not seen water since I 
 started. There are a great many different kinds of birds 
 about and native smokes all round. I have searched every 
 place where I thought there was the least chance of finding 
 water, but without success. . . . With such hot weather 
 as this I dare not attempt to make the Victoria. I must 
 therefore return to the camp." 
 
 Various other attempts were made to achieve his pur- 
 pose. One day in his endeavour to forge ahead Stuart was 
 delighted by the discovery of a fine chain of waterholes. 
 These he termed "King's Ponds," after one of his attendants. 
 Previous to this he had discovered another waterhole, which 
 he named "Frew's Waterhole," after another member of his 
 party. Later on, writing from King's Ponds, Stuart said: 
 "Leaving Mr. Kekwick in charge of the party, I started with 
 King, Thring, and Auld on a northern course. . . . At 
 a little more than a mile struck another watercourse run- 
 ning towards the north. Followed it, and about 2i miles 
 came upon some ponds of water." These he named 
 "Auld's Ponds," after another of his assistants. These dis- 
 coveries were of great value. They enabled Stuart slowly 
 but surely to forge ahead. Farther on he found another
 
 THE VEIL LIFTED. 339 
 
 supply of water in pools, which he named ''McGorrey's Ponds," 
 after his blacksmith. Gradually he was overcoming his dif- 
 ficulties and getting nearly across the Continent. The na- 
 ture of the country was changing. Writing in his Journal he 
 said: "The country opened and became splendidly grassed." 
 Here he also found gum and other trees. These were all 
 indications that he was getting into better country. Fortune 
 again favoured Stuart ; he came upon a fine body of water, 
 which he named "Daly Waters," in honour of Sir Dominick 
 Daly, who had taken the place of Sir Richard MacDonnell 
 as Governor of South Australia. Having marked out his 
 course in advance and found that it was safe for all the party 
 to proceed, he followed his tracks back to Auld's Ponds, and 
 then back to the depot at Howell's Ponds, to bring the whole 
 party on to Daly Waters. This was not an easy matter, 
 but Stuart was a splendid bushman. Turning to his Journal 
 we find this entry : "This would be a fearful country for any- 
 one to be lost in, as there is nothing to guide, and one cannot 
 see more than 300 yards around, the gum-trees are so 
 thick, and the small belts of lance-wood make it very 
 deceptive. Should anyone be so unfortunate as to be lost it 
 would be quite impossible to find them again." 
 
 The depot was now removed to Daly Waters. In the 
 Journal we now find this entry : "I feel this heavy work much 
 more than I did the journey last year; so much of it is be- 
 ginning to tell upon me. I feel my capability of endurance 
 beginning to give way." No wonder ! For years Stuart 
 had been trying to wring from the interior its secrets. In the 
 wilds of Australia, never trodden by the foot of white man, 
 he had faced inhospitable surroundings that would have com- 
 pletely discomfited and daunted ordinary men. In addition 
 to this the responsibility of each expedition devolved upon 
 him. He had to keep the members of the party in good 
 humour ; to a very large extent he was responsible for their 
 unity and safety. The mental as well as the physical strain 
 must have been severe. He now began to "feel" his way 
 forward from Daly Waters. Fortunately he found some more 
 waterholes, to which he gave the name of "Purdie's Ponds," 
 in honour of Dr. Purdie, of Edinburgh. He now removed 
 his depot to this locality. Gradually he was making head- 
 way. The next helpful discovery was a creek, to which he 
 gave the name of "Strangways," after the Hon. H. B. T. 
 Strangways, Commissioner of Crown Lands in South Austra- 
 lia. Next he removed his camp another stage forward, and 
 several interesting and useful discoveries were made in 
 the form of fish for food, cane, and a beautiful new specimen
 
 340 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 of water lily. The country over which Stuart was now travel- 
 ling was well grassed, especially near the river. He was 
 in what is known as the Northern Territory. A number of 
 natives were seen, the country apparently being well popu- 
 lated. Stuart wrote: "Struck a large sheet of clear deep 
 water on which were a number of natives with their 
 lubras c* * and children. They set up a fearful yelling and 
 squalling, and ran off as fast as they could." Stuart had 
 now struck the River Roper. Here the party by accident 
 had the misfortune to lose a horse, but the loss in other ways 
 was serviceable. The animal was cut up for food. Turning 
 again to the Journal we read : "We are all enjoying a delight- 
 ful change of fresh meat from dry. It is a great treat, and 
 the horse eats remarkably well, although not quite so good as 
 bullock. The natives are still burning the grass round us, 
 but they have not made their appearance." A river was 
 next found to which Stuart gave the name of "Chambers," 
 after his late lamented friend and patron, James Chambers. 
 They were visited by a number of natives, who did not like 
 the look of the horses Thring opened the lips of one of the 
 horses and showed the natives its teeth. This was quite suffi- 
 cient ; they made off the moment they saw the teeth, and kept 
 at a respectful distance. Another river was discovered to 
 which Stuart gave the name of "Waterhouse," after the natu- 
 ralist of his party. 
 
 They now had plenty of food and water, and we must 
 hurry on to the end. In his Journal Stuart wrote: "I did not 
 inform any of the party, except Thring and Auld, that I was 
 so near the sea, as I wished to give them a surprise. 
 Thring, who rode in advance of me, called out 'The sea!' 
 which so took them all by surprise that he had to repeat the 
 call before they fully understood what was meant. Then 
 they immediately gave three loud and hearty cheers. . . . i 
 dipped my feet and washed my face and hands in the sea, 
 as I promised the late Governor (Sir Richard MacDonnell) 
 I would do if I reached it. . . . Thus I have, through the 
 instrumentality of Divine Providence, been led to accomplish 
 the great object of the expedition and take the whole party 
 safely as witnesses to the fact." 
 
 Stuart had a piece of ground cleared, and selecting one 
 of the highest trees stripped it of its lowest branches, and on 
 the top fixed the Union Jack, with his name attached. The 
 party gave three cheers. Messrs. Kekwick and Waterhouse 
 complimented Stuart on the achievement of his object. Three 
 
 (40) Wives.
 
 THE VEIL LIFTED. 341 
 
 cheers were given for the Queen and the Prince of Wales, 
 and at the foot of the tree a case was buried containing a 
 paper, on which was written : 
 
 "The exploring party, under the command of John 
 McDouall Stuart, arrived at this spot on the 25th day of 
 July, 1862, having crossed the entire Continent of Australia 
 from the Southern to the Indian Ocean, passing through the 
 centre. They left the City of Adelaide on the 26th. day of 
 October, 1861. ... To commemorate this happy event 
 they have raised this flag, bearing his name. All well. God 
 save the Queen !"(4i) 
 
 Stuart had to retrace his steps through the Austra- 
 lian wilds to recross the Continent to reach the City of 
 Adelaide. We cannot follow him all the way on his return 
 journey. 
 
 Poor Stuart ! He had to pay the penalty for his laudable 
 ambition and devotion. On his way back he sTiffered severely 
 from scurvy and bad eyes. At Mount Hay he wrote in his 
 Journal : "So much exhausted and so completely done up that 
 I could not speak a word the power of speech has completely 
 left me. I was lifted from the saddle and placed under the 
 shade of a mulga bush. In about 10 minutes I recovered 
 my speech. I find that I can no longer sit on horseback. 
 Gave orders for some of the party to make a sort of reclining 
 seat, to be carried between two horses. Also gave orders 
 that a horse was to be shot at sundown, as we are getting 
 rather short of meat, and I hope the change of beef tea, made 
 from fresh meat, will give me some increase of strength." 
 Farther on he wrote: "On Tuesday night I certainly was in 
 the grasp of death. A cold, clammy perspiration, with a 
 tremulous motion, kept creeping slowly over my body during 
 the night, and everything near me had the smell of decaying 
 mortality. ... I sincerely thank the Almighty Disposer 
 of Events that He, in His infinite goodness and mercy, gave 
 me strength and courage to overcome . . . the King of 
 Terrors, and has kindly permitted me yet to live a little longer 
 in this world. . . . My right hand nearly useless to me. 
 Total blindness after sundown ; although the moon shines 
 bright to others, to me it is total darkness ; nearly blind all 
 day : my limbs so weak and painful that I am obliged to be 
 carried about. My body reduced to that of a living skeleton, 
 and my strength that of infantine weakness a sad, sad wreck 
 of former days." 
 
 (41) The case and its contents were either stolen by the black* 
 or covered by the debris washed up by the tide.
 
 342 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Eventually the party readied the City of Adelaide, where 
 an ovation awaited them. 
 
 WELCOME HOME. 
 
 Wednesday, January 21st, 1863, in the growing City of 
 Adelaide was a day to be remembered. The Press of the 
 period said : ''The elements seemed to be in unison with 
 the feelings of the people, and the sun shone out brightly" ; 
 bright "as the prospects which Stuart's great discoveries 
 opened to South Australia. The air was as genial as the wel- 
 come which the people were prepared to give their great ex- 
 plorer." At an early hour city and suburbs were astir. 
 There were indications of a general and gladsome holiday. 
 Suburban residents poured into the city (no longer a 
 collection of huts) from every quarter. The streets 
 were crowded with the pioneers and their families, and with 
 those who had come from Old England at a later period. A 
 great national event was to be celebrated, and the pilgrim 
 fathers and mothers, with their Australian sons and daughters, 
 wished to be in it. Few places of business were open, and 
 those that were open soon closed as if ashamed of their want 
 of respect for the festive occasion. King William Street was 
 spanned at intervals with lines from which hung flags of all 
 nations. A triumphal arch of evergreens graced the entrance 
 to the Assembly Rooms, where a banquet was to be spread. 
 There was a line of flags across the city bridge, and O'Connell 
 Street, North Adelaide, down which the procession was to 
 come, was gaily decorated. Along the line which the proces- 
 sion was to take banners and flags were displayed bearing 
 various inscriptions: "Welcome to Stuart and Party," "Here 
 the Conquering Heroes Come," ''Welcome Home," "Honour to 
 the South Australian Pioneers." There was a display of 
 evergreens as well as of bunting. As the morning advanced 
 the streets along which the procession was to pass were lined 
 with vehicles, equestrians, and people on foot. Never before 
 had the footpaths been so crowded with gay and happy 
 groups. None (barring perhaps the census-takers) "could have 
 imagined that Adelaide and its suburbs contained so many 
 stalwart young men and blooming maidens as came forth to 
 do honour to John McDouall Stuart and his party, who had 
 successfully passed through the hitherto unknown wilds of 
 the Australian interior." 
 
 As the time approached for Mr. Stuart and his party to 
 appear at the point where the procession was to form an im- 
 mense body of people gathered. Shortly after the appointed
 
 THE VEIL LIFTED. 343 
 
 hour the heroic Stuart and his party appeared in their bush 
 costume. The leader was accompanied by his friends and 
 patrons, Messrs. John Chambers and William Finke (James 
 Chambers had passed away). 
 
 Mr. Stuart did not seem to be in good health, but 
 the rest of the party were looking as well as when they started 
 on the journey. The packhorses, forty-one in number, were 
 led by the members of the party. The welcome was a most 
 enthusiastic one. 
 
 Addressing the leader of the party the Governor (Sir 
 Dominick Daly) said : "1 feel, and your fellow-colonists feel, 
 great pride at the successful completion of what appeared not 
 only to be a difficult but an impossible task. You have been 
 successful, and it must be confessed that you stand now the 
 foremost the very prince of explorers. You have crossed 
 the great Continent and have traced a path which renders 
 the repetition of the task a mere question of the purse." 
 
 His Excellency called for three cheers for Mr. Stuart, 
 and these fairly "made the welkin ring." The gallant 
 explorer was quite overcome and able to speak only a few 
 sentences. 
 
 The Mayor of Adelaide (Thomas English) gave an 
 address on behalf of the Corporation. "Allow me to take," 
 said he, "the opportunity to express my admiration of the 
 skill, bravery, and perseverance which you have exhibited 
 in carrying out your great undertaking to a successful issue. 
 You have traversed the Continent at its greatest width from 
 south to north. You have planted the flag of our Empire 
 upon the shores of the Indian Ocean. You have bathed 
 your feet in those far waters. You have recrossed the Con- 
 tinent, and, thanks to the Almighty Disposer of Events, you 
 now stand safe, with all your party in good health, before 
 us." 
 
 Various addresses from other bodies were read. 
 
 The banquet that followed was a brilliant affair a great 
 contrast to the wilderness through which the party had passed. 
 There were mottoes, evergreens, flowers, Chinese lanterns, 
 variegated lamps, and flags. The Governor presided and 
 addresses were given by leading pioneers. Replying to the 
 addresses Mr. Stuart said his party had tried to do all 
 that was possible to be done during the expedition. In the 
 last five years he and his friends had endeavoured to pene- 
 trate to the opposite coast, but they had failed to do so in 
 every effort but the last. On the last occasion he had 
 determined to reach the northern shores or die in the 
 attempt. When he left Newcastle Waters he felt that he was
 
 344 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 not far from death's door, and doubted if he should be able 
 to accomplish the undertaking. He was determined to do 
 whatever was in the power of man to do, and had succeeded 
 in crossing over to the north coast. He felt extremely grati- 
 fied at the hearty reception they had given him and his party. 
 They had honoured him with the most glorious procession 
 ever seen in the annals of Australia. 
 
 The South Australian Government, in a very practical 
 way, showed its appreciation of Stuart's labours. The Par- 
 liament voted him 2,000 and allowed him the use of 1,000 
 square miles in the interior for a number of years free of 
 charge. It also gave gratuities to his men. The Royal 
 Geographical Society of London awarded Stuart its gold 
 medal and presented him with a gold watch. As we shall 
 see farther on, he did not live long to enjoy his honours. 
 
 At the forty-ninth anniversary of Stuart's splendid 
 achievement, celebrated in Adelaide on July 25, 1911, five of 
 the band were still alive, viz., William P. Auld, Stephen 
 King, John W. Billiatt (in England), Heath Nash, and John 
 McGorrey. In addition to the leader the following had 
 passed away : William D. Kekwick, at Nuccalina, October 
 16, 1872 ; James Frew, at Glenelg, September 8, 1877 ; 
 Frederick G. Waterhouse, at Mannahill, September 7, 1898 : 
 and Francis William Thring, at Parkside, July 17, 1908.
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS.
 
 EDWARD JOHN EYRE.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 
 
 The "Tight Little Island" of which we are all so proud 
 has produced some famous men, but since the Saxon invasion 
 she has produced no men of finer type than those of whom 
 I have now to speak. 
 
 In our first chapter we followed Captain Matthew 
 Flinders on his voyage of discovery to Terra Australia, and 
 sailed with him round the south coast. We saw Captain 
 Charles Sturt in his whaleboat sailing down the Murrum- 
 bidgee, shooting into a noble river that eye of white man had 
 never seen, and then sailing on for hundreds of miles into 
 the heart of an absolutely unknown country. In our last 
 chapter we saw the same gallant explorer trying to lift the 
 veil from the centre of the Australian Continent. We also 
 followed the heroic Edward John Eyre as he fought his way 
 against fearful odds from South to Western Australia. 
 
 These are the men grand, glorious men who have 
 helped to make the Empire, and the reader would like to 
 know more of them. Who were their parents? Where were 
 they born ? What was their history before they came to the 
 Great Lone Land ? Where and how did they end their days ? 
 These are questions which, in the nature of things, must 
 suggest themselves to our minds. The story that we have to 
 tell is still full of thrilling interest. Verily "truth is stranger 
 than fiction." 
 
 CAPTAIN MATTHEW FLINDERS. 
 
 He came from a race of surgeons. It was to this profes- 
 sion that his father belonged. Matthew was born on March 
 16th, 1774, at Donington, in Lincolnshire. How often the 
 career of a man is decided by the associations of his youth. 
 It was so in the case of young Flinders. He read "Robinson 
 Crusoe," and the book sent him to sea. Drugs and the 
 anatomy of the human body had no charm for him they were 
 too prosaic the goal of his ambition was to sail over unknown 
 seas. He gave himself to the study of geometry and naviga- 
 tion, and then set sail upon the ocean. Young Flinders was 
 on board the Belter ophon when Lord Howe won his signal 
 victory over the French on June 1st, 1794. He next sailed 
 with Captain Bligh on a voyage to the South Sea Islands. 
 The next time we meet with him he is on board the Reliance 
 
 ( 347 )
 
 348 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 a5 midshipman, bound for the young settlement on the eastern 
 coast of New Holland. It was "his passion for exploring new 
 countries" that "led him to embrace an opportunity of going 
 out upon a station, which, of all others, presented the most 
 ample fields for his favourite pursuit." Such is his testimony. 
 It was in September, 1795, that the Rel'm-ncr rode into Port 
 Jackson, New South Wales. 
 
 The surgeon of the vessel was a young man named George 
 Bass. Like Flinders, he was thirsting for adventure. While 
 the Reliance was stationed at Port Jackson these two young 
 men secured a boat, only 8 ft. long, which they christened 
 the Tom Thumb. In this small craft, with only a lad to 
 assist them, they spent some time in exploring the Australian 
 coast. It was a risky experiment, but full of romance. They 
 fairly revelled in it, for were they not sailing where boat 
 of civilized man had never been. Sometimes they were in 
 danger of wreck, and at least on one occasion they were at 
 the mercy of the blacks. Their supply of water was getting 
 low. The Tom Thumb was anchored and they proceeded to 
 examine the coast. Soon they were surrounded by natives, 
 but Flinders created diversion for them in a singular way. 
 One or two of these blacks had been brought into contact with 
 whites before and had had their hair cut. Others now wished 
 to have the same distinction, so while Flinders' powder was 
 drying he took a large pair of scissors and set to work "upon 
 the eldest of four or five chins presented to him." He says: 
 "As great nicety was not required, the shearing of a dozen 
 of them did not occupy me long." Everything "being prepared 
 for a retreat ... it was not without stratagem that we 
 succeeded in getting down to the entrance of the stream, 
 where depth of water placed us out of their reach." On this 
 trip Flinders discovered indications of the coalfields that have 
 made New South Wales famous. 
 
 For a time the two young adventurers were separated. 
 Bass took a whaleboat and set out on a voyage of exploration. 
 He sailed for about 600 miles along the coast, and from what 
 he saw surmised the existence of a strait separating Van 
 Diemen's Land (Tasmania) from the Australian Continent. 
 In after years, speaking of this trip, Flinders said : "A 
 voyage expressly undertaken for discovery in an open boat, 
 and in which 600 miles of coast, mostly in a boisterous climate, 
 was explored, has not perhaps its equal in the annals of 
 maritime history." 
 
 The Governor of New South Wales furnished Flinders 
 with a sloop of 25 tons to further explore the Aus- 
 tralian coast and to look for the strait the existence of which
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 349 
 
 Bass had surmised. In this expedition Bass was associated 
 with Flinders. They circumnavigated Van Diemen's Land, 
 and the strait separating it from the mainland has ever since 
 been known and mapped as Bass Strait. 
 
 After their return to Port Jackson Bass sailed for 
 England and Flinders went on another exploratory tour 
 round the Australian coast. < 42 > 
 
 The Reliance was ordered to England, and Flinders 
 returned in the vessel to his native land. 
 
 Hitherto the south coast of Australia was unknown. 
 There was a desire among authorities in the Old Land that 
 it should be explored. The Admiralty took the matter up. 
 A man-of-war (the Investigator) was fitted out and Flinders 
 was put in command. With this expedition we have dealt in 
 our first chapter. We there took leave of Flinders at 
 Encounter Bay. Thence he proceeded to Port Jackson, 
 New South Wales. 
 
 After spending some time in port he set sail, examining 
 the east and north coasts of Australia and sailing right round 
 the Australian Continent. 
 
 Having accomplished all that he desired, Flinders deter- 
 mined to sail for the Old Land. The Investigator was found 
 to be unseaworthy, so the Porpoise was secured. It was 
 Flinders' desire to sail home as a passenger. This would 
 give him time to prepare the results of his voyage 
 for the Admiralty. Command of the Porpoise was 
 given to Lieutenant Fowler. No doubt his distinguished 
 passenger and old commander was looking forward 
 to a safe, speedy, and pleasant voyage. But such was not 
 to be. From this time misfortune dogged Flinders' steps. 
 The vessel struck on a reef. There were two other ships in 
 the wake of the Porpoise. One of these also struck. Fortu- 
 nately only three lives were lost. The valuable collection of 
 Australian plants that Flinders was conveying to England was 
 lost and other curiosities which he had collected. 
 
 In the morning the shipwrecked party found shelter above 
 water-mark, and water and provisions were secured from the 
 wreck. 
 
 The cutter was then made ready and Flinders sailed 
 back to Port Jackson for help. Governor King's surprise can 
 be imagined when he again saw in the flesh one whom he 
 
 (42) Bass had a mysterious end. He returned to England, and 
 then sailed again for New South Wales in the Venus. The 
 vessel arrived safely at her destination. On the return voyage 
 both the Venus and her crew mysteriously disappeared. What 
 became of the adventurous Bass no one knows.
 
 350 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 thought to be well on his way to the Old Land. The Holla, a 
 vessel bound for China, and two smaller ships were sent to 
 rescue the wrecked mariners. 
 
 Governor King offered Flinders the use of the Cumber- 
 land, a vessel of 29 tons burden, with which to get 
 to England, if possible, without delay. On September 29th, 
 1803, he sailed out of Sydney Harbour. 
 
 On arrival at the scene of the wreck the whole party 
 were found to be well. Flinders then chose ten officers and 
 men to sail with him in the Cumberland to England. The 
 remainder of the party went on board the Rolla bound for 
 China, or on the other two vessels, which were to return to 
 Port Jackson. 
 
 Poor Flinders ! One misfortune after another overtook 
 him. The Cumberland needed repairs. Flinders was not 
 aware that there was war between France and England, so he 
 called in at Mauritius. Here he and his crew were taken 
 prisoners. Burning with anxiety to reach England and to 
 make known to the world the results of his explorations, his 
 position was desperate. He tells how he was conducted to a 
 large house in the middle of the town and through a long 
 dark entry up a dirty staircase into a room. The chamber 
 contained two truckle beds, a small table, and two rush- 
 bottomed chairs. He stripped and got into bed, but not to 
 sleep. Between the mosquitoes above and the bugs below, 
 as well as the novelty of the position, it was near daybreak 
 before he fell asleep. 
 
 Later on he says : ''We who were shut up in the middle 
 of the town and from having been three months confined 
 to a vessel of 29 tons were much in need of exercise. 
 The heat and want of fresh air were not the worst evils. Our 
 undefended pallet beds were besieged with swarms of bugs 
 and mosquitoes, and the bites of these noxious insects upon 
 bodies ready to break out with scurvy produced effects more 
 than usually painful. Being almost covered with inflamed 
 spots, some of which had become ulcers on my legs and feet, I 
 wrote to the captain -general requesting the assistance of a 
 surgeon." 
 
 Mr. Aken, of the Cumberland, was released. He took 
 with him to England several despatches from Flinders. 
 
 After about three years' imprisonment Flinders wrote : 
 "The state of incertitude in which I remained after nearly 
 three years of anxiety brought on a dejection of spirits which 
 might have proved fatal had I not sought, by constant occupa- 
 t'on, to force my mind from a subject so destructive to its 
 repose. I reconstructed some of my charts on a larger
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 351 
 
 scale . . . and completed for the Admiralty an enlarged 
 copy of the Investigator's log-book. The study of the French 
 language was pursued with increased application. But what 
 assisted most in dispelling the melancholy was a packet of 
 letters from England bringing intelligence of my family ana 
 friends and the satisfactory information that Mr. Aken had 
 safely reached London with all the charts, journals, letters, 
 and instruments committed to his charge." 
 
 One after another other prisoners were exchanged and 
 released, but poor Flinders remained. 
 
 In June, 1810, through the good offices of Mr. Hope, 
 Commissary of Prisoners, Flinders was released on parole 
 after an imprisonment of nearly seven years. To add to his 
 misfortunes efforts were made by some of the French to 
 deprive him of the honour of his discoveries on the South 
 Australian coast. 
 
 When he reached home he spent the remainder of his 
 life in preparing for publication his "Account of a Voyage to 
 Terra Australia." He died just about the time that it was 
 published, July 14th, 1814. The ruling passion of his life 
 was strong in death. Among his last words were these: "T 
 know that in future days of exploration mv spirit will rise 
 from the dead and follow the exploring ships." 
 
 CAPTAIN CHARLES STURT. 
 
 A man beloved by the South Australian pioneers. Long 
 as the Province endures his memory will be venerated. He 
 was born in India in 1795. His father was a judge. In early 
 life Charles was sent to England. He was educated at 
 Harrow, and had some of the bitter experiences common 
 to schoolboys in those days. Charles was "fag" to the 
 Duke of Dorset. On one occasion this aristocratic youth 
 sent him to the top of a high tree to rob a rook's nest, and 
 then thrashed him because one of the eggs was broken in his 
 descent. Young Sturt replied by throwing a brickbat at his 
 persecutor. 
 
 In 1813 he joined the army as ensign, and saw active 
 service on the Continent and in Canada. For some time he 
 served in Ireland. Here he passed through some stirring 
 experiences in connection with the Whiteboy organization. 
 The numerous evictions in Ireland lay at the basis of this 
 society. It spread rapidly through many coxmties, and for 
 a time established a reign of terror. Sturt was called out one 
 night to defend a farmhouse attacked by the Whiteboys. His 
 experience on this occasion was such as to destroy all sympathy 
 with Irish patriotism. He found a farmhoxise in ruins, and
 
 352 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 among the debris was the dead body of a beautiful girl, as 
 well as the lifeless bodies of other members of the family. 
 
 In 1825 Sturt was gazetted captain, and a year later he 
 sailed for New South Wales in command of a detachment 
 of his regiment. For some time he acted as Governor Darling's 
 private secretary. He then led an exploring party into the 
 interior, and discovered and named the River Darling. 
 
 With his romantic trip down the Murray and through 
 Lake Alexandrina we have dealt in our first chapter. He then 
 returned to New South Wales and was sent on military 
 service to Norfolk Island, a convict settlement. Here he had 
 some exciting adventiires with the convicts and succeeded in 
 stamping out a mutiny. 
 
 After putting things in order at Norfolk Island Captain 
 Sturt, in ill-health and threatened with blindness, sailed for 
 England. Here he published an account of his explorations 
 and retired from the army. 
 
 Returning to New South Wales he began sheep-farming. 
 
 We next find him leading an overland expedition in 
 charge of cattle to the New Settlement in South Australia. 
 The journey was both difficult and dangerous, and Sturt and 
 his party were often in jeopardy from hostile blacks. He left 
 New South Wales with his cattle in May, 1838, and reached 
 the New Settlement on the Adelaide plains at the end of 
 August of the same year. The new colony had not then been 
 in existence four years. Among those to welcome him was 
 Edward John Eyre. 
 
 After returning to New South Wales he accepted office 
 as Surveyor-General of South Australia, and selling his cattle 
 station removed with his wife and family to Adelaide. His 
 next appointment was that of Registrar-General. 
 
 In 1844 he set out upon the heroic attempt to reach the 
 centre of the Australian Continent, which we narrated in our 
 previous chapter. 
 
 In 1847 he went on leave of absence to England and 
 received the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society. 
 Two years later he returned to Adelaide. When the new 
 Legislative Council on a more representative basis was formed 
 in 1851 Captain Sturt was appointed Colonial Secretary. A 
 few years later he retired from the Government service and 
 received a pension of 600 a year in recognition of the services 
 he had rendered to the colony. Captain Sturt had a great 
 love for South Australia. Said he : "Wherever I may 
 go, to whatever part of the world my destinies may lead me, 
 I shall yet hope one day to return to my adopted home, and 
 make it my resting-place between this world and the next."
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 353 
 
 It may interest the South Australian reader to know that 
 Captain Sturt's home in the colony was at the Grange, near 
 the seashore, a few miles to the west of Adelaide. Speak- 
 ing of it he said : "The Grange is a most healthy spot. It 
 has fine, lofty, umbrageous trees, like oaks, the moisture hav- 
 ing drawn their limbs horizontal. It is the most English- 
 looking place in the Province." 
 
 In 1853 Captain Sturt again sailed for England. He 
 died suddenly in England on June 16th, 1869. Captain 
 Sturt was designated for the honour of knighthood, but died 
 before it was conferred. His widow survived him many 
 years and bore the title of Lady Sturt. The name of this 
 pioneer will be handed down to future generations in the dis- 
 trict of Sturt south of Adelaide, a street in Adelaide, and 
 in a small river that bears his name. 
 
 What has specially impressed me as I have followed Cap- 
 tain Sturt from place to place has been his unwavering con- 
 fidence in God his recognition of an overruling Providence. 
 
 EDWARD JOHN EYRE. 
 
 A man of heroic, determined spirit, who for many years 
 led a most eventful life. Eyre came from an old and honour- 
 able English family. He was the son of a clergyman, and 
 was born in Yorkshire in 1815, the year of the battle of 
 Waterloo. It has been said of him that he was "a grave, 
 quiet, self-centred, composed boy, remarkable only for the 
 dogged resolution with which he pursued any amusement, 
 study, or occupation he had once begun." He was sent to 
 the Louth Grammar School, at which Alfred Tennyson had 
 been educated. Young Eyre was a hard worker at school, 
 and must have had some literary talent, as one of his masters 
 predicted that some day he would be "a blazing star in the 
 literary horizon." Arithmetic and algebra seem to have been 
 his favourite studies : he also acquired some knowledge of 
 chemistry and astronomy. In his childhood Eyre was not 
 without adventures, and on two or three occasions narrowly 
 escaped drowning. 
 
 At the age of seventeen, with 400 in his pocket, Eyre 
 sailed for the young settlement in New South Wales. Here 
 he began life as a sheepfarmer. This was in the year 1833. 
 Five years later we first meet with him in the history of 
 South Australia. He came overland from New Soiith Wales 
 to Adelaide with a herd of cattle. On the way he discovered 
 a lake and named it Hindmarsh, after the Governor. Re- 
 turning to New South Wales he made a second trip 
 in 1839, bringing with him 1,000 sheep and 600 head
 
 354 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 of cattle. It was shortly after this that we find him in the 
 pioneer Court. It was in this way : The overland trips in 
 the early days were difficult and dangerous. For months 
 those who were engaged in them were away from civilization. 
 There was no clearly defined route. The pioneers in those 
 enterprises had to travel through unknown country. Day by 
 day they had to grope their way through mallee scrub and 
 gum-tree forests. In summer the heat was intense and some- 
 times the dust blinding; in winter the cold was biting and 
 the rain drenching. At night time they hobbled their horses 
 and outspanned their oxen. A rude shelter was made. The 
 fire was lit and the pot boiled. The party then sat down to 
 damper and mutton. The meal over, one or two would keep 
 watch while the others unrolled their bedding and lay down 
 to rest. There was very little change of diet, and in sum- 
 mer it was sometimes difficult to find water. They were 
 liable to attacks from hostile blacks, and there was the possi- 
 bility of the party losing their bearings. When the journey 
 was successfully ended and they reached the little settlement 
 on the plains of Adelaide, is it any wonder if they went in for 
 a little recreation ? After this second journey Eyre and 
 some other overlaiiders had a banquet. Evidently they did 
 not sit down first and count the cost. The banquet was over 
 and the bill came in. It amounted to 180. Eyre and his 
 fellow-overlanders refused to pay the high price demanded, 
 regarding the charge as extortionate. The case came before 
 the pioneer Court and a verdict was given for the payment 
 of 151. This incident is, indeed, a sidelight upon the 
 social life of our pilgrim fathers. It furnishes us with a clue 
 to the prices charged by some of the pioneer caterers. There 
 were six hams, 7 17s. 6d. ; six roast geese at 1 each ; two 
 legs of mutton, 1 ; sixteen chickens, 3 12s. ; twelve pairs 
 of fowls, 8 12s. ; eight pairs of pigeons at 10s. a pair; three 
 dozen tongues, 7 16s. ; twelve dozen eggs at 6s. per dozen; 
 36 Ib. of butter at 3s. 6d. per Ib. : 20 ft>. of jam, 4. Other 
 articles in the same proportion soon brought the bill to 180 
 It was necessary to charge extortionate prices when one of the 
 cooks was paid 1 per day! 
 
 Of the overlanders who celebrated the end of their jour- 
 neys in the way we have indicated an old pioneer has 
 said : "This class of colonists were mostly all in the prime of 
 youth and of good families, but finding no outlet for their 
 enterprise and love of adventure in England, sought it at the 
 Antipodes. Amongst them, therefore, was found a degree 
 of polish and openness rarely to be looked for in siich a mode 
 of life : and in the distant bush one would unexpectedly
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 355 
 
 stumble on a finished gentleman in the bushman's garb of 
 blue shirt, soiled cabba-ge-tree hat with broad black ribbon, 
 and booted and spurred, and with the indispensable stock- 
 whip in his hand and last, not least, a short black clay pipe 
 in his mouth. Yet many of these worthies had been educated 
 at Eton and Cambridge."* 43 ) 
 
 Not long after the events which I have just narrated 
 Eyre and his party set out to explore the interior. With 
 this heroic enterprise the last chapter has dealt. He re- 
 turned in July, 1841, and a banquet was tendered to him. He 
 was then appointed Resident Magistrate at Moorunde, on the 
 River Murray. We have spoken of the attacks made by the 
 blacks on overland parties. The object of the appointment of 
 a magistrate was to try to bring about a better understand- 
 ing between the blacks and the whites. In the attainment 
 of this object Eyre was eminently successful. He obtained 
 the confidence and the goodwill of the natives and had great 
 influence over them, travelling alone from wurley to wurley 
 and from tribe to tribe up the Murray and the Darling. Said 
 he : "I have gone almost alone among hordes of fierce and 
 bloodthirsty savages, as they were considered, and have stood 
 singly among them in the remote and trackless wilds when 
 hundreds were congregated around without ever receiving the 
 least injury or insult. In my first visits to the more distant 
 tribes I found them shy, alarmed, and suspicious. But soon 
 learning that I had no wish to injure them they met me with 
 readiness and confidence. My wishes became their law ; they 
 conceded points to me that they would not have done to their 
 own people, and on many occasions cheerfully underwent 
 hunger, thirst, and fatigue to serve me." 
 
 In 1844 Eyre retired from his position as magistrate at 
 Moorunde. Two years later he was appointed Lieutenant- 
 Go vernor in New Zealand in association with Sir George Grey. 
 This position he held for six years, giving full satisfaction to 
 the Imperial authorities. Here his love of adventure led him 
 into danger. In company with some Maoris he climbed a 
 high snow-capped mountain. In the descent one of the 
 Maoris fell a depth of 1,500 ft. Eyre had a narrow escape, 
 but his presence of mind saved him. His foot slipped, 
 but dashing his iron-shod pole into the snow he maintained 
 his position. The whole night was spent on the mountain on 
 the brink of destruction. The descent was safely negotiated 
 the next day. After spending his full term in New Zealand 
 he returned to England and was appointed Lieutenant- 
 
 (43) "Reminiscences" : Alexander Tolmer. 
 
 L2
 
 356 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Governor of St. Vincent, in the West Indies. Here he re- 
 mained for six years. 
 
 We are now approaching one of the most painful periods 
 of his life. The awful struggle he had had with adverse 
 circumstances in the Australian bush must have been a 
 bitter experience. Much more so, perhaps, that which we have 
 now to relate. 
 
 One of the most difficult positions in the service of the 
 Crown was the Governorship of Jamaica. To this Eyre was 
 appointed. Here an insurrection broke out in which a 
 mulatto named Gordon, an educated man and member of 
 the Legislature, seems to have played a prominent part. At 
 Morant Bay hundreds of negroes, armed with muskets, 
 bayonets, cutlasses, fish spears, and long poles, with billhooks 
 attached, rose against the whites. The volunteers were over- 
 powered. Several were killed. The remainder, in company 
 with some prominent whites (among whom were the rector 
 and his sons), took refuge in the court-house. The negroes 
 held a consultation and then set fire to the court-house. The 
 inmates succeeded in making their escape to the school-house. 
 This, too, was set on fire. As the burning roof fell in the 
 victims tried to escape. Some were shot by the negroes, some 
 cut down with cutlasses, and others killed with sticks. The 
 tongue of the rector (the Rev. Mr. Herschell) was cut out. 
 Flushed and maddened with their success the rioters then 
 proceeded to stir up all the negroes in the colony, and thus 
 to create a general insurrection. 
 
 As soon as Governor Eyre heard of the outbreak he called 
 the Executive together, proclaimed martial law over the dis- 
 affected district, gathered a force, and set out for Morant Bay. 
 Paul Bogle, the leader of the Morant Bay massacre, was 
 captured. The rebels were hemmed in and the insurrection 
 crushed. Gordon was arrested, court-martialed, and hanged 
 on the ruins of the court-house. Many negroes were put to 
 death, some were flogged, and hundreds of their huts were 
 burned. 
 
 When the news reached England Governor Eyre's action 
 was resented by a section of the community. A Royal Com- 
 mission was appointed to enquire into his conduct. The finding 
 of the Commission was that while the Governor had acted 
 with skill and promptitude the punishments inflicted were 
 excessive. The Imperial authorities wrote to Governor Eyre 
 to the effect that, although they appreciated his prompt action 
 in checking the insurrection, they considered it would be 
 wise if some gentleman who had not been obliged to take sides 
 in the recent trouble should be entrusted with the dutv of
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 357 
 
 inaugurating a new Constitution for the island. This was the 
 Governor's recall. All England was stirred. The biographer 
 of the late Professor Huxley (his son) says the question 
 of Governor Eyre's justification in the execution of Gordon 
 stirred England profoundly. "It became the touchstone of 
 ultimate political convictions. Men who had little concern 
 for ordinary politics came forward to defend a great constitu- 
 tional principle which they conceived to be endangered. A 
 committee was formed to prosecute Governor Eyre on a charge 
 of murder. Thereupon a counter committee was organized for 
 the defence of the man who, like Cromwell, judged that the 
 people preferred their real security to forms, and had presum- 
 ably saved the white population of Jamaica by striking 
 promptly at the focus of rebellion. "(**) 
 
 Over the legality of Governor Eyre's conduct men who 
 had been the dearest friends were divided. The leading spirit 
 in the committee formed for the prosecution of the Governor 
 for murder was John Stuart Mill. In antagonism to him was 
 Professor Tyndall. Said the latter : "Mr. John Stuart Mill 
 has more than once recommended the outspoken manly utter- 
 ance of conviction. I hope he will bear it with good temper 
 when he finds such utterance to be in opposition to himself. 
 He doubtless sees in himself the assertor of constitutional 
 principles. I see in him the persecutor of a man who has done 
 the State incalculable service. I see him endeavouring to fix 
 the brand of murder upon one who (whatever his legal errors 
 roay have been) saved the colony which he ruled from excesses 
 a million times more terrible" more terrible than the excesses 
 said to have been committed by the Governor's sxibordinates. 
 
 Professor Huxley, who has dedicated his "Lay Sermons 
 and Reviews" to "His Dear Tyndall," on this occasion was in 
 antagonism to him. Writing to Charles Darwin, Huxley 
 remarked : "I am glad to hear from Spencer that you are on 
 the right (that is my) side in the Jamaica business. But it is 
 wonderful how people who commonly act together are divided 
 about it." In commenting upon the case Huxley said : "I 
 desire to see Mr. Eyre indicted and a verdict of guilty in a 
 criminal court obtained." This statement reveals not the 
 cool, calculating philosopher, but the heated partisan who 
 seems to have been thirsting for the condemnation of a man. 
 Writing to Professor Tyndall he expressed a hope that their 
 friendship was strong enough to stand any strain that might 
 be put upon it, at the same time expressing grief that they 
 should be ranged in opposite camps over the Eyre controversy. 
 
 (44) "Life of Professor Huxley.''
 
 358 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Thomas Carlyle, to whom Governor Eyre was unknown in 
 person, was deeply moved by sympathy for him. He was now 
 an old man. Writing to a friend he said: "Yesterday, ill 
 spite of the rain, I got up to the Eyre Committee and let 
 myself be voted to the chair, such being the post of danger on 
 this occasion. Poor Eyre ! I am heartily sorry for him 
 and for the English nation which makes such a dismal fool 
 of itself. Eyre, it seems, has suddenly fallen from 6,000 a 
 year into almost zero, and has a large family and needy 
 kindred dependent upon him. Such is his reward for saving 
 the West Indies and hanging one incendiary mulatto well 
 worth the gallows if I can judge." 
 
 Froude, in his history of "Thomas Carlyle's Life in 
 London," says: "In submission to general clamour Eyre had 
 been recalled in disgrace. He had applied for other employ- 
 ment and had been refused. He had several children and 
 was irretrievably ruined. It was (Carlyle said to me) as if a 
 ship had been on fire; the captain, by immediate and bold 
 action, haxi put the fire out and had been called to account 
 for having flung a bucket or two of water into the hold beyond 
 what was necessary. He had damaged some of the cargo, 
 perhaps, but he had saved the ship." 
 
 Alfred Tennyson sent a contribution to the Eyre defence 
 fund as a tribute to the nobleness of the man, and as a 
 protest against the spirit in which a servant of the State who 
 had saved one of the islands of the Empire and many English 
 lives was hunted down. 
 
 Evidently the question was a very involved one. It was 
 not possible for people living in England to enter into all 
 the peculiarities of the case. That Edward John Eyre was 
 a just humane man is evident from his gracious treatment 
 of the Australian aborigines in his early days, of which I 
 have spoken in this sketch. He was their advocate and 
 their defender. He was too honourable and too kind-hearted 
 to do them a wrong. That he was a cool, calculating, heroic 
 man a man not likely to give way to panic is demonstrated 
 by his conduct on the tragic exploratory expedition with which 
 I have dealt in the previous chapter. That mistakes may 
 have been made in the grave crisis with which he had momen- 
 tarily to deal is only to be expected. What was the opinion 
 of the whites of Jamaica in relation to the case ? The Bishop 
 of Jamaica said : ' : I have an earnest sympathy with Mr. 
 Eyre. I warmly admire his character and history as far as 
 they are known to me, and I firmly believe that the speedy 
 suppression of the murderous insurrection in Jamaica is 
 attributable, under God's providence, to the promptitude.
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 359 
 
 courage, and judgment with which he acted under circum- 
 stances of peculiar difficulty and danger." 
 
 Sir General Gomm, who had once commanded the forces 
 in Jamaica, said: "I know Jamaica I know it intimately- 
 most intimately. . . . It is my firm belief that the means 
 adopted by Governor Eyre were pressed upon him by diffi- 
 culties and dangers rarely paralleled. It is my deliberate 
 opinion that he saved the island of Jamaica to the British 
 Crown." 
 
 Before Governor Eyre left Jamaica the clergy presented 
 him with an address in which it was stated that "he saved 
 the island from the most imminent peril of a general insur- 
 rection, in which they knew him to have been actuated by 
 the purest motives." 
 
 In replying to a farewell address the Governor said : 
 "However able or impartial the persons may be by whom my 
 conduct has been enquired into and adjudicated upon, it is 
 impossible that persons imperfectly acquainted with the negro 
 character, with the country, and with the circumstances that 
 surrounded me at the time, can judge adeqiiately or justly, 
 after the event, of the necessity or propriety of the action I 
 found it imperative to take under a great emergency. I now 
 retire into private life, dismissed from the Public Service after 
 nearly a lifetime spent in it, but I have at least the consola- 
 tion of feeling that there has been nothing in my conduct to 
 merit it, nothing to occasion self-reproach, nothing to regret. 
 I carry with me in my retirement the proud con- 
 sciousness that at all times and under all circumstances I have 
 endeavoured, to the best of my ability, to do my dxity as a 
 servant of the Crown faithfully, fearlessly, and irrespective 
 of personal considerations." 
 
 The British Government granted Mr. Eyre a pension, and 
 he retired to Devonshire, to live many years cherishing, no 
 doubt, a conviction that a cloud had settled over his life and 
 that he had suffered a great injustice. He passed away in 
 December, 1901, in his eighty-seventh year. 
 
 PERSONAL NOTES. 
 
 When I first set to work some years ago to gather mate- 
 rial for these chapters the reading of Eyre's "Discoveries in 
 Central Australia'' strangely moved me. As I followed him 
 from point to point in that awful attempt to reach Western 
 Australia across country that was a term incognita my imag- 
 ination was fired. As a South Australian born and bred the 
 country was known to me. I had no idea that the gallant ex-
 
 360 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA 
 
 plorer was then living, so completely had he passed out of 
 sight. When tidings came to me that the gallant Eyre was 
 still alive 1 dispatched a letter to England. It was like 
 an arrow shot at a venture, but it found its mark. It was> 
 my joy to receive a letter from him a letter that to me was 
 like a resurrection from the dead. The following is a copy : 
 
 "Walreddon Manor, 
 
 "Tavistock, 
 
 "Devon, Nov. 2nd, 1900. 
 ''Dear Sir 
 
 "I am much obliged by your letter dated September 21st, 
 1900, which duly reached me on October 29th. It takes me 
 back more than a generation ago to the foundation of the 
 colony of South Australia, with its early efforts, struggles, 
 and anxieties, of which I may indeed say quorum pars parva 
 /*', for my share in which I am more than compensated by 
 the wonderful progress and prosperity which the colony has 
 attained. You refer to my taking the first sheep overland 
 from New South Wales to Adelaide. I look back to that most 
 successful undertaking in leading the way for the numerous 
 flocks which subsequently followed, and it is a proud recol- 
 lection with me that on this expedition, as well as in all my 
 previous and subsequent travels in Australia, I never once 
 came into collision with or in any way injiired a single one 
 of the numerous native tribes through which I passed on so 
 many occasions. It is always gratifying to learn that my 
 services are appreciated, and especially so by one who, be- 
 longing to a subsequent generation, cannot be influenced by 
 any personal feelings towards me. 
 
 "It is fifty-six years since I left South Australia, and I 
 am now in my eighty-sixth year. 
 
 "My wife has supplied me with the only photograph I 
 am able to send you, as I have not been photographed since 
 it was taken long years ago. 
 
 "Yours very sincerely, 
 
 "EDWD. JOHN EYRE." 
 
 At the end of December in the same year I forwarded to 
 him a copy of my "South Australian Romance," dealing more 
 especially with the religious history of the Province in the 
 early days. For this I received the following reply, interest- 
 ing not only on account of the personality of the writer, but
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 361 
 
 because of the light that it throws upon the early history of 
 the Province : 
 
 "Walreddon Manor, 
 
 "Tavistock, 
 
 "Devon, Jan. 23rd, 1901. 
 "My dear Sir 
 
 "Four days ago I received your book, for which I again 
 thank you. 1 sat down at once and read it right through 
 with great interest. It recalled to my memory scenes and 
 persons of the long, long past, for I was well acquainted with 
 most of the early colonists and had some share in developing 
 the progress of the colony. I arrived at Adelaide just as 
 Captain Hindmarsh was about to embark in a man-of-war 
 upon giving up his government, and was just in time to be 
 introduced to him before he left. Of his successor (Colonel 
 Gawler) I saw and knew a great deal, for he was most kind 
 to me. He was, in the highest sense of the words, a just 
 and good man, and truly religious. I was present with him 
 when he laid the foundation of the Wesleyan Methodist 
 Chapel on November 27th, 1838, and I remember well that 
 the substance of his address was to the effect that, although 
 his ow-n church differed in form from that of the Wesleyan 
 Methodist, yet the essentials of the religion of both were iden- 
 tical, and he used the remarkable expression that if the wine 
 were good the form of the cup from which it was administered 
 was of minor importance, adding, impressively, 'I count it so.' 
 
 "You say truly that to the judgment and foresight of 
 Colonel Light the colony of South Australia owes everything, 
 for there is no other site where its capital could have been so 
 successfully established as the one he so fortunately insisted 
 upon in spite of opposition, and which now is the magnificent 
 and flourishing City of Adelaide. Could he now see the 
 happy result of labour, anxiety, and firmness well might he 
 exclaim: Si monumentnm requiris cirrum spice .'' 
 
 "Very sincerely yours, 
 
 JOHN EYRE. 
 
 JOHN AINSWORTH HORROCKS. 
 
 He was born at Penwortham Lodge, Lancashire, Eng- 
 land, in 1818, and came from an honourable and wealthy fam- 
 ily. About two years after the founding of South Australia 
 Horrocks left the Old Land and came to the new Province. 
 After his arrival Edward John Eyre told him of a place suit- 
 able for settlement nearly a hundred miles from Adelaide.
 
 362 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Accompanied by one of his men Horrocks set out for the 
 place described to him by Eyre. By the aid of the stars 
 and a compass they found it. It was the beautiful locality 
 ever since known as Penwortham. It was so called by Hor- 
 rocks after his birthplace in old England. How many to-day 
 ride through the beautiful village of Penwortham, on the road 
 to Clare, quite unconscious of this fact. How few know that 
 in the old churchyard of Penwortham, not far from the road, 
 there lies the body of one of the most promising of our pioneer 
 explorers, and in the church close by a monument to his 
 memory. 
 
 Before building a house at Penwortham Horrocks slept 
 for some months in the base of a hollow gum-tree. 
 After suitable premises were erected he purchased some 
 sheep that had come overland from New South Wales 
 and in company with his brother began sheep-farming. 
 At Penwortham he had some exciting experiences. 
 Though kind to the blacks they speared his sheep and 
 almost killed one of his shepherds with their waddies. After 
 three or four years' residence at Penwortham Horrocks visited 
 the Old Land. Returning to South Australia he left hi 
 station in 1846 to lead the exploration party of which I 
 have spoken. The sad accident that befell him on that 
 expedition was described in the last chapter. Horrocks was 
 anxious that the few pioneers in the Middle North should not 
 be destitute of the ordinances of religion. Religious services 
 were held in his house, and he took steps toward the erection 
 of a place of worship. The Penwortham Church was inspired 
 by him. 
 
 It was Horrocks who discovered and named the Gulnare 
 Plains; they were so called after one of his favourite dogs 
 which, in one of his exploring tours, killed seven emus in four 
 days on these plains. 
 
 EDWARD BATE SCOTT. 
 
 He was born in Kent, England, in 1822. When quite 
 a youth he emigrated to New South Wales. In 1839 the 
 late George Hamilton (who was Commissioner of Police in 
 South Australia in 1867) was bringing over a mob of cattle 
 from Port Phillip to the new settlment on the banks of the 
 Torrens. Young Scott joined him. The journey through 
 the bush was safely negotiated, and the young overlander 
 found himself in the embryo city of Adelaide. Here he met 
 Alfred M. Mundy and Edward John Eyre. These two men 
 decided to go on a trip to Western Australia with sheep and 
 cattle. Mr. Scott decided to throw in his lot with them-
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 363 
 
 The stock was taken from Port Adelaide to Albany by sea 
 and then driven through the bush to Perth. Returning to 
 Adelaide Eyre set out upon the expedition into the interior 
 to which reference has been made. As his travelling com- 
 panion and second in command he took with him Edward 
 Bate Scott. Speaking of him in his Journal he said : "My 
 young friend Mr. Scott in many of these duties assisted 
 me. He was the only sportsman of the party, and upon his 
 gun we were dependent for supplies of wallabies, pigeons, 
 ducks, or other game to vary our bill of fare and make the 
 few sheep we had hold out as long as possible. As a com- 
 panion I could not have made a better selection young, 
 active, and cheerful." When Eyre decided to force his way 
 overland to Western Australia Mr. Scott was anxious to 
 accompany him. Writing to me some sixty-six years after 
 the event Mr. Scott said : "Eyre at all risks would under- 
 take the journey, and I had to return to Adelaide, as he 
 would not jeopardize my life by taking me with him." When 
 Eyre was appointed Resident Magistrate at Moorunde, on the 
 River Murray, Mr. Scott was again associated with him. From 
 this point he went on an exploring trip with Edward John 
 Eyre to the Broken Hill ranges. Nearly all the aborigines 
 met with on the journey had never seen a white man before, 
 and were astounded at the marvels that young Scott wrought 
 with his gun. He says: "Our introduction to these people 
 by Nad buck (an influential native) as 'blackfellows' friends' 
 was all that one could desire, and each day as we passed 
 along through the country tribes would assemble to welcome 
 us. On our arrival at Laidley Ponds my friend, Mr. Eyre, 
 was taken ill, and wished to return to Moorunde, having 
 partly accomplished the object we had in view, and having 
 ridden 765 miles on the same horses, carrying our swags, 
 meat, and flour." Mr. Scott became Resident Magistrate 
 at Moorunde and passed through some stirring experiences. 
 In after-life he held different Government offices, and died 
 at Currency Creek on June 30th, 1909, aged eighty-six 
 years. 
 
 JOHN McKiNLAY. 
 
 Another stalwart. He was born at Sandbank, on the 
 Clyde, Scotland, in 1819. When seventeen years of age he 
 left his native land to join his uncle, who was a squatter in 
 New South Wales. Here he became an experienced bush- 
 man. About the year 1840 he removed to South Australia 
 ;and became one of the pioneer squatters in the North. John
 
 364 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 McKinlay held the lease of a large run near the Burra 
 before the famous mine in that locality was discovered. In 
 1861 his services were sought by the South Australian Gov- 
 ernment. Messrs. Burke and Wills had set out from Mel- 
 bourne to attempt to accomplish the task 011 which Stuart 
 had set his heart the crossing of the Australian Continent. 
 No tidings of them had been heard. Australians generally 
 were alarmed. Various search and relief parties were formed. 
 Authority was given by the South Australian Parliament 
 for the equipment of a light search party. The command 
 was offered to John McKinlay and accepted by him. 
 On August 16th, 1861, he set out on his long and perilous 
 journey into the interior. He had with him six men, four 
 camels, twenty-two horses, and provisions for twelve months. 
 He was absent for about a year, and on his return to Ade- 
 laide was able to announce that he had actually crossed the 
 Continent from sea to sea. He met with traces of Burke and 
 Wills, the unfortunate men having perished in the btish at 
 Cooper's Creek. He also discovered the remains of Grey, 
 one of the party. McKinlay and his companions were in 
 danger from hostile natives, heavy floods, and lack of pro- 
 visions, but came safely through. A bonus of 1,000 was 
 granted to McKinlay by the South Australian Parliament, a 
 banquet was tendered him by the Speaker of the House of 
 Assembly, and some of the colonists presented him with a 
 valuable testimonial. 
 
 In 1865 he led another party to examine the country in 
 the neighbourhood of Adam Bay, the proposed site for the 
 first Northern Territory settlement. He met with great diffi- 
 culties and became so hemmed in with floods that he had to 
 kill and skin the horses, build a punt of saplings, cover it 
 with the hides of the slaughtered horses and the canvas 
 of the tents, and make for the coast along the course of the 
 East Alligator River. While doing so the party were 
 attacked by natives, who were repulsed without serious 
 results. 
 
 John McKinlay made his way back to Adelaide and 
 settled at Gawler. It was said of him that "he was a man 
 possessed of sterling qualities, of ready resource, prompt and 
 decided in action, of genia.l disposition and affable manners, 
 and of unimpeachable integrity." He died on December 31st, 
 1872, at "Oaklands," Gawler. The colonists honoured him in 
 death as in life. People came from distant parts of 
 South Australia to "pay their sad homage to the memory of 
 one who was deservedly beloved as a warm-hearted, intelli-
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 365 
 
 gent friend and a genial, courteous gentleman." A monu- 
 ment has been erected to his memory in the town of Gawler 
 
 JOHN McDouALL STUART. 
 
 I have elsewhere remarked that among the pioneers of 
 South Australia there were many notable men. The lives 
 of some of these have already been sketched. Amid the 
 galaxy of nation-builders whom to-day we delight to honour 
 John McDouall Stuart occupies a foremost place. To gather 
 material for an account of Stuart's life especially the early 
 part oJ it has not been an easy task. 
 
 He was born at Dysart, Fifeshire, Scotland, September 
 7th, 1815. His father was Captain William Stuart, an offi- 
 cer in the British army Young Stuart received his early 
 education at Edinburgh. Later on he attended the Military 
 Academy. He entered upon a commercial life, but there 
 was other and greater work for him to do. In 1838, two 
 years after the colony of South Australia was founded, Stuart 
 emigrated, as many young fellows of sterling worth did, 
 to Australia. He entered the Government Survey Depart- 
 ment in South Australia. When Captain Charles Sturt set 
 out in 1844 to try to reach the centre of the Continent Stuart 
 was associated with him as draughtsman. This was a splen- 
 did apprenticeship for his life's work. Some time after the 
 return of Captain Sturt's expedition Stuart became associated 
 with Messrs. Jchn and James Chambers and William Finke. 
 He was employed by them in discovering and surveying new 
 country suitable for pasturage. It was partly throtigh the 
 inspiration and help given by these men that Stuart under- 
 took the various expeditions that I have narrated. Having 
 already dealt with these, we must pass over this period of his 
 career. After having fulfilled the great purpose of his life (the 
 crossing and recrossing of the Australian Continent) John 
 McDouall Stuart tried to settle down to pastoral pursuits ; 
 but his constitution was undermined his days were indeed 
 numbered. He had actually worn himself out in his coun- 
 try's service. He was advised to return to the Old Land, 
 and sailed by the Indus in April, 1864. After his arrival 
 in England he settled at Notting Hill Square, London ; 
 died in June, 1866 : and was buried in Kensal Green Ceme- 
 tery. Some years ago a gentleman from South Australia 
 visited Kensal Green Cemetery. He went from grave to 
 grave reading the epitaphs on the tombs referring to some 
 of the illustrious dead. Not far from the resting-place of the 
 social reformer Fergus O'Connor a granite obelisk attracted
 
 366 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 his attention. Said he: "Amid strange feelings of pleasure 
 and surprise I discovered myself to be standing by the resting- 
 place of South Australia's hero, the brave Stuart. On one 
 side of the granite pile is engraved an inscription : 
 
 'To the Memory 
 
 JOHN McDouALL STUART, 
 
 South Australian Explorer. 
 
 The first who crossed the Continent from the South to the 
 
 Indian Ocean. 
 Born, 1815. Died, 1866.'" 
 
 Stuart was a very fine bushman and leader of men. One 
 of the survivors of his party (William Patrick Auld), who 
 gave me some notes for this history, said : "As a leader he 
 could not be beaten cool, cautious, determined, and plucky. 
 The greater the difficulty the cooler he became." 
 
 Stuart's indomitable perseverance and courage are shown 
 in the persistent efforts made to achieve his end. Beaten 
 back again and again by inhospitable natural conditions that 
 to some men would have been appalling, again and again he 
 rallied and went forward to the attack till victory crowned 
 his efforts. The record of his prowess of his ultimate suc- 
 cess in the face of difficulty and danger should be an inspira- 
 tion to all of British blood. What it cost Stuart to turn 
 back even for a time is more than pen can tell. How the 
 spirit chafed and rebelled against its limitations. Listen to 
 him : "Would that my horses had more endurance" that 
 they could go longer without water "it is dreadful to have 
 to return almost at the threshold of success." Again : "We 
 are reduced to 4 ft. of flour and 1 flb. of dried meat 
 for each man per week . . . but I can leave 
 nothing untried where there is the least shadow of gaining 
 the desired object." Once again: "It is with great reluc- 
 tance that I am forced to return." After he had realized 
 the great purpose of his life and was recrossing the Con- 
 tinent to reach Adelaide both his determination and heroism 
 were revealed. William Patrick Auld said: "I don't be- 
 lieve any other man could or would have travelled in the 
 frightful agonies that Stuart suffered. He said to me, 'We 
 must go on. If the party stop to nurse me not one of you 
 will ever reach the settled districts : there is not a day to 
 spare. The waters are drying up.' ' 
 
 Something must be said of his devotion to duty. Speak- 
 ing of his last trip he said : "I was determined to succeed
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 367 
 
 or to die in the attempt," and death was very near. On 
 several of his trips he suffered keenly. He was smitten 
 with scurvy, and climatic conditions, as well as mental and 
 physical strain, almost destroyed his eyesight, yet he never 
 faltered. How pathetic are some of the entries in his Jour- 
 nal : "Suffering very much from bad eyes and the effects 
 of the water of these springs. Cannot help it, but must go 
 and examine the country to the north-west." . . . "My 
 eyes so bad I cannot see." ... "I feel a little better 
 to-day, but suffer very much from the eyes." . . . "Ar- 
 rived after dark. My eyes are still very bad, and I suffer 
 dreadfully from them. To-day has been hot, and the re- 
 flection from the white quartz and the heated stones was 
 almost insufferable." . . . "Unable to move. When 
 shall I get relief from this dreadful state?" These are just a 
 few casual remarks that I have culled from the Journals in 
 which he wrote down his experiences day by day. 
 
 Something ought also to be said of John McDouall 
 Stuart's faith in God. He believed that his life was under 
 Divine control. Here and there in the Journal we see re- 
 flections of his faith. Whether or not he was a Christian 
 man in the highest sense of that phrase I am not in a posi- 
 tion to say, but out in the vast solitudes of Aus- 
 tralia, travelling where foot of white man had never 
 been, he must have been impressed with a sense of 
 the Infinite. On the memorable journey when the centre 
 of the Continent was reached he wrote : "The sky is over- 
 cast and I trust that Providence will send us rain in the 
 morning." Again: "About an hour before sundown ar- 
 rived at the water, without any more losses, for which I 
 sincerely thank God." In the supreme crisis of his life, 
 after the Continent had been traversed and he was return- 
 ing home, a physical wreck, face to face with death, he 
 wrote : "I sincerely thank the Almighty Disposer of Events 
 that He, in His infinite goodness and mercy, gave me 
 strength and courage . . . and has kindly permitted 
 me to live yet a little longer." The truest, bravest, and 
 most resolute men that South Australia has seen Edward 
 John Eyre, Captain Charles Sturt, and John McDouall 
 Stuart were men who believed in an overruling Provi- 
 dence, men who had faith in God. These were the men 
 who, metaphorically speaking, "subdued kingdoms, stopped 
 the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped 
 the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, 
 waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the 
 aliens."
 
 368 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Stuart rendered signal service not only to South Australia, 
 but to the British Empire. He paved the way for the con- 
 struction of the Overland Telegraph Line bringing Australia 
 into almost immediate contact with the civilized world. The 
 line has been constructed along the route mapped out by 
 Stuart. It was largely on account of Stuart's discoveries 
 that the British Government extended the boundary of South 
 Australia to the opposite coast of the Continent and put 
 the South Australian Government in charge of the new ter- 
 ritory. South Australia thus became one of the largest 
 colonial possessions of the British Crown. 
 
 It was Stuart's desire that a colony should be founded 
 on the River Adelaide in the Northern Territory. Said he: 
 "I have no hesitation in saying that the country I have dis- 
 covered on and around the banks of the Adelaide River is 
 more favourable than any other part of the Continent for 
 the formation of a new colony." In this enterprise he would 
 like to have been a pioneer, but his constitution was shat- 
 tered his work was done. Later on the South Australian 
 Government took action in forming a settlement in the 
 Northern Territory, but with this enterprise we cannot now 
 deal. 
 
 NOTE. In a sketch of Stuart's life special mention ought 
 to be made of his second officer, William Darton Kekwick. 
 He was of special service to Stuart, who spoke of him in 
 his Journal in the highest terms. Kekwick came to the 
 colony in 1840. He joined Stuart about the year 1859 
 and was with him on his most important exploratory trips. 
 On the return journey, after the party had successfully 
 crossed the Continent, Kekwick wrote from Mount Mar- 
 garet Station as follows : "You will be very much pleased 
 and gratified to hear of the safe arrival here of all our 
 party. . . . We have been just seventeen weeks com- 
 ing down from the Indian Ocean. Our return has been 
 one series of hard pushes on account of the extreme dryness 
 of the season, so that our horses are nearly exhausted. Mr. 
 Stuart has been very ill indeed nearly all the way down 
 quite unable to ride or even to stand without assistance. He 
 has been carried on a stretcher or ambulance from Mount Hay 
 to this place, and will proceed, as fast as he can under the 
 circumstances, to Adelaide." In 1872 Kekwick joined an 
 exploring expedition under Mr. W. C. Gosse, and shortly 
 after the party had left Beltana he was taken ill and died, 
 aged forty-eight years. He was the first of the party to pass 
 away after Stuart's death, and, like the leader, was a mag- 
 nificent bushman.
 
 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS.
 
 CO 
 I-* 
 
 M 
 
 O 
 52* 
 
 a" 
 o 
 
 
 w 
 o
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 One of the masterpieces of the New Testament is the 
 story of the two builders. One was wise- and the other 
 foolish. Each had a building to erect. The one founded 
 his house upon a rock and the other upon the sand. The 
 testing time came. The clouds gathered and covered the 
 sky. The rain began to fall. Hour after hour it con- 
 tinued. The earth could not absorb the water. The rivu- 
 lets became rivers and the ponds lakes. The wind blew 
 in fierce gusts. Both structures were exposed to the full 
 force of water and wind. The one house fell not, because 
 it was founded on a rock ; the other, having no secure foun- 
 dation, collapsed and was soon swept away. How true of 
 human experience in all ages. A nation is but an aggre- 
 gate of individuals, and what is true of individual life is 
 true of national life; it may be founded upon a rock or it 
 may have its basis in sand. 
 
 In nation-building righteousness is a necessary factor. 
 Not only is it the foundation upon which a commonwealth 
 must be built, but it is the cement that must hold the super- 
 structure together. When the cement is wanting the nation 
 falls. Sir George Grey has said : "It is adherence to the 
 principles of righteousness that has given to the British peo- 
 ple the great and grand position they occupy such as no 
 other nation has ever held upon earth." All history demon- 
 strates that there is a mysterious Power in the world that 
 makes for righteousness. Its existence is revealed in the 
 fact that "righteousness exalteth a nation," but "sin is a 
 reproach" and a source of weakness to any people. 
 
 Sin is always a disintegrating factor. Just as it de- 
 stroys individual life body and soul so it eats away the 
 life of a nation. Of ancient Rome at the time of her col- 
 lapse an eloquent historian has said : "She may have had 
 wise laws, able administrators, many ingenious expedients 
 against decay, gold to buy barbarian blood, and fortress 
 piled upon fortress by the Danube and the Rhine, but she 
 had not life. It was this, and no mere change of policy or 
 external accident, which converted the Empire into a brothel 
 and a. slaughter-house in the reign of Nero and Domitian, 
 which brought it to the hammer on the death of Pertinax, 
 
 ( 371 )
 
 372 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 and finally delivered it over as a prey to the bow and the 
 spear of the Ostrogoth and the Lombard." What makes 
 the difference between the British Empire to-day and the 
 Roman Empire of the first century ? It is neither civiliza- 
 tion, intelligence, nor brute force, but righteousness. The 
 British Constitution is founded upon the Word of God. 
 
 Our pioneer builders in South Australia laid a good 
 foundation. They built upon a rock. It could not be 
 said of them : "Thou hast praised the gods of gold, silver, 
 brass, iron, wood, and stone, and the God in whose hand 
 thy breath is and whose are all thy ways, thou hast not 
 glorified." They had respect for the ordinances of religion ; 
 they acknowledged God. This they did, be it remembered, 
 in the absence of a State Church or sacrificing priest. We 
 shall see how, in the absence of an ordained minister or eccle- 
 siastical structure, men and women met together for Divine 
 worship. Look again at the picture that in earlier chap- 
 ters we have painted. See the first emigrants, as soon as 
 they had landed upon Kangaroo Island, gathering round 
 Captain Morgan while he conducted a short service and en- 
 gaged in prayer. Was not the action prophetic ? Shortly 
 after we see them met together for Divine worship in a taber- 
 nacle made of boughs, with the "bell" hung in a tree. 
 
 The South Australian Company practically founded the 
 colony. It is a remarkable fact that its leading employes 
 who came to help lay the foundations of the colony were 
 Christian men. Its first manager (Samuel Stephens) was a 
 Christian man. As soon as the Company's store was erected 
 it was available for service. Here Samuel East (another 
 employe of the Company) preached the first Methodist ser- 
 mon in the new land. A barrel was used as a reading desk, 
 and the seats were boxes, casks, and cases. Edward Stephens, 
 the first banker of the Company, was a Christian man, 
 and in his tent at Holdfast Bay, before the city was founded, 
 John C. White preached the first Methodist sermon on the 
 mainland. David McLaren, the second manager of the 
 Company, was a Christian man, and in the absence of a 
 Baptist minister acted in that capacity. William B. Ran- 
 dell, another servant of the Company, was one of the found- 
 ers of the Baptist Church. William Giles, the third mana- 
 ger, was an earnest Christian a Congregationalist and took 
 a deep interest in the spiritual life of the colony. No sec- 
 tarian was he. James Breeze, also in the service of the 
 Company, was a pioneer Methodist preacher, and so was 
 William Lillecrapp, who came out as manager of the Com- 
 pany's flocks and herds. There must have been some
 
 RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 373 
 
 cause for so general an effect, and one is led to surmise that 
 George Fife Angas, the founder of the Company, must have 
 had some influence in the selection of so many Christian men. 
 
 Before an Episcopalian minister reached the colony 
 Divine service in connection with that church was held. In 
 the diary of Mrs. Robert Thomas we read : "Divine service 
 was held for the first time in the rush hut of the principal 
 surveyor. We attended, taking our seats with us ; the sig- 
 nal for attending being the firing of a gun." 
 
 Ere the first emigrants left the Old Land arrangements 
 were made for establishing a branch of the Episcopalian 
 Church. The first number of The South Australian Gazette 
 and Colonial Kcyister, published in London, stated that the 
 framework of a church, to seat 750 persons, was in course of 
 preparation, and that 700 had been subscribed toward the 
 expenses of establishing the church. 
 
 In the Act founding the colony power was given for 
 the official appointment of chaplains of the Established 
 Churches of England and Scotland. The first Colonial 
 Chaplain, appointed by the Commissioners for the colony, 
 was the Rev. Charles Beaumont Howard, with a salary of 
 250 a year. He arrived with Governor Hindmarsh in the 
 Buffalo. The appointment, so far as the personal character 
 of the chaplain is concerned, was a wise one. Mr. Howard 
 was a man of catholic and gracious spirit. 
 
 The first Episcopalian service in the new colony, con- 
 ducted by the Chaplain, was held under a sail. It was bor- 
 rowed by Mr. Howard from a captain in the Port. There 
 were no carriers in those days, and how to get the sail trans- 
 ported from the seaboard to the city site was a problem. 
 The zealous minister was equal to the solution. A hand- 
 truck was borrowed. The Colonial Treasurer (Osmond Gil- 
 les) < 45 ) was pressed into service. The cleric and his lay 
 associate dragged the sail in triiimph across country, a dis- 
 tance of about 7 miles. The first church (Trinity 
 Church) was a reed hut. With his own hands Mr. Howard 
 brought up from the Port part of the material for fencing 
 his church. This meant a wearisome journey over 7 miles 
 of rough country. He has the honour of being the 
 first ordained minister to preach the Gospel in the new Pro- 
 vince. In 1840 the Rev. James Farrell came to Mr. How- 
 ard's assistance, and in 1847 the first Episcopalian Bishop 
 (Dr. Short) arrived. 
 
 (45) It was this pioneer who gave the' block of land on which 
 St. John's Clniroh is built. This was in 1839.
 
 374 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 The Bishop's "first impressions" indicate the prosperity 
 of South Australia at the time that he arrived. "We find," 
 said he, "civility and intelligence the characteristics of the 
 population to more than an average degree. A more 
 thoroughly English colony does not probably exist. All we 
 want is additional labour. The wages of one day will pur- 
 chase one and a half bushels of wheat, an amount equal to 
 six days' labour in England. The finest wheat in the world is 
 now selling for 2s. 6d. a bushel, while the wages of a day 
 labourer are 3s. 6d. ; mechanics, 7s. Fat cattle are sold at 2 
 10s. to 3, and sheep are likely soon to be boiled down by the 
 thousand merely for the tallow. Legs of mutton are selling 
 at Gawler Town for 6d. apiece prime meat. In short, 
 the means of subsistence are abundant, and immigrants by 
 the thousand might be fed and employed most profitably." 
 
 In a sketch of the rise of the Anglican Church in Soutli 
 Australia Dean Marryatt should have special mention. He 
 tabernacled with us for many years. Dean Marryatt was a 
 nephew to Bishop Short, whose consecration he witnessed in 
 Westminster Abbey. He was also related to Governor Young. 
 Probably these family relationships led him to turn his atten- 
 tion to South Australia. He came to Adelaide in 1853 as 
 chaplain of an emigrant vessel, and married a daughter of the 
 Rev. Charles Beaumont Howard, the first Colonial Chaplain. 
 After spending some time in Sydney he returned to Adelaide 
 and for a few years was curate of Trinity Church. About the 
 year 1857 he removed to Port Adelaide, where he served the 
 Church for many years. The building in which he first minis- 
 tered was built high upon piles, the tide coming to its 
 doors. Sometimes, at the end of the service, the congregation 
 would find themselves surrounded by water, and boats had to 
 be called into requisition before they could return home. For 
 many years Dean Marryatt was closely associated with Christ 
 Church, North Adelaide. He passed away on September 29th, 
 1906. 
 
 The foundation-stone of St. Peter's College was laid on 
 May 24th, 1849. The name of Archdeacon Farr will ever be 
 associated with this institution. He was to St. Peter's College 
 very much what Dr. Arnold was to Rugby. 
 
 Thomas Quinton Stow, the pioneer Congregational minis- 
 ter, a man of great ability, came out by the ship Hartley in 
 October, 1837, the voyage occupying 139 days. W 
 
 No minister of the Gospel in those days could stand upon 
 his dignity. So far as the social system was concerned learned 
 
 (46) Now it can he done in thirty-five days.
 
 ,J 
 
 K 
 PM 
 
 W 
 
 o 
 
 tt 
 X 
 
 o 
 O
 
 RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 377 
 
 and illiterate, aristocrat and plebeian, were upon the same 
 footing. In the budding city and its environs kangaroos were 
 more plentiful than horses, and where all were intent upon 
 making homes for themselves hired labour was scarcely pos- 
 sible. Ministers and laymen were cast upon their own 
 resources. If a minister were inspired with the spirit of the 
 psalmist, and would not give "sleep to his eyes nor slumber 
 to his eyelids till he had found out a place for the Lord, a 
 habitation for the mighty God of Jacob," then he would have 
 speedily to set to work and build or help to build it with his 
 own hands. Such was Mr. Stow's experience. After his 
 arrival a tent was erected somewhere near the Torrens, and 
 here the first Congregational service in the new land was held. 
 Governor Hindmarsh formed one of the congregation and 
 was furnished with a box for a seat. A meeting was held in 
 the tent, and eleven persons gave in their names as Church 
 members. Ere long a more substantial church was needed. 
 It was built of pine logs and stood upon North Terrace. It 
 was thatched with reeds, reeds that the pastor had cut with 
 his own hands, and carried from what are known as the 
 Reedbeds to the building. An old lady who, as a young 
 girl, came to the New Settlement in 1838 has described to 
 me this primitive Congregational Church and incidents in 
 connection with it. On the Sat\irday afternoon in summer 
 Thomas Quinton Stow, with someone to assist him, would 
 carry several vessels down to the Torrens on a long stick 
 and bring up water with which to "water down" the earth- 
 floor for the Sabbath service. No house being available for 
 three months, Mr. Stow and his family lived in a tent. 
 Writing to some friends in England he said : "We are now 
 in our tent at Adelaide, never regretting that we came. 
 Amid all Mrs. Stow's sufferings her mind has never wavered 
 as to the propriety of the step we have taken. . . . Our 
 Church has been formed about two months, consisting of 
 thirteen members and two candidates. We have also begun a 
 Sunday-school, which promises well. The Governor and most 
 of the officials have been to hear me." 
 
 To the Colonial Missionary Society in London he wrote : 
 "It was well you allowed us a tent, for no house could be 
 had. The tent was our abode for three months. But a trial 
 of this mode of life for a family convinced us that it could 
 only do as an expedient, and that it ought to be as brief as 
 possible for the sake not only of comfort, but of safety and 
 health. Centipedes crowded into our beds : the white ants 
 ate up our furniture. The glare of the large tent, standing in 
 the blaze of an Australian summer day, aggravated the
 
 378 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 ophthalmia to which newcomers are liable. During the 
 hottest day it was all but insupportable, reaching nearly 130 
 degrees." 
 
 In December, 1839, Mr. Stow laid the foundation-stone 
 of a large church to be erected in Gawler-plaoe. It was on a 
 piece of land given by the first Emigration Agent, John 
 Brown, and cost more than 2,000. At the time qf its erec- 
 tion it was the largest place of worship in the Province. 
 
 One of the pioneers expressed surprise that a man of Mr. 
 Stow's talents should ever have left the Old Country. But 
 the good man was more than satified. Writing to the Mission- 
 ary Committee which had sent him out he said : "What a land 
 is this to which you have sent me ! The loveliness and glory 
 of its plains and woods, its glens and hills ! But of these 
 you will hear more from others. I cannot, however, leave 
 it out of my estimate of God's goodness to me." Mr. Stow 
 was one of the ablest and most energetic opponents of State- 
 aid to religion. He died in 1862. A fine church has been 
 erected to his memory. 
 
 in connection with the rise of the Congregational 
 Church the Rev. Ridgway Williams Newland deserves spe- 
 cial mention. He came to Adelaide in 1839 and took up 
 work at Victor Harbour. Both in relation to things mate- 
 rial and spiritual he was a splendid pioneer. His death in 
 1864 was the result of an accident. A memorial church at 
 Victor Harbour bears his name. 
 
 This is a fitting place in which to put the picture of a 
 Congregational country service in early times as painted by 
 a pioneer. ''A barn-like building ; the thatch the only ceil- 
 ing; broad square windows letting in the sunshine to waken 
 sleepers, and a very shaky deal structure called a pulpit. 
 There were two square pews with doors which were thought 
 much of by the two families who sat in them. Two benches 
 with arms and backs, occupied by families, came next in 
 honour, while ordinary folk sat on slabs of wood propped up 
 on bricks. At one time a sofa-bedstead and at another a 
 chest of drawers with a saddle on the top were kept in the 
 church. But if the place was primitive the people were also 
 the drone of the singing, the waving of the peppermint gum 
 branches to keep away the flies, the minister's little boy on 
 the pulpit steps catching flies by the dozen, the old-fashioned 
 toilets, and the dogs. Very cheerful chat used to go on 
 outside the door before and after the service, and sometimes 
 dinner was taken there, so that the folk might be ready for 
 school in the afternoon. The children were marvels of un- 
 knowing freshness. Upon a teacher showing a picture to a
 
 RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 379 
 
 little boy in the Sunday-school of a man cutting down a tree 
 the child examined it with the keenest interest and said : ' I 
 reckon he'll have it down by next Sunday.' ' 
 
 There was no Baptist minister in Adelaide in the early 
 years. David McLaren officiated. At the end of 1840 a 
 Mr. Collison was acting as preacher. There were fifty-four 
 persons in communion with the Church. They met in a lit- 
 tle building in Hindley Street that had been vacated by the 
 Methodists. 
 
 In The Register for 1840 a "Scotchman" drew attention 
 to the circumstance that there was no minister of the Scotch 
 Church in the new Province. He asked : "Why should this 
 Church, founded by Knox and the other worthies of the Re- 
 formation, cemented by the blood of many martyrs, be for- 
 gotten or deserted by Scotchmen in South Australia?" The 
 writer must have been referring to what is known as the 
 Established Church of Scotland. The United Presbyterian 
 Church was already represented. The pioneer minister of 
 that Church (Rev. Ralph Drummond) had arrived in 1839. 
 At first he erected a building in Angas Street, where he held 
 services, and on November 30th, 1840, he laid the foundation- 
 stone of the first Presbyterian Church in the new colony. 
 The church was erected in Gouger Street. The Rev. Ralph 
 Drummond reached fourscore years and died at Mitcham on 
 April 26th, 1872. 
 
 The earliest reference to the Roman Catholic Church 
 that I have been able to find is in The Register for 
 October, 1838. The Catholics of South Australia were re- 
 quested to meet at the residence of Mr. Phillips, East Ter- 
 race, Adelaide, in order to make final arrangements for the 
 establishment of a mission in the colony. 
 
 Apparently the first official of the Roman Catholic 
 Church to visit Adelaide was Dr. Ullathorne (Vicar-General 
 of Australia). This was in 1839. Speaking of this circum- 
 stance in his biography Dr. Ullathorne says : ''When we 
 landed at Adelaide (a few miles from the Port) the city was 
 in the fourth year from its foundation. Like the old Etrus- 
 can cities, it had been regularly laid out from the first in a 
 square. The straight streets were (many of them) only 
 marked out by rough roads and chippings on the trees : the 
 houses were, here and there, not brought into line. I was 
 hospitably received by Mr. and Mrs. Phillips and their fam- 
 ily, whose house, beautifully situated, looked over the great 
 level plain, rich with grass and most beautiful flowers, 
 upon the precipitous range of Mount Lofty." Dr. Ulla- 
 thorne held service in the little city in a china shop. He
 
 380 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 says: "I puzzled my friends in Sydney by telling them that 
 the streets in Adelaide were fitter for the study of astronomy 
 than for commerce. The fact was that miles of newly 
 marked out streets were unmade, and after heavy Australian 
 rain were full of pools of water, through which my good hos- 
 tess waded to the china shop for evening service, and in which 
 the brilliant stars of the Southern Hemisphere were re- 
 flected." 
 
 The first priest to come to South Australia was the Rev. 
 ,T. Benson. This was in 1841. The house occupied by Mr. 
 Phillips was taken by the committee and fitted up as a tem- 
 porary chapel. After remaining two or three years in the 
 colony the Rev. J. Benson went to Sydney and then to Eng- 
 land, dying at Wolverhampton in 1868, aged seventy-three 
 years. 
 
 When Adelaide became an Episcopal See in 1842 Dr. 
 Ullathorne was offered the Bishopric, but did not accept it. 
 Dr. Murphy was appointed. He took charge in 1844. It 
 was during this year that the first Roman Catholic Church 
 in the colony was erected; this was St. Mary's at Morphett 
 Vale. Bishop Murphy died April 26th, 1858, and the Ro- 
 man Catholic Cathedral was opened on June llth of the 
 same year. 
 
 There is a good story told of Bishop Murphy and Dr. 
 Backhaus. Both of them were near-sighted. Coming from 
 Government House, North Terrace, on one occasion they 
 were lost in Wakefield Street, and had to "cooee" for assist- 
 ance before they could find their way home. 
 
 The Lutheran Church in the new settlement was founded 
 as the result of persecution. It was in November, 1838, 
 that Pastor Kavel arrived with the first batch of German re- 
 fugees. The story of their emigration has been told in a 
 previous chapter. 
 
 The founding of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in South 
 Australia has many elements of romance. One of the pioneer 
 lay preachers kept a diary. Many items of interest have been 
 put upon record in magazines and papers, consequently there 
 is much material at hand out of which one could weave a 
 most interesting story. 
 
 The constitution of that Church is such as to favour 
 extension. It has two orders of preachers lay and minis- 
 terial. Both take an active part not only in preaching the 
 Gospel, but in the government of the Church. The lay preacher 
 is perfectly familiar with the polity of the Church, and knows 
 how to put it into practice. This makes it possible for a lay 
 preacher in the absence of a minister to gather men and
 
 RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 381 
 
 women together for Divine worship and to constitute a 
 Church. Such a possibility was of great advantage not only to 
 the Methodist Church, but to many of the pioneers who 
 founded South Australia. 
 
 Among the early emigrants were some Methodist lay 
 preachers. The first of them to preach within the boundaries 
 of the new Province was Samuel East. He arrived in the 
 Africaine in November, 1836, before the proclamatiin of the 
 colony, and conducted service upon Kangaroo Island. 
 
 The first to preach upon the mainland was John C. White, 
 who had been a lay preacher in one of the London districts. 
 We have already spoken of Edward Stephens, the pioneer 
 banker. By the second Sunday after his arrival (about Janu- 
 ary 19th, 1837) Mr. Stephens had a large tent erected among 
 the trees at Holdfast Bay. In this John C. White was invited 
 to preach. 
 
 The services at Kangaroo Island and Holdfast Bay were 
 temporary. The settlers were located there only till the site 
 for the city had been fixed and the land surveyed. When 
 this was done, as we have seen, there was a general exodus 
 to the site chosen for the city. 
 
 Edward Stephens migrated from the shores of Holdfast 
 Bay to the banks of the Torrens. A wooden house was speedily 
 erected. It stood near the present House of Parliament. In 
 the kitchen of this house the pioneer Methodists met for 
 conversation and prayer. They felt that they must be doing 
 something, and began to hold open-air services on the banks 
 of the Ton-ens, near a series of huts termed "Buffalo Row." 
 A room was also hired in which they began to preach. Here 
 they were assisted by David McLaren. They were without an 
 ordained minister, but thought they ought to form a Church. 
 An announcement was made that all who desired to unite in 
 Church fellowship should meet in the hut of Mr. John White. 
 Fifteen persons attended and gave in their names as members. 
 The society grew. A church was now necessary. Toward its 
 erection some of the pioneers gave labour and some gave 
 money. It was the first stone church erected in the New 
 Settlement, and stood in Hindley Street near the spot where 
 the Eagle Tavern now stands. Here lay preachers regularly 
 conducted service. But they sadly needed, as one of the 
 pioneers said, "a pastor to lead and to guide." They made 
 their position a matter of prayer, and the answer came in a 
 most unexpected manner. 
 
 A Methodist minister (the Rev. William Longbottom), 
 with wife and child, was on his way from Van Diemen's Land 
 to King George's Sound. Along the Australian coast terrific
 
 382 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 weather is sometimes experienced. It was so on this occasion. 
 The vessel (the Fanny ) had not cleared Van Diemen's Land 
 before rough weather sefc in. Twice she put back for shelter. 
 For a time fine weather was experienced. On Sunday, June 
 17th, 1838, the wind blew a perfect hurricane. On the follow- 
 ing Thursday the water changed colour and soundings were 
 taken. The captain not being able to take observations for 
 several days, and not knowing how near the vessel had driven 
 to land, thought she was passing over a sand-bar. It was now 
 about 9 o'clock at night. Having had no rest for several 
 nights Mr. Longbottom and wife tried to get a little sleep. 
 About half-past one in the morning the sea broke on board 
 in all directions. The captain found himself in only 7 
 fathoms of water. All attempts to sail were fruitless. The 
 vessel struck. "About 1 o'clock," Mrs. Longbottom says, "I 
 was aroused by an unusual rolling of the vessel. Instantly I 
 told my husband that I was sure we were in the surf. After 
 a moment he was convinced that my fears were too well 
 grounded, and throwing on his rough jacket was in the act 
 of reaching his cap to go on deck when the vessel struck. 
 No time was to be lost. Providentially we had lain down in 
 our clothes. I hurried on little William's shoes and cap, and 
 after commending ourselves to God we endeavoured to get on 
 deck. We found the hatches down, and it was some time 
 before we could ma.ke those on deck hear. When we did get 
 out an awful scene was before us." 
 
 At times the party were up to their waists in water. The 
 captain ascended the rigging, and in the darkness saw a low 
 dark ridge. It was land. In her diary Mrs. Longbottom 
 proceeds: "The sailors cut away the boat, but it drifted away 
 the moment it was lowered. The captain had swxim ashore 
 with a rope. He lost his hold and was unable to 
 return. At length a sailor succeeded in reaching shore 
 with a rope, which he made fast and then returned to render 
 us assistance. We put our dear boy over the side of the 
 vessel first; the men handed him to the captain, who carried 
 him through the surf. It was now my turn, but I had not 
 the courage to jump overboard when the surf receded, and 
 Mr. Longbottom was obliged to push me off. I lost my hold 
 of the rope, and was several minutes under water. We were 
 mercifully preserved, and all got safely through that dreadful 
 surf. All went behind a sandbank and lay down among the 
 bushes to await the morning light. We were dreadfully cold, 
 being in our wet clothes and unable to make a fire.'' The cold 
 must have been intense. In addition to wet clothes it was 
 winter-time, and one of the coldest months of the Australian 
 year.
 
 RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 383 
 
 The day after the shipwreck a party of blacks came upon 
 the scene. It was doubtless with mingled feelings that the 
 shipwrecked people saw them approach. What was their 
 intentions friendly or hostile ? Did their advent mean life 
 or death ? Their fears were soon set at rest. The natives 
 brought a fire-stick, created a fire, and pointed out their 
 waterholes. 
 
 Strange to relate, the same tribe of natives which showed 
 such kindness to this shipwrecked party was the tribe which 
 two years afterwards brutally murdered the crew and pas- 
 sengers of the ill-fated Maria, to which we have referred. The 
 murder took place not far from the spot where Mr. and Mrs. 
 Longbottom were wrecked. For about seven weeks the party 
 were at the mercy of the blacks. 
 
 The day after the visit of the natives being Sunday a 
 little service was held, in which the shipwrecked people gave 
 thanks to God for preservation from a watery grave. 
 
 The captain decided that the better plan would be to 
 attempt to find a way to some station overland. Mrs. Long- 
 bottom says : "We had no alternative but either to accom- 
 pany the ship's party or be left behind in the bush. Mr. 
 Longbottom prepared for our departure by packing up a pair 
 of blankets, a few biscuits, and a little wine and water, and 
 we 'set out, not knowing whither we went.' But sleeping on 
 the damp ground, together with struggling so long in the surf, 
 had made me stiff and brought on such rheumatism that I 
 could scarcely walk at all. I dragged on about 5 miles when 
 I could go no farther. After resting a few hours Mr. Long- 
 bottom proposed that we should all return to the tent and 
 endeavour to gain fuller knowledge of our situation and 
 prepare ourselves better for travelling. I believe that it was 
 the Spirit of God that dictated this proposal, for all agreed 
 to it and immediately prepared to return. I walked back in 
 much pain, and about midnight we arrived at the tent and 
 found everything just as we left it." 
 
 A quantity of provisions had been obtained from the 
 wreck and the dinghy had drifted ashore. Captain Gill then 
 set to work to lengthen and repair it. About half a mile inland 
 the shipwrecked party discovered a lagoon. It appeared to run 
 parellel with the beach. It was what is now known as the 
 Coorong, connected with the River Murray. On this sheet of 
 water Captain Gill hoped to set sail. 
 
 One day as the captain and men were labouring at the 
 dinghy they met with a strange surprise. A few white men 
 were seen coming down the coast in the direction of the 
 wreck. They proved to be companions in misfortune.
 
 384 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Another vessel (the Eliza befh) had been wrecked about 50 
 miles eastward. The leg- weary travellers were the ship- 
 wrecked captain and crew. Although met together under 
 unfortunate circumstances it was "Hail, fellow! Well met!" 
 Captain Tindall, of the Elizabeth, had with him both chart 
 and compass. This was a great comfort, as Mr. and Mrs. 
 Longbottom and party now knew in what direction to travel 
 for the new settlement on the south coast of Australia. The 
 two captains laboured together, and soon the dinghy was 
 finished. It was too small to carry the whole party. The 
 captains decided to leave the missionary, wife and child, and 
 three sailors in the bush while they and some of the sailors 
 made for Encounter Bay At this place there was a whaling 
 station, and they hoped to get a larger boat in which to 
 tranship the whole party. They set sail on the Coorong. 
 Steering westward they reached the mouth of the Murray, 
 not far distant from the fishery at Encounter Bay. 
 
 In the letter describing their experiences Mrs. Long- 
 bottom says : "During the absence of the party was truly an 
 anxious time. We felt that should any disaster befall them 
 or the boat so that we could not return we had no human 
 means left of ever getting away. However, in less than a 
 week two of the men returned Math the joyful intelligence 
 that they had been to Encounter Bay, and that the captain 
 would be up in two days with a large whaleboat for us. 
 We waited several days after the time appointed, but seeing 
 no captain or boat we started in the little boat, taking with 
 us our blankets, a change of linen for each of us, and a small 
 case containing a few of my husband's most valuable papers, 
 with a supply of provisions. We left the bush on August 7th, 
 having spent forty-five days from the time of our wreck in a 
 state of great anxiety and suspense. It was a beautiful day 
 when we started. The men rowed, Mr. Longbottom steered, 
 and I bailed out the water. Being a fine moonlight night 
 we kept on till midnight, when we hauled up, but could not 
 land. We were obliged to sit in the boat all night. It was 
 dreadfully cold and a verv heavy dew; but mercifully we 
 took no cold, though without any shelter and the boat 
 very leaky. At daybreak we set off again, and about 10 
 o'clock met the captain with a large boat. We changed 
 boats, and about 1 o'clock crossed the Murray River. Here 
 we landed and stayed until sunset, when we again set sail in 
 the boat." 
 
 Eventually the party reached Encounter Bay. Here 
 they were kindly entertained by Captain Wright and his 
 good lady. The whole trip was indeed providential. To
 
 RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 385 
 
 reach Encounter Bay tbey had to cross the mouth of the Mur- 
 ray. This was attended by risk. It was in an attempt to 
 negotiate the mouth of the Murray that Sir John Jeffcott and 
 Captain Blenkinsopp lost their lives. This was not many 
 months before Captain Gill, with his precious cargo, crossed 
 it. ''We did not ship," said he, "a spoonful of water." 
 
 Captain Tindall travelled overland from Encounter Bay 
 to the little settlement on the banks of the Torrens, carrying 
 with him tidings of the wreck of the Elizabeth and the 
 Fanny. The pioneer Methodists heard that among the ship- 
 wrecked party was a Methodist minister with a wife and 
 child. Edward Stephens soon opened up communication 
 with the minister and family, requesting them to come to 
 Adelaide and offering them a home and every assistance in his 
 power. He came, and by these strange means the pioneer 
 Methodist Church received its minister. 
 
 In the founding of the Methodist Church in South Aus- 
 tralia Pastor Jacob Abbott took a prominent part. He 
 was a pioneer who deserves special mention. Jacob Ab- 
 bott came to our Province by the John Renwick in the early 
 part of 1837 and conducted the first class meeting in con- 
 nection with the Methodist Church in South Australia. It 
 was held in a hut on the banks of the Torrens before Ade- 
 laide was laid out. 
 
 Prior to the organic union of all the Methodist Churches 
 in South Australia there were two denominations that did 
 much to mould the spiritual life of the community. One 
 of these the Primitive Methodist Church was founded in 
 South Australia in the year 1840, services being held 
 in the house of Mr. John Wiltshire, in the City of 
 Adelaide. The Bible Christian Connexion was established 
 in 1849. In 1850 the Rev. James Way (father of 
 the Right Hon. Sir Samuel J. Way, Bart.) and James 
 Rowe landed in South Australia, and for many years 
 did splendid work over a large area of the colony by minis- 
 tering to the spiritual needs of the people. 
 
 John Barton Hack was a very useful pioneer. Writing 
 in London before the actual birth of our State Robert Gouger 
 said : "Mr. Barton Hack, a Quaker, called to say he had 
 some friends, persons of capital, desirous to emigrate. He 
 appears to be a highly respectable man and is well con- 
 nected." He did emigrate to South Australia in 1837. Mr. 
 Hack was a pioneer agriculturist and contractor, one of the 
 Committee which named the streets of Adelaide, and took a 
 deep and prominent interest in the founding of the Province. 
 He died October 4th, 1884. Barton Terrace, North Adelaide,
 
 386 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 bears his name. It was this pioneer who was a leading 
 spirit in establishing the Society of Friends in South Austra- 
 lia. They met in his house in Hindley Street. About the 
 year 1840 he gave a valuable allotment of land on Penning- 
 ton Terrace, on which a meeting-house for the Friends was 
 erected. 
 
 In 1844 the adherents of the Jewish faith assembled in 
 Currie Street. The Synagogue was erected in 1850.
 
 AN ERA OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY. 
 
 M2
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 AN ERA OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY. 
 
 A Progressive Era. Such indeed may be said of the 
 period covered by Governor MacDonnell's administration. The 
 foundation of such was laid in Governor Young's time, but it 
 was his successor who reaped the benefit; one sowed the seed ; 
 the other reaped the harvest. 
 
 Before we deal with the material progress of the period 
 under review reference must be made to two or three inter- 
 esting incidents that made some stir among the early settlers. 
 One of these is what was known as "The Cathedral Acre Case." 
 In 1843 the Adelaide Corporation came to an end and for 
 a time municipal matters apparently were allowed to drift. 
 Meanwhile Governor Robe gave to the Bishop of the Anglican 
 Church an acre of land in the centre of Victoria Square 
 upon which to build a cathedral. Stones were laid down to 
 indicate the boundaries of the acre, and in the plans of the 
 city the figure of a church was shown in Victoria Square. A 
 few years passed by, during which the legality of the gift was 
 not disputed. At length the citizens woke up in relation 
 to the matter, and Governor Robe's right to grant a part 
 of Victoria Square for ecclesiastical purposes was challenged. 
 The case came before the Chief Justice, Mr. Charles Cooper 
 (afterwards Sir Charles), and continued about two days, when 
 the finding was against the Bishop's claim. The verdict of 
 the special jury was that Victoria Square, from the founda- 
 tion of the Province, had been set apart for the use and 
 recreation of the public. Consequently it was not waste land 
 within the meaning of the Act when Governor Robe made the 
 grant of one acre of it to the Bishop. 
 
 In Governor MacDonnell's time there was a "servant-girl 
 difficulty," very different from that which obtains to-day. 
 During the year 1855 about 2,800 single women, mostly 
 Irish, were landed in South Australia. The supply 
 was greater than the demand. What to do with these 
 immigrants was a serious and much-debated problem. They 
 were thrown upon the hands of the Government, and some of 
 them gave the authorities great trouble. Ultimately depots 
 were established in various country towns to which these 
 immigrants were sent, and in this way their services were dis- 
 tributed throughout the colony. 
 
 ( 389 )
 
 390 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 MEANS OF TRANSIT. 
 
 Population in South Australia was increasing; settlement 
 was extending; what a young and growing country needs is 
 means of transit. Our railway system was born during 
 Governor Young's administration. The first line laid down 
 was that to Port Adelaide. To the pioneers railway construc- 
 tion was a new experience, and in laying down the first line 
 there were serious mistakes. It cost about 25,000 a mile. 
 
 Sacred history tells of a small city that did not contain 
 many people. It found itself in difficulties. In that city 
 there was a man who though poor was wise. He took the 
 position in at a glance and provided for the citizens a w,ay 
 out of their difficulty. "Yet no man," so the historian adds, 
 "remembered that poor man." 
 
 In relation to the development of our State history must 
 not repeat itself. Honour should be given to those to whom 
 it is due. In connection with the laying down of the Port 
 line the pioneers were in a difficulty ; this was more especially 
 in the construction of the critical parts of the permanent-way. 
 Among the immigrants who arrived about the time the railway 
 was being constructed was a man who, in addition to native 
 mechanical genius, had helped to lay down some of the lines 
 in the Old Land. As the work was proceeding his keen eye 
 saw the faults in its construction. "It will not work," said 
 he. And his statement proved to be true. The plate-laying was 
 put under his control ; he was given a free hand ; faulty work 
 was taken up and the defects remedied. In a short time the 
 train to the Port was safely and merrily running. The man 
 who came to the rescue was Mr. Isaac Puddy, who passed 
 away on November 9th, 1905, at Barton Terrace, North Ade- 
 laide. He was made Superintendent and Inspector of the 
 Permanent-way, a position which he held with credit for many 
 years. Several of the lines in the colony were laid down under 
 his direction. He was a perfect master of the practical part of 
 plate-laying. But I find that while the engineer was remem- 
 bered at the banquet in connection with the opening of the 
 Port railway the man who had come to the engineer's assist- 
 ance, and who had made the running possible, was forgotten. 
 
 The formal opening of the Port railway took place on 
 April 19th, 1856. One hundred and fifty tickets were issued 
 of the value of one guinea each. This entitled the purchaser 
 to travel by a special train to and from the Port and to sit 
 down at a banquet spread in the large room of the South 
 Australian Company's store, McLaren's Wharf. 
 
 At 2 o'clock "a large and fashionable company," 
 representing "the wealth, beauty, and talent of Adelaide,"
 
 AN ERA OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY. 391 
 
 assembled, so the pioneer Press said. Alfred Watts, M.L.C., 
 occupied the chair. Dean Farrell was called upon to say 
 grace; then the company, ''nothing loth," set-to in real 
 earnest to enjoy the good things placed before them. Dean 
 Farrell returned thanks and invoked a blessing upon the 
 colony, the company, and the enterprise that day inaugurated. 
 In passing, the question may be asked : Why was this com- 
 mendable practice allowed to become obsolete ? 
 
 After the banquet came the speeches. The construction 
 of the Port railway was another epoch-making event in the 
 Commonwealth which the pioneers were building. The fact 
 had due emphasis and recognition. 
 
 In the course of his remarks Governor MacDonnell said : 
 "This seems not an unfit occasion to take a retrospective glance 
 at what has been already effected in the immediate neighbour- 
 hood of this room. I recently read a description by a lady of 
 her landing at Port Adelaide in Governor Hindmarsh's time, 
 not yet twenty years ago. She tells how she landed on the 
 marsh and was carried through the mud and mosquitoes in 
 the arms of the boatmen, and then describes the muddy track 
 to Adelaide, miscalled a road, strewn with pianos, ploughs, 
 children's cots, etc., there being at the time no sufficient 
 means of transport from the Port to the city. The description 
 is as graphic, I have been told by an old settler, as it is 
 correct. It might be a source of honest pride to many of those 
 here assembled, who helped to bring about the improved state 
 of things, to meet this day on such an auspicious occasion. 
 What a change has come over the country since the time to 
 which that lady's description referred a change mainly 
 owing to the exertions and sturdy will of the earlier colonists, 
 men who had achieved much and who have left an example 
 destined to achieve much more." 
 
 The Governor delivered a long and able speech. He was 
 followed by pioneers whose names will ever stand prominently 
 out in the founding of our State : John Morphett, James 
 Hurtle Fisher, Charles Simeon Hare, Benjamin Babbage, John 
 Baker, William Younghusband, William Giles, and Samuel 
 Davenport. 
 
 The Gawler railway, which was constructed much more 
 cheaply than that leading to the Port, was opened on October 
 5th, 1857. Some 800 or 900 persons travelled on 
 the line. Hundreds of immigrants gathered at the station 
 to catch a glimpse of the longest train ever moved by steam in 
 South Australia. The carriages were decked with flags and 
 banners and the engine covered with flowers ; there was also a 
 brass band located in one of the carriages. The only mishap
 
 392 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA 
 
 during the day was the burning of the Union Jack on the roof 
 of one of the carriages, caused by a spark from the engine. 
 
 The opening of the railway to Kapunda took place on 
 August 13th, 1860. This was another festive event in the 
 experience of the early settlers. To us the construction of a 
 railway is a somewhat tame and matter of fact event. Not 
 so to the first generation of settlers who came to found the 
 Province. They felt all the buoyancy of youth. They 
 knew that great things had been made possible to them, and 
 felt a thrill of exultation as they saw the possible become ac- 
 tual. The pioneers had come to South Australia to make 
 homes for themselves and their children, to subdue the wilder- 
 ness, to build up a new British Commonwealth. They were 
 very conscious of the progress they were making, and were 
 justly proud of their national achievements. When a new 
 departure was taken and carried to a successful issue they 
 rose to the occasion. The enthusiasm was unbounded. 
 Though many years may have passed since the event re- 
 corded took place, in taking up the old report to-day and 
 reading it one instinctively feels the flush of pride with which 
 it was written and the flow of spirit. Some of those re 
 ports were graphically worded. In connection with the 
 opening of the railway to Kapunda we are told that "the 
 Adelaide Railway Station never presented a more crowded 
 and brilliant appearance." The Governor-in-Chief (Sir Rich- 
 ard MacDonnell ) and his party were present. The Chief Secre- 
 tary was there, as well as the members of the Ministry. Sir 
 James Hurtle Fisher and the representatives of the two Houses 
 of Parliament came to do honour to the occasion. The Mayor 
 and Corporation of Adelaide and "a large gathering of per- 
 sons not distinguished in political life, but of the first re- 
 spectability in society," gave tone and pomp to the proceed- 
 ings. The "gentlemen were accompanied by ladies," and 
 '"altogether they formed a most brilliant assemblage." The 
 train, with ten carriages quite full, started from Adelaide at 
 10.30 a.m. The stations along the line were gaily decorated, 
 and at each stopping-place a number of settlers gathered to see 
 the train come and go. The "display of flags, evergreens, 
 flowers, and people in holiday attire at so many points" gave 
 "great animation to the scene." At Kapunda an address was 
 presented to the Governor by Mr. William Oldham. A "splen- 
 did banquet" was also laid at the North Kapunda Hotel, at 
 which John T. Bagot, M.P., presided. 
 
 On January 18th, 1861, Governor MacDonnell turned 
 the first sod of the Kadina railway. This was a line of rail
 
 AN ERA OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY. 393 
 
 from Port Wallaroo to Kadina constructed by private enter- 
 prise and sanctioned by Act of Parliament. In the Act 
 authorizing the construction of the railway by private enter- 
 prise permission was also given to build a jetty. 
 
 MINING. 
 
 In our chapter on "Consolidation and Extension" we saw 
 the discovery of the Kapunda and Burra Mines. This was 
 at a most opportune time, when the colony had been passing 
 through a period of iinparalleled adversity. It is so singu- 
 lar as to be noteworthy that the next great discovery of min- 
 eral wealth was also in a time of great depression. I refer 
 to the mines on Yorke's Peninsula. 
 
 The Wallaroo Mine, like that of the Burra, was discov- 
 ered by a shepherd. The whole district proved to be won- 
 derfully rich in minerals. In a short time about 650 min- 
 eral claims were taken out on Yorke's Peninsula. Previous 
 to the discovery of these mines the population had consisted 
 of Captain W. W. Hughes, his family, and a few shepherds. 
 Shortly after the discovery the population was reckoned by 
 thousands, and two townships soon sprang into existence. 
 
 The finding of the famous Moonta Mines added largely 
 to the wealth and population of the colony. 
 
 In his work on "The Mines of South Australia'' (1863) 
 J. B. Austin, speaking of the Moonta Mines, said: "During 
 twenty months, since the commencement of the workings, 
 3,000 tons of ore, averaging nearly 25 per cent, of 
 pure copper, had been raised, and at such a comparatively 
 small cost as to enable two dividends of 10 per share to be 
 declared, amounting to 64,000." 
 
 For the year 1862 mineral wealth to the extent of about 
 560,000 was realized in the Province. 
 
 OTHER IMPROVEMENTS. 
 
 In 1856 a new bridge was built over the Torrens cost- 
 ing more than 22,000. 
 
 In 1857 the parklands were fenced in and a portion of 
 them planted. Approaches to the city were also improved. 
 
 In 1858 the Glenelg jetty was in course of construction. 
 
 The new Exhibition Building was erected and used for 
 the first time for the February Show in 1860. Some of the 
 settlers thought that the change from a canvas pavilion to 
 a brick and stone structure would interfere, with the success 
 of the Show. Such, however, was not the case. The re- 
 ceipts for entrance amounted to 167.
 
 394 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 POLITICAL AND INTELLECTUAL PROGRESS. 
 
 THE REAL PROPERTY ACT. 
 
 One of the most important events that happened during 
 the year 1858 was the passing of the Torrens Real Property Act. 
 This was an Act to simplify the transfer of real property, and 
 in more senses than one was epoch-making. Harcus, in his 
 "Handbook of South Australia/' says that it so simplified the 
 law "that any man of intelligence can do all that is necessary 
 for himself when once his property is brought under the 
 Act." The legal profession was up in arms against the 
 measure, but Robert Torrens heroically stood by it and safely 
 piloted it through. Said he: "I am willing to be expended 
 worn out in the work for I believe it worthy ; and I will 
 not desert it until success has been achieved. I am willing 
 to work to the last of my strength in any cause which I know 
 to be good." The colonists demanded the Act. A candi- 
 date for Parliamentary honours had a poor chance of suc- 
 cess unless he declared in favour of it. In 1858 the Bill 
 received Royal assent. The best argument in its favour is 
 the fact that shortly after it became law property was brought 
 under it to the value of a million pounds. 
 
 EDUCATION. 
 
 The Education Act of 1851, referred to in our chapter 
 on "Some Useful Legislation," met the needs of the commun- 
 ity for a long while. At the time at which it was passed it 
 was a very up-to-date measure. 
 
 The pioneers were alive to the importance of education, 
 as the following figures will show. During the year in which 
 the Education Act was passed (1851) the Government spent 
 for educational purposes 3,310. After this there was a 
 gradual increase for each year till 1859, when the cost of 
 education to the Government for that year was =18,224. In 
 nine years, dating from 1851, the Government spent 96,395 
 on education. The figures, although large for a community 
 only twenty-three years of age, do not by any means repre- 
 sent the total expenditure by the community on education. 
 Parents at that time (except in cases of poverty) had to pay 
 for the education of their children, and there were schools 
 other than those that received the Government grant. 
 
 In 1861 the Government brought in a Bill to amend the 
 Education Act of 1851. The aim of the Bill was "to estab- 
 lish and to maintain a good secular education, based on the 
 Christian religion, apart from all controversial differences." 
 It was specially stated that "no attempt should be made to-
 
 - AN ERA OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY. 395 
 
 influence or disturb the peculiar tenets of any religious sect." 
 The schools were to be maintained on the self-supporting prin- 
 ciple by periodical payment of school fees. No books were 
 to be supplied gratuitously except in the case of destitute 
 children. These were to have books and education free of 
 cost. The minimum salary of a teacher was to be 30 per 
 year ; the maximum 80. These amounts were exclusive of 
 school fees or grants from corporations, district councils, or 
 private persons. These were at liberty to supplement the 
 salary of a teacher if they felt so disposed. There was to be 
 a Central Board of Education not to exceed seven persons, 
 to be nominated by the Governor with the advice of the 
 Executive Council. The Board was to control the Educa- 
 tion Department, and the members composing it were to 
 receive one guinea each for every sitting, and the Board was 
 not to meet oftener than once a month. The grant, as 
 a rule, was to be given only to schools in thinly-populated 
 districts. That was the framework of our proposed second 
 Education Bill, the aim of which was to withdraw aid from 
 the schools in large centres of population (except charity 
 schools) and to make education more dependent upon local 
 effort. 
 
 It did not meet with the approval of the Roman Catho- 
 lic section of the community. An influential meeting was 
 held at the church on West Terrace, and a petition was 
 drawn up complaining that the Bible was to be read in the 
 schools supported by the Government, and asking that State- 
 aid to education should be abolished. In addition to this 
 Patrick Boyce Coglin, M.P., introduced a motion into Par- 
 liament in support of the request made in the petition. 
 
 After the Bill had passed its second reading it was 
 referred to a Select Committee. The Committee recommended 
 that no change should be made at present. It did not 
 approve of the withdrawal of the grant from schools in 
 centres of population, and suggested that arrangements 
 should be made for preventing people in good circumstances 
 availing themselves of the monetary advantages of the 
 Education Act. In order to effect this the schoolmaster might 
 be allowed to charge such persons higher school fees. School 
 districts might be formed giving to the people within the 
 district power to levy rates for educational purposes, and to 
 elect three or more persons to expend the rates under the 
 general control of the Education Board. 
 
 Neither the proposed Bill nor the suggestions of the 
 Select Committee met the demands of the case, and the 
 matter was allowed to drop.
 
 396 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Some changes, however, were made in the Education 
 Act of 1851. The following resolution was carried: "That 
 in the opinion of this House the grant-in-aid of education 
 should be allowed only in respect to schools in which the 
 ordinary branches of education are taught, at a fee not 
 exceeding Is. per week, and that in towns consisting of 
 more than 1,000 inhabitants an average attendance of forty 
 scholars would be deemed essential to constitute a school 
 eligible to receive a grant." Mr. Bakewell, M.P., in support- 
 ing the resolution, said : "Government aid should be with- 
 drawn from education except in cases of destitute children. 
 Parents had no more right to expect the Government to pay 
 for their children's education than they had to expect the 
 Government to pay for their clothes." We have travelled a 
 long way in our system of national education since those 
 words were spoken. 
 
 COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS. 
 
 Governor MacDonnell took a deep interest in all that 
 made for the mental, moral, and material welfare of the 
 settlers. He knew by experience the value of the higher 
 branches of education. It was mostly through his influence 
 and exertions that a system of competitive examinations for 
 academic honours was instituted. This was in the year 1860. 
 At that time South Australia was only twenty-four years of 
 age; too young to establish a university. But Governor 
 MacDonnell initiated a scheme akin to our University examin- 
 ations to-day. 
 
 A committee was formed of which John Howard Clark 
 was secretary. Each intending candidate had to forward his 
 name and address in full, stating the day and year of his 
 birth, the length of time he had lived in the colony, the school 
 he had last attended, and the subjects in which he wished to 
 be examined. So interested was the Governor in the move- 
 ment that he offered the use of some of the rooms at Govern- 
 ment House for the occasion. In these apartments ample 
 provision was made for the comfort of both candidates and 
 examiners. 
 
 This was another new departure in the State that our 
 fathers were creating, and thoughtful men took great interest 
 in it. It was not sufficient that roads should be made, bridges 
 constructed, and lines of railway laid down. Mind and 
 spirit, as well as material resources, needed development. 
 Our fathers recognized the fact. In support of these exam- 
 inations Parliament voted 200.
 
 AN ERA OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY. 397 
 
 On Monday, May 7th, 1860, candidates had to present 
 themselves at Government House at 10 o'clock. The first 
 class was examined in Homer by His Excellency the Governor 
 and in Xenophon by the Rev. C. W. Evan. Only two, Messrs. 
 Stuckey and Pitcher, sat for this examination. The 
 second class was examined in Latin by His Honor Sir 
 Charles Cooper. Six boys enlisted for this examination. The 
 third class was examined in Latin grammar, in translations 
 from Eutropius, by Dr. Wyatt. Twenty-seven lads entered 
 for this competition. Francis Stacker Dutton examined a 
 class in French. Among other examiners were Boyle 
 Travers Finniss, Dr. Moore, and the Rev. John Gardner. 
 The examination extended over several days. The first prize 
 in the first class was secured by J. J. Stuckey, value 30. 
 The first prize in the second class was obtained by J. DeQ. 
 Robin, value 25. The first prize in' the third class fell to C. 
 H. Bagot, value 20. 
 
 The result was so creditable to the candidates and so 
 satisfactory to the gentlemen who had initiated the scheme 
 that they decided to repeat the experiment in 1861, when 
 in addition to the Government grant prizes were to be offered 
 by public-spirited colonists. 
 
 ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHY. 
 
 In founding a new State means of communication as 
 well as of transit are imperatively needed. In 1855 the 
 pioneers turned their attention to electric telegraphy. In 
 February, 1856, the telegraph line to Port Adelaide was 
 opened. Two months later the line to Gawler was available. 
 
 On August 9th, 1857, Governor MacDonnell attached 
 the first wire of the intercolonial telegraph line to its bear- 
 ings. This was in front of the old General Post Office, at the 
 corner of Franklin and King William Streets. "Insignifi- 
 cant," said the Governor, "as the little wire appeared, yet 
 along it the hopes, the fears, the wishes of many thousands, 
 as well as the countless wants of business and commerce, 
 would he hoped ere long be safely transmitted to the 
 adjoining colonies. This would lead to the linking closer 
 than ever of those whose similarity of race and of kindred 
 institutions ought to lead to a most intimate and friendly 
 union." 
 
 WATER SUPPLY. 
 
 To every community a good water supply is of supreme 
 importance. We to-dav cannot adequately realize what our 
 fathers and mothers suffered from an inadequate and impure 
 supply of water. Taking a backward glance what do we see
 
 398 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 in summer in pioneer times? A succession of water-carts 
 passing through the rough and dusty streets of the primitive 
 city. They are on their way to the Torrens. This, in 
 summer time, was merely a succession of pools. It was from 
 these that the water supply for Adelaide and the suburbs 
 had to be dipped. It was carted to the homes of the immi- 
 grants for Is. 6d. or 3s. a load, and then stored in 
 buckets, tubs, barrels, or tanks. In the river the water at 
 times must have been dirty and impregnated with injurious 
 matter. In the homes of the people it was exposed to contam- 
 ination from various sources. There -was no public bath for 
 the early immigrants and no water pressure in case of fire. 
 Some improvement was sorely needed. The Government took 
 the matter up and in June, 1856, a Waterworks and Drainage 
 Bill passed the Legislature, the outlay being estimated at 
 .280,000. The water was to be stored at Thorndon Park and 
 about 8,000 gallons were to be supplied daily. The expense 
 was so great that the drainage part of the scheme had to be 
 abandoned. The water was laid on to the houses about the 
 beginning of the year 1861 . Of course the settlers had to pay for 
 the privilege, but a good water supply was one of the greatest 
 boons that had been conferred upon the community. During 
 the year 1861 drinking fountains were erected in various 
 parts of the city. 
 
 LITERATURE. 
 
 The South Australian Advertiser was established in 1858. 
 
 The pioneers, while loyal to the National Anthem, felt 
 the need of an Australian national song. In October, 1859, 
 a prize of ten guineas was offered by the Gawler Institute for 
 the best Song of Australia. It was awarded to Mrs. E. J. 
 Carleton. There were ninety-three competitors. Later 
 another prize of ten guineas was awarded to Herr Linger for 
 the best musical setting to the Song of Australia. 
 
 SOME MINOR NOTES. 
 
 It is a noteworthy fact that with material progress there 
 comes poverty. About the year 1859 (prior to the discovery 
 of the mineral wealth on Yorke's Peninsula) there was desti- 
 tution among the working classes of South Australia. It 
 was attributed largely to absenteeism and free immigration. 
 A South Australian Political Association was founded in 
 1859 with John Clark as President. The platform of the 
 Association was as follows : "We believe the time has now 
 arrived when immigration at the public expense should cease. 
 We believe that property should never be considered in com-
 
 AN ERA OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY. 399 
 
 parison vnith manhood; that the happiness and well-being of 
 the mass is paramount to the aggrandizement of the few. 
 We believe that all citizens should have equal rights. We 
 believe that members of the Legislative Assembly should be 
 paid. We believe that all land alienated from the Crown 
 and unimproved should be taxed. We believe in law reform. 
 We believe the Press should be free and unshackled." 
 The wording of the platform may remind one of the Tooley 
 Street tailors, but the Association became a very vigorous and 
 effective one. John Clark was no commonplace .political 
 agitator. This Political Association (with its branches) was 
 the precursor of the great Labour organizations with which 
 we are familiar to-day. One of its objects was to seek the 
 return of men to Parliament whose views upon questions af- 
 fecting the public interest were identical with those held by 
 members of the Association. It was proposed that no can- 
 didate should receive the support of the Association who 
 was not in favour of the Torrens Real Property Act and a 
 tax upon absentees. It was also suggested that the .20,000 
 that had been voted for immigration should be devoted to 
 public works. A deputation of working men waited upon 
 Governor MacDonnell, asking that the money might be used 
 in the way indicated. Sir Richard's reply was that when 
 a colony required people he never knew immigration, well 
 conducted, to interfere with legitimate wages. The influx 
 of labour, however, unattended by capital, was not exactly 
 the way to promote a healthy and prosperous state of things. 
 As the elections were about to take place he suggested that 
 public opinion on the matter might be influenced. He did 
 not like to see a tendency on the part of the working men to 
 cling round the Government instead of relying on their own 
 stout hearts and arms. 
 
 During the early part of the year 1859 the colony suf- 
 fered much from solar heat and from fires. There were disas- 
 trous fires at Talunga, Cox's Creek, Macclesfield, and Strath- 
 albyn. The damage done was estimated at 20,000. 
 Throughout the colony subscriptions on behalf of the sufferers 
 were solicited and about 4,256 was raised. 
 
 Not only did our young colony suffer in the year 1859 
 from fire, but from water. The wreck of the AdmcHa 
 brought sadness into many hearts and homes. The Ad- 
 mella was a fine new steamship for trading purposes between 
 Adelaide and Melbourne. The name of the steamer was sug- 
 gested by the first syllables of the two names, Adelaide and 
 Melbourne. She left Adelaide for Melbourne on Friday, 
 August 5th, with more than a hundred persons on board.
 
 400 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 There were a number of sporting men on the steamer and six 
 racehorses. These were on their way to the Victorian races. 
 It was thought by some and denied by others that an acci- 
 dent to one of the racehorses was indirectly the cause of the 
 disaster. The racehorse "Jupiter" fell on his back in the 
 box, and the ship was steadied with her head up to the sea 
 till he could be put on his feet again. Some were of opinion 
 that this put the Admella out of her course. Officially the 
 wreck was attributed to a strong ocean current. Early on 
 Saturday morning, before the day broke, and with indica- 
 tions of a coming storm, she struck on Carpenter's Reef, some 
 distance from Cape Northumberland. Soon she broke into 
 three parts. At daylight the ship's lifeboat was seen adrift, 
 caught in some wreckage. A gallant young Dane (Soren 
 Holm) volunteered to swim to her with a rope. One disas- 
 ter after another overtook the unfortunate passengers. The 
 rope carried by the young Dane to the lifeboat parted ; away 
 she drifted with her solitary passenger. Sometimes the cur- 
 rent carried him inshore, at other times out to sea. He made 
 heroic efforts to get the lifeboat to the wreck, but was fin- 
 ally swept out of her by the angry waters and perished in 
 the deep. Some of the passengers were thrown overboard by 
 the violence of the waves. The foremast, crowded with people, 
 broke short off, carrying into the sea all those who had clung 
 to it. The men in charge of the racehorses, with a 
 fireman, were seen clinging to a horse-box, but they were 
 swept out to sea and drowned. Not only did disasters in 
 quick succession overtake the ill-fated passengers, but bitter 
 disappointments. About 8 o'clock in the morning the 
 Havilah, a sister steamer, passed in full sight, but failed to 
 see the wrecked Admella. During the night the P. & O. 
 steamer Bombay passed so near that the few who still clung 
 to the wreck clearly saw her lights. After Sunday it was 
 not possible to leave the forepart of the steamer and reach 
 the stern, where there appeared to be greater safety. No 
 living person was to be seen on the forepart of the wreck 
 after Tuesday. The deeds of heroism that were done stir the 
 soul. The second mate secured a lifebuoy and volunteered 
 to swim to the shore. He shook hands with those who re- 
 mained on the wreck and then committed himself to the 
 deep. He had almost achieved his purpose when a high 
 wave caught him and carried him back to the ocean a 
 corpse. The second steward an expert swimmer next 
 essayed the task. For some distance he battled with the waves, 
 and then threw up his arms and went down. A poorly con- 
 structed raft was made, the best that could be contrived
 
 AN ERA OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY. 401 
 
 under the circumstances. Two sailors manned the raft and 
 tried to reach the shore. They perished in the attempt. 
 Two other men John Leach and Robert Knapman made 
 the attempt and succeeded. Bruised and battered they 
 reached the beach and made for the lighthouse, which they 
 reached about 7 o'clock on Monday morning. The immi- 
 grants who had reached that part of the Province hurried to 
 the beach, but nothing of an effective character could be done. 
 Mr. Gerrnein, the lighthouse-keeper, patched up the lifeboat 
 out of which the young Dane had been swept, and which 
 had been washed ashore ; but the sea was too tumultuous for a 
 boat to live. Two fishermen Robert Demetrius and Peter 
 Donnell at great peril to themselves sailed out in a fishing 
 boat to attempt a rescue, but could not succeed. Mean- 
 while the unfortunate passengers, one after another, perished. 
 On the fourth night after the steamer struck about twenty 
 died from cold and exhaustion. A passenger (Captain Har- 
 ris) did good work in diving for provisions, but the effort 
 cost him his life. The steamer Corio came from Port Ade- 
 laide with the lifeboat. She was launched, manned by five 
 men, and made for the wreck, but was driven ashore. Those 
 on the beach heard the despairing cry of the shipwrecked pas- 
 sengers as the lifeboat failed. The ocean was seething, foam- 
 ing, and the waves running high. Now the Ladybird, from 
 Melbourne, came to the rescue. She had on board the Port- 
 land lifeboat crew. The skipper of the lifeboat was James 
 Fawthorp, a grand old white-headed man. She was launched 
 and got within 15 yards of the wreck. A mighty sea 
 came rolling in. "Hold on, men, for your lives," shouted 
 the venerable old captain. The sea caught the boat and 
 turned her over, but she righted herself again. Unfortun- 
 ately eight of the twelve oars were swept away. "We'll 
 come back," shouted the captain as the boat went away 
 to secure more oars. Again she came to the rescue, near 
 enough to hear some of the tortured survivors say, "For 
 God's sake, come; water!" There was no rescue till the 
 next morning (Saturday). Rain fell. The sea was beaten 
 down. The lifeboat of the Admella, which had been patched 
 up by Mr. Germein, reached the wreck and took off three 
 passengers. The other survivors were taken off by the Port- 
 land lifeboat after having endured a week of agony. More 
 than eighty persons perished on the wreck, including four- 
 teen children and eighteen women. The only lady saved was 
 Miss Ledwith. Deeds of heroism, revealing the greatness and 
 grandeur of human nature, were done in connection with that 
 awful wreck. A subscription list was opened and met with
 
 402 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 a most liberal response. The survivors who needed assist- 
 ance received it, and the services of those who went to the 
 rescue were recognized by a well -merited reward. A sum of 
 50 was set aside for the relatives of the heroic young Dane 
 (Soren Holm) if they could be found. 
 
 We have looked at the wreck in the south-eastern part 
 of our Province ; we must now turn our attention to the City 
 of Adelaide fifty years ago. Some four days after the ves- 
 sel struck the tidings reached Adelaide. Business was para- 
 lysed, shops were empty, streets were crowded day and night. 
 Both Houses of Legislature adjourned. The President of 
 the Legislative Council (Sir James Hurtle Fisher) had two 
 sons on board the Admella, and one was drowned. All 
 human help seemed unavailing. One of the citizens suggested 
 a prayer meeting, and crowds flocked to the Pirie Street Me- 
 thodist Church. Here religious services were conducted dur- 
 ing the day. This was on Friday. On Saturday evening 
 the following notice was posted up at the Telegraph Office : 
 
 ''Glorious news ! Twenty-two saved, including Roche- 
 fort, Hurtle Fisher, Captain MacEwin, Andrew Fuller, and 
 Thomas Davey. Poor George Fisher drowned. "' 47) 
 
 (47) A pathetic incident in connection with the wreck of the 
 Admella ought to be recorded. The early colonists will remem- 
 l>er the Rev. John Gardner, first minister of Chalmers Church. 
 Adelaide. Mrs. E. B. Steele, who died in 1877, was a devotee! 
 worker in connection with his Church, especially in the Sunday- 
 school. Among her papers a num]>er of Sunday-school reminis- 
 cences were found. The young people who rend this history will 
 be specially interested in the following: "The first parting from 
 any of my scholars was a very sorrowful one, three dear children 
 being suddenly called away. Katie came into my class when very 
 young, and was with me until ten years of age. When crossing 
 the parklands to school Katie, knowing my love for flowers, used 
 to gather a few ; but one day she came without any, tearfully 
 enquiring : 'Is it wrong to pick them on the Sabbath Day ?' But 
 the time came when my dear scholar must leave me, and she 
 spent her last day in Adelaide with her teacher. I went part of 
 the way home with her, and we talked of that 'happy land' where 
 we hope to meet again. As I found that she bad a fear of the 
 sea (she was leaving with her two brothers by the Admella} I re- 
 minded her of One who holds the winds and the waves. 
 After parting Katie looked back, and her last words to me were: 
 'I'm not afraid of the sea now.' Robert was eight and a half 
 years old. and very attentive at Sunday-school, never coming with- 
 out bis hymns learned perfectly. Sometimes he was observed going 
 into a room alone before leaving for school, and, when asked the 
 reason, would say: 'I went to pray.' John was too young to 
 come often to school, but always sent his penny to the missionary 
 box. He would come to meet the others, saying : 'I hope there 
 is a picture of Jesus in the book.' When leaving in the Admella 
 for Melbourne Johnnie saw many friends weeping. Gazing on
 
 AN ERA OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY. 403 
 
 We must again turn our attention to more prosaic and 
 congenial events. The year 1860 was cne of .great prosperity. 
 There had been a bountiful harvest, a good lambing season, 
 and a large and rich output from the mines. Of the year 
 I860 the Press said that its history could not be reviewed 
 by the colonists "without an emotion of thankfulness to that 
 Supreme Providence that guides the destinies of peoples as 
 well as of individuals. The year opened in gloom and actual 
 suffering existed; the year closed in gladness. The pressure 
 of painful circumstances had been removed ; hope had taken 
 the place of uneasy misgivings. As the withholding of Nature's 
 bounties had caused sorrow so the plentiful outpouring of 
 them restored joy. God had given the colonists the dew of 
 heaven and the fatness of earth." 
 
 Speaking in 1861, just before he left the colony, Governor 
 MacDonnell said: ''Nothing can deprive me of the recol- 
 lection that I was amongst you during the most remarkable 
 six years of your history, and was permitted materially to 
 aid in developing the growth of the colony. When I landed 
 in June, 1855, there was not a mile of rail opened in the 
 colony ; there are now 57 miles in use, over which 
 annually rolls a traffic of more than 150,000 tons. Your 
 coasts have been lit by three additional first-class lights, and 
 three additional harbours have come into extensive use. Your 
 population has grown from 86,000 to nearly 130,000, whilst 
 the exports of colonial produce have risen from less than 
 ,691,000 in the year 1855 to 1,808,000 in June, 1861. When 
 I landed there was scarcely 60 miles of made road. Now 
 (independently of those in the city) there are nearly, if not 
 over, 200 miles; and instead of 160,000 acres in cultiva- 
 tion there cannot be less now than 460,000, a greater 
 number in proportion to the population than obtains in any 
 other part of Her Majesty's dominions. It is since 1855 that 
 the first telegraph post was erected in this colony, and yet 
 you already possess 600 miles of telegraphic communication 
 and nearly 1,000 miles of wire, together with twenty- 
 six stations. It is also since 1855 that the explorations 
 of Stuart and others have added so much to our geographical 
 knowledge, filling up the blank spaces which had so long 
 defaced the map. Above all, it is since my arrival here that 
 
 them in wonder he said : 'Are yon crying because we are all going 
 to our Father?' Johnnie's own verse, as he called it, was: 'He 
 shall gather the lambs in His arms and carry them in His bosom.' 
 Little did I know what was so soon to take place. Those dear 
 children were lost on August 6th, 18o9, with many others, when 
 the Admella was wrecked."
 
 404 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 the great experiment has been tried of entrusting the general 
 mass of the people, through their immediate representatives, 
 with the power to completely control the taxation and 
 expenditure of the country and direct its general legislation. 
 I am bound to say that although such an experiment must be 
 more or less hazardous anywhere, there is less risk accom- 
 panying it in South Australia, owing. to the character of the 
 people and the division of the property here, than would 
 attend it in almost any other country." 
 
 Shortly after Governor MacDonnell had spoken these 
 words the South Australian Register said : "Our readers 
 cannot, we think, contemplate the condition of the colony 
 without the most sanguine anticipations as to its 
 future prosperity, and without emotions of gratitude to that 
 Supreme Being who has hitherto watched over its interests. 
 The material, social, and religious aspects of the community 
 are such as to warrant us in believing that South Australia 
 will not only be an example to other countries, but that it 
 will speedily become the home of hundreds of thousands of 
 persons from the Mother Country less favourably circum- 
 stanced than ourselves." 
 
 The colonists were so pleased with the administration of 
 Sir Richard MacDonnell that a petition was prepared for 
 presentation to the Queen, asking that his term of office might 
 be extended. His Excellency ruled that such an act was 
 not permissible. He could not "transmit a memorial affecting 
 his tenure of office unless it were of an adverse or unfriendly 
 character." In the judgment of the colonists Governor 
 MacDonnell "had well and wisely discharged the duties of his 
 high position" and "had secured the confidence of all classes 
 of the community." 
 
 On the eve of leaving the Province Lady MacDonnell 
 was presented with a cheque for ,130, enclosed in a beauti- 
 fully chaste silver box, and various adddresses were presented 
 to the Governor. Sir Richard and Lady MacDonnell left 
 South Australia on March 4th, 1862. 
 
 Sir Richard was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Nova 
 Scotia and then Governor of Hong-Kong. In 1872 he retired 
 on a pension, and died in France on February 5th, 1881, and 
 was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, England.
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS.
 
 SIB JAMES HURTLE FISHER.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 In previous chapters we have watched the process of 
 nation-building. We saw the plans prepared and the founda- 
 tions laid ; the circumstances under which the builders 
 worked; their reverses and their successes; their struggles for 
 political and religious freedom . We watched them rise from, a 
 position of imperial tutelage to that of a self-governing 
 people ; we witnessed their efforts to penetrate into the interior 
 and the rise of their religious institutions. Now some of the 
 builders will come under review. Their memories ought 
 to be kept green. This is a duty we owe them. Anglo- 
 Saxons the world over, as well as South Australians, would 
 like to know something of the more prominent pioneers who 
 laid the foundations of the State and who helped to build 
 up the very creditable superstructure that we have detailed. 
 
 The pioneers were a fine sample of the British race. Said 
 the late Sir Henry Ayers, who was one of them, having come 
 out in 1840 : "The early settlers evinced great boldness in 
 coming to this country when they did, for it was no light 
 undertaking for men and women, with their children, to 
 leave the comforts and conveniences of civilization and to 
 venture to settle in a country whose geographical position 
 was not generally understood, and of whose productive powers 
 absolutely nothing was known. When they were surrounded 
 with difficulties it was the possession of like courage which 
 enabled them successfully to withstand them. I have always 
 urged, and am still of opinion, that the greatest factor in 
 overcoming our difficulties was the sterling qualities of our 
 pioneers. They were a superior sample of the people of the 
 Mother Country. They had their privations, their disap- 
 pointments, and their losses, which they bravely met. 
 In short, they were made of the right sort of stuff, and well 
 worthy of the grand old country whose sons they were." 
 They must have been a superior type brave, determined, self- 
 reliant or they never would have faced what was really a 
 great ordeal. It is only men and women of heroic spirit 
 who would sacrifice the comforts and conveniences of Old 
 England, who would leave relatives and friends and go out 
 to found a nation in an unknown land. 
 
 ( 407 )
 
 408 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Many years after he had left the colony Sir George Grey 
 said : "It was founded on a peculiar system which had brought 
 a very superior class of men in almost every rank of life. 
 In no colony in which I have been was there such a number 
 of clever men of really proficient men in proportion to the 
 population. In no part of the world have I seen a finer 
 and more able set of men and women for founding a settle- 
 ment. They were of the right stamp determined, self-reliant, 
 and hopeful." Sir George affirmed that he had learned lessons 
 from the pioneers of South Australia that had been of value 
 to him through life. 
 
 From time to time reminiscences of some of the pioneers 
 have appeared in the daily Press. There was one who 
 settled at Hope Valley who could clear a piece of country, 
 fence, plant, and harvest it; build a house, make the furni- 
 ture, use almost every kind of tool, and drive a steam engine, 
 mail-coach, or bullock-dray. Ultimately he became a school- 
 teacher, a profession that he followed to the time of his 
 death. 
 
 Women as well as men were equal to the difficulties and 
 disadvantages incidental to pioneering. They were indus- 
 trious, resolute, courageous, and independent. One pioneer 
 and his wife sank a well 100 ft. deep. The good lady 
 pulled the rock up with bucket and windlass as her husband 
 cut it away. Nor was this by any means the only like engage- 
 ment they performed. 
 
 Too much cannot be said in praise of the women pioneers. 
 It was upon these that the burdens incidental to emigration 
 and colonization the more heavily fell. They left comfort- 
 able homes in the Old Land, surrounded by all the advan- 
 tages of civilization, and had to endure, in a sense that the 
 men did not, the dangers, difficulties, discomforts, and sacri- 
 fices connected with settlement in a new, untried, and un- 
 known land. From "A Backward Glance," the story of John 
 Ridley's life, written by his daughter, I take the following : 
 "Happily for the project (emigrating to South Australia) 
 my mother was a woman to whom the sensation of fear was 
 unknown. I never remember her afraid of anything that it 
 was necessary for her to face. She had no fear or mis- 
 giving about the colonization scheme, and where her husband 
 led she was prepared to follow." This good lady, after the 
 family landed in South Australia in 1840 (four years after 
 the Province was proclaimed), knew what it was to sit up in 
 bed with the water dropping through the roof, holding up 
 an umbrella to shelter herself and her two wee babies. One 
 of the last duties that our worthy pioneer Edward Stephens
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 409 
 
 discharged before he passed into the unseen was the delivery 
 of a speech in praise of the wives of the early settlers. 
 
 One of our sturdy pioneers, when more than ninety 
 years of age, put on record some of his recollections. He 
 landed at Glenelg in 1840. The total amount of his capital 
 was 4s. 6d. Footing the track from Glenelg he called in at 
 the "Half-way House." Here he had to pay 3s. 6d. When 
 he reached Emigration Square, on the West Parklands of the 
 embryo city, he had Is. only with which to begin his 
 colonial experiences. But he had strong arms, a good char- 
 acter, and determined spirit. The day after his arrival he 
 left Emigration Square and obtained work as a bullock- 
 driver for the South Australian Company. For his services 
 he received 2 per week with house, wood, and water. A 
 time of commercial depression set in. Our praiseworthy 
 pioreer had to take work in the hills at 8s. per week, 
 with board for himself and wife. Out of this miserable 
 allowance he managed to save 10 10s. to purchase a bullock- 
 dray so that he might himself enter into business. It must also 
 be borne in mind that at this time the price of commodities 
 was very high. The first bag of flour that this pioneer 
 bought cost 6. In carting wood from the hills to Adelaide 
 it was under great difficulties that he laboured. The road 
 through what is now the city of Unley was a tremendous 
 bog. ''In winter time the bullocks would be up to their 
 knees in mud. In one place particularly five or six teams 
 would often be bogged, and the united strength of all the 
 bullocks in the teams would be required to pull each waggon 
 through the mire." There were no mowing machines in those, 
 days, and this hardy pioneer was a splendid hand with the 
 scythe. He could mow about three acres a day. Subse- 
 quently he rented a farm at Coromandel Valley and finally 
 became the owner of a large estate. At ninety years of age 
 his proud and laudable boast was : ''I never turned in- 
 solvent : I never had anything to do with a law case ; and 
 never had a man ask me twice for money." 
 
 With many of the pioneer builders I have already dealt. 
 The early Governors, Robert Gouger, George Fife Angas, 
 Colonel Light, Geoi-ge Stevenson, Sir John Jeffcott, George 
 Milner Stephen, David McLaren, John Ridley, and several 
 others have come under review. The pioneer explorers and 
 preachers have also been sketched. There are many other 
 pioneers to whom frequent references has been made in our 
 pages, but whose history has not been recorded. With these 
 we shall now deal.
 
 410 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 PIONEER CROWN OFFICIALS. 
 
 These were the men sent out from England by the Com- 
 missioners in 1836 to lay the foundations of the new Pro- 
 vince : 
 
 SIR JAMES HURTLE FISHER. Among the pioneer builders 
 his position is unique. He was appointed Resident Com- 
 missioner, and came out with Governor Hindmarsh in the 
 Buffalo. The vessel arrived on December 24th, 1836, and 
 four days after dropping anchor the colony was proclaimed. 
 Speaking on that occasion Governor Hindmarsh said : "May 
 the present unanimity continue as long as South Australia 
 exists." The Glenelg plains rang with acclamation. Such 
 a desideratum, however, was not to be. To send out a Gov- 
 ernor and a Resident Commissioner two men armed with 
 authority was an unfortunate mistake. Their orbits lay in 
 much the same plane, and frequently they came into col- 
 lision. No doubt it was largely the disputes between the 
 Governor and the Resident Commissioner that led to the 
 recall of the former. When Governor Gawler was appointed 
 the office of Resident Commissioner was merged in that of 
 Governor. James Hurtle Fisher continued in the colony 
 practising as a lawyer. He took a deep interest in the wel- 
 fare of the early settlers. He was one of the Committee which 
 named the streets of the city. In 1840 he was elected as 
 one of the Councillors for the embryo city, and chosen Mayor 
 a position that he occupied five times. It was he who laid 
 the foundation-stone of the monument erected to the 
 memory of Colonel Light. James Hurtle Fisher took a pro- 
 minent part in resisting the imposition of royalties in Gover- 
 nor Robe's time and in opposing the proposal to send out 
 the "Paikhurst Boys," so called from the reformatory it) 
 which they were confined. He failed to obtain a seat in the 
 first Legislative Council on a more popular basis. That year, 
 as an expression of appreciation of his services, a banquet was 
 tendered him by some of the settlers, and he was pre- 
 sented with a testimonial. He was in the Legislative Council 
 in 1853, and was also nominated to the Council created in 
 1855 and elected Speaker. This worthy pioneer was one of 
 our Constitution-makers. He helped to pass the Parliament 
 Bill giving the power of self-government to the people, and 
 in the First Parliament was elected a member of the Legis- 
 lative Council and chosen as President. This position was 
 occupied by him till he retired in 1864. In 1860 James 
 Hurtle Fisher was knighted by the Queen. The Hon. John 
 Baker (who will come under review), speaking of him, said:
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 411 
 
 "James Hurtle Fisher's pre-eminent talent was seen in the 
 fact that he could foresee the enactments that would suit the 
 progressive requirements of the colony, fie was ever the 
 man chosen to preside at meetings convened either to de- 
 nounce a grievance or to demand justice. If there was an 
 old colonists' festival James Hurtle Fisher was, by general 
 consent, the man to preside over it." He served his adopted 
 country well, and on January 28th, 1875, at the ripe age 
 of eighty-five years, passed away. Hurtle Square is named 
 after him. 
 
 CAPTAIN LIPSON was an old and useful colonist. In 
 1793 he joined the Royal Navy and saw active service. When 
 the South Australian Colonization Bill was passed the Admir- 
 alty appointed Captain Lipson naval officer for the proposed 
 colony. The Commissioner? nominated him as harbour- 
 master and Collector of Customs. Captain Lipson, wife, and 
 family came out in the Cygnet in November, 1836. He was 
 the first person to welcome Governor Hindmarsh on his 
 arrival. This was at Port Lincoln, at which place the 
 Buffalo called before dropping anchor in Holdfast Bay. Cap- 
 tain Lipson held the position of harbourmaster till 1855, 
 when he retired on a life pension. He died October 25th, 
 1863, aged seventy-nine years. Lipson Street, Port Ade- 
 laide, perpetuates his name. 
 
 JOHN BROWN. Well known to the early emigrants. He 
 was the first Emigration Agent, and came out with his wife 
 in the .4 fricaine., arriving November 2nd, 1836. It was "John 
 Brown's Tent," Holdfast Bay, that the first emigrants had to 
 seek. From letters and diaries we get glimpses of it. One 
 of our lady pioneers who came out in the Buffalo wrote as 
 follows: <: On first landing; we went to a tent belonging to 
 Mr. Brown. The floor was covered with native yellow ever- 
 lasting flowers. Most cool and refreshing it appeared after 
 a voyage of over five months." Another, describing her first 
 morning's experience in the Great Lone Land, said : "We 
 all rose early, with parrots chirping over our heads, and 
 breakfasted with Mrs. Brown. The coffee mill is nailed to a 
 tree outside of the tent, and the roaster stands close by its 
 side." John Brown was involved in the early squabbles and 
 was suspended by Governor Hindmarsh. He was one of the 
 Committee which named the streets of the city, and took an 
 active part in the public affairs of the young colony, especi- 
 ally in opposing State-aid to religion. He was a member of 
 the first City Council, and was for some years editor of The 
 AfJi'Jaidc Times. He became manager of the Adelaide Life 
 Assurance and Guarantee Company, a position that he occu-
 
 412 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 pied till failing health necessitated his resignation. He re- 
 tired on a pension. In 1879 he met with an accident in King 
 William Street that had a fatal ending. He died August 17th, 
 1879, aged seventy-eight years. John Brown has been des- 
 cribed as "a man of high mental culture and of the strictest 
 integrity." Brown Street, Adelaide, will perpetuate his 
 name. 
 
 THOMAS GILBERT was in business in Leadenhall Street, 
 London, as an optician. When the idea of founding a colony 
 in South Australia was suggested he took a great interest in 
 the movement. In the Old Country Thomas Gilbert was asso- 
 ciated with such representative men as Robert Gouger, John 
 Brown, George S. Kingston, Richard D. Hanson, and Dr. 
 Everard. He sailed for the new land in the Cygnet with 
 many other honoured pioneers, and landed at Kangaroo 
 Island in September, 1836. It was this esteemed pioneer who 
 proposed the toast "Mrs. Hindmarsh and the Ladies" at the 
 foundation of the colony. He occupied the position of colo- 
 nial storekeeper and for some time acted as postmaster. In 
 1854 he retired on a pension. He was a man of excellent char- 
 acter. In the early squabbles Governor Hindmarsh, in one 
 of his despatches, described Thomas Gilbert as "an honest 
 man misled." His long life came to an end on May 30th, 1873, 
 in his eighty-sixth year. Gilbert Street, Adelaide, bears his 
 name. 
 
 CHARLES MANN. He was the first Advocate-General of 
 South Australia. Died May 24th, 1860, aged sixty years. 
 Charles Mann was a very useful and prominent pioneer. He 
 took a deep interest in public questions. He was the father 
 of Charles Mann, a noted politician, who came in after years 
 upon the scene. Mount Mann, in the Far North, is named 
 after this pioneer. 
 
 OSMOND GILLES, the first Treasui'er of South Australia, 
 came to the Province with Governor Hindmarsh in the 
 Buffalo. Died September 23rd, 1866, aged seventy-one years. 
 Glen Osmond is named after him and Gilles Street, Adelaide; 
 also Lake Gilles and Gilles Plains. 
 
 SIR GEORGE STRICKLAND KINGSTON came out in the fifth 
 vessel, the Cygnet, arriving at Kangaroo Island on Septem- 
 ber llth, 1836. His position was that of Deputy- Survey or, 
 second in command to Colonel Light. By the aid of emi- 
 grants' letters and diaries we get glimpses of him as he moved 
 about among the rush huts and tents at Holdfast Bay more 
 than sixty years ago. John Morphett, writing home shortly 
 after the founding of the colony, said : "With respect to dress
 
 SIR GEORGE STRICKLAND KINGSTON.
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 415 
 
 I should say that we are in the primitive state of society at 
 the present. Men are not estimated by the cut of their 
 clothes or respected for the goodness of their hats." Gentle- 
 men ''are to be seen in all kinds of dress, each having con- 
 sulted his own fancy and chosen clothing adapted to the 
 climate." This statement throws light upon a remark made 
 by one of our pioneers that in the primitive encampment at 
 Holdfast Bay George Strickland Kingston "went about like 
 a brigand of the woods" ! Another, speaking of the landing 
 of Governor Hindmarsh and his party, wrote : "They all 
 seemed highly delighted with our village, as I may call it, 
 which consisted now of about forty tents and huts scattered 
 about without any regularity. We took coffee in Mr. King- 
 ston's hut." At this time of the day it is refreshing to read 
 of men dwelling in huts who rose to the highest positions of 
 honour and who were knighted by the Queen. It was 
 George S. Kingston who, in company with two other immi- 
 grants, discovered the Torrens, on which the City of Adelaide 
 is built. After the resignation of Colonel Light he became 
 Acting Surveyor-General. George S. Kingston sat in the first 
 Legislative Council elected on a more representative basis. 
 This was in 1851. He was chosen for Burra, which he 
 represented for many years. In 1855 he was re-elected for 
 that district and helped to frame the new Constitution. 
 When the First Parliament was formed in 1857 he was once 
 more returned for Burra, and was appointed Speaker of 
 the House of Assembly, a position he filled for two 
 or three years. In 1865 he was again elected Speaker, and 
 held office till 1880. For services rendered to the colony he 
 was knighted by the Qiieen. George S. Kingston was an 
 opponent to State-aid to religion. He did posterity good ser- 
 vice by keeping a register of the rainfall, making it possible 
 to compare meteorological conditions to-day with those that 
 existed in pioneer times. He died while on a voyage to 
 India, November 26th, 1881. The township of Kingston 
 and Mount Kingston, in the Far North, perpetuate his 
 name ; also Kingston Terrace in North Adelaide. 
 
 MEMBERS OF THE NOMINEE COUNCIL. 
 
 When South Australia became a Crown colony in Gover- 
 nor Grey's time a Legislative Council was formed consisting of 
 eight persons and including the Governor. Four of these were 
 official members and four non-official. It is with the members 
 of this pioneer Council that we have to deal : 
 
 ALFRED M. MUNDY. Unlike many of the pioneers, his 
 influence did not come down to modern times ; it was con- 
 fined to the thirties and forties. In 1839 he drove over from
 
 416 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 New South Wales to Adelaide in company with Mr. Joseph 
 TIawdon. In 1843 he was nominated as Colonial Secretary 
 by Governor Grey and remained in the Council till 1849. 
 I laving obtained leave of absence he went to England on May 
 30th, 1849, and died at Nice in 1877. He supported the 
 principle of State-aid to religion and the imposition of royal- 
 ties. Mundy Street, Port Adelaide, and a watercourse in the 
 Far North bear his name. 
 
 WILLIAM SMILLIE. In 1843 he was nominated by Gov- 
 ernor Grey as Advocate-General. He was a member of the 
 Established Church of Scotland, and warmly supported the 
 principle of State-aid to religion. It was William Smillie 
 who said in the Council : "Let the dissenters (to the prin- 
 ciple of State-aid) go on and make as many proselytes as they 
 could. God speed them. But if a vast number of sheep 
 were out of the fold it was the duty of our rulers to look 
 after them." Still he was no bigot. In old records we find 
 him taking part in public meetings in connection with the 
 pioneer Methodist Church. Evidently he was a man of con- 
 siderable ability. He received two years' leave of absence 
 from the colony and, I believe, died in Paris about 1851 
 It was said that he wore himself out in the service of South 
 Australia. 
 
 JACOB HAGEN. Jacob Hagen was a most influential and 
 useful pioneer. In 1843 he was nominated by Governor 
 Grey as a non-official member of the Legislative Council, 
 and during his term of office served well his country and 
 Queen. In pioneer legislation he took a very prominent part. 
 In the proceedings of the old Nominee Council no name is 
 more prominent than his. Evidently he was a man who could 
 take a firm mental grasp of pioneer politics and could 
 give clear and intelligent expression to his views. Jacob 
 Hagen brought a considerable amount of capital to the colony 
 and purchased a large estate at Echunga. His house and gar- 
 den in this picturesque spot were among the finest in the 
 colony. About the end of 1853 he left the colony and secured 
 an estate in England, where he died about 1868. 
 
 CAPTAIN DASHWOOD came to the colony in 1841 and was 
 appointed a magistrate. In 1843 he was nominated a mem- 
 ber of the first Nominee Council. In 1847 he was appointed 
 Acting Commissioner of Police and police magistrate. Later 
 he was Collector of Customs for the Province with a seat 
 in the Legislative Council that passed the First Parliament 
 Bill in 1853. He then acted as Emigration Agent in Great 
 Britain, and finally served the Crown and colony as stipend 
 iary magistrate for Port Adelaide and Edithburgh. He died
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 417 
 
 at Norwood March 15th, 1881, aged seventy-five years. 
 Dash wood's Gully is named after him. 
 
 MAJOR THOMAS SHULDAM O'HALLORAN was the son of 
 Major-General Sir J. O'Halloran, and was born in 1797. 
 Before coming to the New Settlement he had seen active ser- 
 vice in India. In 1838 he retired from the army by the sale 
 of his commission and received a medal for his services in 
 India. He then sailed for the new Province of South Aus- 
 tralia, arriving in 1838. Major O'Halloran at once settled 
 at a place south of Adelaide that has ever since been 
 known as O'Halloran Hill. Not long after his arrival the 
 position of Commissioner of Police was offered him and this 
 he accepted. Dealing with bushrangers and blacks he had 
 some stirring experiences. It was he who had to lead the 
 party of pioneers sent to scour some of the South-East country 
 in search of the blacks who murdered the passengers and crew 
 of the Maria. Later he led a body of men up the Mur- 
 ray to punish some blacks for an attack upon an overland 
 party. In an official report he describes how he came upon 
 the body of a white man guarded by a faithful bulldog. The 
 dog had been speared in two places by the blacks. The man's 
 body was covered with wounds, his head and face mutilated 
 and frightfully battered with waddies. Part of a dray, flour 
 in heaps, broken muskets, and other articles lay strewn 
 round; also many waddies and jagged spears, with blood, 
 flesh, and hair upon them. It was a gruesome scene. A 
 grave was dug for the remains of the man, and Major O'Hal- 
 loran had the melancholy satisfaction of giving to the body 
 Christian burial. I quote this as evidence of some of the ex- 
 citing circumstances through which the Major passed and the 
 dangers with which the pioneers were confronted. In 1843 
 the Government wished to add the duties of magistrate to 
 those of Commissioner of Police, and Major O'Halloran re- 
 signed his position. In the same year he was nominated as a 
 non-official member of the Nominee Council. He took a pro- 
 minent part in resisting the imposition of royalties. In 1857 
 Major O'Halloran was chosen a member of the Legislative 
 Council under the new Constitution, holding office till June, 
 1863. Throughout life "he well sustained the reputation of 
 a gentleman." It was Major O'Halloran who founded Christ 
 Church, O'PIalloran Hill : he was also one of the governors 
 of St. Peter's College. He died August 16th, 1870, aged 
 seventy-three years. Mount O'Halloran, in the Far North, 
 as well as O'Halloran Hill, is named after him. 
 
 Siu JOHN MORPHETT. A colossal figure in the Province 
 for more than fifty years. This the reader will have surmised 
 
 N
 
 418 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 from the frequent reference to him in these pages. In our 
 chapter on "Preparing to Build" we had a glimpse of John 
 Morphett nearly eighty years ago. On that historic occa- 
 sion, before the colony was in existence, he said : "In heart I 
 am now a South Australian." Such he remained to the end 
 of his long pilgrimage. He came to the new land by the 
 Cygnet, arriving at Kangaroo Island on September llth, 1836, 
 three months before the colony was proclaimed. We meet 
 with him first at Rapid Bay in company with Samuel 
 Stephens. Evidently they had both sailed over from Kan- 
 garoo Island to the mainland on an exploring expedition. 
 A little later he is among the "hutters" at Holdfast Bay. 
 From this position John Morphett, George S. Kingston, and 
 another immigrant tried to penetrate a little farther into 
 the heart of the new and unknown country. They discovered 
 the Torrens, on the banks of which Colonel Light afterwards 
 decided to lay out the city. When the fugitive camp at Hold- 
 fast Bay was broken up and the settlers travelled a few miles 
 inland and "hutted" themselves near the site of the city that 
 was to be, John Morphett found a temporary resting-place in 
 a hut that he built on the banks of the Torrens. An old 
 pioneer in her diary says : "It was near a grassy plot where 
 the gentlemen played quoits." A few months later, writing 
 to friends in England, he said : "It is not twelve months 
 since the Governor proclaimed the Province on the plains of 
 Glenelg, and very little more than that time since the first 
 body of immigrants landed on the beach at Holdfast Bay 
 the forlorn hope, as it might be termed, of a community of 
 Englishmen who had fixed upon this country as an experi 
 ment in colonization. I recollect the discontented and dismal 
 look with which most of the party regarded, from the deck of 
 the ship, the dried and scorched appearance of the plains, 
 which to their English ideas betokened little short of barren- 
 ness. . . . All this has given way to approval of the 
 place, confidence in the capabilities of the soil, and fitness of 
 the climate." In 1843 John Morphett was nominated by 
 Governor Grey as a non-official member of the Legislative 
 Council. It was this pioneer who led the party, in the old 
 Nominee Council, which was in favour of State-aid to religion. 
 He was one of the four non-official members who walked out 
 of the Council Chamber when Governor Robe was determined 
 to carry the Royalty Bill by the exercise of his casting vote. 
 In 1851 he was nominated by Governor Young as a non- 
 official member of the first Legislative Council on a more 
 popular basis. Of this Council he was chosen Speaker. Per- 
 haps no early settler laboured more earnestly than he for the
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 419 
 
 establishment of responsible government. He was elected 
 a member of the Legislative Council in 1857 under respon- 
 sible government and was Chief Secretary of the Province 
 in 1861. When Sir James Hurtle Fisher retired from poli- 
 tical life John Morphett was chosen President of the Legis- 
 lative Council, a position he held for several years. For 
 services rendered to Crown and country he was knighted by 
 the Queen. He died on November 7th, 1892, having attained 
 more than fourscore years. His name is handed down to 
 posterity in Morphett Street, Adelaide; Morphett Vale; 
 and Mount Morphett, in the Far North. 
 
 CAPTAIN CHARLES H. BAGOT. A patriarch indeed! He 
 was born in Kildare, Ireland. He entered the army and saw 
 active service in India, and in 1840 came to the new colony, 
 bringing with him a number of agricultural labourers. Land 
 was taken up by him near Kapunda, not far from the spot 
 where his son (C. S. Bagot) and F. S. Button discovered the 
 indications of ore that led to the development of the Kapunda 
 Mine. It is said that Captain Bagot and his son defined the 
 first road from Gawler to Kapunda with a wooden plough 
 made of a large limb of a sheaoak-tree. He was nom- 
 inated as a member of the Legislative Council in 1843, 
 and was a doughty opponent of State-aid to religion. He 
 took a great interest in religious matters and in temperance 
 work. In 1851 he was elected for the District of Light in 
 the first Legislative Council on the new basis. Captain 
 Bagot was also elected a member of the Legislative Council 
 under the new Constitution in 1857. After visiting Eng- 
 land he was re-elected in 1865. This estimable pioneer was 
 patron of the Total Abstinence League and worked hard 
 to secure Sunday closing and the people's veto. His char- 
 acteristics were honesty and thoroughness. He was a "true 
 friend" and "a man of sterling worth." Captain Bagot died 
 on July 28th, 1880, aged ninety -two years. The hoary head 
 was a crown of glory. His name still lingers in Bagot's 
 Well. 
 
 SIR SAMUEL DAVENPORT was born in England in 1818, 
 and came from a fine old English family. He arrived in 
 the colony in 1842. Was one of the four non-official members 
 of the Council in Governor Robe's time. Samuel Davenport 
 regarded the imposition of royalties as being so unfair so 
 contrary to the Act under which the colony was founded 
 that in company with the other non-official members of the 
 Council he retired from the Chamber as a protest against 
 the Bill becoming law by the exercise of Governor Robe's 
 casting vote. He opposed the Bill giving State-aid to religion. 
 
 N2
 
 420 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 There were few of the social advantages in the early days 
 that colonists now enjoy. Samuel Davenport would ride into 
 Adelaide from Macclesfield, attend to his legislatorial duties, 
 and ride back the same day a distance of over 50 miles. 
 In order to do this he had to rise at 4 o'clock in the 
 morning. He was nominated for the Legislative Council in 
 1855, and sat in the first Legislative Council under respon- 
 sible government in 1857. He was in the first and in the 
 third Ministry under responsible government as Commissioner 
 of Public Works. Samuel Davenport gave his support to 
 the Torrens Real Property Act. As an evidence of the esteem 
 in which he was held by the colonists and their confidence in 
 his ability he was chosen as Commissioner to represent the 
 colony at several Exhibitions. In 1884 he was knighted by 
 the Queen. In the early days Sir Samuel took a great interest 
 in exploration, and throughout his colonial career exhibited 
 no little concern in the industries of the colony. No pioneer 
 has been more respected or useful than he. He passed away 
 at Beaumont on September 3rd, 1906, in his eighty-ninth 
 year. Of! him it was said at his death : "A good and grand 
 old Englishman has passed peacefully to his rest and left 
 the world the poorer for his departure, but the richer because 
 he lived in it, and because he has bequeathed what is better 
 than riches an unsullied name with a magnificent example 
 to public men of to-day." Davenport Creek and Daven- 
 port Range, in the Far North, are so named in his honour. 
 
 SOME MEMBERS OF THE NOMINEE AND THE ELECTIVE 
 COUNCIL. 
 
 In 1851 a further privilege a right was conceded by 
 the Imperial authorities to the early settlers. This was a 
 Legislative Council on a more popular and representative 
 basis. Only eight members were to be nominated by the 
 Crown and sixteen elected by the people. Some who sat in 
 the old Nominee Council were elected to the new, but with 
 these I have already dealt. 
 
 LlEUTENANT-COLONEL THE HON. BOYLE TRAVERS FlNNISS. 
 
 In this section we give him the premier position. He was 
 born in 1807 at sea, off the Cape of Good Hope, and was 
 educated at Greenwich, passing as a gentleman cadet into 
 the military college, Sandhurst. He was appointed to a com- 
 mission in the 56th Regiment and served for some time in 
 Mauritius. In 1835 he sold out of the army and made pre- 
 parations to come to the proposed new Province of South 
 Australia. He took office under the South Australian Col- 
 onization Commissioners, and was appointed Assistant Sur-
 
 SIR SAMUEL DAVENPOKT.
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 423 
 
 veyor to Colonel Light, arriving in the Cygnet in 1836. This 
 pioneer, who saw an empty land covered with towns, and 
 waste places transformed into smiling fields and fruitful gar- 
 dens, sojourned with us till 1893. In 1839 he was ap- 
 pointed Deputy-Surveyor, and later Governor Grey gave 
 him the position of Commissioner of Police and magistrate. 
 In 1851 he was nominated by Governor Young as one of 
 the official members of the new Legislative Council, taking 
 the position of Registrar-General. In this Council the Hon. 
 B. T. Finniss strongly advocated the principle of State-aid 
 to religion. In later years his views on this question under- 
 went a change. In the interim, between the departure of 
 Governor Young and the arrival of his successor, the Hon. 
 B. T. Finniss, was Acting Administrator. He was Premier 
 of the First Parliament under responsible government. Later 
 he was Treasurer of the Province. In 1864 he was entrusted 
 with the establishment of a new English settlement in the 
 Northern Territory, in part of the country discovered by 
 John McDouall Stuart. There were some differences between 
 him and his subordinates and the Hon. B. T. Finniss was 
 recalled. In the year that the colony celebrated its Jubilee 
 he published a valuable book under the title "The Consti- 
 tutional History of South Australia." He has been described 
 as "a man of determined character, varied capacity, and 
 great usefulness; a capable administrator, hardworking, 
 fearless, and thoroughly patriotic." In recognition of his 
 services the title of "Honourable" was conferred upon him : 
 he also received a pension. He died on December 24th, 1893, 
 aged eighty-six years. The Finniss River and Finniss Street, 
 North Adelaide, bear his name. 
 
 FRANCIS STACKER DUTTON was one of the discoverers of 
 the famous Kapunda Mine : this was in 1843 while out mus- 
 tering sheep. When a new Constitution was granted for 
 the Legislative Council in 1851 this pioneer was the first 
 candidate in the field. He was elected for East Adelaide, 
 and informed his constituents that "as trustee' for the p\iblic 
 he would vote against State-aid to religion." Not only did 
 he vote against it, but he delivered an effective speech in oppo- 
 sition to it. He was re-elected for East Adelaide in 1855, 
 and was one of the leading spirits in framing a new Con- 
 stitution for South Australia. He also sat in the First Par- 
 liament in 1857. On two occasions he was Premier of the 
 Province, and sat in the fourth Ministry as Commissioner of 
 Crown Lands. In 1865 he was appointed Agent-General to 
 represent South Australia in London. Francis Stacker Dut- 
 ton has been represented as "a man of varied attainments,
 
 424 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA 
 
 a clear thinker, with considerable literary ability." He was 
 the author of a work entitled "South Australia and its 
 Mines." He died in London in January, 1877, aged sixty- 
 one years. The district of Dutton and Mount Button, in 
 the Far North, bear his name. 
 
 ROBERT DAVENPORT. He was an opponent of State-aid 
 to religion and was elected for the District of Hindmarsh iu 
 1851. A political career was open to him, but he did not 
 enter fully upon it. He retired from politics and went in 
 for pastoral pursuits. For more than half a century Robert 
 Davenport lived at Battunga, near Macclesfield. He was a 
 brother to Sir Samuel Davenport. He died on September 3rd, 
 
 1896, aged seventy-nine years. 
 
 ANTHONY FORSTER was born in the County of Durham 
 in 1813. He was engaged by George Fife Angas to go to 
 South Australia as his agent, arriving in 1841. This pioneer 
 took a great interest in the social and religious life of the 
 colony. In 1855 he was elected for West Adelaide, defeating 
 James Hurtle Fisher. Anthony Forster was one of our Con- 
 stitution-makers, and an able and most determined antagonist 
 to State-aid to religion. He was elected to the First Parlia- 
 ment in 1857, and for some years had a seat in the Legis- 
 lature. He worked hard to secure the passing of the Real 
 Property Act. In 1855 Anthony Forster became part-pro- 
 prietor of The Register, and for nearly twelve years was con- 
 nected with that paper. He wrote a book on "South Aus- 
 tralia: Its Progress and Prosperity." This respected pioneer 
 left the colony for England in 1868. He had a fine presence 
 and was a good speaker, with a full vocabulary, and was a 
 most consistent politician. He died in England in January, 
 
 1897, aged eighty-three years. Forster Range, in the Far 
 North, is named after him. 
 
 CAPTAIN GEORGE HALL was born in Kent, England, in 
 1811. Spent some time in the mercantile navy. He came 
 to the New Settlement about 1842 and took up a cattle sta- 
 tion near Angaston. Subsequently he went into business 
 at Port Adelaide. In 1851 he was elected as representative 
 for the Port, defeating William Giles. Captain Hall was an 
 earnest advocate of the principle of State-aid to religion. It 
 was he who said that ''as legislators they had taken the 
 oath of allegiance to the Queen, and to reject the Bill for 
 State-aid to religion was tantamount to throwing off their 
 allegiance to the King of kings." He was elected to the 
 Legislative Council when responsible government was granted, 
 and was a member to the time of his death, which took place 
 on January 28th, 1867.
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 425 
 
 G-EORGE MARSDEN WATERHOUSE was the son of the Rev. 
 John Waterhouse, General Superintendent of Methodist Mis- 
 sions in the Southern Hemisphere. He was elected a mem- 
 ber of the new Council in 1851, and gave his vote and the 
 weight of his influence in opposition to State-aid to religion. 
 Under the new Constitution in 1857 George M. Waterhouse 
 was elected a member of the House of Assembly. On each 
 occasion he represented East Torrens. When the Parliament 
 Bill was under discussion in 1853 he advocated that the 
 Upper House should be elective. He was Chief Secretary 
 in the Hon. Thos. Reynolds' Ministry in 1860. From 1861 
 to 1863 he was Premier of South Australia. Two or three 
 years later he removed to New Zealand and there became 
 Premier. Finally he left New Zealand for the Old Country, 
 and resided at Hawthornden, Torquay. Here he died on 
 August 6th, 1906, full of years and with a character beyond 
 impeachment or stain. 
 
 SIR ARTHUR H. FREELING was nominated by Governor 
 MacDonnell as an official member of the Legislative 
 Council in 1855, and was one of our Constitution- 
 makers. He was elected to the first Legislative Council 
 under responsible government and appointed Commis- 
 sioner of Public Works. For several years he sat in the 
 Parliament and acted as Surveyor-General for the colony. 
 He resigned his official positions in the colony and returned 
 to England, joined the Royal Engineers, and rose to the rank 
 of Major-General. He succeeded to a baronetcy. Sir Arthur 
 lived to a good age and died in March, 1885. The town of 
 Freeling is named after him. 
 
 ALEXANDER L. ELDER came to the colony in 1839 and 
 was chosen to represent West Adelaide in the new Council 
 formed in 1851. His address in that Council in opposition 
 to State-aid to religion was among the most effective. 
 Alexander L. Elder was one of a deputation appointed to wait 
 upon Governor Robe to ask him to delay the passing of the 
 Bill giving the Government grant to religious bodies. This 
 must have been the occasion when the old Tory and High- 
 Churchman bowed the deputation out with the words : 
 "Gentlemen, I have no reply to make." It was a breach of 
 courtesy that Alexander L. Elder could never forget. This 
 pioneer was held in high esteem. He founded the well-known 
 firm of Elder, Smith, & Co., Limited, and died in London, 
 September 5th, 1885. 
 
 SIR ROBERT R. TORRENS. The passing of the Real Pro- 
 perty Act has made the memory of this pioneer immortal.
 
 426 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 He was a son of Colonel Torrens, one of the founders of the 
 colony. Illustrious as the father was, the son was much 
 more so. After taking the degree of M.A. at Trinity Col- 
 lege, Dublin, he came to the new colony in 1840 and was 
 appointed Collector of Customs. Robert Torrens was one of 
 the official nominees to the Legislative Council of 1851. In 
 the final struggle over the question of State-aid to religion 
 he was a commanding spirit on the vanquished side. 
 He was a member of the Council formed in 1855 to frame 
 a new Constitution, being nominated to the position of 
 Colonial Treasurer. When responsible government was- 
 granted and a new Parliament was formed in 1857 Robert 
 Torrens was elected for the City of Adelaide, and sat in the 
 Cabinet as Treasurer. Later he formed a Ministry which 
 soon collapsed. It was born, dead, and buried within a 
 month. It is as "Father of the Real Property Act" that 
 this pioneer's name will be handed down to posterity. After 
 the Act was passed he had a triumphal procession through 
 the colonies, and in a visit to England gave information re- 
 specting the measure. Finally he left the Province and settled' 
 in the Old Land. He sat in the British House of Commons 
 for Cambridge for a few years, and was knighted by the 
 Queen. "Brilliant as a rocket" is one description that has 
 been given of him. The Hon. B. T. Finniss, who knew Sir 
 Robert well, has said : "Fluent of speech as his countrymen 
 usually are, he was an eloquent speaker when roused to action. 
 He wounded rather than persuaded, preferring invective as a 
 weapon of attack to logical reasoning, for which he seldom ex- 
 hibited much capacity." He died in England on August 31st, 
 1884, aged seventy years. The River Torrens is named after 
 his father, but it also serves to remind us of the son. 
 
 WILLIAM GILES. A grand old pioneer, one of the- 
 buttresses of a nation. It is his moral worth that 
 grips. He came to the colony in 1837, and in 1841 
 succeeded David McLaren as manager of the South Aus 
 tralian Company. This position he held till 1861, when he- 
 retired on a pension. He was appointed a special magis- 
 trate by Governor Hindmarsh, and in 1851 was elected a 
 member of the new Legislative Council, representing the Dis- 
 trict of Yatala. William Giles was a determined foe to 
 State-aid to religion. Of his social relation to the settlers 
 it has been said, "His charity fell like the dew of heaven 
 equally upon all." Indifferent health would not allow of his 
 taking a prominent position in political life. He died at 
 Beaumont on May llth, 1862, aged seventy years. His was; 
 the peaceful end of the righteoiis man.
 
 SIR EGBERT R. TORRENS, 
 Father of the Real Property Act.
 
 SOME PEONEER BUILDERS. 429 
 
 CHAULES SIMEON HARE. A quaint and eccentric char- 
 acter. A pioneer who played many parts. He and his wife 
 came to the colony before it was proclaimed. They sailed 
 by the Emma, which dropped anchor at Kangaroo Island 
 on October 5th, 1836. For a time he served the South Aus- 
 tralian Company. We next find him carrying on business as 
 a contractor at the Port of the colony. He loyally stood 
 by John Stephens, the able editor of The Register, of whom 
 I shall have to speak. When one trouble after another 
 overtook him Charles Simeon Hare was his friend. In the 
 new Council of 1851 he was chosen to represent the District 
 of West Torrens, and gave his vote against State-aid to reli- 
 gion. When the First Parliament was formed in 1857 Charles 
 Simeon Hare had a seat in the House of Assembly, being 
 elected for the District of Yatala. He was appointed Man- 
 ager of Railways. In this capacity he had what might have 
 been a most tragical experience. Sir Dominick Daly (the 
 Governor of South Australia) and some members of the Min- 
 istry, with a number of distinguished visitors, wished to travel 
 by express train to Port Adelaide to visit H.M.S. Falcon. 
 Our railway system was then in its infancy. Charles Simeon 
 Hare had charge of the train and gave instructions to the 
 driver to "put on full steam." This he did, with the result 
 that the rails were displaced and two carriages thrown off the 
 line. The vice-regal party was upset in more senses than 
 one. Fortunately, the coupling chain between the engine 
 and the carriages broke and the passengers escaped injury. 
 A Committee of Enquiry was held and Charles Simeon Hare's 
 services were dispensed with. He went to Fiji for some years 
 and then returned to the colony. At intervals he was elected 
 to Parliament. This old and quaint pioneer knew well how 
 to work upon the susceptibilities of Cornish miners. On one 
 occasion, when seeking their suffrages, he pulled off his coat, 
 and running up a ladder to the top of a scaffold exclaimed : 
 "I always like to speak as a working man to working men," 
 marking off the periods of his speech by puffing at the stump 
 of a cigar. His chequered career came to an end on July 
 22nd, 1882. His age was seventy-four years. 
 
 Sin RICHARD DAVIES HANSON. He was an attorney in 
 London, and took an interest in the drawing of the plans 
 for the proposed colony of South Australia. John Morphett, 
 George S. Kingston, and Richard Hanson were all friends in 
 London when South Australia was almost a terra incognita. 
 The three came to the colony, made their mark, and attained 
 the honour of knighthood. In London seventy-two years 
 ago Richard Hanson was recognized as a man of ability, and
 
 430 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 was chosen to deliver an address in Exeter Hall in the in- 
 terests of the proposed colony. He came to the Province in 
 1846 and practised his profession. He was Secretary of the 
 League formed in opposition to the Government grant to 
 religious bodies, and was also employed by John Stephens as 
 a writer to The Register. In 1851 Richard Hanson was nom- 
 inated as an official member of the new Legislative Council, 
 taking the position of Advocate-General. He was the framer 
 of the Education Act passed by that Council, and had a seat 
 as a member of the Education Board. In 1852 he intro- 
 duced the District Councils Act. He was nominated a mem- 
 ber of the new Council in 1855, and was the leading spirit in 
 framing the new Constitution. In the First Parliament in 
 1857 Richard Hanson was elected for the City of Adelaide 
 and held the position of Attorney-General. Later in the 
 same year he was Premier of the colony, and conducted the 
 business of the House through three sessions. When Sir 
 Charles Cooper retired from the position of Chief Justice in 
 1861 the vacant post was given to Richard Hanson. In 
 1869 he visited E*ngland and was knighted by the Queen. 
 Of him the Hon. B. T. Finniss has said : "Sir Richard was 
 a man who, when seen in his proper sphere, the Supreme 
 Court, impressed you with the idea of mental power. His 
 broad, expansive forehead when turned upwards in the act 
 of addressing a jury gave evidence of brain power within, 
 and the deep tones of his voice ensured attention to what he 
 uttered. He was no orator of the impassioned school, but a 
 steady flow of carefully measured words, weighted with calm, 
 logical reasoning, produced conviction of the sincerity and 
 force of his argument." A visitor to Adelaide in the early 
 days, speaking of Sir Richard many years before he received 
 his knighthood, said : "In Mr. Hanson (Attorney-General) I 
 am inclined to think that I recognize the ablest public man 
 in all the colonies. He is quiet, reserved, and unobtrusive 
 in his style of dealing with public affairs, although when he 
 chooses he can dart with lion-like power upon an antagonist.'' 
 Sir Richard was an active member of a philosophical society, 
 and gave attention to philosophical and theological questions. 
 He wrote and published a rationalistic work on "The Jesus 
 of History." He died on March 4th, 1876, aged seventy years. 
 Hanson Street, in the city, and Hanson Range, in the Far 
 North, bear his name. 
 
 EDWARD CASTRES GWYNNE was born in February, 1811, 
 and came to the new Province of South Australia by the 
 Lord Goderic.h, arriving in 1838. He began to practise as an 
 attorney, and put up an office at the west end of North Ter-
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 431 
 
 race. In 1851 his political life began, being nominated as a 
 non-official member of the new Legislative Council. It was 
 he who led the party in this Council in favour of State-aid 
 to religion, bringing in a Bill for that purpose. He was a 
 member of the First Parliament in 1857, and was chosen 
 Attorney-General jn what is known as ''The Ten Days' Min- 
 istry." A little later he was raised to the Bench as Third 
 Judge of the Province. When the position of Second Judge, 
 held by Mr. Justice Boothby, was vacant Judge Gwynne 
 was appointed to it. In 1881 he retired on a pension of 
 1,300 per annum. It has been said of him by a contem- 
 porary that "a more upright Judge had not been seen on 
 this side of the line." He took a great interest in military 
 matters and in the gardening industry. Judge Gwynne died 
 on June 10th, 1888, aged seventy-seven years. Mount Gwynne 
 in the northern part of South Australia, is named after him. 
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN HART, C.M.G. As early as 1834, before 
 the colonization of South Australia, when it was as yet a 
 terra incognita, this old and splendid pioneer was employed in 
 sealing operations along the southern coast of Australia. In 
 this way he became acquainted with the Gulf of St. Vincent 
 and the coast on which a new colony in course of time would 
 be founded. In 1836 he was dispatched to London by a Tas- 
 manian merchant. Here he was often consulted by the South 
 Australian Colonization Commissioners, to whom he was able 
 to give useful information. After Captain Hart returned to 
 Australia he traded between the colonies. The disasters which 
 overtook South Australia in Governor Gawler's time ruined 
 many of the pioneer merchants. John Hart had settled 
 down to a mercantile life. He had to leave his home and 
 business and once more go to sea. Returning to commercial 
 pursuits lie became one of the leading merchants in the 
 New Settlement. He built large flourmills at Port Ade- 
 laide in 1854. In Governor Robe's time he took part in the 
 agitation against the imposition of royalties. In the new 
 Council created in 1851 he was elected for the District of 
 Victoria. It was Captain Hart who led the party in that 
 Council which was opposed to State-aid to religion, moving a 
 resolution that shelved the Bill. He was a member of the 
 Council formed in 1855 to frame a new Constitution. In the 
 First Parliament in 1857 he was elected for Port Adelaide. 
 Captain Hart sat in nine Ministries. The first office he held 
 was that of Treasurer in the Hon. John Baker's Ministry in 
 1857 ; on three occasions he was Premier of the colony, and 
 was connected with politics to the end of his life. He ws 
 made a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and of St.
 
 432 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 George. At the time of his decease it was said that there 
 was no man in the House of Assembly who could fill the gap 
 occasioned by his death. Few men had been so intimately 
 associated with the many valuable reforms in the interests of 
 the Commonwealth. He died suddenly on January 28th, 
 1873, at an advanced age. 
 
 EDWARD STIRLING was one of the makers of the Con- 
 stitution, being nominated to a position in the Legislative 
 Council in 1855. He was also chosen as a member of the 
 First Parliament in 1857. He died in London on February 
 2nd, 1873. Professor Stirling, F.R.S., C.M.G., and Sir 
 John Lancelot Stirling, Kt. (President of the Legislative 
 Council) are sons of the late Edward Stirling. Stirling Creek, 
 in the Far North, and East and West Stirling, in the Hills, 
 bear his name. He was one of the partners in the famous 
 firm now known as Elder, Smith, & Co., Limited. 
 
 WILLIAM YOUNGHUSBAND represented the District of 
 Stanley in the two most important Legislative Councils in 
 the early days, one dealing with the Government grant to 
 religious bodies and the other laying down the basis for re- 
 sponsible government. William Younghusband took a pro- 
 minent position in the early councils of the young nation. 
 For a time he was Chief Secretary of the Province. He took 
 a great interest in the development of the Murray trade. He 
 died and was buried at Rome about May, 1863. Lake Young- 
 husband and Mount Younghusband, in the Far North, bear 
 his name. 
 
 JOHN BENTHAM NEALES. An old and useful politician. 
 He arrived in 1838 and was the leading auctioneer of the 
 juvenile colony. He took a prominent part in sending out 
 the exploring party under Mr. Darke in 1844 and in develop- 
 ing the mineral resources of the colony. He was tradition- 
 ally known as the "Father of Mining in South Australia." 
 John B. Neales first took part in the political life of the 
 colony in 1846, when he delivered an address protesting against 
 the importation of the juvenile offenders known as the Park- 
 hurst Boys. In 1849 he advocated a railway to the Port 
 and lifted up his voice against transportation to the colonies. 
 He represented the District of North Adelaide in the Legis- 
 lative Council in 1851 and 1855, using his influence in the 
 interests of religious freedom and helping to formulate the 
 Bill for responsible government. He was elected to the First 
 Parliament in 1857, representing the City of Adelaide. In 
 1866 he was Commissioner of Crown Lands, and was con- 
 nected with politics to the time of his death. As a speaker 
 he was fluent and always entertaining, full of humour and
 
 SOME PIONEER BULLDERS. 433 
 
 anecdote. Died at Glenelg on July 31st, 1873, aged sixty- 
 seven years. The Hundred of Neales and Neale's River per- 
 petuate his memory. 
 
 JOHN T. BAGOT sat in the Council in 1853 and was re- 
 elected in 1855. On both occasions he represented the Dis- 
 trict of Light. He helped to make the new Constitution, 
 and sat in the second Ministry under responsible government, 
 having been re-elected for the District of Light in 1857. For 
 several years he was a useful politician. He died on August 
 6th, 1870, aged sixty-one years. 
 
 WILLIAM PEACOCK. A most worthy pioneer. He came 
 from the Old Land in 1838 and took a deep interest in the 
 religious life of the young colony. Was a strong advocate 
 of the voluntary system. He sat in the Legislative Council 
 in 1851 and 1855, each time representing the District of Noar- 
 lunga. In 1861 he was elected again to a seat in the Legis- 
 lative Council. William Peacock did good work in helping 
 to build up the social, political, and religious fabric. Died on 
 January 20th, 1874, aged eighty-four years. 
 
 HON. JOHN BAKER. A prominent figure in the social and 
 political life of the colony for many years. He arrived in 
 1838. His first recorded act of a public nature was the sign- 
 ing of an address and forming one of a deputation to present 
 it to George Milner Stephen, who acted as administrator of 
 the Government until the arrival of Colonel Gawler. He de- 
 livered his first public address in a store in Flinders Street, 
 Adelaide, on Saturday, December 13th, 1845. It was in 
 opposition to the Royalties Bill. John Baker interested him- 
 self in obtaining a Botanic Garden for the young community, 
 and with George Stevenson and "Gardener" Bailey selected 
 the site. He was a member of the early Legislative Councils 
 that dealt with the question of State-aid to religion, and 
 formed a Constitution for the colony. In the debates con- 
 nected with these momentous subjects he took a very pro- 
 minent part. On each occasion he represented the District 
 of Mount Barker. John Baker was a strong supporter of the 
 principle of State-aid to religion. When the First Parliament 
 was formed in 1857 he was elected to a seat in the Legis- 
 lative Council. Shortly after he formed the second Ministry 
 under responsible government known as the Baker or "The 
 Ten Days' Ministry." To the close of his life the Hon. 
 John Baker was associa.ted with politics. He was elected a 
 Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of England and 
 of the British Association and Ethnological Society. He pos- 
 sessed a good command of language, facility of expression, 
 and a forcible style of delivery. The Hon. John Baker was
 
 434 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 the leader of the Conservative Party in the First Parliament. 
 The Hon. B. T. Finniss says of him : "He was a man of 
 splendid abilities and of sufficient practical power to lead 
 the debates in the Legislature, as he undoubtedly always did." 
 His death was represented as a national loss. He died at 
 Morialta, May 18th, 1872, aged fifty-nine years. 
 
 HON. THOMAS REYNOLDS. A grand pioneer, who met 
 with a tragic end. He came from the Old Land to the New 
 Settlement in 1840. It was the High Church austerity of 
 Governor Robe his disdainful reply to the deputation that 
 waited upon him in relation to the State-aid to Religion Bill 
 that led Thomas Reynolds to plunge into political life. He 
 thought it was high time for "earnest men to bestir them- 
 selves," which he very soon did. When Charles Simeon Hare 
 retired from the representation of West Torrens in the Mixed 
 Council of 1851 Thomas Reynolds was elected to his place. 
 In 1855, when a new Council had to be formed to create a 
 Constitution, Thomas Reynolds again sought the suffrages of 
 West Torrens, and was elected, defeating Major O'Halloran. 
 In the First Parliament he was elected for the District of 
 Sturt. A little later he was Commissioner of Public Works. 
 In 1860 he formed a Ministry and brought in "a bold and 
 progressive policy." The Hon. Thomas Reynolds held office 
 in several Ministries. About the year 1873 the condition 
 of the Northern Territory caused anxiety. In its interests 
 this pioneer visited Ceylon and other places to study the coolie 
 question, and to endeavour to get capitalists to develop the 
 resources of the Territory. He visited the Territory and 
 found things generally in a bad state, and spent some time 
 in putting them in order. When no longer a Minister of the 
 Crown he decided to settle in the Territory and to aid in the 
 development of its resources. The result was disappointment 
 and disaster. The Hon. Thomas Reynolds and his wife, with 
 other prominent colonists, started for home in the Gdthenburg. 
 She struck on the Barrier Reef on the evening of Wednes- 
 day, February 24th, 1875. A storm was raging. The night 
 was an awful one lightning, thunder, and blinding rains. 
 There were nearly a hundred passengers on board beside 
 the crew, and about 3,000 oz. gold. All on board perished 
 with the exception of twenty-two. Among those who went 
 down were Judge Wearing, Lionel J. Pelham (Judge's Asso- 
 ciate), Joseph J. Whitby (Acting Crown Solicitor), and the 
 Hon. Thomas Reynolds and his wife. He was a man of splen- 
 did ability and a leading worker in the temperance cause. In 
 the young colony his energy, his readiness in debate, and his 
 progressive views gave him great influence. In Parliament it
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 435 
 
 is said ''he ranked with the leading members of the House, 
 and few, if any, were held in more respect. His cast of 
 mind caused him, as a rule, to be in sympathy with current 
 opinion. The consistency and boldness with which he main- 
 tained his opinions, and the fact that his political integrity 
 was beyond dispute, contributed largely to his popularity. 
 He was an able, ready, and forcible speaker; brilliant as a 
 financier. His combative disposition and his talent for cut- 
 ting sarcasm sometimes led him to extremes." He was drowned 
 in his fifty-seventh year. Reynolds Range, in the Far North, 
 is named after him. 
 
 SIR ARTHUR BLYTH. The Province of South Australia 
 had been in existence only some three or four years when 
 Arthur Blyth, as a lad, first put foot on our shores. He was 
 born in Birmingham in March, 1823. Shortly after the 
 founding of the Province his parents decided to emigrate, 
 and Arthur came out with them. In course of time he entered 
 into business as an ironmonger. He was connected with the 
 Mitcham District Council for some years, and was a member 
 of the Central Road Board. He also took an interest in 
 mining and banking enterprises. In 1855 he was elected to 
 the Legislative Council for the District of Yatala. In 1857 
 he was chosen to represent the District of Gumeracha in the 
 First Parliament under responsible government. He sat in 
 the fourth Ministry (Hanson's) as Commissioner of Public 
 Works. He held office in ten Ministries and was the leader 
 of three. When Francis Stacker Dutton died in 1877 the 
 Hon. Arthur Blyth succeeded him as Agent-General, a posi- 
 tion for which he was eminently qiialified. In 1878 he was 
 knighted by the Queen. Sir Arthur died in London on Decem- 
 ber 7th, 1891. 
 
 THE FIRST PARLIAMENT. 
 
 Many of the nation-builders already mentioned sat in 
 this Parliament. It was the inauguration of responsible 
 government. I now deal with some prominent pioneer:- 
 who had no seats in the previous Legislative Councils 
 of the nation, but who set sail upon the stormy sea of politics 
 in 1857. 
 
 WALTER DUFFIELD arrived about 1842. A most useful 
 colonist. Was elected in 1857 to represent the District of 
 Barossa in the House of Assembly. He sat for several yea v s 
 in both Houses of Legislatiire. In 1865-6 he was Treasurer 
 of the colony. Prominent in the mercantile life of the com- 
 munity. Died on November 4th, 1882. 
 
 DR. CHARLES GEORGE EVERARD arrived by the Africainf 
 in 1836. Was present when the proclamation was read at
 
 436 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Holdfast Bay. Sat in the first Legislative Council under the 
 new Constitution. Died on March 30th, 1876, aged eighty-two 
 years. Father of the better known William Everard, who as 
 a youth came out in the Africainc, and in after-years took a 
 prominent part in the social and political life of the colony. 
 Dr. Everard suffered the privations common to the early 
 settlers. Encamped in a hut on the shores of Holdfast Bay 
 one night he had a romantic experience. The rain descended 
 and the floods came. The hut was surrounded by water, and 
 the doctor, with wife and family, had to spend the 
 night on a table. However, the doctor could make the best 
 of everything. A visitor to his hut, referring to the swarms 
 of mosquitoes and the croaking of innumerable frogs, received 
 the following reply, "Oh, these are the beauties of emigration." 
 Dr. Everard took a great interest in agriculture. He intro- 
 duced the pomegranate into South Australia in 1836. He 
 is also said to have brought the mulberry to the colony. 
 He introduced olives from seeds obtained at the Cape. 
 
 HENRY MILDRED came to the Province in 1837 and took 
 a prominent position in political and municipal life. ''Coun- 
 cillor Mildred" was opposed to Governor Grey's policy, and 
 did not hesitate in a most emphatic manner to say so. In 
 1857 he was returned for the District of Noarlunga. At dif- 
 ferent times during his long life he occupied seats in the 
 Legislative Council or House of Assembly. About 1871 he 
 retired from political life. He passed away at the age of 
 eighty-two years. 
 
 SIB WILLIAM MILNE was born near Glasgow in May, 
 1822, and came to the New Settlement in 1839. Pie first went 
 into the North on a station to get experience in sheep-farming, 
 but subsequently became a merchant in the city. In 1857 he 
 was elected to the first House of Assembly as the repre- 
 sentative of Onkaparinga, and in 1869 was elected a mem- 
 ber of the Legislative Council. Sir William served in several 
 Ministries and introduced some valuable legislation. He was 
 chosen to succeed Sir John Morphett as President of the 
 Legislative Council. He died on April 23rd, 1895, aged 
 seventy -two years. 
 
 ALEXANDER HAY was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, in 1820, 
 and came to South Australia in 1839. Was engaged prin- 
 cipally in agricultural and pastoral pursuits. Was chosen in 
 1857 to represent the District of Gumeracha. He sat in both 
 Houses for some years and was Commissioner of Public Works 
 in 1860. He assisted in passing the Real Property Act, advo- 
 cated the selling of waste lands on credit as well as for cash,
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 437 
 
 brought in a Bill to legalize marriage with a deceased wife's 
 sister, and for the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line. 
 Alexander Hay took a great interest in commercial, religious, 
 and philanthropic enterprises. At one time he was President 
 of the Young Men's Christian Association. He died on 
 February 4th, 1898, aged seventy-eight years. Mount Hay, 
 in the northern interior, is so called after him. 
 
 SIR HENRY AYERS. This pioneer will long be remem- 
 bered for valuable services rendered to the community. For 
 a great many years he occupied a unique position in the 
 colony. Henry Avers was born at Portsea, England, in May, 
 1821. He came to South Australia in 1840. When the Burra 
 Mine was discovered he became Secretary to the South Aus- 
 tralian Mining Association, a position he occupied through 
 a long life. In 1857 he was elected a member of the Legis- 
 lative Council, and was seven times Premier of South Aus- 
 tralia and sat in several Ministries. For twelve years he 
 was President of the Legislative Council. In 1894 he was 
 knighted by the Qiieen. Sir Henry was considered one of the 
 safest and acutest financiers in South Australia. For many 
 years he was Chairman of the Savings Bank. He was the 
 representative from South Australia to several intercolonial 
 Conferences. Of him the South Australian Ker/ister has said : 
 "Sir Henry was peculiarly fitted to represent the people in 
 the Senate hall and in the Cabinet office. As an adminis- 
 trator he showed his ready grasp of detail." His "culture 
 and diplomatic training" served him admirably in the dis- 
 charge of the work connected with the "occupancy of the 
 highest positions in the State." No one "presided over the 
 deliberations of the Legislative Council with a higher concep- 
 tion of the requirements of the office. His rule was char- 
 acterized by ability, gravity, impartiality, and courtesy. His 
 demeanour at the most trying times was always worthy of the 
 best traditions of his high position. He was in every way an 
 able exponent of the Constitution, with whose history he 
 was in the fullest sense familiar. ... If Sir Henry 
 had done nothing else besides directing the business of the 
 People's Savings Bank he would have earned an unquestion- 
 able title to the enduring and grateful recollections of tens of 
 thousands of thrifty families in South Australia." When a 
 great financial disaster overtook the colony in 1893, and one 
 Bank after another suspended payment, it was fortunate that- 
 Sir Henry Ayers was at the head of the Savings Bank. He 
 died on .Tune llth, 1897, in his seventy-seventh year. 
 
 BENJAMIN HERSCHEL BABBAGE was the son of the cele- 
 brated inventor of the calculating machine that made the
 
 438 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 name of Babbage universal. When the Bullion Act to 
 which reference has been made was passed Benjamin H. Bab- 
 bage was appointed Government Assayer. In the First Parlia- 
 ment under responsible government he was elected for the 
 District of Encounter Bay. In 1856 he was Government 
 Geologist, and led a party into the interior as far as Mount 
 Hopeless in search of gold. In the chapter on "The Mys- 
 terious Interior and Attempts to Penetrate It" there is an 
 account of his explorations. He died at his residence, St. 
 Mary's, South Road, on October 22nd, 1878. 
 
 FRIEDRTCH E. H. W. KRICHAUFF. In the course of our 
 history we have spoken of the thousands of German settlers 
 who came to the Province of South Australia. Splendid col- 
 onists, as a rule, they have made frugal, honest, independent, 
 and industrious. The subject of this sketch was born in 1824 
 in the town of Schleswig. He was the son of a judge in 
 the Supreme Court in Schelswig Holstein, and passed through 
 all the classes of the college there, and then apprenticed him 
 self for three years at the Botanical Gardens at the University 
 of Kiel. Matriculated in 1846 as a student of philosophy 
 at the University of Berlin. Friedrich Krichauff emigrated 
 from the Fatherland and came to South Australia about 
 twelve years after its foundation. Purchased land in Bugle 
 Ranges. Here he worked as an agriculturist for many years. 
 In 1857 he was elected at the top of the poll as a repre- 
 sentative for Mount Barker in the First Parliament. He did 
 good service in assisting to pass the Real Property Act at a 
 critical time. Friedrich Krichauff was a warm supporter of 
 the principle of payment of members. Not being able to 
 spare so much time from his agricultural pursuits, he had to 
 resign his seat. As an evidence of the self-sacrifice that our 
 fathers had to make in the interests of the Common- 
 wealth we may note that this legislator walked to Adelaide 
 on the Monday (a distance of about 28 miles) to attend 
 the sessions of the House, and walked home again on the 
 Friday. Robert R. Torrens urged Mr. Krichauff to become 
 one of the first licensed brokers under the Real Property Act, 
 chiefly to enable the German settlers to bring their land under 
 the Act. To this he consented. In 1870 he was elected for 
 the District of Onkaparinga, and held office as Commissioner of 
 Public Works, having the honour of placing the last stone on 
 the Post Office tower. For twelve years this old colonist 
 represented Onkaparinga, and then resigned his seat to travel 
 through Europe. As a legislator his aim was to support 
 liberal land legislation and to encourage the planting of 
 forest trees. In 1875 he carried a Bill to make provision for
 
 Sin HENHY AYEHS.
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 441 
 
 the appointment of a Forest Board. In 1884 Friedrich 
 Krichauff was returned for the District of Victoria, and in 
 1887 still had the confidence of the electors for another term of 
 three years. He was a member of the State Bank Royal Com- 
 mission, and was also elected permanent Chairman of a most 
 useful institution the Central Agricultural Bureau. Mr. 
 Krichauff died on September 29th, 1904. 
 
 HON. LAVINGTON GLYDE. He was born in Exeter, Eng- 
 land, emigrating to South Australia in 1850. In the First 
 Parliament he took the place of George Marsden Waterhouse, 
 representing East Torrens. In the second Parliament he 
 represented Yatala. He was in every Parliament from the 
 first to the tenth inclusive. He was a distinguished member 
 of several Ministries. Mr. Glyde was closely associated with 
 educational movements, and in particular with the South Aus- 
 tralian Institute and the organizations connected with it, and 
 for many years was a Governor of the Institute. 
 
 HON. CHARLES BONNEY was the first Commissioner of 
 Crown Lands under responsible government, being nominated 
 to the position by Governor- Sir Richard MacDonnell. Mr. 
 Bonney was one of the pioneers who rendered useful service 
 in the founding of South Australia, and passed through some 
 stirring experiences. He was born in 1813 near Stafford, in 
 England, his father being a Church of England clergyman. 
 Young Bonney left the Old Land to seek adventure in Terra 
 Australia and found it. He was with Joseph Hawdon in 
 the first overland journey. Speaking of that trip some years 
 after Charles Bonney said: "Adelaide was then a collection 
 of rude huts, with a few more substantial buildings in course 
 of erection. The people were surprised and delighted at the 
 arrival of a herd of cattle overland. Up to this time they 
 had been living almost exclusively upon kangaroo flesh." Mr. 
 Bonney returned to New South Wales and undertook to lead 
 a second expedition for Mr. Hawdon from New South Wales 
 to South Australia. The party started in February, 1839, 
 with 300 cattle, several horses, and two bullock-drays. In 
 addition to the leader there were nine Europeans and two 
 aborigines. This party came out at Lacepede Bay, many miles 
 to the south of the new South Australian settlement. They 
 opened up a lot of new country and named Lake Hawdon, 
 Moiint Muirhead, and Mount Benson, in the south-eastern 
 portion of South Australia. Water at times being scarce and 
 the weather terribly hot, the trip was exhausting. On one 
 occasion the party had to kill a calf and drink its blood to 
 assuage their thirst. Mr. Bonney rose to positions of distinc- 
 tion in South Australia, and finally received a pension from
 
 442 HLSTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 the Government. He then removed to New South Wales. He 
 died on March 15th, 1897, in the eighty-fourth year of his 
 age. Lake Bonney bears his name. 
 
 HON. G. C. HAWKER. Born in London on September 
 21st, 1818. Son of Admiral Edward Hawker. Took his 
 degree of M.A. at Cambridge. Came to Adelaide in 1840 and 
 engaged in pastoral pursuits. Passed through some exciting 
 experiences in connection with the blacks in the early days. 
 Mr. Hawker was a prominent member of the Royal Agri- 
 cultural and Horticultural Society, and sat in the First 
 Parliament for the District of Victoria, succeeding Mr. 
 Robert Leake. He was also re-elected to the second 
 Parliament in 1860 for the same constituency. When 
 the Parliament met on April 27th, 1860, he was chosen 
 Speaker of the House. At the time of his death he was 
 Father of the House. He died at Medindie'on May 21st, 
 1895. Concerning him the public Press said: "As a history- 
 maker, a nation-builder, and a man of strong and amiable 
 character and unimpeachable integrity Mr. Hawker merits 
 a distinguished place in the records of South Australia." 
 Hawker Springs, in the Far North, and the town of Hawker 
 bear his name. 
 
 HON. JOHN DUNN. His life is a lesson in the virtues 
 of patience and perseverance. From a very lowly position 
 he, by virtue of hard work, rose to one of honour and afflu- 
 ence. John Dunn was born in Devonshire in February, 
 1802. His parents were poor. Consequently he received very 
 little education. When ten years of age he had to go to 
 work, receiving the miserable pittance of 6d. per week. 
 After seven years' apprenticeship John Dunn became man- 
 ager of a flourmill at Bideford, Devon. His wages were 
 now 15s. per week. About four years after the 
 founding of South Australia the subject of this sketch 
 decided to emigrate to the new colony. He arrived in 1840 
 and took up land at Hay Valley. His was a heroic and 
 determined spirit. He walked from Hay Valley to the 
 primitive settlement on the banks of the Torrens, carrying 
 his dairy produce. Having sold this and made his purchases 
 he would take up his burden and walk many weary miles 
 home again. Gradually his position improved. He erected 
 a flourmill at Hay Valley, worked by the wind. This pro- 
 cess was too slow and uncertain. He ordered a small steam- 
 engine from England, and this laid the foundation of his 
 fortune. Before prosperity came he had to endure many 
 hardships. John Dunn could not observe any eight-hour 
 system ; he worked from daylight to dark, and after dark
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 443 
 
 continued his labours, aided by the light of a lump of grease 
 stuck in a bit of wood. He was the first to grind corn in the 
 New Settlement by a systematic and scientific process, and 
 built up perhaps the largest milling business in the Southern 
 Hemisphere. John Dunn and Friedrich Krichauff were 
 elected to represent the District of Mount Barker in the 
 First Parliament in 1857. They both walked to the city (a 
 distance of many miles) to attend the sittings of the House 
 and walked back again. For several years the Hon. John 
 Dunn had a seat in Parliament. He helped to pass the Tor- 
 rens Real Property Act, and worked hard to get the Bible- 
 read in State schools. Speaking of him the South Aus- 
 tralian Register said : ''How well the old patriarch served his 
 generation the annals of the colony abundantly testify." 
 In the truest sense of the word his was an "exemplary 
 career." Boys and girls might learn valuable lessons from 
 the life of the Hon. John Dunn. He "feared God," and 
 both in a material and spiritual sense "worked righteous- 
 ness" ; the diligent hand made him rich, and the wealth 
 secured was used for noble purposes. He built a number 
 of cottages at Mount Barker for the poor and erected a 
 Methodist Church in the town at a cost of 4,000. In 
 various other ways he benefited the people among whom he 
 lived and laboured. He died on October 13th, 1894, in his 
 ninety-third year.
 
 THREE PIONEER BROTHERS.
 
 JOHN STEPHENS.
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THREE PIONEER BROTHERS. 
 
 There were three brothers, representing different phases 
 of social life, who did exceptional work in the settlement of 
 South Australia. They were all men of mark and helped 
 to lay, broad and deep, the foundations upon which South 
 Australian society rests to-day. Two of them were fierce 
 antagonists to State-aid to religion, and led the van in the 
 most important and severe conflict in which the pioneers had 
 to take sides. One was a caustic and robust writer, the 
 other an eloquent and vigorous speaker. 
 
 John Stephens was a Methodist minister in the Old 
 Land, one of the ablest men who had sat in the chair of 
 the British Conference. In his youth he was a Cornish 
 miner, but he had mental powers of a superior order, and 
 was destined by Providence to occupy an important position 
 in the ecclesiastical world and to do a good work. When 
 little more than twenty years of age he entered the minis- 
 try and occupied the highest positions that the Church 
 could give. His instincts were conservative. History affirms 
 that he was "one of the most unbending champions of 
 authority that the Conference could produce." He had five 
 able sons, and, strange to relate, three of them at least 
 developed, along certain lines, radical tendencies. 
 
 Joseph Raynor Stephens became a political agitator in 
 the Old Land and gave the British Government a consider- 
 able amount of trouble. He had remarkable gifts as a 
 speaker, and a voice of such compass that 20,000 people 
 could hear him in the open-air. Joseph Raynor Stephens 
 could and did sway multitudes, as the ripe corn bends 
 before the breeze. Speaking of him the London Times 
 said that he had the gift of oratory to a dangerous degree. 
 The British Government kept a regiment of soldiers in the 
 district where his influence was especially felt, and he was 
 shadowed by the police. The reader must not imagine that 
 this was in any way a reflection upon his character. He 
 was a man of unimpeachable character. His fault was that 
 in denouncing some of the social and political a.buses of the 
 time he went to extremes. On one occasion when the masses 
 were not able to make their influence sufficiently felt by 
 righteous means he advised them "to arm." For this he was
 
 448 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 arrested by the British Government and put on trial before 
 a judge and special jury. He was bound over to keep the 
 peace for five years and condemned to eighteen months' im- 
 prisonment in Chester Castle. His speech in self-defence 
 occupied five and a half hours in delivery and made a deep 
 impression upon the judge. In summing-up the case he said 
 Mr. Stephens had defended his case with eloquence that 
 he had rarely heard equalled, and complimented him upon 
 his talents. Joseph Raynor Stephens was the "Tribune of 
 the Poor." He pleaded with self -consuming zeal and match- 
 less eloquence for the abolition of child labour in the fac- 
 tories of England and for a ten-hour day for the factory 
 operatives. He was also an uncompromising opponent of 
 the new Poor Law Bill that gathered the poor into work- 
 houses instead of allowing them to live, supported by the 
 taxes, in their own homes. 
 
 It is with the three brothers of this social reformer that 
 I have especially to deal. Samuel, Edward, and John 
 Stephens came to South Australia in the early days and did 
 memorable service in laying its foundations and in raising 
 the superstructure. 
 
 SAMUEL STEPHENS was the first adult colonist to put 
 foot on South Australian soil. He came by the first vessel 
 (the Dul-e of York) on July 27th, 1836, and landed at 
 Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island. He was sent out by the 
 South Australian Company as its first manager to give the 
 colony a start, and was the leading spirit at the Kangaroo 
 Island settlement. After Colonel Light had pronounced 
 against Kangaroo Island as a place of settlement Samuel 
 Stephens and other settlers removed to the mainland. He 
 imported the first horse into the new colony. One of the 
 pioneers (Pastor Jacob Abbott) has left upon record an 
 account of his first meeting with the horse and its owner. 
 Samuel Stephens was walking down the North Terrace of the 
 embryo city, leading his newly imported horse. A short 
 distance away was a group of blackfellows. Directly they 
 caught sight of the animal "their expressions of astonish- 
 ment and horror were indescribable." The men shouted : 
 the lubras screamed. The children sought refuge behind 
 their parents. Gradually they became calmer, muttering 
 "Big kangaroo! Oh, big kangaroo!" Like his brothers 
 who will come under review he was evidently a man with 
 considerable force of character. He had great difficulty with 
 some of the emigrants brought out in the Company's service, 
 but soon succeeded in erecting several stores and buildings. 
 He also did iisefiil work in exploring the country round
 
 THREE PIONEER BROTHERS. 449 
 
 Adelaide and along the west coast. Alas ! tlie noble-spirited 
 Samuel Stephens soon came to an untimely end. In 1840 he 
 was on his way from the Murray, a party of pioneers being 
 with him. He rode on in advance. When the company 
 came to the foot of one of the hills between Mount Barker 
 and Adelaide they found him on the road speechless. His 
 horse had fallen with him. He died about half an hour 
 after his friends picked him up. He was buried in the West 
 Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide. Of him one of the pioneers 
 left the following record : ''He was endeared by the bene- 
 volence of his disposition and kindness of heart, as he was 
 admired for his clear perception and sound judgment. No 
 case of real distress or difficulty appealed to him in vain, 
 and his sympathy was always rendered doubly valuable by 
 the sincerity with which it was exercised. He delighted in 
 benefiting all that he could, and if he ever thought of heap- 
 ing fire on the head of an opponent it was sure to be by 
 rendering him a kindness." 
 
 Samuel Stephens is buried in a block of land in the 
 West Terrace Cemetery secured by his brother Edward. The 
 forces of Nature are destroying the lettering on the tomb- 
 stone. Before the inscription totally disappears I would 
 like to transfer it to these pages. Some of the words are 
 already lost : 
 
 "In a vault beneath this stone is deposited the body of 
 the late Samuel Stephens, Esq., who departed this life on 
 Saturday, January 18th, 1840, aged 31 years. Amongst the 
 early friends and founders of South Australia his name 
 holds a distinguished place. He was the first colonist who 
 landed on its shores, holding at the time the appointment 
 of First Colonial Manager of the South Australian Company. 
 He was suddenly killed in the prime of life by an accident 
 whilst returning ... to Adelaide." < 49 ) 
 
 The time will come if it has not already arrived 
 when the descendants of the pioneers will go to see the grave 
 of the first adult colonist to put foot on South Australian 
 soil. The following are the directions for finding it: Road 
 No. 1 south. Path 30 west and Path 31 east. No's. 44-45. 
 Situated between first and second road. 
 
 JOHN STEPHENS was born in Newcastle, England, on 
 September 30, 1806, his father being stationed as a Method- 
 ist preacher in that city. About 1832 a paper was published 
 in England with pronounced radical tendencies. It was con- 
 ducted by four able young men, sons of distinguished min- 
 isters. All had the literary gift and were writers to the 
 
 (49) John Stephens is buried in the same vault. 
 o
 
 450 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 annuals. The paper took the name of The Christian Advo- 
 cate. A contemporary says: "The paper was conducted with 
 ability, its articles were exceedingly plausible, and in the 
 absence of any counteracting agency few were able to detect 
 its fallacies." It became the exponent of ecclesiastical and 
 political radicalism. It attacked the leading ministers of 
 the Methodist Connexion, being especially severe on Dr. 
 Bunting. It also "dealt with other religious bodies after its 
 own mind," and had great influence. It was read by thou- 
 sands. "People looked for The Christian Advocate with an 
 eager spirit, and there was something wanting at the end of 
 the week if its pages were not read." The editor of that 
 paper was John Stephens, so named after his able father. 
 The paper lived for some years. Then both paper and editor 
 disappeared from view. It was in connection with the found- 
 ing of South Australia that John Stephens, somewhat 
 abruptly, came to the surface again. That he was known to 
 George Fife Angas is evident from a passage in Mr. Angas' 
 published life. He says: "I went over to Blackfriars to see 
 John Stephens." We next meet with him in connection with 
 the publication of a book entitled "The Land of Promise." 
 It was written in the interests of the new colony of South 
 Australia and published in 1836. A second edition was 
 soon called for, and published under the title of "The Rise 
 and Progress of South Australia." 
 
 In 1843 John Stephens was in Adelaide interesting him- 
 self in journalistic work. In pioneer times there were a 
 number of papers. There was The South Australian Gazette 
 and Colonial Register (the paper par excellence), the first 
 number of which was published before the colony was pro- 
 claimed. It was of a very outspoken character. In the 
 squabbles which took place in Governor Hindmarsh's time 
 The Register supported the Governor's party. James Hurtle 
 Fisher and Charles Mann took umbrage at the action of the 
 editor of our pioneer paper. In the judgment of their party 
 The Register had eminently failed, and so a rival (The South 
 Australian) was called into existence. This was edited by 
 Charles Mann, the A dvocate - General and Crown Soli- 
 citor, father of the more famous Charles Mann, 
 who a few years ago was an able politician, but 
 passed away at a comparatively early age. In 1839 a 
 paper was actually published in the interests of Port Lin- 
 coln. It was called The Port Lincoln Herald. At this time 
 Port Lincoln was a most important place and promised to 
 be a rival to Adelaide. John Bentham Neales, the pioneer 
 auctioneer, afterwards a noted politician, was the editor of
 
 THREE PIONEER BROTHERS. 451 
 
 The Port Lincoln Herald. A little later The Adelaide 
 Guardian was started, edited by George Milner Stephen, who 
 acted as Governor in the interval between the departure of 
 Governor Hindmarsh and the arrival of Governor Gawler. 
 It lived about six months. Several of these pioneer papers 
 had only an ephemeral existence. That so many were estab- 
 lished seems to be an indication of the mental calibre of the 
 early settlers and the keen interest they took in matters 
 affecting the social welfare. In 1841 The Adelaide. Inde- 
 pendent and Cabinet of Amusement (a title almost sufficient 
 to kill any paper) set sail upon troubled waters. The editor 
 was Mr. N. Hailes, a noted pioneer in literary circles. This 
 paper was to ''unflinchingly advocate free institutions, free 
 creeds, free trade, free thought, free words, and free actions," 
 so long as they were consistent with just laws and social 
 order. Though Independent by name it could not do with- 
 out public support, and as this was not sufficiently forth- 
 coming it soon collapsed. Then The Examiner came upon 
 the scene, which was ultimately merged into The A deJaidr 
 Observer, a paper which continues to this day. It was. 
 owned, edited, and published by John Stephens. In rela- 
 tion to John Stephens' venture an amusing skit appeared 
 in one of the papers. It consisted of several verses under 
 the heading "The Paragon Paper." The first line in the 
 first verse refers to various editors in pioneer times : 
 
 O Allen ! O Murray ! O Mr. Dehane ! 
 
 Cut your pens, cut your papers, for now it is plain 
 
 That you'll shortly be put to the rout: 
 For the pith of your papers is chiefly abuse 
 And Johnny Drinkwater (50) will open a sluice 
 
 When the paragon paper comes out. 
 
 A paper embodying news of the week, 
 
 With literature light (-such as bush people seek), 
 
 Not one word politicians about; 
 
 Hut peace and goodwill 'twill promote among men ; 
 And sugar and congou will look up again 
 
 When the paragon paper comes out. '61) 
 
 After establishing The Adelaide Observer, The Register 
 also came into John Stephens' hands. The same charac- 
 teristics that were so marked in England were manifested 
 here. He was a fighter, indeed. Of John Stephens it has 
 been said : "He had great difficulties with his literary busi- 
 ness ; as he wielded a trenchant pen, and enemies rose up 
 all round him, some of whom sought redress for their im- 
 
 (50) A humorous reference to John Stephens' well-known total 
 abstinence principles. 
 
 '51) Hussey's Colonial Life and Christian Experience.
 
 452 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 agined wrongs at the hands of the law. At the time of his 
 death his name had appeared nine times in the cause list 
 of the Supreme Court as defendant in libel actions." Many 
 advertisements were withdrawn from his paper. He is repre- 
 sented as having "decision of character, indomitable pluck, 
 and untiring energy in an eminent degree." He was a 
 staunch teetotaller. Tn the various actions that were brought 
 against him it was his conviction that he suffered for right- 
 eousness' sake. One who knew him well in South Australia 
 has left on record the following : "He was the unflinching 
 and unvarying advocate of civil and religious liberty ; the 
 truthful and uncompromising exposer of every proved cor- 
 ruption and abuse." What this free State to-day owes to 
 the powerful pen of John Stephens especially in relation 
 to the abolition of State-aid to religion and the struggle for 
 responsible government is beyond calculation. He died in 
 1850. A contemporary says: "The victim of the severity of 
 his own discipline and labour, but not until he had estab 
 lished, on a permanent basis, the reputation and success 
 of The Register. Business worries and the death of a beloved 
 son and daughter helped to break him down." His body lies in 
 the West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide. The stone that marks 
 his resting-place is wasting away. Some of the letters are 
 obliterated. The following is a copy : 
 
 In Memory of 
 JOHN STEPHENS, 
 
 Who died 
 November 28, 1850, 
 
 Aged 44 years. 
 
 The memory of his worth shall never cease, 
 Upright in all his ways his end was peace ; 
 But though sincere, affectionate, and just, 
 His Saviour's merits were his only trust. 
 
 EDWARD STEPHENS. He was born on October 19th, 1811, 
 in London, where his father was stationed. He came to 
 South Australia to found the pioneer bank, bringing with 
 him a framed banking-house and capital to the extent of 
 10,000. 
 
 The colony had been proclaimed only a few days before 
 Edward Stephens' arrival, so the young banker and his wife 
 had to take up their abode in a tent not far from the beach 
 at Holdfast Bay. Tn public matters connected with the 
 young colony Edward Stephens took a leading part. In 
 searching old records in the Adelaide Public Library I found 
 his name in connection with a variety of social, political,
 
 02 
 
 a 
 
 P5 
 
 Q 
 
 H 
 
 oo 
 00 
 
 O 
 02 
 
 55 
 
 <! 
 
 cq
 
 THREE PIONEER BROTHERS. 455 
 
 religious, and philanthropic movements. He was one of the 
 early immigrants who protested against the site that Colonel 
 Light had chosen for the city. In the pioneer Press a long 
 and vigorous letter of his appeared in which he affirmed 
 that on the site chosen "a, great commercial city could never 
 be built." He was one of the Committee which named the 
 streets and squares of Adelaide ; he was also a magistrate, 
 and for a short time a member of the Legislature. Judging 
 from specimens of his oratory that have come down to us 
 he must have been a very effective speaker. After David 
 McLaren left the colony Edward Stephens became manager 
 of the Bank of South Australia. In addition to his work 
 as a banker he edited a weekly journal, The Adelaide Mis- 
 cellany, but it did not pay. He lost 400 by this literary 
 venture. During the troubles that overtook the colony in 
 Governor Gawler's time he was of special service to the 
 pioneers. On January 12th, 1851, he left the colony on a 
 visit to England. In connection with his departune the 
 editor of The Adelaide Times said: "No one who remembers 
 the crisis of 1841-4 can deny to Mr. Stephens the possession 
 of tact and talent of a very superior order, or can hesitate 
 to admit his perfect self-possession and far-sighted forbear- 
 ance on that trying occasion. Not one banker out of ten 
 or perhaps out of a hundred could have done what he then 
 did. There w.as certainly no other person in the colony equal 
 to it. A false step then would have been fatal. The colony 
 might have been ruined and the South Australian Bank- 
 ing Company entombed in its ruins. As it was, the Bank 
 was saved, and was brought out of the crisis without any 
 considerable loss. No one in the colony at that time can 
 forget the Sheriff's visit to the Bank in Governor Grey's 
 time and the ease with which he was bowled out. Mr. 
 Stephens was the only man in the colony before whom Gov- 
 ernor Grey quailed, who then referred the matter in dispute 
 Home, only to meet with more signal and complete discom- 
 fiture. For this Mr. Stephens entitled himself to the best 
 thanks of the colonists. The question at issue was the dis- 
 posal of some 10,000 or 12,000 of the Emigration Fund 
 which Captain Grey was bent upon misappropriating. No 
 man, in fact, can do bolder things than Mr. Stephens has 
 done, or do them with more complete success." The Register 
 spoke on another occasion in similar laudatory terms. 
 
 Edward Stephens returned from England, and once 
 again took up his position as manager of the Bank of South 
 Australia.
 
 45o HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 After a few more years of service there came the long- 
 ing to see the Old Land once more. His family ties in South 
 Australia were broken. His brother Samuel was dead ; John 
 was dead ; but in the dear Old Land over the sea some of his 
 kindred still remained. His brother Joseph Raynor Stephens 
 and George were yet alive ; once again he would like to see 
 them. 
 
 If the desire once more to see his kindred and the land 
 of his fathers was strong in the heart of Mr. Stephens it must 
 have been equally felt by the noble woman (for she was such) 
 who had shared her husband's joys and sorrows, successes and 
 reverses, in the founding of our State. She has told how, 
 in the absence of her husband from the tent at Glenelg, she 
 sometimes sat, with fear and trembling, on the chest that 
 contained the capital of the Bank. 
 
 In the year 1855 Edward Stephens resigned his posi- 
 tion, and with his wife went Home, leaving the Bank of 
 South Australia a large, vigorous, and successful institu- 
 tion : a monument of his ability and industry. 
 
 In February, 1861, we meet with Edward Stephens in 
 London. At this time a number of the pioneers of South Aus- 
 tralia were in the Old Land. Among others there were Cap- 
 tain Bagot, Alexander L. Elder, Joseph Hawdon (who brought 
 overland the first herd of cattle), Charles Bonney (the first 
 Commissioner of Crown Lands), James Hurtle Fisher (the 
 first Resident Commissioner), and Colonel George Gawler 
 (the second Governor of South Australia). 
 
 These and several other old colonists wished to do hon- 
 our to John Ridley, the inventor of the South Australian 
 stripper, who was residing in England. The leading spirit 
 in the movement was Edward Stephens. He arranged for a 
 dinner at the Albion Hotel, Aldersgate Street, London, and 
 for the presentation of a testimonial. A London writer to 
 the Press said: "The dinner was his idea; a desire to bring 
 old colonists together, the realization of a long-cherished 
 wish that there should be a gathering of those who looked 
 upon South Australia as their home or the foundation of 
 their fortunes." 
 
 The dinner was held on February 27th, 1861. The chair- 
 men were Captain C. H. Bagot and Alexander L. Elder. 
 Sir Rowland Hill (the father of penny postage), who had 
 taken a great interest in the settlement of South Aus- 
 tralia, and Colonel George Gawler occupied positions of 
 honour. 
 
 Describing the personnel of the company a reporter to 
 the Press said : "Space would fail to mention all the points
 
 THREE PIONEER BROTHERS. 457 
 
 of interest attaching to such an assembly." The "earliest 
 settlers were there," men ''who had endured no ordinary 
 privations, and those who were now in affluence after years 
 of honourable labour ; those who remembered South Aus- 
 tralia as a 'very little place' among the nations; merchants 
 who wrote their first invoices on cask-heads ; bankers who 
 transacted their exchanges under canvas and formed their 
 desks on sand heaps : promoters of the Burra Mine, one of 
 whom had travelled from Frankfurt to be present." 
 
 At the banquet Edward Stephens was one of the vice- 
 chairmen, and made "the most delightful speech" in answer- 
 ing the tcast, "The Ladies." His speech was in praise of the 
 wives of the early settlers of South Australia. John Ridley 
 said it was the event of the evening. A few days after he 
 passed away. 
 
 Writing of this gathering of old colonists in London and 
 of the death of Edward Stephens, Mr. Ridley said : "I fol- 
 lowed Mr. Stephens to the grave. I saw him on Friday, 
 two days after the dinner, and he said he had taken no harm, 
 though he had been unwell some little time before it. On 
 the next Wednesday, when I called to enquire, his doctor 
 was with him, and by the next Tuesday he was dead. The 
 day of the funeral was a sad one ; but it was a sacred sad- 
 ness." 
 
 The reporter to the Press from whom I have already 
 quoted, speaking of Edward Stephens, said : "Nor was his 
 an ordinary feeling of attachment to the colony. As early 
 as 1837 he proceeded there in the Coromandel to establish 
 the Bank of South Australia, which he conducted with signal 
 ability through all its early stages, and continued its colonial 
 manager till 1855, when he honourably retired, leaving his 
 favourite institution a large and profitable concern. His 
 promise on leaving Adelaide in 1855 to continue serving 
 South Australia has been more than fulfilled, his high quali- 
 fications for public life being pre-eminent when its interests 
 were to be advocated or its claims asserted. In the Aus- 
 tralian Association, at whose meetings he was a close at- 
 tendant ; at the International Statistical Congress, where he 
 was among the most notable of representatives; and, if he 
 had lived, at the Exhibition of 1862, to which he was ap- 
 pointed Commissioner for South Australia, the colony had 
 the best of its public men, and none more happy, more proud 
 of promoting its interests, in watching or recording its career, 
 and doing what was practical and wise for its future welfare. 
 Peace to his memory. May there never be a want of his 
 public spirit, his enlarged talent, his practical and sagacious 
 wisdom."
 
 LOOKING BACKWARDS.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 LOOKING BACKWARDS. 
 
 Before the foundation of the colony South Australia was 
 almost a terra incognita. Captain Flinders had surveyed its 
 coast; Captain Sturt and party had sailed down the Mur- 
 ray ; Captain Barker and his men had walked over the Ade- 
 laide Plains, ascended Mount Lofty, and obtained a view of 
 the surrounding country ; for several years prior to the 
 arrival of the first settlers some white sealers had been living 
 on Kangaroo Island ; but the real interior of South Aus- 
 tralia was as little known as the other side of the moon. It 
 was a well-appointed domicile awaiting a suitable tenant. 
 It was made to be inhabited by the highest type of man, 
 and until the purpose of its creation was realized there was 
 something a- wanting and amiss. There was no lowing of 
 oxen nor bleating of sheep ; no ploughman's whistle nor milk- 
 maid's song ; no long, freshly-turned furrows nor fields of 
 waving corn. The air had not vibrated with the sound of 
 horse's hoof or the rumble of wheels. The music of the 
 whetted scythe had not fallen upon the ear. There were no 
 roads, bridges, fences, nor houses surrounded by flowers and 
 fruit-bearing trees; no honey-suckle and jessamine. Save the 
 loud, ludicrous laugh of the jackass, the howl of the dingo, 
 or the "cooee" of the blackfellow few startling noises were 
 heard. 
 
 The country abounded in game. Kangaroos and walla- 
 bies roamed about in flocks. Here and there families of 
 wombats dwelt in their holes. The emu and her chicks sped 
 over the plain. On the lakes were wild fowl, and the Murray 
 teemed with fish. Where Adelaide now stands serpents 
 glided and kangaroos fed. 
 
 The blackfellow held undisputed sway. His was a free- 
 and-easy kind of life. Except the fear of sorcery and an 
 occasional tribal fight, there was little to trouble his soul. 
 The day was spent in eating and drinking, making weapons 
 or canoes, netting wild fowl, hunting the kangaroo, and 
 spearing fish. At night there was the mystic corroboree. 
 
 I have spoken of evil traits in the character of the 
 blacks; but they had some good as well as bad qualities. 
 The Rev. George Taplin, who spent many years among the 
 natives in the early days, tells a story that he heard. Some 
 
 ( 461 )
 
 462 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 of the white savages on Kangaroo Island (the runaway sailors 
 or escaped convicts of whom I have spoken) stole, from the 
 mainland near Cape Jervis, three native women and took 
 them, to the Island. When the prisoners had been detained 
 by their captors a short time they began to cast about for 
 means to get back to their husbands, families, and tribe. At 
 last they found a small dinghy belonging to the sealers. It 
 would hold only two. Two of the women had no children, 
 but the third had an infant at the breast, so the childless 
 lubras took the dinghy and started for the mainland, reach- 
 ing it in safety. The poor mother, left behind with her babe, 
 must have pined sadly for her native habitat and tribe, but 
 nothing was heard of her for some time. One day the natives 
 found her body on the beach of the mainland, just above 
 high-water mark, with the baby tied on her back. She had 
 swum Backstairs Passage (about 9 miles in the narrowest 
 part and infested with sharks), and then, in a state of utter 
 exhaustion, crawled to the shore and died.< 52 > 
 
 In our early chapters we read the gloomy prognostica- 
 tions of the London Tlmts. In 1834, when the Colonization 
 Bill passed the British Parliament, the editor said : "Let the 
 gentlemen take their fling. Two years will be sufficient to 
 show whether the distrust we have felt it right to avow or 
 the anger it has occasioned is more rationally founded." 
 
 We have seen the first colonist (Samuel Stephens) put 
 foot on Australian shore. We have viewed the early 
 immigrants' tents pitched among the trees and rushes that 
 skirted the- shores of Holdfast Bay. Beds made of rushes, 
 pork barrels and packing-cases extemporized as tables, 
 immigrants dragging their goods to the site of a city that 
 was to be all these have passed before our view. 
 
 Where those tents, seventy-four years ago, were pitched 
 the large and aristocratic town of Glenelg now stands. A 
 few miles inland where the serpent glided, the kangaroo 
 fed, and the blackfellow roamed the queenly City of Ade- 
 laide rears her head. Here are to be seen some of the 
 finest buildings and streets in the Southern Hemisphere. Here 
 is a system of deep-drainage and of water supply that is un- 
 surpassed. Electric-trams and motor-cars are running in all 
 directions. Through country that seventy-five years ago was 
 unexplored and unknown trains now rush laden with pas- 
 sengers, wheat, wool, sheep, cattle, and mineral wealth. 
 Round the city there is a beautiful park ; outside of the 
 park are crowded and healthy suburbs. To walk down Monte- 
 
 <52) Another tradition affirms that she lived.
 
 LOOKING BACKWARDS. 463 
 
 fiore Hill on a beautiful day in spring or autumn is an in- 
 spiration. In the foreground are flowers, plantations, and 
 buildings nestling in foliage. In the background are the 
 magnificent hills. A visitor to Adelaide in 1907, writing to 
 The Sydney Morning Herald, said : <; In Adelaide one has 
 no feeling of being cramped. There is elbow room for insti- 
 tutions, trees, grass, everything and everybody that is good. 
 When making a special study of its gardens, parks, 
 and street-planting that feeling of abundance of space im- 
 pressed itself upon my mind more strongly than ever. Ade- 
 laide is a beautiful city, and as I entered it a gentleman in 
 the train said to me, with a wave of his hand : 'My dear sir, 
 the finest city on earth, and I have travelled a good deal.' " 
 
 Dotted over the country are towns, villages, farms, and 
 gardens. It seems like a fairy tale. All has been accom- 
 plished in less than seventy-five years. Seventy-three years 
 ago the population was 500; to-day it is more than 408,000. 
 
 In 1886 we celebrated our Jubilee. Speaking on that 
 occasion Sir Henry Ayers (one of the pioneers) said : "Some- 
 thing must be said of the country we have been in possession 
 of for fifty years. It may not unreasonably be demanded of 
 us to state what use we have made of the talents committed 
 to our care for the benefit of mankind. We have utilized 
 for pastora/1 purposes many thousand square miles of country, 
 on which depasture seven millions of sheep, three hundred 
 thousand head of cattle, and one hundred and seventy thou- 
 sand horses. We have brought under cultivation nearly three 
 millions of acres. We have made it a country productive of 
 wool, of corn, of fruit, of wine, of oil, and a land flowing with 
 milk and honey. We have completed telegraphic communi- 
 cation across the Continent and thus brought Australia 
 within speaking distance of all parts of the world. We have 
 constructed over a thousand miles of railway and many 
 thousand miles of macadamized roads. We have erected 
 various buildings, and built bridges, docks, wharves, jetties, 
 and other works required for our wants. We have made 
 ample provision for educating the people, including the estab- 
 lishment and endowment of a University. We have founded 
 hospitals and asylums for the insane, the sick, the incurable, the 
 blind, the dumb, the deaf, and the necessitous poor. 
 But some captious critic may say all these things are for your- 
 selves ; tell us what you have done for your brethren abroad. 
 We have fed the people of the outside world with breadstuffs 
 to the value of some thirty-five millions sterling. We have 
 clothed them with some forty millions' worth of wool. We 
 have sent them nearly twenty millions sterling of minerals
 
 464 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 and metals. Could the greatest optimist among the early 
 settlers have predicted such results?" 
 
 As our pilgrim fathers drew near to the shores of South 
 Australia seventy-five years ago, in summer time, it was with 
 mingled feelings that they viewed the scene. From the deck 
 of the vessel, as it stood out in St. Vincent's Gulf, they 
 could see the dry-looking hills and apparently dry plains. 
 The mind was clouded and the soul despondent. What a 
 revelation a few decades have made ! 
 
 It was in the year 1838 that our first Governor (Sir 
 John Hindmarsh) left the colony. It had then been founded 
 two years. I give the statistics for the year 1838 contrasted 
 with those for 1910. This will give the reader some idea of 
 the progress made in seventy-two years : 
 
 1838. 1910. 
 
 Population 6,000 408,558 
 
 Acres under cultivation ... 200 4,141,992 
 
 Horses 480 249,326 
 
 Cattle 2,500 384,862 
 
 Sheep ... 28,000 6,267,477 
 
 Exports 6,442 10,243,197 
 
 Revenue (1910-11) ... 1,448 4,181,472 
 
 There was a surplus in 1910 of 217,061, which was 
 devoted to reduction of debt. 
 
 A little more than seventy years ago, when preparations 
 were being made for the settlement of South Australia, John 
 Stephens wrote a book upon it called "The Land of Promise." 
 At that time the colony was trying to struggle into existence. 
 It was a mere embryo, but there were great possibilities bound 
 up in it. In the nature of things John Stephens could specu- 
 late only as to the future. To what a marvellous extent his 
 speculations have been realized ! It is now a "Land of 
 Canaan" such as no Canaanite or Jew ever looked upon. 
 It is, indeed, a land flowing with wheat, wool, and fruit, as 
 well as with milk and honey. The following are a few 
 items of production for the season embracing part of 1910 
 and 1911:- 
 
 Wheat, bushels ... 24,344,740 
 
 Hay, tons ... 464,048 
 
 Apples, cases 450,920 
 
 Honey, ft> ... 996,376 
 
 Wine, gallons ... 3,470,058 
 
 Currants, cwt. ... ... ... 40,261 
 
 Raisins, cwt. ... ... ... ... 34,745 
 
 Butter, fc. 10,717,486 
 
 Cheese, ft) ... 1,796,281
 
 LOOKING BACKWARDS. 465 
 
 From statistics courteously supplied by the Government 
 Statist the following items have been taken : 
 
 Value of wheat exported in 1910 ... 4,055,028 
 
 Value of wool exported in 1910 ... 1,943,455 
 
 Value of fruit exported in 1910 ... 55,300 
 
 Value of meat exported in 1910 ... 160,021 
 
 In 1911 there was held in Adelaide the record wool sale 
 of the world, 19,043 bales being sold, realizing 182,435. 
 
 When reading these results the reader must bear in mind 
 that the country which produced them is but seventy-five 
 years of age. 
 
 In our chapter on "Some Useful Legislation" we saw 
 Captain Bromley, our first schoolmaster, gathering the chil- 
 dren of the pioneers together for instruction. This was on 
 Kangaroo Island under the shade of a large tree. 
 
 To-day we have a splendid system of national education, 
 in connection with which there are : 
 
 Schools 733 
 
 Teachers (of all grades) ... ... ... 1,429 
 
 During the year the Government spent money for educational 
 
 purposes as follows : 
 
 Primary Education 167,426 
 
 Secondary Education ... ... 10,400 
 
 The total expenditure for the year 1910 for purposes of educa- 
 tion was 221,852. 
 
 In addition to the above-mentioned schools there are 
 several large denominational colleges and many private 
 educational institutions. 
 
 The natives have not been forgotten. During the last 
 seventy years several mission stations have been established. 
 One of the most successful has been the mission at Point 
 MacLeay. For many years it was under the able superinten- 
 dence of the Rev. George Taplin, who deserves honourable 
 mention in our history. Missionary work among the abori- 
 gines has been much retarded by the migratory habits of the 
 blacks and by the lecherous conduct of some of the whites. 
 
 In the chapter on ''The Rise of Ecclesiastical Organiza- 
 tions" we saw a few men and women in 1836 going to the 
 rush hut of the principal surveyor at Holdfast Bay, carrying 
 their seats with them. Here a service in connection with the 
 Anglican Church was to be held, presumably in the hut of 
 George S. Kingston. The congregation consisted of twenty- 
 five persons. The signal for assembling was the firing of a
 
 466 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 gun. A little later we saw a few Methodists meeting in the 
 hut of John White, one of the pioneer preachers, on the 
 banks of the Torrens, to form a Church. Fifteen persons gave 
 in their names as members. Then the pioneer Congregational 
 minister (Rev. Thomas Q. Stow) came upon the scene, hold- 
 ing service in a tent, with Governor Hind marsh sitting 
 before him on a box. Later still we witnessed a few members 
 of the Roman Catholic Church meeting at the house of Mr. 
 Phillips, East Terrace, to establish a mission. We listened 
 to the debates in the pioneer Legislative Council dealing with 
 the question of State-aid to religion. Said Robert R. Torrens 
 (afterw.ards Sir Robert), member for Cambridge, in the 
 House of Commons : "So far as religious instruction went 
 voluntaryism was a fallacy. . . . The burden of support- 
 ing public worship fell on a few." Said another of our 
 pioneer legislators: "He believed that the people had not 
 the means to build churches or to maintain ministers." Ah ! 
 these were the days when the faith of some of the pioneers 
 in relation to religious ma.tters was weak they could not 
 throw off their Old World ideas. In an ecclesiastical sense 
 what do we see after the lapse of seventy years ? A perfect 
 network of churches throughout the settled portions of South 
 Australia, in the faraway bush and in the suburbs. In 
 these churches hundreds of men minister without receiving 
 one penny from the State. In an ecclesiastical as well as in 
 a political sense "the little one has become a thousand and 
 the small one a strong nation." 
 
 The following poem will bring the "past and the present" 
 vividly before the mind of the reader. It is true to Nature 
 and to experience, and is a very good specimen of Australian 
 muse. If the reader will turn to the first chapter of this 
 book he will see a picture "Along the Murray." It represents 
 Moorunde, where the famous explorer Edward John Eyre 
 was located in the early days as magistrate controlling 
 the aborigines : 
 
 ALONG THE MURRAY. 
 
 Brood and fair and free, old Murray, 
 
 Rolling ever on his way, 
 Calling to the mist and starlight, 
 Singing through the shade and sunlight. 
 Through the years unchanged, unending 
 
 Mirrors night and day. 
 Tx)ng ago the bright fires leaping 
 
 On its reeded margin wide 
 Saw the poor, rude natives gather 
 Round the cheerful hlaze together, 
 And their weird and mournful chanting 
 
 Mingled with his tide.
 
 LOOKING BACKWARDS. 467 
 
 In the past, forgotten ages, 
 
 Who can tell or know how long 
 Murray rolled his mighty waters, 
 Fed his dusky sons and daughters, 
 Thrilled the vast, unbroken scrubland 
 
 With his wondrous song? 
 Now tins white man's foot has echoed 
 
 Where the swan and wildfowl rest, 
 Startled from its sleep the scrubland, 
 Scared the curlew in the grassland, 
 Driven out the timid emu 
 
 From its sheltered nest. 
 
 Ruthless hands have stripped the fores'*.. 
 
 Hunted, from their lowly lair, 
 All its dwellers, strange and harmless. 
 Left the grey flats grey and charmlest. 
 
 Left the plains less fair. 
 Ruthless feet have crushed the lilies 
 
 By the sheltered billabong. 
 Down the shady river reaches 
 With their cool and pebbled beaches 
 Comes the "hallo !" of the woodman 
 
 And his echoing song. 
 
 All the simple life has vanished ; 
 
 All the old, strange scenes are fled : 
 With the morning, fresh and early, 
 Comes no "cooee !" from the wurley 
 Bringing back the dusky huntsmen 
 
 Through the sunrise red. 
 Only by some lonely shallow, 
 
 Shadow-haunted, ripple-stirred, 
 Still may be the waning traces. 
 Mouldering hut, or grass-grown places, 
 Records of a hunted people 
 
 Graven without a word. 
 
 On old Murray shower and sunshine, 
 
 Mist and shadows cross and sway, 
 All the old, strange life has vanished, 
 Only he by time untarnished. 
 Through the years unchanged, unending. 
 
 Mirrors night and day. 
 
 Lillian Miller. 
 
 The future of South Australia is beyond our ken. For 
 better or worse, for richer or poorer, she has become part of 
 a great Commonwealth. Our destiny is now more especially 
 bound up with that of the other Australian States. We are 
 a united people. Our position among the nations of the earth 
 will be decided not so much by our natural resources as by 
 the position 1 we take up in relation to the Power in the uni- 
 verse that makes for righteousness. Said Governor Hind- 
 marsh when leaving the colony : "If the colonists do them-
 
 468 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 selves justice, if they respect the laws and attend to the 
 ordinances of religion, if they continue the habits of tem- 
 perance and industry which have so happily prevailed, South 
 Australia must realize the most ardent wishes of its friends, 
 and acquire in a few years a rank among the provinces of the 
 British Empire without example in colonial history." Not 
 only did our first Governor lay the political foundation-stone 
 of the Province, but, in the wise words just quoted, he laid 
 down the principles on which all national greatness is based. 
 Said our late beloved Queen Victoria to Lord Tennyson, then 
 Governor of South Australia : "If only my people will love 
 God, all will be well." 
 
 "The Charter's read; the rites are o'er, 
 The trumpet's blare and cannon's roar 
 Are silent, and the flags are furled ; 
 
 But so not ends the task to build 
 Into the fabric of the world 
 
 The substance of our hopes fulfilled- 
 To work as those who greatly have divined 
 The lordship of ;i continent assigned 
 As God's own gift for service to mankind." 
 
 ./. Brunton Stephens (from the Federation Ode)
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Abbott, Pastor Jacob 385 448 
 
 Aberdeen, Lord ... ... ... 37 
 
 Aborigines 46 96 161-167 
 
 Accession of Queen Victoria ... ... ... ... ... 82 
 
 Act for Better Government of Australian Colonies 239 
 
 Act for Better Government of South Australia ... ... 193 
 
 Act to Regulate Sale of Liquors ... ... ... ... 155 
 
 Adelaide Guardian ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 451 
 
 Adelaide Hospital ... 127 
 
 Adelaide Independent ... ... ... ... ... ... 451 
 
 Adelaide Miscellany ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 455 
 
 Adelaide Observer ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 451 
 
 Adelaide Times ... ... ... ... 411 455 
 
 Adelaide Why so called ... ... ... ... ... ... 34 
 
 Advertiser 292 308 398 
 
 Africaine 51 72 81 91 
 
 Agriculture ... ... ... ... ... ... 127 
 
 Alford, Sergeant-Major 156 168 
 
 Anderson, Alex. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 289 
 
 Andrews, R. B 288 
 
 Angas, George Fife 21 23 38 115 238 242 252 258 275 373 
 
 Angas, John Howard ... ... ... ... ... ... 131 
 
 Angas, River ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 94 
 
 Angas Street and Angaston ... ... ... 21 23 
 
 Anglican Church ... 373 
 
 Anxious Bay ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 6 
 
 Appointment of Select Committee ... ... ... ... 19U 
 
 Arrival of First Steamer 155 156 
 
 Arrival of Governor Gawler ... ... ... ... ... 145 
 
 Arrival of Governor Grey ... ... ... ... ... ... 181 
 
 Arrival of Governor Hindmarsh ... ... ... ... ... 60 
 
 Arrival of Governor MacDonnell ... ... ... 269 
 
 Arrival of Governor Robe ... ... ... ... ... ... 209 
 
 Arrival of Governor Young ... ... ... ... ... 236 
 
 Auld, W. P 333366 
 
 Ayers, Sir Henry ... ... 153 177 198 275 407 437 463 
 
 Babbage, Benjamin ... 275 324 325 391 437 
 
 Babbage Exploring Expedition ... ... ... 289 
 
 Backstairs Passage ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 12 
 
 Bagot, Captain .... 194 210 216 224 228 242 244 275 419 
 
 Bagot, John T 260 275 289 290 335 392 433 
 
 Bailey, John 131 
 
 Baker, Hon. John 126 186 242 245 259 275 287 391 410 433 
 
 Bakewell, Samuel 289 396 
 
 Ballot, The 239 274 290 
 
 Banks Financial ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 125 
 
 Baptist Church ... ... 379 
 
 Baring, Mr. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 32 
 
 Barker, Captain ... ... ... ... 14 
 
 Barker, Mount ... ... ... ... ... 18 
 
 Barnard, Edward ... ... 37 
 
 Bass, George 348 349 
 
 Baudin, Captain Nicholas ... ... ... 12 
 
 Bears, Baby ... ... 53 
 
 ( 471 )
 
 472 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Pagf. 
 
 Beare, William L 47 
 
 Benevolent Society ... 126 
 
 Benson, Rev. J 380 
 
 Bill for Water Supply and Drainage of Adelaide ... ... 274 
 
 Bills Dishonoured ... 152 
 
 Bishop Short 373 
 
 Black Forest 64 168 
 
 "Black Thursday" 247 
 
 Blanchewater ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 325 
 
 Blenkinsopp, Captain ... 94 385 
 
 Blyth, Neville ... 289 
 
 Blyth, Sir Arthur 272 275 287 289 291 292 435 
 
 Bonney, Hon. Charles 106 111 275 287 441 
 
 Bonney, Lake ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 112 
 
 Boothby Case ... 291 292 
 
 Botanic Gardens ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 131 
 
 Boucaut, Sir James Penn ... ... ... ... ... ... 289 
 
 Bromley, Captain ... 251 465 
 
 Brown, John 38 40 62 74 82 91 138 139 186 411 412 
 
 Brown Street 82 
 
 Browne, Dr 322 
 
 Browne, William J. ... 289 
 
 Broughton River ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 96 
 
 Bryan, Henry ... 99 
 
 Bryan, Mount ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 100 
 
 Buffalo, H.M.S ... 60 
 
 Buffalo Row 78 
 
 Bull, J. W ... 194 
 
 Bullion Act 254 
 
 Burford, William H. 275 
 
 Burra Mine ... 194 
 
 Bush Fires ... 399 
 
 Bushrangers ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 167 
 
 Cadell, Captain 263-265 
 
 Campbell, Major 242 244 
 
 Cape Catastrophe ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 8 
 
 Cape Jervis ... 12 
 
 Cathedral Acre Case 389 
 
 Cattle Raiders 168 
 
 Central Mount Stuart 
 
 Centre of Continent Reached ... ... ... ... ... 332 
 
 Chamber of Commerce ... ... ... ... ... ... 125 
 
 Chambers, John and James 329 332 334 343 365 
 
 City Roads and Paths in Primitive Times ... ... ... 160 
 
 City Site ... ... 60 63 65 
 
 Clark, John ... ... 398 
 
 Cock, Robert ... 94 128 
 
 Coffin's Bay 7 24 
 
 Coglin, Patrick B 289 
 
 Childers, J. W. ... 36 
 
 Cole, George W. 289 
 
 Cole, James W. ... 275 
 
 Colonization Bill 26 34 
 
 Colonization Plan ... 24 27 
 
 Colony's Majority 
 
 Coming of the Germans 
 
 Commissioners 36 37 151
 
 INDEX. 473 
 
 Page. 
 Committee who Named Streets ... ... ... ... ... 137 
 
 Competitive Examinations ... 396 
 
 Conflicts with Blacks ... ... ... ... ... ... 165 
 
 Congregational Church ... ... ... ... ... ... 374 
 
 Constitutional Changes 193 239 255-262 270-274 
 
 Continent Crossed ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 337 
 
 Cook, Captain 4 105 
 
 Cooper, Sir Charles 124 156 169 174 322 389 397 
 
 Cooper's Creek 156 321 
 
 Carney Point ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 11 
 
 Coromamlel ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 73 
 
 Coromandel Row ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 78 
 
 Credit of Colony Gone ... 152 
 
 Crystal Brook ... 298 
 
 Dale, William .. ... 289 
 
 Daly. Sir Dominick 339 343 
 
 Daly Waters 339 
 
 Darke, Mr 323 
 
 Davenport Creek and Davenport Range ... ... 331 420 
 
 Davenport. Robert 242 244 260 424 
 
 Davenport, Sir Samuel 210 216 218 224 228 272 275 287 288 290 
 
 391 419 
 
 Dashwood, G. F. ' 193 260 416 
 
 Dashwood's Gully 417 
 
 Da vies, Charles ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 275 
 
 Davies, William B 275 
 
 Dean, Horace ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 275 
 
 Dear Water 172 
 
 Death of King William IV. 82 
 
 Defeated Candidates 272 
 
 Delays and Difficulties ... ... ... ... ... ... 36 
 
 Departure of David McLaren ... ... ... ... ... 174 
 
 Departure of Governor Grey ... ... ... ... ... 198 
 
 Departure of Governor Hindmarsh ... ... ... ... 143 
 
 Departure of Governor Robe ... ... ... ... ... 230 
 
 Departure of Governor Young ... ... ... ... ... 265 
 
 Description of Old Port ... ... ... ... 171 
 
 Difficulties Overcome ... ... ... ... ... ... 39 
 
 Difficulties Pioneers had to Face ... ... ... ... 160 
 
 Discussions in House of Commons ... ... ... ... 31 
 
 Disputes re City Site ... ... 63 
 
 Dissensions among Officials ... ... ... ... ... 137 
 
 District Councils Act ... ... ... ... ... ... 254 
 
 Drawing the Plans ... ... ... ... ... 21 
 
 Drummond, Rev. Ralph ... ... ... ... ... 253 379 
 
 Duff, Captain ... 91 
 
 Duffiekl. Walter 241 275 289 435 
 
 Dunn, Hon. John 275 289 442 
 
 Dutton, C. C ... 95 
 
 Dutton, Francis S. 194 241 242 245 256 272 275 288 289 397 423 
 
 Dutton, Mount ... ... ... ... ... 424 
 
 Duke of Wellington ... ... ... ... ... 34 
 
 l)\ikc of York 47 48 
 
 Earthquake ... ... ... ... 87 
 
 East, Samuel ... ... ... ... 372 
 
 Education 251-254 394-396
 
 474 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Elder, Alexander L ... 126 242 245 425 
 
 Elections 242 270-272 275 
 
 Electric Telegraphy ... ... 397 
 
 Emigration Square 
 
 Encounter Bay ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 12 
 
 English. Thomas 343 
 
 Everard, Dr 82 91 127 161 275 412 435 
 
 Examiner, The ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 451 
 
 Examining the Country ... ... ... ... ... ... 91 
 
 Exhibition Building ... 393 
 
 Explorations ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 295-344 
 
 Extension of Settlement 101 
 
 Eyre, Edward John 96 295-307 313 353-361 
 
 Farr, Archdeacon ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 374 
 
 Farrell, Rev. James 196 373 391 
 
 Feast to Blacks 145 
 
 Field, Lieutenant ... ... ... ... ... ... 67 164 
 
 Finke, William, and Finke River 329 332 343 365 
 
 Finlayson, Pastor 74 75 86 
 
 Finniss, Hon. Boyle Travers 40 209 242 244 257 259 272 275 285 
 
 286 289 397 420 430 434 
 
 Finniss River and Finniss Street ... ... 423 
 
 First Act of Settlers 
 
 First Anniversary of Colony ... ... ... ... 87 
 
 First Execution of Natives ... ... 163 
 
 First Execution of Whites ... 169 
 
 First Ministry 286 
 
 First Municipal Elections 175 
 
 First Overland Trip -.. ... 105 
 
 First Parliament 274 435 
 
 First Professional Concert ... ... ... ... ... ... 176 
 
 First School 251 
 
 First Settlement 53 71 
 
 First Settlers (names) ... ... 52 
 
 First Steamer to Arrive ... 156 
 
 First Stone Church Erected 381 
 
 Fisher, Sir James Hurtle 39 60 137 139 175 186 212 238 258 271 
 
 272 275 282 284 322 391 392 402 410 
 
 Flinders. Captain ... ... ... ... 4 347-351 
 
 Flinders Centenary ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 12 
 
 Flinders Island ... 6 
 
 Flinders Range ... ... ... ... ... 11 
 
 Flood's Creek 313 
 
 Foolish and Fatal Experiment ... 91 
 
 Forrest, Sir John 307 
 
 Forster, Anthony 271 272 275 424 
 
 Forster Range ... 424 
 
 Fowler's Bay ... 5 
 
 Francis, Mr. ... ... 132 
 
 Franklin, Sir John 8 
 
 Freeling, Captain ... 272 275 325 425 
 
 Frome, Captain 307 
 
 Frome Road and Lake Frome ... 307 
 
 Gawler, Governor ... 95 99 145-166 173 174 181 221 296 361 
 
 Gawler, Henry ... 291 
 
 Gawler River ... 95
 
 INDEX. 475 
 
 Page. 
 
 Germans 114-117438 
 
 Gilbert, Thomas 137 412 
 
 Gilbert Street 412 
 
 Giles, William ... 130 242 261 372 391 426 
 
 Gilles, Osmond 40 61 125 141 186 373 412 
 
 Gilles Street and Gilles Plains 412 
 
 Glenelg, Lord ... 37 
 
 Glyde, Lavington 289 441 
 
 Gold Escort 255 
 
 Gouger, Robert 21 22 26 37 38 44 60 65 71 91 141 385 412 
 
 Government Farm ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 182 
 
 "Government Hut" ... 82 120 
 
 Goyder, Mr 325 
 
 Grant, Lieutenant ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 34 
 
 Grey, Earl ... ... 217 222 
 
 Grey, Governor 81 129 181-200 295 408 
 
 Grote, George 21 36 
 
 Grundy, Edward 289 
 
 Gwynne, Edward Castres 186 242 243 256 275 287 430 
 
 Gwynne, Mount ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 431 
 
 Hack, John Barton 122 126 385 
 
 Hack, Stephen 325 
 
 Hagen, Jacob 186 187 193 229 416 
 
 Halm, Captain, and Hahndorf ... ... ... ... ... 116 
 
 Hall, George 125 242 244 275 424 
 
 Hallett, John 275 28!) 
 
 Hanson, Sir Richard 26 43 242 261 272 275 286 288 289 290 
 
 412 429 
 Hanson Street and Hanson Range ... ... ... ... 430 
 
 Hardwicke Bay ... ... ... ... ... 11 
 
 Hare, Charles Simeon 242 245 275 391 42i> 
 
 Hart, Captain John 242 244 275 287 288 431 
 
 Harvey, John ... ... ... ... 275 
 
 Hawdon, Joseph ... ... ... ... ... ... 105 163 
 
 Hawker, Hon. G. C. 289 290 442 
 
 Hawker Springs and Township ... ... ... ... ... 442 
 
 Hay, Alexander ... 275 289 290 436 
 
 Hay, Mount 332 
 
 Hergott Springs 330 
 
 Hindmarsh, Governor 39 44 87 113 137-143 412 467 
 
 Hindmarsh River ... ... ... ... ... ... 94 
 
 Hill, Sir Rowland 37 
 
 Historic Letter 201-205 
 
 Holdfast Bay 59 
 
 Horrocks, John ...'... ...324 361-362 
 
 Hospital ... 127 
 
 Houses of Parliament in Conflict ... ... 285 
 
 Howard, Rov. C. B 60 126 172 174 200 297 373 
 
 Hughes, John B 272 275 288 
 
 Hurtle Square ... ... ... 411 
 
 Hutt River ... ... ... ... ... .. 96 
 
 Hutt, William ... 21 
 
 Imposition of Royalties ... ... ... 211 
 
 Improved Position of Province 196-198 
 
 Indignation Meeting ... .. .. ... . 212 
 
 Inman, Henry 99 156 163 164 168
 
 476 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Inman River and Valley ... ... ... 168 
 
 Institute ... ... ... ...123 
 
 Instructions to Colonel Light ... ... ... ... ... 56 
 
 Investigator's Group ... ... ... ... ... ... 6 
 
 Investigator Strait ... ... 12 
 
 Jacob, William 40 66 
 
 Jeffcott, Sir John 40 94 138 385 
 
 Jickling, Henry 87 
 
 John 1'irie ... ... ... 47 55 
 
 Kangaroo Island ... ... ... ... ... 11 17 53 59 
 
 Kapuntla Mine ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 194 
 
 Kavel, Pastor ... 114-117 
 
 Kekwick, W. D. ... 333 368 
 
 ''King John" ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 167 
 
 Kingscote ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 39 56 
 
 Kingston, Sir George 40 138 140 186 242 244 259 275 289 412 418 
 
 Kingston, Town of ... 415 
 
 Klemzig ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 114 
 
 Krichauff, F. E. H. ... 275 438 
 
 Lady Mary Felham ... ... 55 
 
 Lake Alexandrina ... ... ... ... ... ... 14 94 
 
 Lake Bonney ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 112 
 
 Lake Hawdon ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 441 
 
 Lake Victoria 109 
 
 laying the Foundations ... ... ... ... ... ... 51 
 
 League for Maintenance of Religious Freedom ... ... 225 
 
 Leake, Robert B 275 
 
 Legislative Difficulties ... ... ... ... ... ... 285 
 
 Lennon, William 289 
 
 Letters 62 72 80 82-86 360 
 
 Light, Colonel 40 56 64 65-67 176-177 361 
 
 Lindsay, Arthur F. ... ... ... ... 275 
 
 Lindsay. John 289 292 
 
 Lipson, Captain 40138297411 
 
 Lipson Street ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 411 
 
 Literary and Scientific Association ... ... ... ... 122 
 
 Locust Plague ... 200 
 
 1/ondon Times 35 85 86 191 197 235 276 
 
 Longbottom, Rev. W. 381 
 
 MacDonnell Creek ... ... 324 
 
 MacDonnoll, Governor 269-277 283 335 389-404 
 
 MacDonnell Range ... ... 332 
 
 MacGovvan, Mr. ... ... ..: ... ... ... ... 253 
 
 Mackinnon, William A 21 192 
 
 Magarey, Thomas 289 
 
 Mann, Charles 40 138 186 187 412 450 
 
 Marks, Morris ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 275 
 
 Marrvatt, Dean ... ... ... 374 
 
 McDermott, Marshall 272 275 288 
 
 McEllister, Edward 289 
 
 McKinlay, John 326 363 
 
 McLaren, David 154171-175221372379 
 
 McLaren Wharf ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 174 
 
 Means of Transit ... ... ... ... ... ... 390 
 
 Mechanics' Institute .. 122
 
 INDEX. 477 
 
 Page. 
 
 Members of Nominee and Elective Council ... ... ... 420 
 
 Members of the Nominee Council 415 
 
 Memory Cove ... ... 7 
 
 Menge, "Professor'' ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 97 
 
 Methodist Church 381 
 
 Mildred, Henry 186 189 275 289 436 
 
 Milne, Sir William 275 287 289 292 436 
 
 Mines 194 393 
 
 Ministries Baker ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 287 
 
 Finniss ... 
 
 Hanson ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 288 
 
 Reynolds 290 
 
 Torrens 288 
 
 Waterhouse 291 292 
 
 Mitchell, Major ... 108 
 
 Montefiore, Jacob ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 21 
 
 Moorhouse, Dr ' 167 289 291 
 
 Morgan, Captain 47 48 53 
 
 Morphett, George 289 291 
 
 Morphett, Sir John 44 122 186 195 216 223 242 275 322 335 391 
 
 412 417 
 
 Morphett Vale and Morphett Street ... ... 419 
 
 Mount Brown ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 11 
 
 Mount Gambler ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 
 
 Mount Hopeless ... 300 
 
 Mount Lofty 12 
 
 Mount Mann 412 
 
 Mount Muirhead and Mount Benson ... ... ... ... 441 
 
 Mount Remarkable ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 298 
 
 Mount Schank ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 
 
 Mounted Police Force ... ... ... ... 156 
 
 Mundy, Alfred M 193 215 224 415 
 
 Mundy Street and Mundy Creek ... ... ... ... ... 416 
 
 Murphy, Bishop 380 
 
 Murray River ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 13 
 
 Murray, Sir George ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 13 
 
 Murray Trade 262-261 
 
 Murrumbidgee ... ... 13 
 
 National Distress ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 181 
 
 Natural History Society ... ... 125 
 
 Neales, John Bentham 242 272 275 289 323 432 
 
 Neales' River ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 433 
 
 Nepean Bay ... 11 52 91 
 
 New Commissioners ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 151 
 
 Newland, Rev. R, W 378 
 
 Northern Territory ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 368 
 
 Officers of the Province ... ... ... 39 
 
 O'Halloran Hill ... 271 417 
 
 O'Halloran, Major 125 193 210 213 216 224 228 271 275 311 322 417 
 
 Onkaparinga ... ... ... ... 11JJ 
 
 "Old Cremorne" ... 132 
 
 Opening of Port Road ... 173 
 
 Opening of Roman Catholic Cathedral ... 380 
 
 Opening of Synagogue ... ... 386 
 
 Opening of the Institute ... ... 123
 
 478 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Ottaway, John 77 
 
 Owen, William ... 289 
 
 Palmer, George 
 
 Parkhurst Prison Boys ... ... ... ... ... ... 19-5 
 
 Parkin, William 289 
 
 Parliament Bill 255 270 274 
 
 Parliament Opening of First ... ... ... ... ... 274 
 
 Close of First 289 
 
 Opening of Second ... ... 290 
 
 Peacock, Joseph 289 
 
 Peacock, William ... ... 186 189 242 244 261 
 
 Peake, Edward J ... 275 
 
 Petition for Governor Grey's Recall ... ... ... ... 189 
 
 Petitions to the Crown 189 213 227 
 
 Philosophical Society ... ... ... 123 
 
 Pioneer Crown Officials ... ... ... ... ... ... 410 
 
 Points Riley and Pierce ... ... ... 11 
 
 Police Force 156 
 
 Political Association ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 398 
 
 Politics and Working Classes ... 289 
 
 Port Lincoln 8 24 
 
 Port Lincoln Herald 450 
 
 Port Road and Wharves 173 
 
 Preparing to Build ... ... ... ... ... 43 
 
 Presbyterian Church ... ... ... ... ... ... 379 
 
 Primitive Port Adelaide ... ... ... ... 171 
 
 Proclamation ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 60 6& 
 
 Proprietary College ... ... ... 124 
 
 Prosperity and Progress ... ... ... 403 404 
 
 Public Works Governor Gawler ... ... ... 147 
 
 Puddy, Isaac 390 
 
 Pullen, Admiral ... ... 67 
 
 Railways 265 
 
 Railways Gawler ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 391 
 
 Port Adelaide 390 
 
 Kadina ... 392 
 
 Kapunda ... ... ... ... ... ... 392 
 
 Randall, Captain 263 
 
 Rankine. John 272 
 
 llapid ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 59 
 
 Real Property Act 394 399 426 
 
 Recall of Governor Gawler ... ... ... ... ... ... 153 
 
 Recall of Governor Hindmarsh ... ... 142 
 
 Beoister 81 85 128 263 275 282 450 
 
 Religious Organizations ... ... ... ... ... ... 371 
 
 Reynolds' Range ... ... ... ... ... 435 
 
 Reynolds, Thomas ... 241 271 272 275 288 289 290 291 292 434 
 
 R,hine River 98 
 
 Ridley, John 126 130 194 408 456 457 
 
 Rise and Fall of Ministries 287-289 
 
 Rise of Social Institutions ... ... ... ... ... 121 
 
 Road to Port and Wharves 171-173 
 
 Robe, Governor 209-231 389 
 
 Rcbe, Seaport Town ... ... 231 
 
 Rocky River ... 298
 
 INDEX. 479 
 
 Page. 
 Roman Catholic Church ... ... ... ... ... ... 379 
 
 Rowe, Rev. James ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 385 
 
 Royal Society of South Australia ... ... ... ... ... 123 
 
 Royalty Bill ... ... 211 215-218 238 
 
 Russell, Lord John ... ... 150 151 181 191 270 
 
 Santo, Philip ... 289 291 
 
 Savings Bank 40 125 
 
 Scammell, Luther ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 275 
 
 Scott, Abraham ... ... ... ... ... ... . . . 275 
 
 Scott, Edward Bate 99 307 329 362 
 
 Scott, William 272 275 
 
 Sealers on Kangaroo Island ... ... ... ... 17 51 93 
 
 Second House of Assembly ... ... ... ... 289 290 
 
 Select Committee 190 
 
 Shaw-Lef'evre, Mr. ... .. ... ... ... ... ... 37 
 
 Shepherdson, John B. ... 142 252 
 
 Short, Bishop ... 373 
 
 Sir Joseph Banks Group ... ... ... ... ... 8 
 
 Smedley, Carrington ... ... ... 275 
 
 .Smillie', William 193 216 224 416 
 
 Smoky Bay ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 6 
 
 Society of Arts 123 
 
 Song of Australia ... ... ... 398 
 
 South Australia a Crown Colony ... ... ... ... ... 193 
 
 South Australian Agricultural Society ... ... ... ... 128 
 
 South Australian Association ... ... ... ... ... 24 
 
 South Australian Company 39 53 55 238 372 448 
 
 South Australian Gazette and Mininy Journal ... ... 128 
 
 South Australian Literary Association ... ... ... ... 43 
 
 South Autsralian School Society ... ... ... ... 124 252 
 
 South Australian Subscription Library ... ... ... 122 
 
 South Australian, The * 450 
 
 South Australian Vine Association ... ... ... ... 130 
 
 Spencer's Gulf ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 11 
 
 Spring-Rice, Mr 31 34 
 
 Stanley, Lord 183 184 185 190 192 213 
 
 State-aid to Religion 221-230 240 241 243-246 270 
 
 Statistical Society ... ... ... ... ... 126 
 
 Statistics ..." 144 177 197 276 464 
 
 Stephen, George Milner ... ... ... ... ... ... 144 
 
 Stephens. Edward 122 125 173 186 212 241 258 322 372 381 385 
 
 452 
 
 Stephens, John ... 130 198 209 214 237 449 464 
 
 Stephens, Joseph Raynor ... ... ... ... ... ... 447 
 
 Stephens, Samuel ' 51 55 56 93 372 418 448 
 
 Stevenson, George 40 62 63 122 127 138 
 
 Stirling Creek 432 
 
 Stirling, Edward ... ... ... 272 275 432 
 
 Stow, Randolph ... 291 292 
 
 Stow, Rev. T. Q. ... ... 122 253 374-378 
 
 St. Peter's College 374 
 
 Strangways, H. B. T 289 290 292 339 
 
 Strangways, T. Bows ... ... ... ... ... 95 
 
 Streaky Bay ... 6 
 
 Stuart, John McDouall ... ... 329-344 365-368 
 
 Sturt, Captain 13 14 18 172 193 224 242 243 297 306 308-322 
 
 351-353
 
 480 HISTORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Sturt Street and River ... 363 
 
 St. Vincent's Gulf 12 
 
 Sutherland, David ... 289 
 
 Taplin, Rev. George 14 161 162 461 
 
 Taxation without Representation ... ... 186 
 
 Thistle Island -7 
 
 Thomas, Mr. Robert 81 91 
 
 Thomas, Mrs. Robert 51 72 373 
 
 Tinline, George 255 
 
 Todd, Sir Charles 124 
 
 Tolmer, Alexander 156 168 255 332 
 
 Torrens, Colonel ... ... 21 22 36 37 38 44 46 
 
 Torrens River 21 76 93 
 
 Torrens, Sir R. R. 200 242 246 257 272 275 287 288 394 425 
 
 Total Abstinence Society 126 
 
 Townsend, William' ... 289 
 
 Ullathorne, Dr. ... 379 
 
 Unley Park 64 
 
 Ville de. Bordeaux 200 
 
 Vote of British Parliament 191 192 
 
 Wakefield, Edward 21 23 
 
 Wakefield River 96 
 
 Walker, "Governor" ... ... 52 
 
 Want among Working Classes ... 398 
 
 Warburton, Major 325 
 
 Wark, David 275 289 
 
 Water Supply 397 
 
 Waterhouse, George M 242 257 275 290 291 292 425 
 
 Watts, Alfred 391 
 
 Way, Rev. James 385 
 
 Way, Right Hon. Sir Samuel, Bart 4 87 385 
 
 Welcome to Stuart ... ... ... 342 
 
 Wellington, Duke of 34 
 
 West Coast 95 
 
 White, John C. ... 372 
 
 Whitmore, Wolryche 21 25 31 34 36 235 
 
 Wilson, C. A. Pioneer Entomologist 125 
 
 Wilson, Thomas 186 
 
 Wreck of the Admella 399-402 
 
 Wreck of the Gothenburg ... ... ... 434 
 
 Wreck of the Maria 166 167 
 
 Wrecks of the Fanny and the Elizabeth ... 382 384 385 
 
 Working Classes Interest in Politics 289 
 
 Working Men's Association ... 398 
 
 Wright, John 37 38 
 
 Wyatt, Dr. ... 125 253 397 
 
 Yorke's Peninsula 12 
 
 Young, Governor , ... 235-265 
 
 Young, Thomas , 275 
 
 Yotinghusband, Mount and Lake ... ... ... 432 
 
 Younghusband, William ... 242 261 263 275 285 288 391 432 
 
 Zoo in Primitive Times 132 
 
 A21810 H uss,. s & OillinKhaui Limited, Printers, Adelaide.
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 >7 
 
 FEB 119*7 
 
 iC'D LD-U 
 7 J9 
 
 Form L9-42m-8,'49(B5573)444 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 TTNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 A 001 032 469 7 
 
 s: 
 
 I 
 
 PLEA C E DO NOT REMOVE 
 THIS BOOK CARD 
 
 University Research Library 
 
 >. 
 _ 
 
 v/l