ORGAN! XAT^FDF THE 
 i^JlSjSS SOCIETY & 
 JOIWO; JERUSALEM

 
 THE EARLY HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 
 
 A Romantic Experiment in Colonization. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. JOHN BLACKET. 
 
 All Rights Reserved. 
 
 ADELAIDE : 
 
 PRINTED BY VARDON & SONS LTD., GRRSHAM STREET. 
 1907.
 
 DEDICATED to the MEMORY 
 
 Of the SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SOLDIERS who Died 
 in connection with the TRANSVAAL WAR. 
 
 LIEUTENANT POWELL, of Mount Gair.bier, 
 THE FIRST TO FALL. 
 
 They left their land, and gave their lives 
 
 For Empire and for Queen, 
 And kindred, 'neath the Southern skies, 
 
 Will keep their memories green.
 
 "THE PIONEERS." 
 
 Composed by H. S. Scarfe, and sung by the colonists in 
 1857, when South Australia reached her 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 labor'd side by side. 
 For us they cleared, they ploughed, they soAved : 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 parilion 
 
 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.
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introduction ... ... ... ... ... 9 
 
 Chapter 
 
 I. Firgt Glimpses of the Great Lone Land 13 
 
 II. Drawing the Plans 28 
 
 III. Discussions in Parliament and Press... 37 
 
 IV. Preparing to Build 50 
 
 V. Laying the Foundations ... ... 57 
 
 VI. The Builders' Social Life and Material 
 
 Surroundings ... ... ... 72 
 
 VII. Tho First Overland Trip ... 93 
 
 VIII. Political and Financial Reverses ... 10G 
 
 IX. Social Reverses a.nd Successes ... 126 
 
 X. Consolidation and Extension ... ... 147 
 
 XI. -Struggles for Political Freedom ... 169 
 
 XII. Struggles for Religious Freedom ... 181 
 
 XIII. Political and Religious Emancipation... 194 
 
 XIV. Some Useful Legislation 213 
 
 XV.- -Responsible Government ... ... 230 
 
 XVI.- Exploration 240 
 
 XVII. Sketches of the Pioneer Explorers ... 276 
 
 XVIII. The Rise of Religious Organisations... 297 
 
 XIX. Some Pioneer Builders 313 
 
 XX. Other Pioneer Builders ... 355 
 
 XXI. Past and Present 374 
 
 Index 389

 
 S.A.. NATIVE WITH SHIELD AND SPEAR.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Some time ago the writer published a book entitled 
 "A South Australian Romance." It was well received 
 by the English and Colonial press. A few chapters in 
 that book were devoted to the founding of South Aus- 
 tralia, but the greater part dealt with matters of an 
 ecclesiastical character. A desire was expressed, by 
 a leading Colonial paper, that a second book should be 
 written dealing with the history of South Australia on 
 general lines. Anxious to be of some service to his 
 native land, and to develop in young Australians a 
 spirit of patriotism, that desire the author has tried 
 to fulfil. 
 
 To the men who founded the Public Library in 
 South Australia, to early colonists who preserved public 
 records, as well as to the London " Times," and to 
 British Parliamentary papers he is specially indebted. 
 
 Had it not been for the preservation of the South 
 Australian ' ' Register, ' ' the London ' ' Times, ' ' and 
 other papers treasured up in our national archives, 
 the following pages could not have been written. In 
 small and in large tomes (both in this and in the Old 
 Country) were the buried letters, diaries, and speeches 
 written and spoken by some of our pioneer nation- 
 builders. Bringing these to the surface, and adding 
 bone to bone, and limb to limb, was indeed a labour
 
 10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 but in no sense of the word was it irksome, inasmuch 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, saying, 
 and doing long before the author appeared upon the 
 scene ; to make them once more live, move, and speak, 
 was felt to be not only a duty, but a joy. The writer's 
 earnest desire is that all who read these pages (especially 
 the descendants of the pioneers) may share in that joy. 
 This is the reason why he has tried to picture their 
 surroundings ; to sit down at their banquets ; to listen 
 to their 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. He believes that this is the first attempt to give 
 the early history of our province on popular lines. 
 Whilst written in a popular way, special care has been 
 taken to make the record correct. 
 
 The opening poem was found among some papers 
 in the Public Library. It was written by one of the 
 early colonists, and was sung on the shores of Holdfast 
 Bay in 1857 to commemorate the landing of the pilgrim 
 fathers in 1836. 
 
 The early history of our States is a most romantic 
 one a history of which we may well be proud. It 
 reveals the grit, the energy, the perseverance, and deter- 
 mination which are such potent factors in the mental 
 and moral make-up of the British race. In the course 
 of this book we shall see 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 
 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 we shall see in 
 the course of our history, they made " the wilderness
 
 INTRODUCTION. 1 1 
 
 and solitary place glad," and " the desert blossom as 
 the rose." 
 
 Our fathers labored, and we have entered into their 
 labors. It is because they laid broad, deep, and well 
 the foundation of our State that we enjoy so many 
 national advantages 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. As a community we have 
 only just attained our three-score j^cars and ten ; yet 
 all the material and spiritual advantages of civilization 
 are ours. We are a happy, contented, and prosperous 
 people. Providence has given to us a " goodly 
 heritage." Our fathers recognised the fact. They 
 had faith in God, faith in themselves, and in the material 
 resources placed at their disposal, and we to-day reap 
 the benefit of their faith and labors. 
 
 A popular review of their experiences from the 
 inception of the colonization movement till South Aus- 
 tralia reached her majority may act as an inspiration to 
 coming generations. 
 
 Much that this book contains has never been given 
 to the public in popular and permanent form. Both in 
 London as well as in the land of his birth the writer has 
 collected a mass of material, some of which he feels 
 ought to be handed down to posterity. As time goes 
 on the sketches of the pioneer builders, to which some 
 chapters will be specially devoted, ought to become 
 increasingly valuable. 
 
 There is one respect in which we as a community 
 have failed to do our duty : we have taught our children 
 the history of the Old Land, from which our fathers 
 came, but have strangely passed by our own. Perhaps 
 the Education Department may find this book to be of 
 service.
 
 12 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The author desires to thank Thomas Gill, Esq., 
 the Under-Treasurer of the State, for service rendered 
 in reading the following pages. 
 
 JOHN BLAOKET. 
 Adelaide, 1907.
 
 CHAPTER 1 
 
 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE 
 LAND. 
 
 We mean first glimpses of that part of the Aus- 
 tralian Continent 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. 
 
 LIEUT. JAMES GRANT. 
 
 Of Lieut. Grant's association with our Province 
 we can speak with greater confidence. On March 17th, 
 1800, the Lady Nelson, a vessel of sixty tons burden, 
 left Old England for New Holland. She was to proceed 
 on a voyage of discovery as far as the infant settlement 
 of New South Wales, so named by Captain Cook in 1770. 
 Amongst other things that Lieut. Grant had to do was 
 to search for the strait that separated Van Dieman'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 
 most 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 voyage. The vessel 
 was sarcastically named by the sailors " His Majesty's 
 Tinder Box." 
 
 After being ninety-nine days at sea the Lady 
 Nelson dropped anchor in Table Bay, Cape of Good 
 Hope. Here Lieut. Grant waited for a long time for a
 
 14 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 
 
 convenient season in which to set out for Terra Aus- 
 tralis. 
 
 On October the 7th, in the presence of several 
 spectators, who scarcely thought that the little vessel 
 would reach her destination, Lieut. Grant weighed 
 anchor, and proceeded on his voyage. 
 
 On December the 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) horse stingers. At eight o'clock on 
 the next morning land was sighted, and to Lieut. Grant 
 belongs the distinguished honor of being the first white 
 man to obtain a glimpse of the south-eastern coast of 
 Terra Australis. 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 Captain John 
 Schank, of the Royal Navy ; the other mountain he 
 called Gambier's Mountain, after Admiral Lord Gam- 
 bier. One cape he called Northumberland, after the 
 Duke of Northumberland, and the other Cape Banks, 
 we believe in honor 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 settle- 
 ment. Here, in course of time, one of the finest towns 
 in a new community would be built, and a wilderness 
 over which kangaroo and blackfellow roamed would be 
 converted into a Garden of Eden. 
 
 After making several discoveries further round the 
 coast the Lady Nelson, on December 16th, 1800, reached 
 her destination, Port Jackson, New South Wales. In 
 his journal of the voyage, Lieut. Grant says : " At half- 
 past seven in the evening we let go our anchors in eight 
 fathoms of water, after a voyage of seventy-one days 
 from the Cape of Good Hope, and with the satisfaction
 
 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 15 
 
 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 pro- 
 tection He had shown to us throughout the whole 
 voyage." 
 
 It may be interesting to the reader to know that 
 on December the 3rd, 1900 (a century after Grant first 
 sighted the land) the foundation stone of a commemo- 
 rative 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 25, 1801. It marks a day 
 in which all English people should be interested. On 
 that day the young seaman, Matthew Flinders, a born 
 adventurer, took command of H.M.S. Investigator. 
 The vessel was rightly named. She was about to pro- 
 ceed on a voyage the record of which would affect 
 the world for all time. The instructions which the 
 captain received from the Admiralty were : ' ' To pro- 
 ceed to the coast of New Holland (Terra Australis) 
 for the purpose of making a complete examination and 
 survey of the said coast." 
 
 With about eighty-eight picked men on board the 
 vessel set sail from Spit head on July 18, 1801. 
 
 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 
 eastward toward what was termed the ' ' South Coast 
 of Australia," a region of which the world knew nothing.
 
 16 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 
 
 Passing by what is known as the " Great Australian 
 Bight," Flinders anchored in a bay now well-known 
 to South Australians. This he named Fowler's Bay, 
 after his first lieutenant. Here they discovered traces 
 of the natives, but did not come into contact with them. 
 The Investigator was the first vessel to reach these 
 shores. How long the blacks had lived upon them, or 
 where they came from, 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 cal- 
 amity 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 saw 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 
 that they were devils. 
 
 We do not think that the gallant captain was 
 enamored of Fowler's Bay. What the British sailor- 
 needed, specially one hundred years ago, was fresh 
 food at the ports at which he called. For long periods 
 he had to live on salt beef, and was without 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 replenish 
 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. They put out their lines, but found 
 that the finny tribe was as shy or as scarce as the fea- 
 thered one. In his journal Flinders wrote " that a 
 few birds and fish constituted everything like refresh- 
 ment obtained here, and the botanists found the scan-
 
 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 17 
 
 tiness of plants equal to that of the other productions, 
 so that there was no inducement to remain longer." 
 What were half a dozen birds and a few small fish 
 among nearly one hundred hearty British sailors ? 
 
 A little further on they fared better. This was 
 &t an island called by Xuyts St. Francis. Here they 
 obtained sufficient birds to give each man in the ship 
 four ; a small kangaroo was also secured. But no 
 fresh water could be found, not sufficient, as Flin- 
 ders put 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 Aus- 
 tralia is water. As he groped his way along the un- 
 known coast, mile after mile, and day after day, he 
 was hoping to find some great river pouring its con- 
 tents into the ocean. In this respect he was disappointed. 
 
 On February 5th, 1802, Flinders discovered an- 
 other bay now well known to South Australians 
 Streaky Bay so called by him because the water 
 was discolored 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 a number of smokes rising 
 from the shore, so he gave the bay the peculiar name 
 that we suppose it will bear as long as w r hite men Jive 
 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 named, not after Captain Flinders, but in honor 
 of his brother, the second lieutenant of the Investi- 
 gator. 
 
 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
 
 18 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 
 
 lifted above the ocean. At Flinders Island the cap- 
 tain found families of seals, consisting 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. 
 
 After discovering and naming Investigator's Group, 
 after his ship, Flinders sailed past a large indentation 
 in the coast, to which he gave the gruesome name of 
 Coffins Bay. It was not the dead that suggested to hi a 
 mind such a gloomy title, but the living. It was so 
 named after Sir Isaac Coffin, of the Admiralty, who 
 had taken a special interest in fitting out the 
 Investigator. This, as we shall see in a coming 
 chapter, those who drew the plans for the settlement 
 of South Australia thought 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 twelve miles long, and 
 from one to two or three 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 sea- 
 men, 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 Inves- 
 tigator they could see the cutter in the distance return- 
 ing. Darkness set in. but the cutter and its living 
 freight came not. What could have happened ? Flin- 
 ders 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 muskets fired, but there was
 
 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 19 
 
 no response. At daybreak an examination 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 the 
 Investigator, the commander, or native land again. 
 Xo 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 Thistle 
 Island, to which John Thistle's name had just been 
 attached, he should meet with death. The monument 
 to his memory will endure when mausoleums 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 stout 
 post at the head of the cove, which I named Memory 
 Cove." 
 
 Here we must pause for a moment. Flinders 
 does not say how the inscription read. The destruc- 
 tive 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 Australia, 
 and the writer would advise visitors to Adelaide to 
 call and see them. Only a few of the words that Flin- 
 ders 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 un- 
 " fortunately lost near this place from
 
 20 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 
 
 ' ' being upset in a sudden squall. The boat 
 ' ' was found, but the bodies were not dis- 
 " covered." 
 
 This tragic circumstance threw a gloom over the 
 Investigator ; Flinders, who seems to have been much 
 attached to his men, felt it keenly. To further com- 
 memorate the sad event he named a cape in the vici- 
 nity Cape Catastrophe. Both master and midshipman 
 already had each an island named after them, so Flinders 
 called the six islands nearest the cape by the 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 sheltering 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 Dieman's 
 Land (Tasmania), and is known to posterity as Sir 
 John Franklin, the great Arctic explorer. When 
 Governor of Van Dieman'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 
 commander, " 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 Aus- 
 tralian Government having caused another tablet 
 to be erected. 
 
 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
 
 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 21 
 
 the natives, their bark huts, and paths long and deeply 
 trodden, but the natives themselves kept in the dis- 
 tance. 
 
 Flinders found that he was now in a gulf, which 
 he named Spencer's Gulf, as a compliment to the 
 President of the Admiralty Beard. 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 Point 
 Eiley and Point Pearce, each in honor 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 noble- 
 man 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 kangaroos, 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 com- 
 pany was employed this afternoon in skinning and 
 cleaning the kangaroos, and a delightful regale they 
 afforded after four months privation from almost any
 
 22 FIKST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 
 
 fresh provision. Half a hundred weight of heads, fore 
 quarters, and tails were stewed down into soup for 
 dinner on this and succeeding days, and as much steaks 
 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 Flin- 
 ders found a strait to which he gave the name of In-r 
 vestigators Strait, after his vessel. He also found 
 himself in another gulf which lie named St. Vincent's 
 Gulf, after another member of the Admiralty. The 
 peninsula which lay between Spencer's and St. Vin- 
 cent's Gulfs he called Yorke's Peninsula, after the 
 Right Hon. Charles Philip Yorke. He also named 
 Cape Jervis, and 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, mac- 
 adamised roads, railway lines, picturesque villages, 
 and well-built towns. At Port Lincoln, Kangaroo 
 Island, and 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. Flinders had the deck cleared, and 
 prepared for action. Fortunately there was no need
 
 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 23 
 
 for bloodshed. The vessel proved to be the Le Geo- 
 graphe, commanded by Nicholas Baudin. bent upon 
 the same errand as the Investigator. Flinders only 
 had a few days advantage of his French rival. Speak- 
 ing 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 Dieman's Land, you would 
 not have discovered the South Coast before us." 
 
 The meeting of the two vessels and the two com- 
 manders 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. This was on April 
 8th, 1902. A gun metal plate was let into a granite 
 rock bearing the following inscription : 
 
 " .' 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 only seen the southern coast 
 of Terra Australis. No white man had seen its mys-
 
 24 FIRST GLIMPSE3 OF THE GBEAT LONE LAND. 
 
 terious interior. This honor 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 whale boat 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 
 .suddenly 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 honor of Sir George Murray, Secretary of State 
 for the Colonies. This must indeed have been a sur- 
 prise, and the excitement of the 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 specially dangerous circumstances r 
 and thought that some of the natives would have to be 
 shot in self defence ; fortunately they were not com- 
 pelled 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
 
 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 2-5 
 
 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 honor 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 
 Australia. This was the happy hunting-ground of 
 the blackfellow. On the banks of the Murray, 
 and round the shores of the lake, he built 
 his wurlies, held his corrobories. 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. Xo wonder that he was both awed and angiy 
 when he saw his territory invaded by mysterious 
 whites. The Rev. George Taplin. who spent many 
 years among the blacks in the early days, says: "I 
 knew several men who remembered the arrival of Cap- 
 tain 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 ultimately 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 favorable position." 
 
 CAPTAIN BARKER. 
 
 The discoverer of the fertile plains of Adelaide was 
 Captain Barker, of the British Army. After Captain 
 Sturt returned 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 entrusted to Captain Collett Barker. 
 In 1831 he began his survey of the coast from Cape
 
 26 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 
 
 Jervis and sailed up towards 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 honor of the gallant explorer of that name. 
 Captain 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 
 oscur. 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 homesteads. 
 
 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 three 
 hundred yards at low water. In a few minutes 
 he swam the stream, and was about five minutes ascend- 
 ing a hillock, computed to be about sixty feet high. On 
 reaching the top he looked around him 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 some one shouting in pain, 
 coming 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 
 " coo-eeings," and fires, convinced the party that 
 Captain Barker was either slain, or held in detention 
 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 pary re- 
 turned to the vessel for assistance. 
 
 At this time there were some white sealers living
 
 FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT LONE LAND. 27 
 
 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 men. They wished to know the fate 
 of their commander. Two of the white sealers, accom- 
 panied by some natives, went with the party to the 
 mainland. The natives opened up communications 
 with the blacks around 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 then ran into the surf up to his knees, 
 making signs with his hands, and calling them to desist. 
 A second and third spear was thrown, the latter passing 
 through the body. Captain Barker then fell down, 
 and the three natives 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 
 Flinders, and in the interior by Captains Sturt and 
 Barker, that lay at the basis of the schemes for South 
 Australian colonisation. 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 generally prevail along the shores of Aus- 
 tralia."
 
 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 colonization scheme of South Australia we must 
 turn to England. 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 
 Australia was mooted, England was in a very disturbed 
 state. The condition of the working classes was deplor- 
 able. Trade was languishing ; some of the mills and 
 manufactories had to cease work ; the supply of labor 
 was far in excess of the demand. The modern humani- 
 tarian 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 in- 
 crease of crime. Hungry men must have bread. Rio- 
 tous mobs assembled ; machinery and windows were 
 broken ; buildings were fired ; and in 1820 there was 
 a conspiracy for the assassination of the whole Ministiy. 
 
 In this time of national distress some thoughtful, 
 patriotic men turned their attention to emigration. 
 At the antipodes 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,.
 
 ROBERT GOUGER.
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS. 29 
 
 Edward Gibbon Wakefield, Wolryche Whitmore, Wil- 
 liam Hutt, William A. Mackinnon, Jacob Montefiore, 
 and George Grote (the famous historian).* 
 
 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, 
 around 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 
 lie 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 perseverance. It was 
 his radicalism, energy, and love for adventure that led 
 him, in 1830, to connect himself with a revolutionary 
 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 
 w-oes. It was this conviction that led him to form 
 several colonization societies. He met with one dis- 
 appointment after another, but heroically kept at his 
 post. There is no need to further trace his career just 
 now, as we shall frequently 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 poli- 
 tical economy, and is said to have been the first to attri- 
 bute the production of wealth to land, labor, and capital. 
 In 1831 he entered the British House of Commons. It 
 
 *The names of these men are perpetuated in the nomen- 
 clature of our State. We have Gouger-street, the River 
 Torrens, named after Colonel Torrens, not after his famous 
 son. Sir R. R. Torrens, as some suppose; Angus-street, Wake- 
 field-street, Whitmore-square, Hutt-street, Mackinnon Parade, 
 Montefiore Hill, Grote-street.
 
 30 DRAWING THE PLANS. 
 
 was during this year that Edward G. Wakefield called 
 on Colonel Torrens to ask his co-operation in the estab- 
 lishment of a colony in South Australia. After con- 
 sidering 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 Com- 
 mittees on South Australian affairs was sitting in 1841, 
 Colonel Torrens said : "The colony of South Australia, 
 devised by Mr. Wakefield, was planted by me. When 
 all the other commissioners, nominated by Lord Mont- 
 eagle (Mr. Spring Rice) abandoned the task, I continued 
 to persevere, and, with the sanction of Lord Aberdeen, 
 and of Lord Glenelg, organised a new commission for 
 carrying the Act of Parliament into effect. The plant- 
 ing of 15,000 settlers in South Australia was the result 
 of my exertions, and these 15,000, whom I urged from 
 their homes, have been overtaken by a disaster endanger- 
 ing 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 
 over-ruled." Colonel Torrens fought hard in the in- 
 terests of the Reform Bill, and sat in the Reformed 
 Parliament. He died May 27, 1864. 
 
 With George Fife Angas' connection with our 
 State all South Australians are familiar. He was one 
 of the most energetic of its founders. In coming 
 pages we shall again refer to him. 
 
 Edward Gibbon Wakefield was born in London in 
 1796, and, after an eventful life in the Old Country, 
 died in Canterbury, New Zealand, in 1862. Though 
 he did not come very prominently before the public 
 in the founding of South Australia, yet 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. Wakefield had been guilty of a foolish
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS. 31 
 
 escapade that marred his usefulness, and to some extent 
 blighted his life. In 1873 Colonel Palmer (one of the 
 original South Australian Commissioners) took steps 
 to have a monument erected to the memory of Wake- 
 field in South Australia, but the movement collapsed. 
 
 The founding of South Australia was to be an 
 experiment on the basis of the Wakefield principle. 
 Wakefield's contention was that the land should be 
 sold at a certain price per acre and the proceeds should 
 be devoted to the emigration of laborers. In this way 
 it was thought that the balance could be maintained 
 between demand for labor and supply of labor ; that 
 "the capitalist should never suffer from an urgent 
 want of laborers, and that laborers should never want 
 well-paid employment." 
 
 In 1831 Colonel Torrens, with a deputation of 
 intending colonists (Robert Gouger 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 Parliam nt 
 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 ineffectual. 
 
 THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION. 
 
 At the beginning of 1834 the South Australian 
 Association 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, &c." It also 
 gives the prospectus of the South Australian Associa- 
 tion, the object of which was ' 'to found a colony under 
 Royal Charter." The public were informed that "a
 
 32 DRAWING THE PLANS. 
 
 committee sat daily at the office of the Association, 8. 
 Adelphi Chambers, 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 colonised 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 harbor 
 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 proba- 
 bly 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 laboring to give birtli to our State. The 
 * 'magnificent harbor of Port Lincoln," which "was 
 to be the chief emporium of trade for that region," is 
 only just -beginning to realise 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" are parts of the 
 original plan that generations to come must fulfil. 
 
 We leave No. 8, Adelphi Chambers, and go to 
 Exeter Hall. It is June 30, 1834. A great number 
 of people are making their way to the historic building. 
 Carriages are driving up and their occupants are step- 
 ping out. In the manner and address of the people 
 there is great animation. It is a meeting of the pro-
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS. 33 
 
 moters and friends of the proposed colony of South 
 Australia called by the S.A. Association. About 2.5(0 
 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 laborer went out without that capital whicli was 
 necessary to enable him to employ his labor to advan- 
 tage. 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 colonise 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 laborers to cultivate 
 the land sold. He would endeavor to 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 harbors 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 ccme 
 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 success unless the people 
 were a moral and religious people. How to effect this 
 would be an important question for the 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 
 members of Parliament, includinsf Colonel Torrens.
 
 34 DRAWING THE PLANS. 
 
 One of the most important resolutions was moved 
 by our worthy pioneer, Richard Davies Hanson, ia 
 after years the Chief Justice of our Province : The 
 resolution stated "that amongst the unoccupied por- 
 tions of the earth which form part of the British domin- 
 ions, the south-east coast of Australia appears to be a 
 spot peculiarly suitable for founding a colony upon the 
 principles embodied in preceding resolutions." 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 communica- 
 tion 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 Stuit 
 of the Murray, those who had considered the subject 
 had satisfied themselves that there was a sufficiency 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 unani- 
 mously carried. 
 
 The efforts of the South Australian Association 
 were successful, much of the credit being due to Robert- 
 Gouger. Let the descendants of the pioneers, whenever 
 they are brought into contact with Gouger-street,. 
 remember the debt of gratitude they owe to the man 
 whose nan:e it bears. As Secretary of the South Aus- 
 tralian Association it was Gouger's joy, in 1834, to see 
 a Colonization Bill, on the principles that he espoused 
 and advocated, introduced bv Mr. Whitmore into the
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS. 35 
 
 House of Commons, and supported by Mr. Spring-Rice, 
 the Secretary of State for the Colonies. 
 
 THE COLONIZATION PLAN. 
 
 The promoters of the colony the "experimental 
 philosophers" as they were sarcastically termed had 
 given much thought to the scheme. It was an experi- 
 ment in the art of colonization, and one in which they 
 took great pride. They wished to make it as indepen- 
 dent 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 legis- 
 lation ; it led to a dual and divided authority. In 
 fact, as we shall see, in the course of our history, dualism 
 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 twelve shillings per 
 acre. The Commissioners were empowered to raise 
 the price when they thought proper. The whole of the 
 purchase 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 amounted 
 to 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 colonising scheme 
 could become operative. This was to be an indication 
 that among the intending colonists there was no deficiency
 
 36 DRAWING THE PLANS. 
 
 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.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 
 
 INITIAL DIFFICULTIES. 
 
 We now enter the House of Commons. July 23 r 
 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 
 Whitmore moved the second reading of the South 
 Australian Colonization Bill. This was at two 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 Govern- 
 ment, that in the sanction which the Ministers had 
 given to the introduction of the Bill there had not been 
 any undue encouragement. The authors of the Bill 
 had made out a strong prima facie case. Not only so, 
 they had also given such explanation of the principles 
 on which the colonization was to be conducted as in- 
 duced 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 purpose
 
 38 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 
 
 of securing the State against any charges. He suggested 
 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 occupied 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. 
 
 Sir H. Willoughby was anxious to state briefly his 
 reason for supporting the amendment 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 colonising scheme which differed from 
 all others. He wanted to know how (if this scheme 
 should fail) these poor laborers were to be re-conveyed 
 home. 
 
 This pathetic and fatherly enquiry was rather too 
 jnuch 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 "re-conveved home." There were cries of "div- 
 ide! " "divide f" 
 
 The gallery was then cleared for a division, the 
 result being 
 
 For the second reading . . 33 
 
 Against . . . . . . 17 
 
 Majority . . . . . . 16 
 
 On July 29, 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 entertaining time. He represented the Bill for the 
 Colonization of South Australia as the most extra- 
 ordinary that had ever been introduced into the House. 
 He would call the attention of the Right. Hon. the
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 39 
 
 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 gallant member behind 
 him (Colonel Torrens), yet when the House considered 
 the immense extent of the scheme, and how the Crown 
 lands were involved in it, it became very difficult to 
 know how it could be considered otherwise than 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 
 colonising South Australia. The real object of the 
 colony was to realise the views of a set of gentlemen 
 whom he hoped he should not offend by calling experi- 
 mental philosophers, and with whom this was a favorite 
 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 understandings. He was of opinion that 
 plain, practical men 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 longi- 
 tude, 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 government 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 distance would make it impossible to form a settle-
 
 40 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 
 
 merit 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 twelve shillings per 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 twelve shillings 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 two hundred 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 
 acquainted 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 two hundred acres 
 of land in a community of kangaroos ? Then in what 
 way was the land to be worked ? Why, they expected 
 the English laborer would go over there to work for 
 them (convict labor not being permitted) but they 
 would be disappointed, the laborer would not go to 
 Australia to promote the experiments of others. He 
 considered the details of the Bill quite impracticable. 
 Two hundred thousand pounds was to be borrowed to 
 send emigrants over to people the colony. He objected 
 to bonds being circulated through the country, apparent- 
 lv 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 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-
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 41 
 
 had charge of the Bill) addressed the House, replying 
 seriatim to the objections raised. One sentence es- 
 pecially 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 (whatever the 
 lion, member pleased to call them) who ever undertook 
 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 were fully aware of the difficulties which 
 surrounded the question, but they 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 Govern- 
 ment to do everything in its power to extend the advan- 
 tage 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 pos- 
 sessed two of the finest harbours in the world, and that 
 one hundred and sixty settlers, with ample means, were 
 anxious immediately to emigrate. 
 
 The third reading of the Bill passed the House of 
 Commons on August 5th, 1834. 
 
 Three days later it was introduced 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. the next day it received the 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
 
 42 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 
 
 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 commis- 
 sioners named the capital of the new colony Adelaide, 
 as a compliment to the King and Queen. 
 
 THE BILL BEFORE THE PUBLIC. 
 
 The London "Times" did not take kindly to the 
 South Australian colonization scheme. From first to 
 last the position 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 juris- 
 diction and protection of the laws of Britain." To 
 the editor of the "Times" all such "crotchety under- 
 takings" were "humbugs and something more." 
 "Who," he asked, in one issue, "that has capital to 
 lay out on landed property will go beyond the verge 
 of the civilised world ? We take it for granted that 
 the hope of mercantile profit by exporting wheat to 
 England from such a distance would hardly ever enter 
 into the motive of a sober-minded man. We have 
 been charged with ignorance 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 aa 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 
 precarious auxiliary system of external aid to support 
 it." Everything that had occurred since the project 
 for the colonization of South Australia had teen mooted 
 only confirmed "the suspicion and dislike" with which
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 43 
 
 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" compli- 
 mented Mr. Baring on his speech, and expressed astonish- 
 ment 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 humbug." 
 
 It is only fair to say that some of the criticisms of 
 the " Times " were far-seeing, and history proved their 
 .soundness. 
 
 The "Standard" affirmed that Mr. Baring had 
 exposed, with complete success, the jobbing character 
 of the South Australian Colonization Bill, and no doubt 
 would have succeeded in blocking the measure, but 
 many of the liberal members of the House of Commons 
 were directors or shareholders in the concern. 
 
 If the editor of the "Courier" had any thought of 
 emigrating 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 sympathise with these anticipations. 
 In his judgment the colonization of South Australia, on 
 the basis of the Bill before the House of Commons, 
 -.vas 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
 
 44 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 
 
 "Courier" thought that the whole scheme "was an ex- 
 periment on the gullibility of the public." 
 
 THE FIRST COMMISSIONERS. 
 
 After the South Australian Bill had received the 
 Royal assent the Secretary of State (Mr. Spring-Rice) 
 and Mr. Wolryche Whitmore, M.P., selected the com- 
 missioners. 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 protracted. The leading newspapers were hostile. 
 There were many who treated the scheme with in- 
 difference, 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 
 rrmst collapse. 
 
 Towards the end of 1834 there was a change of 
 Government. The consequence was that all the 
 gentlemen, who had been selected as commissioners by 
 Mr. Spring-Rice, resigned, 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 com- 
 missioners. This the Colonel did.
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 45 
 
 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 personally 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 
 Colonies. He took action at once in the founding of 
 South Australia. On the 5th of May, 1835, the follow- 
 ing 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 principles on which 
 the colony was to be founded. The Government 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 
 
 One of the Commissioners (William Hutt) was the ear- 
 Host advocate of Mr. Wakefield's colonisation views, and the 
 main instrument in bringing them before the public. 
 Rowland Hill was the father of the penny postage. I have 
 already pointed out 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.
 
 46 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 
 
 they were determined and patriotic men. Robert 
 Gouger promised to advance 500 and John Brown 
 (whom we shall meet again) 50 towards 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 
 conriiissioners went on with their work. 
 
 The difficulty in meeting the financial require- 
 ments of the Colonization Act seemed to be insuperable. 
 The commissioners 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 pos- 
 sessing only an anticipated, value. Their task was 
 made the more difficult by the hostility 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 ten 
 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, yet by December 2, 1835, little 
 more than 26,000 worth of land had been sold. The 
 commissioners found it necessary to temporarily reduce 
 the price of the land to twelve shillings 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 waya 
 to give the colony a start. Here an error must be
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 47 
 
 . pointed out. It was not the South Australian Company 
 that bought up the remaining 9,000 worth of land, that 
 was necessary to meet the requirements of the Coloniza- 
 tion 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 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 remainder of the 35, COO 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 
 witli other purchasers, at twelve shillings per acre." 
 This was to be handed over to the company (if formed) 
 on certain conditions. 
 
 On January 22, 1836, the South Australian Com- 
 pany was formed. Its directors were George Fife 
 Angas (Chairman), 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 (1). 
 
 In tlie founding of South Australia the company 
 that bears its name rendered great and splendid seivice, 
 but the Company must not be looked upon in the light 
 of a purely patriotic or philanthropic institution. Like 
 all other financial enterprises it was more egoistic than 
 altruistic. It made great profits. 
 
 From Mr. Angas' evidence, given before the select 
 committee of the House of Commons in 1841, the author 
 
 *It is interesting 1 to note the connection between the names 
 of some of the directors of the company and our streets. 
 Rundle, Hindley, Currie, Pirie, Angas, and Waymouth streets. 
 Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, is named after Henry Kingscote.
 
 48 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 
 
 gleaned that the company had purchased about 40,000 
 acres at 1 per acre. Mr. Angas affirmed that at the 
 last report of the company they held : 
 
 168 acres in Adelaide and Port Adelaide. 
 
 134 acres at the New Port. 
 
 In addition to these the company held from 34,000 
 to 35,000 acres of country land. 
 
 The company sold three town lots (purchased 
 originally at 1) at from 200 to 1,000 per acre. 
 
 Several acres at the New Port (the original cost of 
 which was 1 per acre) were sold by the company at 
 from 1,300 to 1,800 per acre, payment to extend over 
 a period of time, interest being charged on the amount 
 unpaid. 
 
 \ J 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 com- 
 missioners decided that a letter should be sent to the 
 Government asking them 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 22, 1836, Captain Hindmarsh was 
 gazetted as Governor of South Australia, and the fol- 
 lowing gentlemen were chosen to fill official positions : 
 
 Resident Commissioner James Hurtle Fisher. 
 
 Colonial Secretary Robert Gouger. 
 
 Judge Sir John Jeffcott. 
 
 Advocate-General Charles Mann . 
 
 Harbour-Master Captain T. Lipson. 
 
 Governor's Secretary George Stevenson. 
 
 Colonial Treasurer Osmond Gilles. 
 
 Immigration Agent John Brown. 
 
 Sur veyor-G eneral Colonel L i gh t .
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESS. 49 
 
 Deputy-Surveyor George Strickland Kingston. 
 Assistant Surveyors Boyle Travers Finniss. Wil- 
 liam Jacob, &c. 
 
 Twice every year the board of commissioners were 
 to lay before the Secretary of State for the Colonies 
 " full and particular accounts of receipts and disburse- 
 ments." The Resident 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 the opinion that the economi- 
 cal 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, tre- 
 mendous difficulties, and much opposition they launched 
 a new experiment in colonization, which, notwithstand- 
 ing certain reverses, with which we shall have to deal, 
 ultimately proved a great success.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PREPARING TO BUILD. 
 
 We are still in the Old Land more than half a- 
 century 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 minda 
 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 thoughtful spirits 
 have talked the matter over, and have decided to form 
 what is termed "The South Australian Literary Asso- 
 ciation."* The objects of the society were stated to 
 be : " The cultivation and diffusion of useful knowledge 
 throughout the colony. ' ' Colonel Napier was appointed 
 President and Osmond Gilles Treasurer. Among the 
 committee of management we find such honored 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 intellectual calibre 
 of some of the intending emigrants. 
 
 The first conversazione in connection with this 
 society was held in London on September 5, 1834. 
 Richard Davies Hanson delivered the inaugural ad- 
 dress. 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 formation in this 
 
 *The old minute-book of the society has come to light. 
 Quite accidentally it was discovered among some old books in 
 the Colonial Office in London. It is now in the Public 
 Library.
 
 PREPARING TO BUILD. 51 
 
 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 press- 
 ing concerns to allow of their originating such a society/ 
 2. Another advantage in forming the Association would 
 be ' the opportunity afforded by its existence in England 
 to make arrangements, and to obtain books and appa- 
 ratus, which could not, with equal facilities, be made or 
 obtained elsewhere.' 3. But in addition to these more 
 immediate motives there ' would be very great collateral 
 advantages resulting to intended colonists from the 
 periodical meetings of the Association.' They would 
 ' tend to bring them into more immediate acquaintance 
 with each other.' The meetings would ' afford oppor- 
 tunities for the mutual development and discussion of 
 ideas and plans.' The outcome would be ' habits of 
 union and co-operation of the utmost value to an infant 
 settlement.' ' 
 
 Robert Gouger presented a 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 Aus- 
 tralian Literary and Scientific Association." 
 
 All this is intensely interesting to South Aus- 
 tralians, 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 Institute, and from 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 meeting of a more material character. It is 
 in the year 1835, and the place of meeting is Exeter Hall, 
 London. Colonel Ton ens, 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
 
 52 PREPARING TO BUILD. 
 
 is being given to Captain John Hindmarsh, R.N., whose 
 " appointment as Governor of the new colony of South 
 Australia His Majesty King William IV. has most 
 graciously approved." Amongst 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 honored 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 words more wise 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 Australia 
 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 colon y 
 of South Australia 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 disposed 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 years the 
 descendants of the first emigrants can afford to smile at 
 some of these post-prandial remarks. If Colonel Tor- 
 rens had been caught in a South Australian duststorm 
 or had sat in a shepherd's hut in the northern part of
 
 PREPARING TO BUILD. 53 
 
 the province on a hot summer's day, with the heat 114 
 in the shade, he would have 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 even-- 
 thing which constitutes religious and moral worth far 
 surpass any body of Englishmen 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 emigrants to 
 South Australia. May their community long flourish, 
 a bright image of the moral, social, and political great- 
 ness of the parent country, unaffected by any of the 
 evils which are inseparable from older societies." 
 
 Another speaker is John Morphett, who rose to 
 distinction in the new land, lived to a grand old age, 
 and was knighted by the Queen. Speaking on behalf 
 of the emigrants, 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 had fought under Nelson at 
 the Nile and at Trafalgar. Such was his gallantry 
 that Nelson summoned him to the deck and thanked 
 him in the presence of the officers and crew. " As 
 Governor of South Australia," he says, " 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-
 
 54 PREPARING TO BUILD. 
 
 by setting them an example in forming one vast tem- 
 perance society." 
 
 Alas ! such good advice in relation to a few of 
 the colonists was thrown away. The aborigines suf- 
 fered 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 information 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 Australia was that in which two whites were 
 charged with stealing 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 
 another. This is held in honor 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 acknowledge 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 foresee that in the country of our adoption, sur- 
 rounded by the comforts and wealth which must neces- 
 sarily flow from our settlement under principles so 
 enlightened, we shall have it in our power to pay # 
 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
 
 PREPARING TO BUILD. 55 
 
 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 emanation of your wisdom and active benevolence." 
 
 The first batch of emigrants did not leave England 
 iso soon as Colonel Torrens anticipated. It was not 
 till February, 1836, that the two first 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 belonged to the newly- 
 formed South Australian Company. 
 
 It is in the Duke of York that we are specially in- 
 terested. 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 (William 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 26, 1836, with Captain Morgan in 
 command. 
 
 It was a hazardous enterprise on which our pioneer 
 fathers had entered, and the "setting out" 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 w r as fine all the way. 
 
 In more ways than one the voyage was unique. 
 Not only were the emigrants about to attempt a great 
 experiment, 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 over-ruling 
 Providence, and of their dependence 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
 
 56 PREPARING TO BUILD. 
 
 voyage there was not a case of drunkenness, not even 
 among the sailors, and there was an absence of all 
 offensive language. Captain Morgan was not only an 
 excellent 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 in- 
 struction. 
 
 In after years the Duke of York was wrecked off 
 Moreton Bay, on the Queensland coast. After the loss- 
 of the vessel Captain Morgan returned to England and 
 took charge of the missionary ship Camden, sailing her 
 to the South Sea Islands. He was with the famous 
 missionary, John Williams, when the latter was mur- 
 dered by the natives at Erromanga. For fifteen years 
 he was in the service of the London Missionary Society 
 as captain, and died at St. Kilda. near Melbourne, in 
 1864.
 
 COLONWL, LIGHT.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Before South Australia was colonised there were a 
 few white settlers upon its shores. They lived on 
 Kangaroo Island. It was so called by Captain Flinders, 
 who discovered it in 1802. At that time the island 
 was uninhabited. 
 
 About seventeen years after Flinders' visit there 
 were at least two white men upon 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 runaway 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 whal- 
 ing, sealing, and wallaby-hunting. Sometimes they 
 made a trip to the mainland and stole some of the blacks. 
 One of the early emigrants, who came by the Africane 
 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, 
 and 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,
 
 58 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 fell overboard, 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.* 
 
 Before the year 1836 these white buccaneers had a 
 whole island to themselves. They were " monarchs 
 of all they surveyed," 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 Adelaide 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 27, 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 boardf , nine adults and four children. As this event 
 will ever have historical value, we give the names of 
 the' passengers : Mr. Samuel Stephens (first manager 
 of the South Australian Company), Mr. Thomas Hudson 
 
 *Diary of Mrs. Robert Thomas. 
 
 tSorne records give the number as thirty-eight. The ex- 
 planation is that the officers and crew of the vessel were 
 reckoned with the passengers.
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 59 
 
 Beare, Mrs. Lucy Ann Beare, and the following children : 
 Lucy, Arabella, Elizabeth, and William L. Beare ; 
 also Charlotte Hudson Beare (afterwards Mrs. Samuel 
 Stephens), and Messrs. Thomas Mitchell, Charles Powell, 
 D. H. Schreyvogle, William West, and C. Neall. These 
 were the pioneer settlers in South Australia the first 
 contingent of sinewy men and women who 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. 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 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 pas- 
 sengers 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 passengers 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 emigrants, 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 ? 
 To attend 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 voyage. 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-
 
 GO LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 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 emigrants 
 cluster around him. Heads are bowed and hearts up- 
 lifted while the captain conducts a short service, con- 
 cluding 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 emigrants 
 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 Lon- 
 don gave to Samuel Stephens. Shops were to be erected 
 and cottages for shepherds and herdsmen were to be 
 built. This proved to be a mistake, as further on we 
 shall see. 
 
 How did the emigrants 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 Hebrews xiii., verse 5. In the afternoon 
 instructed the children. In the evening we had service 
 on the quarter-deck. . . . Read a sermon, and ex- 
 horted 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 emigrants r 
 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 thousand miles away ? What a 
 sense of loneliness must have sometimes come over 
 them ! They had lived in a land of villages and towns
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 61 
 
 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 accustomed 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 never 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 pro- 
 voked a smile. They saw the wallaby hopping in the 
 scrub, the emu running along with her chicks, and, per- 
 adventure, the well-conditioned 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 recipient 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 mother's 
 heart. How fast the emigrant'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, whilst the 
 soul listened with delight to the music of a familiar 
 voice, and gazed in ecstacy upon a sweet 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 
 emigrant dreams ! Space is annihilated ! He or she
 
 62 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 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 figure is standing at the gate. A wild blast 
 comes sweeping by. The emigrant awakes. Ah ! it 
 was only a dream a beautiful creation shattered by 
 the scream of an excited parrot or the howl of the hungiy 
 dingo. The soul may have seen Old England, but the 
 body is in a tent or reed hut on the shores of an Aus- 
 tralian 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 be- 
 longed to the South Australian Company ; it was private 
 enterprise that fitted them up and sent them out. No 
 emigrant vessel dispatched by the Government Com- 
 missioners had yet arrived. The Cygnet was the first 
 to set sail, followed by the Rapid, having on board the 
 Surveyor-General, Colonel Light. 
 
 There were two questions exercising the emigrants' 
 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 Com- 
 missioners feel they cannot too much impress you with 
 the importance of a duty on the judicious performance 
 of which the prosperity of the colony so greatly depends. 
 They feel assured that you will enter upon the task with 
 the most anxious desire to arrive at the best possible re- 
 sult ; and, believing such a result will be most effectually 
 secured by placing the whole responsibility of the deci- 
 sion in your hands, the Commissioners purposely avoid
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 63 
 
 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 Country.' 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 the 19th of August, 1836, that the Rapid, 
 with Colonel Light in command, rode into Nepean Bay. 
 At once the Colonel set to work. Kangaroo Island as 
 a suitable place for settlement was condemned. The 
 land was poor. Port Lincoln could not be recom- 
 mended. The waterway was not sufficiently safe. 
 Much was to be said in favor of Holdfast Bay. The 
 Colonel's position was a most responsible one. It waa 
 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 that he had to decide, 
 but for generations unborn. 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 neither find port nor suitable- 
 stream of water. After a careful examination of the 
 coast both of these difficulties were overcome. An arm
 
 64 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 of the sea was discovered running several miles inland, 
 offering an admirable shelter for ships. Here the 
 Colonel decided to fix his port. Farther inland a fresh 
 water river had been found, larger than any yet seen. 
 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 away since Colonel Light 
 had begun his work. During that time several emigrant 
 ships had arrived. As Kangaroo Island had been con- 
 demned, most of the passengers were landed at Holdfast 
 Bay. On Christmas 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 embodiment 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 emigrants. 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 emigrants 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 Commissioner (James Hurtle 
 Fisher), and the Colonial Chaplain (the Rev. Charles B. 
 Howard). What excitement there must have been 
 amongst the emigrants ! What demonstrations of joy ! 
 Rush huts and tents would be vacated. Down the 
 emigrants 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-
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 65 
 
 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 dignified 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 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 emigrants 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 emigrants, amid their wild and, in some respects, 
 weird surroundings, were determined to do honor to the 
 occasion, and the shades of evening brought to a close 
 the most exciting day save the day of their landing 
 that they had seen.* 
 
 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 
 proclamation 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 con- 
 tribute another life to the little company of adventurers, 
 and the thought of the unknown future of the naked- 
 
 *'iwo of the carronades of the old Buffalo are now on the 
 seawall at Glenelg, near the spot where Governor Hindmarsn 
 landed.
 
 66 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 ness of the land as far as the advantages of civilization 
 are concerned must have filled her with dismay. There 
 were no streets nor cities, wheat fields 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, 
 murmuring and sobbing, 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 1 
 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 see the Old Land, and loved ones left 
 behind, again ? Not the 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 substantial 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 colonization 
 romance. 
 
 No source of information respecting bygone times 
 is so charming, frank, and realistic as letters. Fortu- 
 nately 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 28, 1836. After searching a short time we 
 descried a flagstaff, which had been erected near the 
 shore by those already there. A boat was instantly
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 67 
 
 lowered and sent on shore, and returned with Mr. 
 Gouger (the Colonial Secretary) and some of the gentle- 
 men. After some consultation it was agieed 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 deteimined that the 
 ladies should accompany them. We left the Buffalo at 
 1 o'clock, and, upon our arrival on the shore, we weie 
 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 ceremony was over we again joined the gentlemen, 
 and Mr. Stevenson, His Excellency's Secretary, read 
 the proclamation aloud, after which a party cf the 
 marines fired a " feu-de-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, 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 founda- 
 tions of a colony of which the most sanguine expecta- 
 tions have been formed, and which I sincerely trust 
 will one day become the means of civilising 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 Excellency ' Glenelg,' on which the
 
 68 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Government was constituted. They are of great ex- 
 tent, as nearly as could be guessed twenty miles in 
 length by about eight 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 (Rosa marina folia), 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 met with in great variety. Everything indicated, 
 in short, the wild profusion which Nature delights to 
 throw over her most favored spots, and few of the agri- 
 culturists present but hoped their lines would fall in 
 such pleasant places. May South Australia flourish ! 
 was the prayer of every heart." 
 
 In the Governor's proclamation the spirit in which 
 English 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 
 Province of South Australia the establish- 
 ment of the Government,- I hereby call 
 upon them to conduct themselves on all 
 occasions with order and quietness, duly to 
 respect the laws, and, by a course of in- 
 dustry and sobriety, by the practice of 
 sound morality, and a strict observance of 
 the ordinances of religion, to prove them- 
 selves 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 abori- 
 gines 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
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 69 
 
 thought that the city would be too far from the harbor. 
 He wished it to be located two miles lower down the 
 river; but here the winter torrents were found to over- 
 flow the banks of the Torrens. He expressed a pre- 
 ference for Encounter Bay. Fortunately Colonel 
 Light's power in the matter was absolute. He man- 
 fully 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 difficult 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 
 water courses. To the south the country was well- 
 wooded, in many places resembling an English park. 
 The primitive character of some of the southern country 
 is expressed 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 around the town. At the 
 request of King William IV. it wa 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 Sur- 
 veyor-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 commissariat arrange- 
 ments were very defective. No land had yet been 
 ploughed. Emigrants were dependent for food upon 
 outside sources. Not only were Colonel Light's men 
 badly paid, but sometimes poorly fed. It cannot be
 
 70 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 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 provisions intended for the survey 
 party were dealt out to the emigrants as well. The 
 consequence was the men ceased to work. The Sur- 
 veyor-General was blamed for want of progress. Settlers 
 were exasperated because surveys were not completed, 
 and they could not take up land. One sarcastically 
 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 consequence." His life in the colony 
 soon came to a close. 
 
 It is not always possible to anticipate the future, 
 and to be wise after the event is a very common experi- 
 ence. The founding of South Australia was an experi- 
 ment. Of course, blunders were made. Looking back 
 more than sixty 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 emigrants. 
 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 emigrant put a foot upon South 
 Australian 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 
 Dieman's Land (Tasmania) 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 emigrants which was to 
 follow. This arrangement was not carried out. But 
 there is often a greater charm about that which is
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. 71 
 
 -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 
 emigrants, then the founding of our province would 
 have been without much of its present charm. Where 
 would have been the picturesque encampment at Hold- 
 fast 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 
 whilst they waited for the site of the city to be fixed, 
 and the land surveyed ? 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. 
 
 The foundations were now well and truly laid ; 
 how the superstructure was reared W T C must leave for 
 -coming chapters.
 
 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 laboured, 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 comfortable 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 emigrants dwelt in tents, and in rude 
 huts made of rushes and boughs. " Hutting " them- 
 selves 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 themselves beds among the 
 bushes, on the beach, just above high water mark. 
 One of the pioneers, who 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
 
 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 73 
 
 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, transporting his goods from the 
 beach to his tent in a small hand tiuck. 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 reach the boat that is to convey him to the 
 vessel. 
 
 Near the tents and rush huts of the emigrants were 
 the wigwams of some of the Adelaide tribe of natives. 
 
 The life was rough, but it was romantic. One is 
 reminded of the Feast of Tabernacles, when the children 
 of Israel dwelt in booths made of boughs. Gentle folk 
 and simple folk, learned and illiterate, dwelt together as 
 one family. 
 
 One of the pioneers (Mrs. Robert Thomas) has left 
 on record a description as to how the emigrants spent 
 their first Christmas far away from the " dear Old 
 Land." In her diary she writes : " December the 25th, 
 1836 This being Christmas Day, and Sunday, divine 
 service was held for the first time in the hut of the prin- 
 cipal surveyor, a short distance from our tents. We 
 attended, taking our seats with us; the signal for attend- 
 ing being the firing of a gun. The congregation num- 
 bered twenty-five persons, including the two gentlemen 
 who conducted the service, the thermometer standing 
 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, likewise a ham and a 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
 
 74 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 
 
 good." It appears that the Captain of the Africane 
 (one of the emigrant vessels) had a cow and calf on 
 board. Whilst the vessel was lying at anchor, for 
 change of scenery and food the cow and calf were tran- 
 shipped to land. They were placed under the care of 
 one of the emigrants. 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 emigrants 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 surveyor for divine service " taking their seats 
 with them." Comment is not necessary. Two lay- 
 men 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 Hold- 
 fast Bay, the settlers, 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 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 scat- 
 tered 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 appeared 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 kangaroos are scarce, and 
 some have been sold at one shilling a pound. We saw 
 flocks of green and crimson parrots. They were plenti- 
 ful, and very good eating ; also the bronze-winged 
 pigeon ; cockatoos black, and crimson, and white, and
 
 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 75 
 
 yellow. 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 at any time. 
 There was a woman buried last night who came in the 
 Coromandel.* 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 " corro- 
 bery." 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 five pounds 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 cooking is on the ground close 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 six feet 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 emigrants, who was evidently of a very observing 
 turn of mind. The Mrs. Brown, to w'hom she refers, 
 would be the wife of the Emigration Agent, whose duty 
 it was " to receive the laboring emigrants upon their 
 arrival, to enquire into their treatment during the 
 voyage, to provide shelter for them and their baggage, to 
 
 *The name of the vessel still lingers in Coromanclel 
 Valley.
 
 76 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 
 
 assist them in procuring employment, 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 sand hills, 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 five inches 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 appearance, and was 
 making inroads on scanty stores. 
 
 It was with mingled feelings of hope and fear that 
 the early emigrants 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 only been founded about a year when he 
 arrived. He tabernacled with us sixty years. It was 
 in 1837 that the John Renwick, in which he sailed from 
 the Old Country, came gliding along the South Aus- 
 tralian coast. Said he : " The Mount Lofty Range 
 beyond was beautiful, and, as a Scotchman. I was truly 
 glad that the country had hills. Their appearance wa& 
 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 
 amazing 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 BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 77 
 
 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 of Adelaide kept 
 watch and ward against a " black attack." which 
 never came.* 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 environs of the prospective town. There weie 
 neither roads nor conveyances. The emigrants 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 from the seaboard to the site on which 
 the city was to be built in a w r heelbarrow. 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. Re- 
 treat (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 
 committed to a great and hazardous enterprise. 
 
 The salient features of this primitive pilgrimage rise 
 before us. Seven miles have to be traversed between 
 
 ''There were two things which filled our pilgrim fathers 
 :.nd mothers with fear the blacks and the serpents, some of 
 the latter being: of a deadly type.
 
 78 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 
 
 Holdfast Bay and the Torrens banks. The' country is- 
 covered with timber, and the weather is hot. We see 
 flushed faces and perspiring brows; we hear the cry of 
 little children, and the welcome joke of the man of 
 buoyant spirit, who, like Mark Tapley, can be happy 
 under any circumstances. We see parents with their 
 arms full of utensils, and little ones, footsore and weary r 
 clinging to their mothers' skirts. Here and there an 
 elder brother or sister is carrying 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 effectually learned. Pastor Finlayson 
 tells ht)w he filled a cask with articles and rolled it from 
 the seaboard to where Hindmarsh now stands, some four 
 or five miles. The experiment was not a success. 
 Amongst the articles there was a smoothing iron, and 
 in rolling the cask the iron did considerable 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 North-terrace and the river, 
 
 A description of the Torrens in 1836 may not be 
 uninteresting. Its banks were covered with trees and 
 undergrowth. In the bed of the river were tea-tree 
 and reeds. In summer the river itself consisted of a 
 number of holes, full of clear water, connected with 
 each other by a tiny stream. It was on this streak of 
 water that would not carry a blackfellow'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 most plea- 
 sant walks that the early emigrants could take. Walk-
 
 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 79 
 
 ing down the river side they could see innumerable 
 parrots and flocks of white cockatoos. Occasionally 
 a native might be seen climbing the trees, searching 
 for a large caterpillar, a most toothsome morsel of food. 
 
 The settlers had few of the advantages of civiliza- 
 tion. There was neither slate, shingle, board, nor 
 galvanised iron depot. Some of the huts were com- 
 posed of mud and grass, covered with reeds ; others 
 were wooden frames, on which canvas 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. Unfortunately, as the vessel was sailing 
 from Kangaroo Island to what is known as Port Ade- 
 laide, she struck a sand bar, and had to remain there 
 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 days went by. We were frequently obliged to 
 fix up umbrellas, &c., 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 constructed 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
 
 80 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 
 
 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 or choice pointed 
 out, or where material was easiest got ; the consequence 
 was that a collection of as primitive looking wigwams a.s 
 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 appear- 
 ance 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 fire place was 
 not deemed essential, though several had an opening 
 at one end, surmounted by an empty pork cask, de- 
 prived of the ends, to serve as a chimney. A great 
 portion of the emigrants, however, contented themselves 
 without a fire, except outside, where it might be seen 
 blazing, with a pot hung over it " a la gypsy." An 
 old colonist (J. W. Bull) says : " It was not an unusual 
 thing, in hot or showery weather, to see a lady watching 
 the kettle or camp oven under an umbrella." 
 
 These privations were not without their advan- 
 tages. They developed thrift, determination, self- 
 reliance. The early settlers did not " run to the Govern- 
 ment " when they wanted a bed or a new broom. Tra- 
 dition says that there was a time when the Government 
 Treasury contained but eighteenpence. 
 
 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 colors,
 
 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 81 
 
 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 emigrants 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 
 4i Coromandel Row." Evidently the emigrants who 
 had come by the Buffalo and the Coromandel had 
 pitched their tents or built their houses in a line to- 
 gether. " Buffalo Row " stood near the Adelaide 
 Gaol, " Coromandel Row " a little eastward. It con- 
 sisted of a few wooden cottages brought out in the 
 Navarina. 
 
 "Emigration Square" came later on the scene. 
 Originally it was called " Forbes' Square." It was 
 on the West Park Lands, 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 emi- 
 grants had been formed. An old lady who, as a buxom 
 lass, came out in 1838 with Governor Gawler, described 
 to the writer 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 Emigration 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 ground- 
 less. The oxen moved on to North Adelaide, where the 
 new arrivals found refuge in a pise house.* 
 
 The depot at Emigration Square was certainly 
 not a desirable place. Said one of the emigrants : 
 '" How very inferior to what was promised at home are 
 the comforts and attentions bestowed upon the newly 
 
 '"Pise Houses," so named after the person who first built 
 them.
 
 82 THE BUILDEES' SOCIAL LIFE. 
 
 landed emigrant. Brought from the discomforts of 
 shipboard, he is lodged in a square of not exceeding ten 
 feet, 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, Emigration 
 Square, and regulate the occupancies." 
 
 Notwithstanding many discomforts there was much 
 that was enjoyable about these far-off times. Every- 
 thing was new. There was no snobbery. The settlers 
 led a free, unconventional kind of life. Servants were 
 difficult to get. Those who came out soon got mar- 
 ried. 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 received 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 sometimes 
 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
 
 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 83 
 
 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 wed- 
 ding I attended was in winter. It being too muddy to 
 walk, we went in a bullock dray. No one appeared to 
 fear for the future, although, of course, no one could 
 anticipate what the future might bring forth." 
 
 Another of our pioneers who, as a young woman, 
 came to the colony in 1836. writing to a friend in Eng- 
 land in 1837, said : " You would smile if you were lo 
 see the way in which 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 any one 
 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 two latter by the captain of 
 the Coromandel. I feel as much at home here as if I 
 had been here for years, and so independent. It is 
 really quite delightful. . . . It is very picturesque 
 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 expectations, and the soil of which is delight- 
 ful: 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. ... I am at present, to use 
 a genteel expression, ' Jack-of-all-trades,' first making 
 pudding, then helping to eat it ; then writing for papa, 
 then scolding the children, then putting my cottage in
 
 84 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 
 
 order. In fact, I could fill a page with my different 
 occupations." 
 
 If the first emigrants were without many of the 
 comforts and conveniences of life, and were surrounded 
 by difficulties and dangers, they had a newspaper. 
 It speaks well for the energy and enterprise of our pilgrim 
 fathers that before they left the Old Land a paper was 
 published in their interest. It was called " The South 
 Australian Gazette and Colonial Register." The pro- 
 prietor was Mr. Robert Thomas. He came out in the 
 Africane in 1836, bringing a printing plant with him. 
 The second number of his paper appeared in 1837. 
 One of the most striking features about the paper was 
 its independent and outspoken character. Provisions 
 in the primitive settlement were scarce. To meet the 
 wants of emigrants ten bullocks had been imported 
 from the Cape of Good Hope. Ugly rumors 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 South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register " 
 to know what foundation there was for these rumors. 
 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 in- 
 teresting way of filling his columns than by criticising 
 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 inde- 
 pendent journalists." Ere long there was strife in the 
 little community. Some of the officials were so exas- 
 perated .by editorial criticisms that a handbill was 
 printed and circulated amongst the emigrants urging 
 the establishment of another newspaper. In the opinion 
 of these gentlemen " The South Australian Gazette and
 
 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 85 
 
 Colonial Register " had " eminently failed." The re- 
 joinder of the editor was : " We continue doggedly in 
 our resolution to set our faces against all systems and 
 degrees of jobbery, against puffing individuals, or re- 
 cording flummery speeches and trashy compliments. 
 We are as determined as ever to expose humbug wher- 
 ever we find it ; to keep a sharp look-out 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 Govern- 
 ment official v. the proprietor of " The South Aus- 
 tralian 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 emigrants assembled in 
 front of Government Hut. After a reference to the 
 death of King William the royal proclamation was 
 read, and an address was forwarded to the youthful 
 Queen. 
 
 Judging from some of the letters written home by 
 the emigrants 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 colony the more our impres- 
 sions in its favor 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 any- 
 thing. I have dug for water close to my tent, and found 
 two feet of rich black earth."
 
 86 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 
 
 Another worthy old pioneer (George S. Kingston), 
 writing in 1837, said : " A finer country was never 
 seen than this eastern side of the Gulf of St. Vincent. 
 . . . The climate is very fine, though the heat 
 at present is extreme. It lias no injurious or debilitat- 
 ing effect on the constitution. I am generally occupied 
 from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. without cessation, exposed to the 
 heat of the sun, and weather of all kinds, and, though 
 living entirely under camp, have not had a minute's 
 illness since I landed." 
 
 Another emigrant 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 seven or eight 
 miles of the town. If we had twenty thousand emi- 
 grants every year for the next century there would be 
 . enough for all. Vegetables of all kinds thrive delight- 
 fully. 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 fifty thousand head of 
 cattle, and 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 we 
 shall get rid of the animal. The kangaroo is in great 
 abundance, and can be purchased at from ninepence 
 to one shilling per pound. The black swan and wild 
 duck in great variety ; quail, plover, cockatoos, and 
 parrots abound. The harbor and gulf swarm with 
 fish. Fresh beef, one shilling per pound for best joints ; 
 mutton the same. Carpenters and sawyers get from
 
 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 87 
 
 nine shillings and sixpence to ten shillings per day. 
 Any man with one hundred ewes might realise an ample 
 fortune on our unlimited ranges of healthy sheepwalk 
 in five years. The industrious farmer should turn his 
 attention to South Australia. Let him purchase one 
 hundred acres of land, bring his ploughs and spade, and 
 IAVO or three active sons, with two hundred pounds cash. 
 He cannot fail to double his property within two years 
 irom the day he lands. We recommend emigrants 
 who wish to live in a fine country, where there is elbow 
 room, and where industry is sure to be rewarded, to 
 lose no time in shipping themselves and their children 
 to South Australia. We want no idlers no drunkards 
 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, kangaroos, and emus. 
 
 Though there was much to interest in the new 
 land, the settlers could not forget the old. One of them 
 gave vent to his feelings in song : 
 
 MY ADOPTED LAND. 
 
 ''Thou art very fair, my adopted land, 
 
 With thy dome of cloudless blue ; 
 And I have found on thy distant strand 
 
 Heart s that were warm and true ; 
 But I love thee not with the feelings deep 
 That I 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 my own parterre. 1 '
 
 88 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 
 
 All the letters were not of the joyous character of 
 those quoted. One of the early settlers wrote home aa 
 follows : 
 
 " Dear and Respected Friend We landed in Hold- 
 fast Bay on March 24. I have not been able to get a 
 job nor any hope of any. I am reduced to great dis- 
 tress, provisions being enormously high bread three 
 shillings a loaf ; potatoes, three shillings and sixpence a 
 gallon ; beef and mutton, one shilling a pound ; butter,, 
 three shillings and sixpence a pound ; cheese, two 
 shillings a pound ; porter, one shilling and sixpence 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 failure. How can 
 anything grow in dust and sand and eternal 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 
 persons 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 
 Glasgow paper. Unfortunately for the writer, the 
 editor of " The South Australian Gazette and Colonial 
 Register " saw the letter, and the writer was glad to 
 publicly qualify his statements. 
 
 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 so 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. He complained of " Immigration
 
 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 89 
 
 Square." It was remarkable for its mentality. 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 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 four-inch pipe would cany more 
 water. The water was so full of animalculae that in 
 hot weather it had to be used immediately. Fleas 
 were a grevious nuisance ; they were supposed to breed 
 in the dust, and to be carried into the houses in swaims 
 whenever there was a gale of wind. Another nuisance 
 was a troublesome blow-fly. The hot weather dried 
 the bread to such an extent that it could only be eaten 
 new. The beef never got tender, and vast quantities 
 were thrown away because uneatable. If a sheep were 
 killed it had to be cut up and eaten while still waim. 
 
 This critic, whose contribution was honored 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 such as he, where would have been our 
 flourishing colony to-day ? 
 
 There was another letter to which the editor of 
 the '" Times " drew special attention. It was headed, 
 " Miserable Condition of Australian Emigrants." Said 
 the editor, " It shows the wretched condition of those 
 unhappy 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 
 around and see so many (once respectable and wealthy 
 young men) with hardly a coat to put on, driving bul- 
 locks, attending masons. They left their homes young, 
 bringing with them all they had in the world. Some 
 lost one way, some another." The writer goes on to 
 affirm that the botanist had given up all hope of the 
 colony. He had given his opinion that it was quite 
 impossible to bring any European plant to perfection 
 in South Australia. The potatoes were very bad. 
 Corn, wheat, and barley would perhaps do very well for
 
 90 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 
 
 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 him- 
 self, 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 Australia. 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 mos- 
 quitoes. " I suppose," said the writer, " you are get- 
 ting very favorable reports from some of the old in- 
 habitants, 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 the author of a passage 
 in Pastor Finlayson's MS. journal. After referring to 
 the Arcadian conditions 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 fault with everything. What 
 pleased us, who had passed through the hardship of 
 the first settlement, they looked upon with contempt. 
 The romance had been mainly confined to 
 the first eight months, when all were in a great measure 
 on a struggling level." 
 
 A lady coming up from Port Adelaide in 1840 
 was complaining of the high price of commodities in the 
 new settlement. 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 tenpence a pund 
 for't." " And what would you pay for such meat in 
 Glasgow ?" "Oh, we wadna pay mair than five-
 
 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL, LIFE. 91 
 
 pence." " What wages had your husband in Glasgow^" 
 " He used to get twa-and-twenty shillings a week." 
 " And praj 7 , how much does he make here ?" " Oh, 
 sir, he disna mak aboon thirteen shillings a day just 
 noo." 
 
 On July 23, 1837, the pioneers had a weird experi- 
 ence. It was on a Sunday morning. There was a 
 loud rumbling noise that lasted twenty seconds. The 
 earth shook and trembled. 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 only remember 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 28. 1837, 
 several of the pioneers assembled at the Court House 
 and received Governor Hindmarsh in a most cordial 
 manner. The chair was taken by the Judge (Henry 
 Jickling). A dinner of " four courses and dessert " 
 was served up by Host Lee, of the Southern Cross Hotel. 
 'Several toasts were proposed. Amongst 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 labored 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, 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."
 
 92 THE BUILDERS' SOCIAL LIFE. 
 
 " Coming events cast their shadows before." Some 
 of the shadows are ominous. It was so in the experi- 
 ence 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 chapters will reveal.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 
 
 This was one of the most important events in the 
 early history of South Australia. It was a bold under- 
 taking, worthy of the best traditions of our race. Joseph 
 Hawdon, with whom we have to deal, forced his way 
 through the Australian bush. He passed over land 
 that foot of white man had never trodden. Fortu- 
 nately he kept a full journal of his experiences. Up to 
 the present time that valuable journal has not been 
 given to the public in permanent form. It is now 
 possessed by Joseph Hawdon's nephew (F. Davison, 
 Esq.), of Mount Gambier, who generously placed it in 
 
 the hands of the author. 
 
 Long before the settlement with which we are 
 
 dealing was founded New South Wales had been dis- 
 covered and colonised. It was discovered by Captain 
 Cook, and colonised in 1778. The famous navigator 
 could see some resemblance between the Australian 
 coastline and the Welsh coast that he loved so well ; 
 hence the peculiar name, " New South Wales." Sail- 
 ing into Botany Bay, he said, " I once more hoisted the 
 English colors, and, though I had already taken pos- 
 session 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, harbors, 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 No- 
 vember, 1834, having been induced to emigrate from the 
 "Old Land through the favorable reports that had been 
 furnished to him of the advantages for the investment
 
 94 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 
 
 of cattle in grazing pursuits. His brother, John 1 
 Hawdon, had been a settler 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 emi- 
 grants would need meat. Here was a market if it 
 could be reached. Joseph Hawdon was not only a 
 bold man, but a man of enterprising spirit. He con- 
 ceived 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 at- 
 tempt. 
 
 Charles Bonney was anotlfer 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 13, 1838, the hottest month in the 
 Australian year. Joseph Hawdon selected a mob of 
 cattle and chose his men. These 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 favorite horse, which, in 
 twenty minutes, carried me six miles, when I came to a 
 water hole. Short as the ride was, the heat and violence
 
 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 95 
 
 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 further I certainly n.ust 
 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, when we made some tea, and rested for 
 two hours. The man went perfectly 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, 
 whilst 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. W 7 e had 
 arrived within a quarter of a mile of the waterhole, 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 around us, killing 
 another beast about fifteen yards from where I steed. 
 To prevent the whole herd from being killed we gal- 
 loped among them, to scatter them in various direc- 
 tions. 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 Australia. The Journal continues : " The 
 thunder continued rattling around us, resembling a
 
 96 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 
 
 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 himself behind 
 his neighbor ; the rest, in separate groups of thirty or 
 fofty, 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. Dur- 
 ing this awful storm I could not help remarking that the 
 Guardian 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 fragments, 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 
 almost to death." 
 
 This was a somewhat ill-omened beginning to a 
 three-months' journey through the unknown wilds of 
 Australia. 
 
 It was on January 22 that the travellers began the 
 more serious part of their journey, entering upon en- 
 tirely new country, hitherto untrodden by the foot of 
 civilised man, distant from what is now called Mel- 
 bourne by several miles. 
 
 An interesting incident occurred on March 1. The 
 travellers came to the junction of the Darling with the 
 Murray. Here they saw a tree, on the trunk of which 
 the words had been cut, " Dig under." They did so, 
 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
 
 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 97 
 
 3, 1836." The paper stated that from this point Major 
 Mitchell had commenced his return journey from the 
 Darling, that he was surrounded by hostile 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 2 they came into contact with a tribe of 
 stout, powerfully-made blacks, about ICO men, with 
 women and children behind them. This tribe was in no 
 friendly mood. They desired neither collision nor 
 communication with the mysterious whites, so they 
 brandished their spears, and motioned with their hands 
 to them to go away. 
 
 Later on, in the same day, they met with another 
 tribe, equal in number to the former, but more friendly 
 in spirit. In spite of all threats and warnings they 
 would close around 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 Bonney that the 
 questioner, an old native, turned away apparently 
 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, 
 although the travellers passed through so many tribes
 
 98 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 
 
 of blacks, the cattle never became accustomed to them. 
 On each 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. 
 
 Further 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 sus- 
 pected there was some mischief brewing from our having 
 seen so many natives within the last two hours ; but I 
 soon perceived, to my satisfaction, that the upper lines 
 consisted of women and children. When we got oppo- 
 site 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 hi& 
 command. He was anxious to have the use of every- 
 thing 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 delighted. 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 catch 
 fish for their supper. Fish is the principal article of 
 food, and they procure it in great abundance." 
 
 On bidding farewell to this tribe, the old chief sent 
 forward two of his men to act as ambassadors to an- 
 nounce the coming of the whites to the tribe in advance. 
 
 On March 4 the travellers discovered a beautiful 
 lake, about thirty or forty miles in circumference, with
 
 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 99' 
 
 a line of gum-trees round its edge. Previous to this 
 some of the country passed through had been very un- 
 interesting. 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 honor of the youthful 
 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 civilised life. 
 
 Later on Joseph Hawdon came to another pietty 
 scene. It was a typical Australian picture. He says : 
 " I saw, in the valley immediately beneath me. a tribe 
 of aborigines seated on a beautiful plot of moss, by the 
 river side, eating roasted tortoise 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 electric. Roasted tortoise and broiled fish 
 tasty as it was was forgotten. They all tuined 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 withered-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 travel- 
 ling cattle, horses, and drays. What could this 
 mysterious invasion mean ? Needless to say, the blacks 
 were dreadfullv alarmed.
 
 100 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 
 
 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 standing 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 hair's- 
 breaclth escape of my life. The whole of this scene was 
 witnessed by a tribe of about fifteen blacks, who sat 
 watching our proceedings with intense interest, and. ap- 
 parently, with much terror." 
 
 Occasionally the journey was diversified by a 
 kangaroo or an emu hunt. Joseph Hawdon rede 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." 
 Having 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 fifteen yards 
 away. " Not liking the indication of their serious 
 counsel," he commenced to dance. It appears that 
 anything ludicrous in its nature would always take the
 
 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 101 
 
 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 towards 
 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 river side, with about forty 
 blacks around him, giving them some tunes on the- 
 flute. It was a new experience to the natives, and cne 
 that they much appreciated. " The finest looking 
 men " were always the most deeply interested in the 
 sound of music. 
 
 On March 12 the party came to another fine lake. 
 It was about thirty miles in circumference. Seme- 
 distance away, on the margin of the lake, seme 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 beautiful 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 cne " could suppcse 
 a hundred shots had been fired at the ?ame moment." 
 Soon the lake was perfectly alive with myriads of wild 
 fowl in motion on its surface, screaming and cackling 
 with alarm at the novel sounds. Later on, overhead, 
 they heard the wild, sweet, musical note of the swans as- 
 they returned to rest upon the bosom 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 
 Bonney," after his friend and fellow-traveller, Charles
 
 102 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 
 
 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 endeavored 
 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 23 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 
 country around. The full extent of Lake Alexandrina 
 lay before me, at a distance of about twenty miles.
 
 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 103 
 
 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. Keeping a westerly course, we crossed a 
 high range, and again descended into a valley well 
 watered and richly grassed. . . . We now com- 
 menced 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 termina- 
 tion, 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 labors of our journey were over, and the 
 possibility of travelling by land from one coast to the 
 other was clearly established." 
 
 On April 1 the part}*- encamped "in an open and 
 well-grassed country, on a stream called by the natives 
 Onkaparinga. Kangaroos were here in great abund- 
 ance ; some of the large ones would weigh one hundred 
 and fifty pounds." 
 
 The travellers kept too far west, and missed the 
 more direct route to the settlement in Adelaide. They 
 came out of the ranges somewhere near where the town- 
 ship 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 emigrants, just commencing a settler's life. Meat 
 was scarce among the little community in Adelaide. 
 These young men had gone into the bush (now covered 
 with farms and gardens) to shoot kangaroos, with which 
 to supply the Adelaide market. The flesh of the 
 kangaroos realised one shilling per pound. 
 
 At the advent of Joseph Hawdon and party the 
 young kangaroo hunters were almost as much astonished
 
 104 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 
 
 as though they had witnessed a resurrection. How- 
 ever, 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 settle- 
 ment, and once more enjoyed some of the comforts of 
 civilization. He was invited to spend an evening Math 
 Governor Hindmarsh, who was delighted at the success 
 of the expedition, demonstrating, as it did. the possi- 
 bility of bringing cattle overland from the older settle- 
 ment of New South Wales. 
 
 The pioneers kept up the old English custom of, 
 feasting and drinking. To commemorate the success- 
 ful issue of Mr. Hawdon's overland trip a public dinner- 
 was given to him. About ninety gentlemen weie pre- 
 sent. 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. 
 
 Mr. Charles Bonney, second in command of this 
 bold expedition, deserves honorable mention. He was 
 born in 1813, near Stafford, in England. His father 
 was a Church of England clergyman. Young Bonney 
 left the Old Land to seek adventure in Terra Australis. 
 Writing of the trip that we have described, some years 
 afterwards, Mr. Bonney said : " Adelaide was then a 
 collection of rude huts, with a few more substantial 
 buildings in course of erection. The people were sur- 
 prised and delighted at the arrival of a herd of cattle 
 overland. Up to this time they had been living almost 
 exclusively upon kangaroo flesh."
 
 JOSEPH HAWDON.
 
 THE FIRST OVERLAND TRIP. 105 
 
 ]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, Mount 
 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 ex- 
 hausting. On one occasion the party had to kill a calf, 
 and drink its blood to assuage their thirst. 
 
 Mr. Bonney rose to positions of distinction in South 
 Australia, and finally received a pension from the 
 Government. He then removed to New South Wales. 
 For three years before his death he was blind, and for 
 two years bedridden. He died on March 15, 1897, in 
 the eighty-fourth year of his age. Lake Bonney bears 
 his name.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 
 
 To the young colony the dark figure of dissension 
 came. It appeared in official circles. There were dis- 
 putes between Governor Hindmarsh and Colonel Light 
 over the city site. In a previous chapter we stated 
 that the interests of the colony were vested in Commis- 
 sioners appointed by the British Government. One of 
 these was sent out as " Resident Commissioner." This 
 dual arrangement a Resident Commissioner and a 
 Governor, both invested 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.* Other 
 officials besides the Governor and Resident Commis- 
 sioner quarrelled. There was a street brawl between 
 the Colonial Secretary (Robert Gouger) and the Colonial 
 Treasurer (Osmond Gilles). There was a squabble 
 between the Governor and John Brown, the Emigration 
 Agent. The latter was requested by the Governor to 
 see that the body of a destitute emigrant was buried. 
 The Emigration Agent demurred. He conceived that 
 his duty was to attend to the needs of the living emi- 
 
 *The committee who named the streets and squares of 
 Adelaide consisted of Governor Hindmarsh, the Judge (Sir 
 John Jeffcott), Robert Gouger, James Hurtle Fisher, John 
 Barton Hack, John Morphett, Edward Stephens, T. B. Stran?- 
 ways, Thomas Gilbert, John Brown, and Osmond Gilleu. 
 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, JofC- 
 cott, Gouger, Morphett, Gilbert, Brown, and Gilles streets, 
 Strangways-terrace, and Barton-terrace.
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 107 
 
 grants, not the dead ones. The Governor suspended 
 him. The Resident Commissioner (James Hurtle 
 Fisher), assuming that the Emigration Agent was under 
 his jurisdiction, published and placarded a handbill 
 stating that John Brown (who promised to be as famous 
 .as the American abolitionist) still retained his office. 
 
 The pioneer school master (John Banks Shepherd- 
 son) 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, promised to take the chair. 
 On the night appointed I proceeded 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 establishment 
 -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 sup- 
 pose I must countenance the thing, but as Jack Hind- 
 marsh I'll do little." 
 
 In these disputes Robert Gouger, whose temper 
 was perhaps a little warm, suffered severely. In pre- 
 paring the plans, and laying the foundations of the 
 <?olony, no one worked harder than he. But his colonial 
 experience was not at all happy. When Governor 
 Hindmarsh was taking the oath of allegiance in Robert 
 Gouger' s hut, and some of the emigrants were well-nigh 
 delirious with 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 eternal world. She died on March 14, 
 1837, and the child next day. 
 
 The dispute between the Colonial Secretary and 
 the Colonial Treasurer was investigated by the Governor. 
 Robert Gouger was suspended. This, with the loss of
 
 108 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 
 
 his wife and child, preyed upon his mind. He decided 
 to return to England and to lay his case before the Com- 
 missioners. This he did, setting sail in the latter part 
 of 1837. He was reinstated, and left the Old Land for 
 the colony in 1839. He arrived 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 more worthy of honor 
 than he. Our State will yet do him justice, and Colonel 
 Torrens, too. 
 
 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 Com- 
 missioners in England brought the following charges 
 against him, all of them trumpery : 1. He had inter- 
 fered 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 
 Resident 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 reject- 
 ing the Police Force and the militia which the Commis- 
 sioners 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. On the whole he had served the 
 colony well. He made himself one of the people, and 
 was highly esteemed. His farewell words recall the 
 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
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 109 
 
 so happily prevailed, South Australia must realise 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 13, 1838. a deputation of influential 
 colonists waited on Governor Hindmarsh and presented 
 him with an address. About four hundred signatures 
 were attached, and the speakers spoke highly of his 
 services. Captain Hindmarsh was subsequently ap- 
 pointed Governor of Heligoland. In 1851 he was 
 knighted by the Queen. He died in July, 1860. aged 
 seventy-eight years. The populous suburb of Hind- 
 marsh and Hindmarsh-square will keep him in perpetual 
 remembrance. 
 
 When Governor Hindmarsh left the colony the 
 population of Adelaide was nearly four thousand. 
 There were about 330 dwelling-houses of various descrip- 
 tions, 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 the population 
 was in the city bounds, as the country sections had only 
 been available about four months. 
 
 The price of a 2-lb. loaf of bread was 9d. ; beef 
 was from lOd. to Is. per Ib. ; mutton and pork the 
 same. Wages for laborers 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
 
 110 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 
 
 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 Trea- 
 sury ; officers in the Civil Service could not be paid ;: 
 there were only eighteen policemen to keep order in a 
 population of 4,000 persons. There were more pri- 
 soners in an insecure wooden gaol than policemen in the 
 community. In addition to these misfortunes, desperate 
 characters runaway convicts had found their way to 
 the new settlement. Notwithstanding these disadvan- 
 tages, Mr. Stephens discharged the duties of his office 
 with great credit, and contributed to the revenue out of 
 his private resources. When his viceregal duties came 
 to an end he took the position of Colonial Secretary. 
 Later he went to England to pursue his legal studies, 
 and in 1845 was admitted to the English Bar. Subse- 
 quently 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 Victoria at an 
 advanced age. 
 
 The next representative of the Crown to take up 
 his residence at " Government Hut " still a mud cot- 
 tage was Colonel George Gawler. He had been in the 
 Peninsular campaign, in which he was wounded, and 
 had fought with great gallantry under Wellington at 
 Waterloo. He was recommended 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," add- 
 ing. " I cannot conceive it possible that Gawler should 
 do a foolish thing." He arrived in the colony on 
 October 12, 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 17 about one thousand persons went down the
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. Ill 
 
 Glenelg track to meet him. Many were on foot, and 
 some mounted on horses. The emigrants assembled 
 in front of " Government Hut," North-terrace, many 
 of the Onkaparinga and Cowandilla 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 Government Hut. 
 Rounds of roast beef, rice, biscuits, and sugar and tea 
 were provided. The natives prepared themselves for 
 the occasion, and came adorned with tassels and ribbons. 
 
 About 200 men, with their lubras and piccaninnies, 
 attended. After the settlers had given them three hearty 
 cheers the Governor addressed them as follows : 
 
 " Black men ! We wish to make you 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 good huts, and to wear 
 clothes. Learn to speak English. If any white man 
 injure you. tell the Protector, and he will do you jus- 
 tice." 
 
 The tribe of aborigines to whom these words were 
 addressed have long since become extinct. It may 
 interest some readers if we give a 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 : 
 
 Boollvona mayoo. Touara Peendingga mayoo 
 Governor ninko nutta wongan. Peende mayoo
 
 112 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL KEVEUSES. 
 
 boollyona mayoo touara wingoo. Turkere mocherta, 
 arache tonke, perro mai-imbe yungon. Boollyona 
 raayoo, burkonna raayoo pannyape, komante icherle. 
 Peende mayoo tonannin, ponggareen, ^ondan, wirilla 
 koni icho werlingga. 
 
 Black men. Great Englishman Governor you 
 now speak. Englishmen black men veiy much love. 
 Constantly shirts, plenty clothing, ilesh food give. 
 Black men, white men brothers, one Father. English- 
 men quarrel with yon, 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 exhibition of their skill in 
 throwing the spear. Whether they had eaten too much, 
 or the excitement had 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 Governor 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 comprehensive." 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, Customs-house, and 
 hospital sprang into existence. There was a tendency 
 on the part of many of the emigrants to hang round the 
 city, the consequence was a number of unemployed for 
 whom the Governor felt it to be his duty to make pro- 
 vision. The provision made intensified the evil. The 
 Government works begun in and around the city, and 
 works of a private nature, led to centralization on a
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 113 
 
 vaster scale. In 1840 a large population was settled 
 in Adelaide and its vicinity. 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 work done in 1839 the follow- 
 ing is taken : Signal posts at Glenelg and on West-ter- 
 race. The clearing of the park land 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 Immigration 
 Depot (a collection of wooden buildings erected only two 
 and a-half years) had required an outlay of 700 to put 
 it in tolerable repair. Under the heading " Abori- 
 gines " the Governor said : " The daily support of 
 one hundred and twenty 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 department, 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, a large-sized 
 building for a school-house, and hospital are also in 
 course of construction at Adelaide." In connection 
 with the police department it was stated that the con- 
 duct of immigrants from England had been very credit- 
 able, but a large number of persons who had been trans- 
 ported to other colonies 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 necessaiy. Connected with the police were 
 the keepers of the park lands. Six men, at first, were 
 absolutely necessary to preserve the park lands from 
 the depradations of dishonest persons. In connection 
 with the Customs and harbors department the Governor
 
 114 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 
 
 stated that good work had been done. In 1838 only a 
 part of the plain of Adelaide was surveyed, about four 
 miles to the north, and seven miles to the south. The 
 remainder of the country, with a few exceptions, was 
 not only unsurveyecl but positively 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 harbors of Streaky, 
 Smoky, and Denial Bays had been surveyed and 
 sounded, and a chart of them sent to the Commis- 
 sioners. 
 
 Said the Governor, after his resume : " I foresaw 
 distinctly that efforts made on a large scale for extensive 
 public objects must involve the risk of considerable 
 irregularity, but the danger would not be a sufficient 
 reason for limiting the police force, and thereby allowing 
 the town to be overrun by depradators, and the country 
 with bushrangers, or for keeping 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 encoun- 
 tered it. I have no objection to say that risks have 
 occurred, but they have been 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 instance 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 stand- 
 ing was a desert, unknown to Europeans. Now we 
 are surrounded by a prosperous, and, to a considerable 
 extent, handsome city. Our principal streets are lined 
 with well-filled warehouses and shops, and crowded by
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 115 
 
 all the attendants 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 man- 
 grove swamp, is now filled with large shipping from 
 Europe. India, and the neighboring colonies. The 
 swamp is traversed by a substantial road, and handsome 
 wharves and storehouses are rising on its borders. 
 The neighborhood of the capital is studded with numer- 
 ous and populous suburbs and villages, while the more 
 distant country is rapidly assuming in population that 
 healthy and natural proportion which it ought to bear 
 to the metropolis.* 
 
 Yes, as the Governor stated, roads were being 
 made, harbors 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 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 emigrants had been capitalists. 
 But such was not the case; the}' were men and women 
 without means. 
 
 The difficulties of Governor Gawler's position, and 
 how the shadows were gathering round him. is veiy 
 evident from his letters to the (. 'ommissioners in Eng- 
 land. Shortly after his arrival he wrote stating that 
 he found the establishment of public offices in the colony 
 
 *It is interesting to note that amongst trie items of 
 Colonel Gawler's expenditure were "four eighteen pound car- 
 roiiiidcs," with tin:- explanatory note: "these were purchased 
 \vhf-n the alarm of a maritime war, and its consequences to 
 small colonies were great."
 
 116 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 
 
 beyond what was represented to him in England, but he 
 was persuaded that he must not only retain but pro- 
 bably 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 
 Commissioners, and the third quarter's salaries were 
 still due. The treasury was absolutely empty, and 
 public debts, to a considerable amount, had been in- 
 curred. The Governor stated that urgent demands 
 were being made for payment. He assured the Com- 
 missioners 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 un- 
 authorised pecuniary assistance." With liberal and 
 judicious management 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 pro- 
 vince at this moment are involved in the most aggra- 
 vated and complicated difficulties. " I do not wish to 
 make my situation appear worse than it is when I say I 
 do not think it possible 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 unservice- 
 able, and its office with scarcely any maps of the coun- 
 try, 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 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
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 117 
 
 existing principally upon the unhealthy and uncertain 
 profits of land jobbing. Capital 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 were of 
 the most straightened 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 com- 
 plying with many of the Commissioners' most pro- 
 minent instructions were most deeply harassing to his 
 feelings. 
 
 When appointed to his position Governor Gawler 
 had received authority from the Commissioners to draw 
 upon them for the sum of 10.0C() per annum for the 
 general expenses of his administration. He had per- 
 mission to draw more largely in case of emergency. 
 These sums were independent of what was raised in the 
 colony by duties on >vines 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 Eng- 
 land 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
 
 118 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 
 
 trying circumstances, both firmness 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 desire 
 to improve the organization of the public departments. 
 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 Commis- 
 sioners* entered upon their duties South Australia 
 enjoyed the reputation of being one of the most flourish- 
 ing 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 un- 
 happy 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 them- 
 selves. 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. 
 
 Lord John Russell's reply was that as soon as Par- 
 liament 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. 
 
 *At the beginning of 1840 a new commission for South 
 Australia was appointed by the British Government. The 
 first Commissioners, who, with one exception, had served 
 gratuitously were set aside. Three salaried Commissioners 
 -.vere now appointed Colonel Torrens (Chairman), T. P. Elliot, 
 .and K. Villicrs
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 119 
 
 In the meantime he suggested that holders of the bills 
 should be informed that they could not be accepted, 
 and that no pledge could be given for the future accept- 
 ance or payment of them, and that the most peremptory 
 instructions should be given to Governor Gawler re- 
 quiring him to confine the public expenditure within 
 the limits of the local revenue. 
 
 This could not be considered satisfactory. Re- 
 pudiation of debts would tend to wreck the colony. 
 The Commissioners made further representations to the 
 British Government. It was necessary that something 
 should be done immediately, before Parliament met. 
 The Government then consented 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; 
 dishonored 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 authorised by the Act to borrow), 
 85,000 294,000. These figures were taken by the 
 writer from Parliamentary Papers to which he had 
 access in the Old Country. They were supplied by one 
 of the Commissioners to the Parliamentary Select Com- 
 mittee which sat upon South Australian affairs in 1841. 
 
 In 1841 intelligence was conveyed to the colony 
 that Governor Gawler's unauthorised bills had been 
 dishonored 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 Avers), who was in the colony at the time, speak- 
 ing many years afterwards, said : " The privation of 
 the settlers was severe, and everything seemed to be at
 
 120 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 
 
 its lowest. The loss of capital incurred in founding the 
 colony cannot be estimated: but it must have been very 
 considerable, inasmuch as nearly all those engaged in 
 the importation and distribution of merchandise, with 
 many others, were ruined." 
 
 The Commissioners in England cast the responsi- 
 bility 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 draughts upon them in cases of emergency. In 
 his defence addressed to Lord John Russell he said : 
 " I considered it ' emergency ' when the Survey Depart- 
 ment 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 Government on what they 
 called authorised principle; ' emergency ' when the 
 Survey and Land Offices were burned down, and there 
 was not a public office belonging to the Government 
 in Adelaide, and none of reasonable permanent useful- 
 ness to be hired; ' emergency ' when, with an increasing 
 pressure of business and harassment of all kinds upon 
 me. I. my wife and family, Secretary, office, and ser- 
 vants, were limited during the day to a mud cottage 50 
 ft. by 27 ft.; and ' emergency ' when, with a really beau- 
 tiful natural port, commerce was suffering almost in- 
 describable hindrances from the difficulties of landing in 
 a broad mangrove swamp. Many others couid be justly 
 enumerated; but these (in addition to immigrant sick- 
 ness 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 extra- 
 ordinary expenditure." 
 
 Governor Gawler was recalled. His expendituie 
 had indeed been lavish. Take, for example, the build- 
 ing of the Adelaide Gaol. Of this Sir Heniy Ayeit-
 
 GOVERNOR GAWLER.
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 121 
 
 said : " The one I found on ray arrival was certainly 
 not adapted to the end in view the safe-keeping of 
 prisoners. It consisted of a tent, with an airing ground 
 in front, enclosed with a rope, around which one or two 
 turnkeys patrolled, armed with a Brown Bess musket. 
 But while it will be acknowledged that this accommoda- 
 tion was altogether inadequate for the purpose, there 
 \vas no need why the other extreme should have been 
 adopted. High walls and strong doors were doubtless 
 necessary, but no angle towers, surmounted with cut- 
 stone embattlements, 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 gener- 
 ally was greatly enhanced from the high price of labor 
 and unforeseen contingencies, that it brought ruin upon 
 a most respectable firm of contractors, and involved the 
 colony in debt for years afterwards." 
 
 But posterity must be charitable. The difficulties 
 of Governor Gawler's position, as we have pointed out. 
 were great. The founding of South Australia was quite 
 an experiment 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 circumstances. Immigration (especially of 
 persons without capital) was too fast; and the new 
 settlers, without means, needed work. Public improve- 
 ments were urgently required. Governor Gawler had 
 great faith in the resources of the colony, and he boldly 
 launched out, trusting to a future development to meet 
 the liabilities incurred. When the stress was most 
 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 sub- 
 stantial. 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 pounds foolish." He was an able
 
 122 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 
 
 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 expression 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 honor of meeting." 
 
 The spirit in which Governor Gawler labored in 
 building 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 that they symbolise lies at the foundation of 
 national stability and prosperity. The pioneer 
 Methodists had presented to him a farewell address. 
 Replying to the deputation, amongst other things he 
 said : 
 
 " I most sincerely pray that God, in His faithful- 
 ness arid power, may preserve and extend the pure and 
 simple doctrines of His Word among yourselves and 
 every denomination in South Australia, knowing, as I 
 do, that there is no other permanent foundation for 
 individual or public prosperity. The harmony that has 
 hitherto existed among the Christian bodies of this 
 colony has been a most pleasing subject 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 reli- 
 gion, and exercise forbearance in regard to those who, 
 in 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 Christian doctrines are extensively known 
 and practised, and harmony among those who hold them
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 123 
 
 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 com- 
 mander, 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 22, 1841, a farewell meeting was held at 
 Government 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 advancement of the province 
 so highly appreciated by an intelligent, 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 accom- 
 panied the Governor and his family to Port Adelaide, 
 where a final farewell was spoken. 
 
 Governor Gawler took a great interest in explora- 
 tion, not only aiding others in the work, but taking 
 part in it himself. It was during his administration 
 that Edward J. Eyre set out to perform one of the most 
 heroic tasks in the annals of history, to which, in com- 
 ing pages, we shall refer. One of Governor Gawler's
 
 124 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 
 
 exploring trips had a sad and tragic ending. In com- 
 pany with Captain Sturt, Mr. Henry Inman (Commis- 
 sioner of Police), and a young man named Bryan a 
 visitor at Government House the Governor went to 
 visit the North-West Bend of the Murray. From this 
 point the party set out to explore the country in a 
 northerly direction. The weather was hot and oppres- 
 sive, and the water supply exhausted. The horses had 
 been two days and a-half without a drink. The party 
 were now about sixty miles from their camp on the 
 Murray. The Governor suggested that he himself 
 should get back to the camp as soon as possible, and 
 send a supply of water to the remainder of the party. 
 Captain Sturt advised him not to go alone, but to take 
 Mr. Bryan with him in case of accident. These two, 
 with thirsty and tired horses, started for the camp. 
 Before they reached it the Governor's horse was spent. 
 Mr. Bryan suggested an exchange of horses, so that the 
 Governor might push on alone and send back the neces- 
 sary relief. With great difficulty and in a state of 
 exhaustion, Colonel Gawler reached the river. Captain 
 Sturt and Mr. Inman also succeeded in doing so, having 
 killed a horse and drank its blood to quench their thirst. 
 But Mr. Bryan came not. The Governor sent out 
 search parties from the camp, offering a reward of 50 
 to any one who would find him; but neither horse nor 
 rider could be found. No doubt the young fellow had 
 become confused, lost his bearings, taken a wrong course, 
 and perished in the Australian bush. His fate is a 
 sealed mystery; but many years after the horse was. 
 found. 
 
 It was Governor Gawler 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 settlements, jeopardised society. The mounted 
 police force that Governor Gawler created consisted of 
 some of the bravest men and best riders that ever sat 
 in a saddle. In passing we may mention Inspectors
 
 POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL REVERSES. 125 
 
 Inman and Tolmer and Sergeant-Major Alford. They 
 checkmated the bushrangers and cattle-raiders, and 
 taught the blacks to respect the lives and property of the 
 early settlers. 
 
 It was during Governor Gawler's time that the first 
 steamer arrived from London, the " Courier." He died 
 in May, 1869, aged seventy-three years. His name is 
 perpetuated in the large and flourishing town of Gawler, 
 that seems to have inherited his energetic and enter- 
 prising spirit.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 
 
 In addition to financial reverses there were many 
 otner 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 peace- 
 able fruit of righteousness to them who are exercised 
 thereby." There is a social and general as well as 
 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 Avarning, especially as Australian Federa- 
 tion is now an accomplished fact. It is a great nation 
 that we desire to see in these southern lands, and such a 
 consummation is only to be realised 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 individual 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 psychologi- 
 cal 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 mistake.
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 127 
 
 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 
 the author is in full sympathy. In many directions 
 there is urgent need for reforms. Monopolies that enrich 
 a few at the expense of many must be broken down. 
 Property in land must become as widely diffused as is 
 consistent with a comfortable 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 
 upon crutches. It must not 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 encourage this 
 tendency. The highest type of national manhood 
 can only be attained by individual effort. Legislation 
 that has a tendency to relax individual effort will have 
 Of relaxing tendency all round; it will lead to national 
 emasculation. Human nature is fearfully and wonder- 
 fully 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 realised 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 sur- 
 mount there will often be mental, moral, and material 
 stagnation. 
 
 It was grappling with difficulties contending with 
 adverse 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 wilderness. Before their advent cosmic forces 
 held undisputed sway. The South Australian black- 
 fellow had no genius for cultivation. He never dis- 
 turbed 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
 
 128 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 
 
 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 the 
 kangaroo. Vast tracts of land were covered with dense 
 scrub and primeval 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. 
 
 Tt was difficult sometimes to get laborers. One 
 of oar old pioneers (Dr. Everard), who came out the year 
 the colony 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 William's assistance only), felling and 
 grubbing up the trees upon one acre preparatory to 
 building my town house. I have lost my laborer. He 
 would not work for me longer, although I had agreed 
 to give him twelve shillings per week. ... In 
 England he did not earn, on an average, more than six 
 shillings per week, and did not taste meat from one 
 week's end to the other; but here he got meat even- 
 day, and less than a bottle of rum per day was not 
 enough for him. Honest, sober, industrious laborers 
 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 vigorous. Both to the north and 
 south-east of the new settlement the natives had a 
 Conception of the supernatural. No doubt the famous 
 " corrobery " 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 Nurun- 
 dere and Martummere. He is said to have made all
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 129 
 
 things on the earth, and to have given to men the 
 \veapons of war and hunting. Nurundere established 
 all the rights and ceremonies which were practised by 
 the aborigines, whether connected with life or death. 
 On enquiring why they adhere to any custom the reply 
 is, ' Because Nurundere commanded it.' ' The Nar- 
 rinyeri tribe had some conception of an after life. The 
 Rev. H. E. A. Meyer, who labored amongst them in the 
 very early days, has left on record one of their legends. 
 " Nurunduri* removed with his children to a great 
 distance towards the west, where he still lives, a very old 
 man. When he went away one of his children was 
 asleep, and, in consequence, left behind. Nurunduri, 
 when he arrived at the place at which he intended to re- 
 main, missed him, and. making 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 A\as generally regarded as the effect of sorcery. 
 The} 7 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. Probably 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 moustache 
 and great part of the beard was plucked out by the 
 roots. This was done three times while the long initia- 
 tion lasted. For three days and three nights they were 
 not allowed to eat nor 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 
 
 *He spells the word a little differently to the Rev. G. 
 Taplin.
 
 130 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 
 
 reed. During the whole period, which Listed some 
 months, they were forbidden to eat any food which 
 belonged to the women, and from partaking of twenty 
 different kinds of game. Only the animals 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. 
 Having 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 over 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 inside tlie 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 missionaries, who spent some 
 time among them. " Their gods did not live together, 
 nor even in the same locality. Malbonga lived in their 
 heavenly Paradise, or Laia. He once made a journey 
 to the neighborhood where the tribe was 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 frameworks and left
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES, 131 
 
 exposed to sun, wind, and rain until all the flesh had 
 disappeared. 
 
 These children of the bush, of whom we 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 seven miles of the 
 small city. He was assailed by the natives, struck 
 down with a waddy, and speared in the breast. In- 
 spector Inman and others traced the supposed mur- 
 derers to Lyndoch Valley, and finally arrested them at 
 the Para River. They were found guilty and con- 
 demned to death. A scaffold was erected on the North 
 Park Lands, and the criminals, overwhelmed with 
 terror, were placed upon it. Many of the natives were 
 present to witness the execution. After the death 
 penalty had been inflicted there was loud lamentation 
 weeping and wailing in the native wurlies. This was 
 the first execution of natives in the primitive com- 
 munity. 
 
 The early settlers were dependent upon the older 
 colonies for their meat supply. When the new settle- 
 ment had only been in existence about fourteen months 
 Joseph Hawdon discovered an overland route to South 
 Australia.* He brought over a mob of cattle and 
 horses. Others soon followed, including the explorers 
 Edward J. Eyre and Captain Charles Sturt. These 
 overland trips were difficult and dangerous. In 1841 
 Messrs. H. Tnman 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, 
 
 <See Chapter VII.
 
 132 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 
 
 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 further 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 firearms were so bad that they would not dis- 
 charge. Emboldened by the ineffectual shooting, the 
 natives encircled the party. They rushed on them from 
 all quarters. Two shepherds were speared at the dray, 
 one of whom 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 possession of the field. The whole party re- 
 treated, 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
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 133 
 
 lesson. As they drew near Lake Bonney a large num- 
 ber of armed natives were concealed in the scrub. Mr. 
 Field and his company formed in a line and rode to- 
 wards them. At the same time the natives approached 
 within forty yards. The chief gave the signal for attack 
 by sticking a spear in the ground and waving his hand. 
 They then sounded their war cry and commenced throw- 
 ing 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 two hundred. Others were concealed in the 
 scnib. 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 part} 1 " wheeled round to protect him. 
 One of the hcrses was now wounded with a spear, and 
 unable to carry its rider any further. The man then 
 mounted behind another settler. The battle bad 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 taipaulin hat the woui.d was 
 slight. The horse that he rode was speared in the 
 shoulder. Each treie they secured an advantage the 
 natives gave a yell of triumph. The party retreated 
 for a mile, and then baited to sew up the wourd in the 
 horse ridden by Mr. Field. Ah* escaped with their 
 lives, but the sheep were not recovered, nor were the 
 blacks taueht a salutary lesson. 
 
 It was not only along the Murray that native tribes 
 wore 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. Here 
 a lad was one day left at a hut, while his elder brother
 
 134 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 
 
 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 a 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 throwing another 
 spear; but the gun in the lad's hand kept them away. 
 The poor boy remained with two spears, seven feet 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 ten 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. 
 
 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 Lacepede Bay. At this time the 
 countr}' was little known. However, under instruc- 
 tion? from Governor Gawler, a search party was or- 
 ganised, amongst whom were thiee blacks of Encounter 
 Bay. The country was scoured, and a ghastly dis- 
 covery was made. Partially covered with sand, the 
 party found legs, arms, and other portions of human 
 bodies. Gathering 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 fear- 
 fully bruised, and stripped of every rag. In some of the 
 native wurlies male and female garments were found,
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 135 
 
 drenched with Mood; 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, deaths, and 
 marriages. The number killed was about twenty-six. 
 It appears that the shipwrecked people were guided 
 by the natives a short distance inland. They were 
 induced to separate 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 evident that the little ones 
 became tireu 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 thum, 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 savage tribes, they did not distinguish between 
 the innocent and the guilty, but took revenge on any 
 one who came in their way. 
 
 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 
 passengers was the brigantine Maria, bound for Van 
 Diemen's Land. 
 
 Bushrangers 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 
 escaped from some of ths penal settlements. They 
 were handy with firearms, and sometimes were well 
 mounted on stolen horses. They " stuck up " tra- 
 vellers and out-stations. They made raids upon horses 
 and cattle. Sometimes, under the cover of night,
 
 136 SOCIAL, REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 
 
 they would visit the city and commit depredations. 
 " Bail up !" was the demand, enforced at the point of a 
 pistol. There was nothing to do hut surrender. Their 
 rendezvous, near Adelaide, was the " Tiers " in the hills. 
 Here they lurked in densely wooded aid almost inacces- 
 sible 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 bold as lions Henry Tnman^ 
 Alexander Tolmer, and Henry Alford. They passed 
 through some thrilling experiences. Joseph Stagg, a 
 notorious character, was supposed to be implicated 
 in some cattle stealing that was going on in the Black 
 Forest, near Adelaide. He was a very powerful man. 
 Sergeant-Major Alford, who knew his haunts, was told 
 off to arrest him. He was found in a publichousc, 
 and the trooper took him in charge. When out in the 
 street a severe struggle took place. The trooper and 
 prisoner closed with each other. Several times both 
 fell to the ground. Alford called on some men standing 
 by to help him; but they were evidently of the same class 
 as the prisoner, and refused to assist. Daring the 
 struggle the prisoner took a pair of pistols from his 
 pocket, and pointed them at the head of the officer. 
 Fortunately they failed to discharge. Both were 
 loaded. Opportunely some foot police came upon the 
 scene, and the culprit Avas secured and lodged in prison. 
 Ultimately he ended his days upon the scaffold. 
 
 Cattle-raiders were a menace to society. About 
 four years after the founding of the colony intelligence 
 was conveyed to the police that some cattle-raiders 
 were at work in the Black Forest. This was some 
 wooded country down the Glenelg track, about four 
 milos from Adelaide. Sergeant Alford and two or three 
 other men set out for the locality. Here they found a 
 stockj'ard. It was situated in the midst of a dense, low 
 scrub, well screened from view. In the stockyard there 
 were three men, who appeared to be very busy at work
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 137 
 
 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 leaped over the fence on the opposite side 
 and decamped. Two of the police gave chase, and each 
 succeeded in capturing a man. One managed to escape 
 from custody. Returning to the secret stockyard 
 they found three cattle slaughtered; 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 beside 
 it. Several head of cattle were found in the stock- 
 yard. 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 be- 
 longed 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 con- 
 structed with dry logs cut to certain lengths and piled 
 up 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 reduc- 
 ing 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 .<=ome considerable 
 time supplying the Mauritius market with meat." 
 
 In the midst of all these trials, and many more 
 that we have not mentioned, the early settlers, PS a 
 rule, kept up a good heart. One who had found his 
 way to Little Para, about twenty miles north of the 
 nascent city, could sing. The author 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
 
 138 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 
 
 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 mechanism 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. 
 
 Soft hado then of greenish light 
 
 Each verdant valley fills, 
 And dawning sunbeams settle bright 
 
 On Para's thousand hills. 
 
 Oh! thten each lone spot lovely seems, 
 
 That late was dim and drear ; 
 And far-off azurte 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, 
 
 Whalre sportive zephyrs play, 
 Resounds the parrot's whistling call ! 
 
 The shrill kurraka's* lay. 
 
 And far off voices varied meet 
 
 Round Para's sparkling rills, 
 Exulting choirs that love to greet 
 
 Young morning on the hills. 
 
 *The. native magpie.
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 139 
 
 Hitherto we have spoken of reverses of some of 
 the difficulties with which the pioneers had to contend, 
 and the dangers by which they were surrounded. But 
 there were successes as well as reverses joys as well as 
 sorrows. If we had to monotonously chant in a minor 
 key this history would not have been penned. 
 
 As yet we have not made any special reference to 
 David McLaren. He was a pioneer nationbuilder, 
 whose name, worth, and work should be had in per- 
 petual remembrance. David McLaren was the father of 
 the celebrated Manchester preacher, Dr. Alexander 
 McLaren. He was born in Perth, Scotland, in 1875. 
 It was his intention to enter the ministry of the Presby- 
 terian Church, and with this end in view he entered the 
 Glasgow University. Ultimately he chose a commer- 
 cial life. In 1837 he came to South Australia as 
 manager 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 warning note against State-aid to 
 religion, and who planned and carried out the construc- 
 tion of the Port-road, and the building of the wharves, as 
 '.veil as other works of utility in connection with the 
 primitive settlement. He was a keen, level-headed, 
 and morally robust Scotchman. McLaren Wharf and 
 McLaren Vale perpetuate his name. 
 
 The so-called Port, in Governor Hindmarsh's time, 
 was a wretched place. Goods were landed on low, 
 swampy ground. When the owner went down to take 
 possession he might see them floating in the water. 
 The track to the Port was of the same character as the 
 place to which it led. David McLaren set his heart 
 upon making an improvement. It was his wish to see a 
 macadamised road to the Port, and a wharf at which 
 vessels could discharge their cargo. In 1839 the plans 
 were prepared and the material ready. A large number 
 of the settlers came together to see the work inaugurated. 
 After an address by Captain Sturt, the Rev. C. B. 
 Howard (Colonial Chaplain) asked the Divine bless-
 
 140 SOCIAL EEVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 
 
 ing upon the undertaking.* Mr. McLaren then 
 made a statement of the case. Said he : " Really 
 when one considers that this colony has only been 
 about two and a-balf years in existence that pre- 
 viously it was almost unknown by name and that 
 whore we are located was, at that period, a desert, to 
 look around 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. Wo might almost think ourselves this 
 day removed to merry old England. It is my inten- 
 tion, as the humble representative of the South Aus- 
 tralian 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 eight thou- 
 sand, he removed a few spadesful of earth. Cheers for 
 the ladies a.nd 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 ban- 
 quet in a large marquee ended the day's festivities. 
 
 The Botanic Gardens were commenced in Governor 
 Gawler's time. Mr. John Bailey was appointed " Colo- 
 nial Botanist of South Australia." Large sums of 
 money in the interests of the Gardens were subscribed 
 
 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 over-ruling Providence, 
 fnd in connection with such a secular undertaking as the 
 construction of a wharf or a road they offered prayer.
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 141 
 
 by the immigrants. They were not a success. The 
 subscriptions fell oil. A writer to the pioneer press 
 affirmed that the public wanted to see that the Com- 
 mittee of Management were in earnest, and that the 
 Gardens exhibited something more attractive than Mr. 
 Bailey's cabbages and melons. 
 
 The new road to the Port and the wharves v.'ere 
 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 where the Houses of Parliament 
 now stand. The Governor and leading officdals were 
 present. A procession was formed. There were about 
 four hundred and thirty-two vehicles a motley assem- 
 blage. Four-in-hand coach, gig, spring waggon, cart, 
 bullock team, and donkey cart were all represented. 
 There were about five or six hundred persons mounted 
 on horses. It was the largest assembly that had ever 
 gathered in the new colonj 7 , about five thousand persons 
 being present. A royal salute was fired. The vessels 
 in the river were covered with 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, Governor 
 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 ap- 
 plause." 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 among some old papers 
 in our Public Library, and the author thought them 
 worthy of a resurrection. They are interesting if only as 
 a record of what our pilgrim fathers could do in the way 
 of eating. There were five pieces of roast beef and five 
 pieces of boiled beef, five quarters of lamb, five pieces of
 
 142 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 
 
 veal, fifteen hams, thirty-five tongues, five pieces of 
 spiced beef, forty-five fowls, ten ducks, twenty chicken 
 pies, twenty veal pies, seventy-five covered and other 
 tarts. The fluids were equal in quantity to the solids. 
 One would 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 laboring classes, and in bettering the con- 
 dition of the aborigines; his kindness and benevolence to- 
 all classes; his Christian principles; the example set by 
 the Governor and his wife to the discouragement of vice, 
 and promotion of piety and virtue. In a word, he was 
 " The Father of the People." The character was well 
 deserved. The Governor made an excellent speech. 
 Among other things he said, " There are difficulties 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 
 rejoice 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 important position in the service of the South Aus- 
 tralian Company in London. He had worked well, 
 not only in the interests of the Company, but for the 
 general good of the new colony. A banquet was given 
 in his honor. Judge Cooper took the chair. In spite 
 of bad times, every delicacy that the colony could 
 furnish was on the table. About one hundred and 
 twenty 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 
 Company," said he, " South Australia would not be in
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 143 
 
 existence; at all events it would not have been what it 
 is at the present time. I can confidently say that Mr.. 
 McLaren has performed his duties most honorably. 
 There is one thing which, were I to mention it, alone 
 would entitle him for ever to the thanks of the com- 
 munity. It is planning and carrying out the new port. 
 When Mr. McLaren has left, and living (as I hope he 
 may do long years) in that repose, comfort, and inde- 
 pendence 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 pro- 
 minent position 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 prosecu- 
 tion of business and the maintenance of piety. Wher- 
 ever 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 
 control of the London business of the South Australian 
 Company. He died June 22, 1850. Of him his cele- 
 brated son (Rev. Alexander McLaren, D.D.) has said: 
 " His character had many excellencies in it; but the 
 basis of all was a firm grip of definite convictions, in- 
 telligently 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." 
 
 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 intersection of King William and 
 Hindley streets. This will give the colonial reader 
 some idea of the " empty " condition of the young city
 
 144 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 
 
 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 
 Council chose J. H. Fisher a 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 20, 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 pro- 
 fessional 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 passed away. He was born in 1786 at 
 Malacca, and was of mixed race half European and 
 half Malay. He came to England and entered the 
 navy, afterwards 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 sensitive to 
 criticism, and the censures to which he was subjected, 
 and the conditions that were imposed upon him, especi- 
 ally by a body of Commissioners the other side of the 
 world, preyed upon his mind. In 1830 he tendered his 
 resignation, and soon after (October 5, 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,
 
 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 145 
 
 and whose fame will increase as years roll round and the 
 capabilities of the colonj^ are developed." All the 
 immigrants did him honor at his death. As the cortege 
 proceeded from Thebarton to Adelaide minute-guns 
 were fired by a party stationed at Hindmarsh. The 
 colors at Government House were flying half-mast. 
 Governor Gawler and all the officials joined in the pro- 
 cession. 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, however, are not necessary to keep 
 him in memory. Let the 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 any one at this time, after fifty years' ex- 
 perience, and with all the knowledge possessed of our 
 extensive 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 judg- 
 ment, 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 Ade- 
 laide, 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 severity miles from Adelaide, the 
 population was 15,000, and 3,000 acres were under cul- 
 tivation.
 
 146 SOCIAL REVERSES AND SUCCESSES. 
 
 On June 30, 1840, the following statistics were 
 published : 
 
 Sheep 186,000 
 
 Cattle 14,800 
 
 Horses 1,250 
 
 Pigs 3.600 
 
 Goats 350 
 
 The price of a 2-lb. 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, 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.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 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 intended to take. On May 10, 1841, 
 the Lord Glenelg dropped anchor in Holdfast Bay. 
 On board was Captain Grey, the newly-appointed 
 Governor, and Colonel Gawler's curt recall, as follows : 
 
 " In consequence of the reports which have been 
 made to Her Majesty's Government by the Coloniza- 
 tion Commissioners for South Australia respecting the 
 amount of the bills which you have drawn on the Com- 
 missioners in excess of the authority which you had 
 received from them for that purpose, 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 Waterloo he rendered memorable service, for which 
 he received special honors. Notwithstanding his ex- 
 cessive expenditure he-had served his Queen and adopted 
 country well. Bearing these facts in mind, the Secre- 
 tary of State (Lord John Russell) might have per- 
 formed his " unwelcome duty " in a more gracious 
 way. 
 
 When Captain Grey landed he proceeded to Go- 
 vernment House, read his commission, and entered upon
 
 148 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 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 the west coast of the Australian 
 continent. 
 
 The advent of the new Governor was not at all 
 welcome, and under the most distressing circumstances 
 he began his administration. A prejudice had been 
 created against him; the pioneers resented his advent; 
 the settlement was only five years old, and was in a 
 state of insolvency. The commercial distress was so 
 great many of the immigrants left the colony. There 
 was impending disaster, but Captain Grey was the man 
 for the hour. 
 
 Times of social distress are times of political up- 
 heaval. Revolutionary ideas are abroad. A discon- 
 tented spirit takes possession of the people. Some one 
 must be blamed. A scapegoat must be provided. 
 There is one ready to hand in the form of the Govern- 
 ment. Mass meetings are held. Demagogic harangues 
 are delivered. Public works on a vaster scale are 
 demanded. Large sums of money must be borrowed. 
 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 posi- 
 tion of the foe, and adjusts his forces, so Captain Grey 
 instinctively 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 
 extravagant Government expenditure is necessary and 
 beneficial in the early days of a colony, I may be per- 
 mitted 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 labor is carried out of the colony
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 149 1 
 
 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 
 labor by the Government, raises inordinately the price 
 of labor. The country settler can thus not become a 
 producer of food or of articles of export. His agricul- 
 tural operations are limited, and his capital eaten up by 
 the high price of wages." 
 
 Captain Grey's policy was decentralization, re- 
 trenchment, economy. Public works were arrested. 
 To induce the surplus city population to go into the 
 country wages on Government relief works were cut 
 dow r n to the lowest figure. If an unmarried immigrant 
 refused to work for a settler who offered him 20 a 
 year and rations he was not to have any claim to Go- 
 vernment assistance. A married immigrant was not 
 to refuse 30 a year and rations, or a like penalty would 
 be inflicted. It may have been severe legislation, but 
 to meet the emergency such was needed. To give the 
 reader some idea of the reduction in the public expendi- 
 ture we quote from Harcus' " South Australia." In 
 the last year of Governor Gawler's administration the 
 expenditure was 171,430. The year before Governor 
 Grey left it was reduced to 29,362. 
 
 Of course, Governor Grey had to suffer. A hue 
 and cry was raised. He was abused and denounced. 
 The press as well as popular opinion was against him. 
 One of the pioneer papers contained a leading article 
 under the heading, " Hurrah! for the Meeting !" It 
 began as follows : " Colonists of South Australia ! To- 
 morrow at twelve is the time of your own appointing 
 for the meeting to petition for Captain Grey's recall. 
 . . . . 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 favor, except as allured with the hope of paltry gain, 
 or as influenced by the dread of some pitiful loss. . . .
 
 150 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 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 memorialising His Excellency. . . . Every 
 shopkeeper in Adelaide should close his shop during 
 the hour of meeting, and every tradesman and laborer 
 in Adelaide should be at the meeting to give his best 
 support." 
 
 On Thursday, March 16, 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 
 one 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 
 Oovernor and the colonists, but deeply deplores its total 
 want of confidence in the administration of His Excel- 
 lency, 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 
 circumstances 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 enjoy- 
 ment of the privileges of a British 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
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 151 
 
 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 con- 
 fidence in His Excellency's administration is mainly to 
 be traced to His Excellency's disregard of the general 
 wishes of the colonists." Then followed a long list of 
 charges. 
 
 A Mr. Moulden moved^-" That this meeting, seeing 
 nothing but disaster and ruin to the colony so long as 
 the administration of its affairs is left in the hands of 
 Captain Grey, record their solemn belief in the necessity 
 of a representation 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 subsequent 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 
 forward. He said: " On South Australia there is but 
 one spot, and that is a grey spot, which was mildewing 
 and blighting all their prospects." His resolution was 
 *' That the petition, founded upon the foregoing resolu- 
 tions, 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 convenience, for pre- 
 sentation 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
 
 152 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 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 
 Governor. 
 
 But Governor Grey was not the man to be "bluffed" 
 or intimidated. Through good and evil report he calmly 
 but resolutely pursued his way. Speaking at a banquet 
 a short time after this angry meeting was held, he said: 
 " I have labored 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 explained." 
 
 Governor Grey had a sympathetic heart as well as 
 a determined will. Out of his salary of 1,000 a year 
 he contributed nearly 400 for charitable purposes. 
 
 The night seemed long and dark, but ultimately 
 the morning broke. A Select Committee was appointed 
 by the British Parliament to enquire into the financial 
 condition of South Australia, of which W. E. Gladstone 
 was a member. 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 Govern- 
 ment. The appointment of a Board of Commissioners, 
 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 remittances of money bor- 
 rowed upon this security. The provision for securing
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 153 
 
 the mother country from financial loss (20.000) was 
 quite inadequate. These were some of the inherent 
 defects 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 Treasury was exhausted. They appreciated 
 the difficulty of Governor 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 suggested that South 
 Australia should be made a Crown colony. They ad- 
 vised 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, hah* of the proceeds of the sale to 
 go to purposes of general revenue and hah* to emigra- 
 tion. 
 
 As we have pointed out, the distinguishing feature 
 in the Act for the colonization of South Australia was 
 the appropriation of money secured by the sale of Crown 
 lands for the purpose of emigration. This the com- 
 mittee did not condemn. It pointed out defects re- 
 vealed by expei ience. 
 
 The House of Commons voted 155,000 to meet the 
 immediate necessities of the colony. 
 
 The unfriendly attitude of the London " Times " 
 to the colony still continued. The reverses that over- 
 took it, calling for Parliamentary interference, afforded 
 the editor an opportunity for scathing criticism, which 
 lie was not at all slow to embrace. Said he : " Matters 
 have at length come to such a pass in South Australia
 
 154 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 (the first born of Mr. Wakefield's genius) that Lord John 
 Russell has obtained a Select Committee of the House of 
 Commons to consider the whole condition of that bubble 
 colony. . . . The whole settlement, from Fowler's 
 Bay to Cape Northumberland, has, in little more than 
 four years, fallen into bankruptcy and confusion. The 
 merit of having originated the colony belongs, in unequal 
 proportions, to Mr. Gibbon Wakefield and a Mr. Robert 
 Gouger. . . . The province is about to fall into the 
 hands of the Colonial Office. So much for the self- 
 supporting colony." According to the " Times," the 
 attempts made by the promoters of the colony to 
 establish their favorite speculation would " have dis- 
 graced a fraternity of Jew crimps." But we must not 
 take editorial comments seriously. 
 
 The question of the indebtedness of South Aus- 
 tralia came up again in July, 1842. Lord Stanley 
 introduced a Bill to make further advances to the colony 
 to meet its liabilities, to provide for its better govern- 
 ment, 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 Governor 
 Grey, the colony would become self-supporting. To 
 place it in that condition it was necessary to make 
 arrangements to relieve it from its most pressing diffi- 
 culties. He asked that the House, in addition to 
 1 1 making certain allowances, 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 mismanage- 
 ment. 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 expense. 
 
 Mr. Mackinnon (after whom Mackinnon-parade is 
 named, and whose portrait is in the Town Hall), a true
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 155 
 
 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, vigor, 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 successful. 
 
 Mr. Hume affirmed that the affairs of the colony 
 had been grossly mismanaged. He thought that the 
 loan asked for ought not to be granted. He would pro- 
 pose that the colony be held liable for the whole of the 
 advance to be made. 
 
 A division was taken on Mr. Hume's motion. 
 Result: For the motion, 10 ; against, 73. 
 
 When the third reading came on Mr. Hume again 
 returned to the attack. Said he: The House seemed to 
 be quite indifferent to the giving away of the money 
 of a distressed people. Were honorable members 
 aware of the fact that this Bill actually gave away 
 400,000 to the colony ? 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 re- 
 solution which he had prepared, condemning the Bill 
 as a waste of public money, and proposing that the 
 colony should be held liable for the payment of all the 
 money. 
 
 Mr. Wood supported the resolution. On a division 
 there were 68 for the third reading and 15 against. A 
 few days later it received the sanction of the House of 
 Lords. The Bill provided for the better government 
 of South Australia. 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 tho 
 Governor) being official and four non-official. The
 
 156 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 official members were the paid servants of the Crown r 
 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 members 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 nomi- 
 nated in his place. 
 
 The new Council was sworn in on Tuesday, June 
 20, 1843. "In his address to the members Governor 
 Grey said : I feel great pleasure in directing your atten- 
 tion to the gracious assurances contained in the despatch 
 which I have laid upon the table, that, though the foim 
 of Council now instituted has, for the present, appeared 
 to Her Majesty's Government best suited for the wants- 
 and conditions of the colony, they concur in the view 
 taken in the report of the committee 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 in- 
 fusion of the element of popular representation into the 
 local Legislature." 
 
 Another legislative enactment of the Imperial 
 Parliament 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 emigration. The consequence was, 
 as stated in a previous chapter, that the flow of immigra- 
 tion (especially of persons without capital) was too 
 strong. An Act was now passed by which the waste 
 lands of the colony were put up to auction, the minimum 
 price being 1 per acre, one-half only of the proceeds 
 to be devoted to emigration, 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
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 157 
 
 flowers, and then by Francis S. Button (afterwards 
 Premier and Agent-General), 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 'dis- 
 covered by a shepherd. In course of time about nine 
 hundred 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. 
 
 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 production, 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 avail- 
 able for wheat growing. The difficulty at harvest time 
 was cost of reaping, and scarcity of labor. 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, 
 amongst 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 
 favor. 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 made by him out of the invention except a 
 profit on the machines that he made and sold. As an 
 expression of appreciation and gratitude the settlers 
 raised a sum of money and presented it to him through 
 Governor Grey.
 
 158 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 In another way he did good service to the colonists,, 
 and added to their resources. Another problem that 
 the pioneers had to face was this : How to grind the 
 corn that they gathered in ? There was rio 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. He returned to the Old Land in 1853, 
 and lived there to the ripe old age of eighty-one years. 
 
 The time drew near for Governor Grey to leave. 
 The last year of his administration was one of un- 
 paralleled prosperity. 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 two hundred 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. To- 
 wards 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 in- 
 creased. Confidence had been completely restored. 
 Everything was full of life and promise. The Govern- 
 ment were engaged in forming and improving roads and 
 bridges on important lines of communication. The 
 value of the exports for the year was 148,000. The 
 prosperity 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
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 159 
 
 little over 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. In 
 1845 (the year that Governor Grey left) grain was ex- 
 ported to the value of 22,442. 
 
 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," that had sat in severe 
 judgment upon him 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 capa- 
 city 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 (Go- 
 vernor Robe) stated to the Council that the value of 
 exports for three years were as follows : 
 
 In 1843 81,000 
 
 In 1844 95,000 
 
 In 1845 148,000* 
 
 *A little more than ten years previously the London 
 "Times" had ridiculed the idea of exports from the proposed 
 colony to England.
 
 160 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 Shortly after Governor Grey had left John Stephens, 
 the able editor of the " Register," gave a glowing account 
 of the condition of the colony. Said he : " The popu- 
 lation was rapidly growing, work was plentiful, and 
 wages good. The appearance of the cornfields sur- 
 passed anything that had been witnessed in South Aus- 
 tralia. 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 tem- 
 porary dole of flour at one shilling a pound. The 
 settlers were able to ship about 5,000 worth of flour 
 to the Cape of Good Hope in one vessel. This in addi- 
 tion to other shipments to other parts of the globe. 
 Valuable harbors, heretofore suspected rather than 
 known to exist, had been subjected to careful examina- 
 tion and survey. The painful season 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, affording all manner of store "; the sheep are 
 " bringing forth thousands and tens of thousands "; the 
 " oxen are strong to labor ;" in the streets there is 
 " no complaining "; and with proper joy and humility 
 we may assert the happiness of a people who " are in 
 such a case !" 
 
 Governor Grey left the colony on October 26, 1845, 
 to administer the Government in New Zealand at a most 
 critical time. 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 had lived in the colony during the
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 161 
 
 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. 
 Hundreds 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 realised. They put 
 liim 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 emotion, that his brain was dizzy. 
 He said that he felt like a man who was dreaming, as 
 though the glowing scenes were glorified visions, sug- 
 gested by the memories of the past, which would pre- 
 sently fade away." On another occasion he described 
 his feelings as similar to those of a man who had been 
 dead for fifty years and then had come to life, and had 
 revisited the scenes of his youth. They took the
 
 162 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 sapient old warrior to the Town Hall. The self-reliant, 
 self-contained, and determined spirit was overcome with 
 emotion. Said he : " I can scarcely realise 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 the way of my Maker so far as I could com- 
 prehend it .... I have always been supported 
 by the belief in God's goodness as manifested to me^ 
 My judgment is that man cannot prosper if he falls from 
 faith by which I mean trust in a Supreme Being." 
 
 It was during Governor Grey's time that one of the 
 most honored 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 re- 
 peating his favorite 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 22, 1845. 
 
 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
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 163 
 
 Letter from a Gentleman in Adelaide " which appeared 
 in " The London Times." It was dated January 19th, 
 1842. The writer was evidently a fair-minded and 
 observant critic. He said that the colonists were ex- 
 periencing the height of summer, the thermometer stand- 
 ing 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 essentials of civilization, he 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 settlers. Although the harvest 
 had been bountiful hundreds were pining in want, and 
 were in the extreme of destitution. The writer then 
 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 tem- 
 porary settlement of the immigrants on the banks of 
 the Torrens. The site of the town not having been 
 fixed nor 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.
 
 164 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 The consequence was that they settled in Adelaide, and 
 became shopkeepers 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 occurrence 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 landowner 
 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 pur- 
 suits. 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 nothing 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 Governor Gawler's bills (who 
 did everything on a grand scale) came back dishonored. 
 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 fea- 
 ture 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 reduced in 
 price. " But," the writer said, " there is no money in 
 the colony." It had all gone to pay for three or four 
 years provisions, consumed " while the immigrants lived
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 165- 
 
 in idleness." The colonists, without exception of rank 
 or class, were completely paralysed by the sudden transi- 
 tion from a state of apparent prosperity to one of 
 absolute prostration. " To add to our difficulties," the 
 writer said, " our new Governor (Captain Grey) arrives 
 with very limited powers, and he does not bring with 
 him the money to pay Colonel Gawler's bills." The 
 " bills are not paid to this day." Affairs being in so 
 depressed a state, farmers and others were not able to 
 pay laborers if they hired them, and so many as two 
 thousand, out of a population of fifteen thousand, 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 
 laboring men, working ten hours a day, with the thermo- 
 meter at 100 or 110 degrees in the shade, fifteen pence 
 per day, without rations or lodgings. There was 
 another trouble : the immigrants brought to South 
 Australia by the Emigration Fund were fast leaving the 
 new settlement. Every vessel from Port Adelaide was 
 crowded with them. New Zealand was the favorite 
 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 pre- 
 sent 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 no sufficient data for very confident predic- 
 tions." He thought that those possessed of sheep and 
 cattle could not fail to do well. Those following agri- 
 cultural pursuits might do well, and certainly 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 laborers 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
 
 166 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 considerable historical value. He stated that it was 
 nearly three months since a vessel had arrived from 
 England, consequently the immigrants were without 
 any letters, and the Governor without any definite in- 
 structions from the Colonial Secretary, though intelli- 
 gence 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 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 labor 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 Governor 
 Grey, " no doubt acting under instructions," was pur- 
 suing a course diametrically opposite to that pursued 
 by Governor 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 sup- 
 port many laborers and mechanics " as paupers " who 
 were previously in full employment. The Governor 
 had amalgamated officers, reduced salaries, discharged 
 clerks, messengers, and laborers from every department. 
 All the evils in the colony were not to be attributed to 
 the change in the Government, to the Commissioners in 
 England, nor to Governor Gawler. Nothing worth 
 mentioning 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 colo- 
 nists ? 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." (*) 
 
 The high rate of wages led to a state of great pro- 
 fusion and luxury among the working classes, and this, 
 
 *The explanation was that the people were living on their 
 capital which was soon eaten up, then apparent prosperity 
 gave way to poverty.
 
 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 167 
 
 with the purchase of all the necessaries of lile 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, nor guarded against, materially 
 aided in bringing about the distress. The writer thought 
 that the colonists could boldly claim, and were entitled 
 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, nor 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 the want of money." Meanwhile the conduct of the 
 Home Government added to the settlers trouble. 
 " They undertook 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 re- 
 mained 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 predecessors in the first instance. The writer 
 added : " The neighboring colonies are in much the same 
 predicament as ourselves, 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 further
 
 168 CONSOLIDATION AND EXTENSION. 
 
 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 convinces me that it stands 
 unrivalled. Land, labor, 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 settlers on their legs again. I 
 must now conclude this already too lengthy epistle, 
 and trust if you have not received other and better in- 
 formation this will in some measure explain the cause 
 of the present depressed state of affairs in the colony." 
 
 This letter, discovered by the author 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.

 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 
 
 The first four Governors appointed by the Crown 
 were officers 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. Communities 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 position 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 dis- 
 cipline, but he knew very little of the art of " govern- 
 ing " 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 
 leading 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 con- 
 fided, we can scarcely find language strong enough to 
 express our detestation of the principles which could
 
 170 . STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 
 
 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 representative of the bright and friendly lady 
 who no W L 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 
 unwell. All the Governors came in for some degree of 
 severe criticism. Speaking of Governor Robe the Hon. 
 B. T. Finniss (who knew him well) said: "He was a 
 blunt, honest soldier, not prepossessing in his manner, 
 but under this exterior he possessed a warm and amiable 
 nature, and real ability in the requirements of his pro- 
 fession, though he was not versed in the arts of per- 
 suasion 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 con- 
 ceal it, or to conciliate the Nonconformists as Governor 
 Grey had done." Sir Samuel Davenport, one of the 
 most worthy of our pioneers, writing to the author said : 
 *' Colonel Robe in himself was an eminently kind and 
 honorable 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 
 nature 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 desire, but as a Crown official he was too 
 austere and magisterial. He tried to govern a body 
 of free men much on the same principles that officers 
 govern armies. Is it any wonder that he failed ? 
 
 On one occasion he charged the non-official members 
 of the Council with " dishonorable 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
 
 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 171 
 
 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 applicable, 
 which might suggest itself to honorable members. He 
 would most fully and unequivocally withdraw the ex- 
 pression, leaving it to each honorable member to supply 
 the blank according to the dictates of his own heart. 
 This somewhat clever ruse did not satisfy Major O'Hal- 
 loran, 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 retracta- 
 tion. He trusted that His Excellency, 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 further 
 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. Governor 
 Robe was simply an instrument in their hands a ser- 
 vant of the Crown. He had to do as he was bid. A 
 Bill was introduced into the Council that gave great 
 offence. It dealt with the reservation of minerals and 
 imposition of royalties. The objectionable clauses in 
 the proposed Bill were : 
 
 " 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, payable in kind at the mouth of the
 
 172 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 
 
 pit, shaft, gallery, or quarry from which they may be 
 raised. ... A right of free access to all mines by 
 duly appointed servants of the Crown. ... A right 
 to select, for free occupancy, a portion of land not ex- 
 ceeding 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 resistance 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 reservations in the sale of waste lands within the 
 colony save those expressly authorised by the Land 
 Sales Act ?" Two leading solicitors in the old country 
 said " Yes." This the colonists disputed. One diffi- 
 culty 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 
 distinction. Not only so but the emigrants had come 
 to the colony with the distinct understanding that there 
 was to be no reservation of 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 applied to the public service of the colony. 
 
 An indignation meeting of the colonists was called. 
 It was the most numerously attended meeting ever held
 
 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 173 
 
 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 regulations made by the Governor, with the con- 
 sent of the Executive Council. By the Act, establishing 
 the province, all land was declared open to purchase, 
 without reservation, except for the purpose of roads and 
 footpaths. The Commissioners 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 " 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. Ihey 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 destinies to hers, but they 
 came also to enjoy her freedom. They went forth alone, 
 and unaided by the Parent State to a land whose exist- 
 ence 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 cir- 
 cumstance ? No. They crossed the wide waste of 
 waters in humility, but with fixity of purpose; in peace, 
 but with fervency of hope; to make for themselves 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 twenty
 
 174 STKUGGLES. FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 
 
 thousand pledges in the shape of so many pounds sterling 
 that they should not be a burden upon the Parent State.* 
 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 I 
 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 pifs mouth." 
 
 After the speeches a petition to the House of Lord& 
 and the House of Commons against the proposed legisla- 
 tion 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 present it to the Governor. It con- 
 tained 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 
 
 In the flow of his oratory he forgot that when the 
 Province was nearly wrecked England advanced the money to 
 meet the liabilities.
 
 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 175 
 
 Chairman of the late public meeting it devolves upon me 
 to present to your Excellency the memorial then adopted, 
 as also to request you to transmit to Her Majesty the 
 address of the colonists, for, although the gratifying 
 intelligence has reached us that Lord Stanley's offensive 
 Waste Lands Bill has not received 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 meeting of the 13th ?" 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN " Yes, sir. With your 
 permission I will first read the memorial to your Excel- 
 lency." 
 
 His EXCELLENCY " If you please." 
 
 The substance of the memorial was that " in order 
 to afford the colonists the opportunity of obtaining 
 relief from the oppressive measure of which they com- 
 plained (the imposition of royalties) His Excellency 
 would suspend or defer the operation of that measure 
 within the province until an appeal had been made to 
 the Queen for protection." 
 
 His EXCELLENCY (in cold, caustic tones) " Your 
 memorial stigmatises 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 Parlia- 
 ment, 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 discre- 
 tion 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 Parliament.
 
 176 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 
 
 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 pre- 
 sentation 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 magis- 
 terial utterance must have taken the humiliated deputa- 
 tion by surprise. History does not say whether or not 
 they retreated 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 " Ob- 
 server " (whom 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." 
 
 This circumstance suggests another episode in the 
 administration 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 30, 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)
 
 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 177 
 
 interrupted. " He rose on a point of order. He did 
 not see what right honorable members had to speak on 
 the first reading of a Bill." 
 
 JOHN MORPHETT (continuing) " In this instance 
 his objections 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 the State, 
 or the Queen herself, to resume rights which had been 
 solemnly ceded when the Bill was passed establishing 
 the colony. The Royalty Bill was an unjust Act, and 
 an inquisitorial one." 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN, CAPTAIN BAGOT, and SAMUEL 
 DAVENPORT 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 
 (carried on the casting vote of the Governor). Then 
 there was a scene. Instantly 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 non-plussed. He said 
 a few words to some of his officials; looked at the vacant 
 seats. There was no quorum. The business of the 
 small community 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 un- 
 fortunate occurrence of last Friday he thought it right
 
 178 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 
 
 to second the motion himself merely to give him an 
 opportunity of expressing 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 retire- 
 ment, 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 
 resisting 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 
 judgment, 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 be- 
 lieved the Bill to be inexpedient and unlawful. He 
 claimed the right of retiring when he could not con- 
 scientiously 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 Honorable 
 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 
 Commons." 
 
 SAMUEL DAVENPORT seconded the amendment, and 
 it was supported by CAPTAIN BAGOT and MAJOR O'HAL- 
 LORAN. 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 that he and the other 
 honorable members had adopted was constitutional. 
 He had asked Governor Grey what he should do in the
 
 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 179 
 
 event of a measure being forced by the Government, and 
 liis answer was : " Retire from the room." 
 
 The ADVOCATE-GENERAL defended the action of the 
 Governor in giving his casting vote in favor 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 that 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-official nominees, representing the 
 people. The Council divided. 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' Gal- 
 lery 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 asserted 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 members, 
 authorise the withdrawal of the Bill. At the same time 
 he must repeat that he should on no occasion suffer 
 members 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 colonists were much relieved. It was a happy 
 stroke of the stern old Governor's. There were loud 
 cheers in the gallery which could not be suppressed, in 
 the midst of which Major O'Halloran rose to thank His 
 Excellency. 
 
 Writing to the author fifty-four years after this 
 historical event, Sir Samuel Davenport said : " I knew 
 nothing of the intention of the other non-official mem- 
 bers, I knew only that to impose royalties on public
 
 180 STRUGGLES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM. 
 
 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 
 u military Governor the suspicion of a conspiracy, and I 
 felt I should rather have sent in a resignation. How- 
 ever, Governor Robe took complacently our individual 
 subsequent explanations, and I concluded the proposal of 
 royalties had come to the Governor as an order from 
 England." 
 
 In May, 1847, this unfortunate Bill cropped up 
 again. The British Government requested the pay- 
 ment of the royalties. The Adelaide Mining Company 
 objected to the demand. Later on the case was tried 
 before the Supreme Court, but Judge Cooper gave the 
 verdict against the Crown. 
 
 The division in the Council over the Royalty Bill 
 demonstrated the need for some constitutional change. 
 The constitution 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.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 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 Rote 
 will be ever memorable as the time when the question 
 of State-aid versus the Voluntary Principle was brought 
 to an issue. 
 
 The first emigrant 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 Australia, and I have no hesitation in saying I 
 trust it never will 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 extensively established in 
 the hearts of a willing people." 
 
 Some months after a correspondent, signing himself 
 " Churchman " revived the subject. He stated that
 
 182 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 
 
 the Episcopal Church in South Australia was by law 
 established, and that an effort would soon be made to 
 grant, out of the colonial revenue, an annual sum for 
 religious purposes generally, and for support of clergy- 
 men of the Establishment. 
 
 Later on there was a long discussion in the press on 
 the Voluntary Principle. 
 
 Governor Gawler was an earnest Christian man. 
 State-aid to religion powerfully appealed to him. He 
 did not think that the Voluntary Principle would be 
 equal to the demands that would be made upon it. 
 Unless the Government, in some practical way, recog- 
 nised the Christian religion he failed to see that it was a 
 Christian Government. He held that chaplains should 
 be appointed by the State, and that land, for religious 
 purposes, should be sold for five shillings per acre. These 
 were merely suggestions. 
 
 It will thus be seen that, for a long time, the sub- 
 ject was simmering in 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. 
 
 On June 24, 1846, he introduced the subject into 
 the Council. Said he : "It would appear that South 
 Australia is the most backward of all the colonies of the 
 British Empire 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 reproach 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 population, have lately received 
 the benefit of two additional clergymen. . . . The 
 due apportioning of Government aid among the different
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 183 
 
 sects of professing Christians is a question of some 
 difficulty, but it is not, I trust, insurmountable." 
 
 Those who desired the Government grant imme- 
 diately set to work. There was no delay. The day 
 after the Governor'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 Volun- 
 tary Principle, 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 honorable Council 
 to take under your consideration this important sub- 
 ject." 
 
 The petition was very skilfully expressed. " While 
 the petitioners desired to see brought into general opera- 
 tion 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 honor- 
 able Council should take the important subject into 
 consideration." 
 
 Those opposed to the grant were not inactive. At 
 once a meeting was held in the South Australian Com- 
 pany'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." 
 
 At the next meeting of the Council a memorial 
 against the grant was presented by MR. SAMUEL DAVEN-
 
 184 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 
 
 PORT. 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 im- 
 portant one. There are ho 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 question. The better the more realistic 
 plan will be to give an epitome of the speeches. 
 
 It was JOHN MORPHETT who led the party in favor of 
 the grant. He moved : " That His Excellency be re- 
 quested 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 KEGISTRAR-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 in- 
 struction, but experience had shown him that it could 
 not be done. 
 
 The COLONIAL SECRETARY (Alfred M. Mundy) was 
 in favor of State-aid. The Voluntary Principle, he 
 thought, would not be found in any place sufficient. 
 
 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 
 lie moved " That the sum of 1,110 10s. be introduced 
 into the estimates to be divided among the different
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS, FREEDOM. 185 
 
 sects of professing Christians in proportion to their 
 numbers according to the census returns." 
 
 This was seconded by the REGISTRAR-GENERAL 
 and supported by the COLONIAL SECRETARY and the 
 ADVOCATE-GENERAL. Said the latter : " Let dis- 
 senters* 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." 
 
 CAPTAIN BAGOT and SAMUEL DAVENPORT opposed 
 the motion, 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 granted 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 Christians." 
 
 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 we 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 
 
 ^Dissenters to the principle of State-aid.
 
 186 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 
 
 placed yourselves. 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 
 pagans ?" 
 
 CAPTAIN BAGOT replied " Most assuredly. All 
 who contribute." 
 
 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 we 
 have given items, shows the difficulty in which a Govern- 
 ment 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 repre- 
 sentative names as Anthony .Forster, William Giles, 
 George S. Kingston, William Peacock, and John and 
 Edward Stephens. Edward Stephens was chosen 
 chairman. The people had a mind to work, and 107 
 in the interests of the objects of the league were imme- 
 diately 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 un- 
 qualified freedom in all matters pertaining to religious 
 belief and worship has been violated, and the claim of 
 the State to make religion subservient to political pur- 
 poses has been asserted. 
 
 " The evils involved in the principle of State sup- 
 port 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 out- 
 ward conformity, and has, at the same time, imposed
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 187 
 
 penalties upon a failure in these outward observations 
 a,s though they were essential and all important. It 
 has thus corrupted religion by making it formal, and 
 weakened the State by compelling it to persecute, and, 
 wherever carried out to its legitimate consequences, it 
 has proved an effectual bar to the advance of a com- 
 munity in any of the paths of social or material progress. 
 Judged by its fruit it is condemned by the voices of 
 experience from the first moment of its adoption to the 
 present time. 
 
 " It is not, however, solely upon this uni- 
 versal experience of its results that its intro- 
 duction is now resisted, but even more, because 
 its principles are opposed to the spirit of Christianity, 
 and subversive of the rights of conscience. 
 Christianity is, in its very essence, a voluntary as 
 contradistinguished from a State religion. It ap- 
 peals, not to nations, but to individuals. Its motives 
 and its sanctions, its promisings and its threatenings. its 
 consequences in this world and in the next, are purely 
 individual and personal. It imposes upon every in- 
 dividual by whom it is embraced the obligation of con- 
 tributing by his personal example, by the devotion of 
 his time, and wealth, and energy to its maintenance and 
 diffusion; but it rejects compulsion, and holds itself 
 independent of the support of such as are indifferent and 
 hostile. 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 Christian 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 and forms of other sections are inconsistent 
 with the spirit of their common faith. Any contribu- 
 tion by the State is therefore to compel every
 
 188 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 
 
 member of the State to aid in the support and propaga- 
 tion of doctrines of which he conscientiously disap- 
 proves, and thus to make him an agent in the dissemina- 
 tion 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 ex- 
 pediency 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 interfere. If the State should over- 
 step 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 con- 
 cession, 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 
 highest 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. 1 ' 
 
 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 
 question. MAJOR O'HALLORAN was not satisfied with 
 the way in which money voted by the Council for reli- 
 gious purposes was spent. He moved for copies of all 
 correspondence which had taken place between the 
 Government and the denominations who 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
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 189 
 
 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 explained his action as the result of a dis- 
 pute between the Major 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 accordance with 
 the Act of Council No. 13 of 1846, and that the informa- 
 tion therein given is sufficient for the purposes of the 
 Act." 
 
 R. F. NEWLAND seconded the amendment. He 
 considered 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 animosity. 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 that it was reasonable that all 
 public monies 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 car- 
 ried; 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.
 
 190 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 
 
 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 their 
 protest. 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 
 Smillie) moved the second reading of the Bill, and the 
 COLONIAL SECRETARY (Alfred M. Mundy) seconded. 
 
 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 principles on which 
 the colony was founded. It was one of the induce- 
 ments 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'HALLORAN shelving the Bill, as did SAMUEL DAVEN- 
 PORT. The MAJOR stated that it was no use pressing 
 his amendment, as Governor Robe's casting vote would 
 carry any Bill. 
 
 In committee JACOB HAGEN said " It was impos- 
 sible to legislate for religion at all without defining 
 what kind of religion. He moved the insertion of the 
 word " Christian." 
 
 The GOVERNOR and COLONIAL SECRETARY supported 
 the motion. 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN said " No." If the Chinese? 
 Hindoos, or New Zealanders came to South Australia
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 191 
 
 he considered 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 shut out. 
 
 GOVERNOR ROBE replied that the Council were 
 legislating for the Christian religion. The Bill for the 
 promotion of Mahommedanism was not before them. 
 
 JACOB HAGEN'S motion was carried. 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN affirmed that he would like to 
 see inserted 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 only the inten- 
 tion of the Act to afford 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 ati 
 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. 
 
 MAJOR O'HALLORAN instanced a chapel in his 
 neighborhood 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.
 
 192 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 
 
 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 
 difficulties, 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 refer to the question again. 
 
 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 Lieut. -Colonel in the army, and 
 appointed deputy quartermaster and General at Mauri- 
 tius, 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 also the courage 
 to express them. It was impossible for him to be a 
 " Mr. Facing-both-ways." John Stephens, editor of 
 the " Register," who had severely criticised 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. In relinquishing the duties which had
 
 STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 193 
 
 devolved upon him he looked to his Sovereign alone for 
 any expression of approbation." 
 
 The pretty little seaport town in the South-East of 
 the province (Robe) is named after him. 
 
 It was during Governor Robe's term that an Act 
 was passed " to establish a Savings Bank in South Aus- 
 tralia." This was on the 22nd of September, 1847.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 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 super- 
 structure. 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 members 
 of the Council were nominated by the Governor, and his 
 casting vote was sufficient to keep in existence the 
 Royalty Bill or State-aid to religion. 
 
 But a better time was coming. Sir Henry Edward 
 Fox Young was appointed Governor. On March 11, 
 1848. a banquet was held in his honor at the Albion 
 Hotel, Aldersgate-street, London. W. Wolryche Whit- 
 more 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 publish 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 remark- 
 ably alive to the blessings of civil and religious liberty. 
 Although by descent, education, and conviction a mem- 
 ber of the Church of England, he nevertheless considered 
 himself to be intimately incorporated in that far wider 
 and more universal body which included the whole race 
 redeemed by the Divine Saviour, and of which the
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 19f> 
 
 Established Church was but a fractional part. So far r 
 then, as lay in his power, both by precept and example 
 he would try to inculcate in South Australia 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 called to rule. The few words of his 
 address just quoted reveal him as a prudent and con- 
 ciliatory man. 
 
 On August 1, 1848, the " Forfarshire " dropped 
 anchor in South Australian waters, having on board 
 the new Governor (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 
 Excellency 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 
 honor 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 Stephens r 
 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
 
 196 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 
 
 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 
 <lual authority 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 colony coming into conflict 
 with the Governor. The possible became actual. On 
 the voyage out the two quarrelled, and so long as this 
 stupid arrangement lasted, the one was pitted against 
 the other. 
 
 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 practi- 
 cally took over the colony, the Commissioners' rule came 
 to an end. This was a further step in the right direc- 
 tion. 
 
 In 1842 another improvement was made. An Act 
 was passed for the " Better Government of South Aus- 
 tralia." This to a limited degree only gave the 
 settlers some voice in the management of their political 
 affairs. A Legislative Council 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 rang 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 popu- 
 lar 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 
 
 I
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 197 
 
 the people into conflict with the Crown. The four 
 official nominees paid servants of the Crown voted 
 in favor 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 re- 
 presentative of the Crown. They had outgrown this 
 kind of tutelage, 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 harvest. Expectations were disappointed, 
 and the settlers experienced the " hope deferred " that 
 " makes 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 representa- 
 tion. Bitterly was the expectation disappointed in 
 His Excellency's opening speech. Breathless was the 
 expectation that awaited Sir Henry's euphonious de- 
 livery, but as soon as it was perceived that the whole 
 burden of his message had reference to the augmentation 
 of his own salary, honorable members looked aghast, 
 and strangers in the gallery turned their pale faces to the 
 wall in mute astonishment, and, when the first day's
 
 198 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 
 
 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 responsi- 
 bility suspended the operation of the obnoxious Royalty 
 Bill. Shortly after his arrival the following announce- 
 ment 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 demonstrations in his honor. 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. 
 
 About the close of 1850 advices were received from 
 England that a new constitution was to be granted. It 
 was to arrive by the " Ascendant." When the ship 
 cast anchor the Constitution could not be found. George 
 Fife Angas (who came out in the " Ascendant ") tells 
 how it was ultimately found at the bottom of the Cap- 
 tain's dirty linen bag, having been hurriedly put there 
 by the steward for security, and then forgotten. 
 
 It was an Act for the " Better Government of Her 
 Majesty'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 administered by the Executive and Lords 
 of the Treasury, provision was also made for the con- 
 tinuation of nomineeism, though on a much more limited 
 scale.
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 199 
 
 The new Constitution provided for a Legislative 
 Oouncil 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 qualifica- 
 tions and where situated. The qualification was pos- 
 .session 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 
 Legislative Council on the old basis was no more. In 
 his valedictory address to the members the Governor 
 said: " The ordinance which has just been enacted 
 devolves upon me the issuing of writs for an enlarged 
 Council under the new Constitution, 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, however, 
 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-half years in which I have had the honor 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 s^me time before the new Council, on the more popular 
 basis, would be elected, some members were anxious that
 
 200 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 
 
 payments should be made to the denominations accept- 
 ing aid in the interim. JOHN MORPHETT rose " to per- 
 form what he considered to be a duty. It was pro- 
 bably the last time that the old Council would assemble. 
 He thought that it was his duty to move that His Excel- 
 lency 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 : 
 
 Towards 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. Th& 
 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 officials accepted the grant the 
 majority of the members of that church were opposed to 
 it. The acceptance of the grant 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 thi& 
 colonising romance, in one of the pioneer papers the 
 author met with the following paragraph, published in 
 1847 :
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 201 
 
 " The Wesley an 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 congregation has withdrawn en masse 
 from the chapel, and the meetings are held from house 
 to house. The Rev. William Longbottom. unaware of 
 this fact, went over, according to the 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 resolve, assured him that nothing personal 
 was intended towards 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 to 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 hi the field was Francis 
 Stacker Dutton, a worthy pioneer builder who was 
 knighted by the Queen and became the Agent-General 
 for the province in London. 
 
 Great interest was taken in the elections. A test 
 question 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"
 
 202 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 
 
 was much in evidence. Flags were flying, and banners 
 were carried about the streets. 
 
 As an evidence of the practical working of State- 
 aid to religion we give the following incident that oc- 
 curred 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 "Register" 
 in 1851 he said : 
 
 " 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 
 place at Salisbury. That gentleman not only attended 
 there to give his vote for the graixt candidate, but re- 
 mained 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 at- 
 tended 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 mistaken." 
 
 The elections to the new more representative Legis" 
 lative Council took place in July, 1851, with the follow" 
 ing result : 
 
 The province was divided into sixteen districts, to 
 represent 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 John Grainger 
 
 Edward C. Gwynne Major Norman Campbell.
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 203 
 
 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. 
 
 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 spec- 
 tators. 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, professional men, merchants, 
 traders, and sturdy yeomen, " all good men and true," 
 so the press said, were present. The approaches to the 
 collonade entrance of the court were lined by a strong 
 body of the metropolitan police, while a military guard 
 of honor 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
 
 20-1- POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 
 
 franchise. It was the first representative assembly irr 
 the colony which the pioneers had founded. 
 
 On August 29, 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." He said : " With regard to the 
 ultimate objects of the Bill it was impossible that there- 
 could be two opinions. It was impossible that any 
 honorable 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 count- 
 less advantages, therefore, 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 propose to- 
 give unconditionally, but to give supplementary aid- 
 The State assumed the position of an indulgent parent 
 who, desirous of encouraging habits of economy in a 
 child, would say: save one shilling and I will give you 
 another. (A laugh.) 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 (Captain Sturt) seconded 
 the motion. 
 
 CAPTAIN BAGOT rose with the view of accounting 
 to the House why the honorable members who were 
 with him would not follow the usual course of allowing 
 the first reading of the Bill to pass without comment. 
 The Bill that he held in his hand supplied a sufficient 
 explanation of and excuses for the course they had deter- 
 mined 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
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 205 
 
 subject without debate without raising acrimonious 
 feeling. 
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN HART then proposed " That the 
 Bill should be read a first time that day six months," 
 which 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 dis- 
 cord. If they threw out the Bill at that stage they 
 would prevent much ill-feeling. 
 
 GEORGE S. KINGSTON seconded the amendment, 
 and expressed 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 ap- 
 parently 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 con- 
 stituents to oppose the grant, further than having ex- 
 pressed to them his conscientious objection to the mea- 
 sure. 
 
 ROBERT DAVENPORT advocated the Voluntary Prin- 
 ciple. 
 
 The REGISTRAR-GENERAL (B. T. Finniss) felt con- 
 vinced that thousands came to the colony in the hope of 
 finding provision made for religion, and that, as at home, 
 Christianity was part and parcel of the law of the land. 
 Why should the State be excluded by law from contri-
 
 206 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 
 
 buting to the support of the Christian religion which 
 was part of the common law of the country ? 
 
 GEORGE HALL had great satisfaction in supporting 
 the first reading of the Bill. He could hardly realise 
 the idea much less the stern reality that a community 
 so blessed and favored 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 throwing 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 character of the colony 
 if it were noised abroad that a measure so important 
 had been thrown out without due discussion. 
 
 FRANCIS S. DUTTON said that those who were op- 
 posed to the measure had come to the conclusion that it 
 would be advisable to decide the matter without long 
 discussion. The wisdom of such determination was- 
 apparent from the fact that one honorable 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 vote 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
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 207 
 
 present measure he despaired of peace. Five years 
 ago the unjust measure was passed, and he well remem- 
 bered the indignation manifested at a large and im- 
 portant public meeting. He was one of a deputation 
 appointed to remonstrate with Governor Robe, and he 
 could never forget the 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 haughti- 
 ness of a Russian autocrat, passed this hateful Bill, and 
 they were involved in discord where haimony had pre- 
 viously obtained. South Australians would revere the 
 memory of the dissenters of to-day. % 
 
 The COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS (Robert R. Torrens) 
 said the measure before the House could not have the 
 effect of giving one church a predominance as it proposed 
 to distribute 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 contributed 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 
 yourselves, 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.
 
 208 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 
 
 For the Bill. Against the Bill. 
 
 Colonial Secretary (Capt. Advocate - General (R. D. 
 
 Sturt) Hanson) 
 
 Registrar-General (B. T. Captain Bagot 
 
 Finniss) John Hart 
 
 Collector of Customs (R. R. Francis S. Dutton 
 
 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 
 received such a blow that it has been prostrate ever since. 
 It is dead in South Australia, beyond the probability of 
 a resurrection. 
 
 As the question is one of world-wide interest one 
 upon which the opinions of men are still very much 
 divided we venture to make some comments upon it. 
 
 The argument of those in favor of State-aid is that 
 the community of which we form a part is a Christian 
 community, therefore the State ought to support the 
 Christian religion. The critical reader will at once see 
 that the proposition takes for granted that which ought 
 to be proved. The whole community is not a Christian 
 community. It is made up of persons professing various 
 beliefs. We grant that Christians are in the majority. 
 But on questions of spiritual belief questions that 
 must be settled between man and his Maker the rights 
 of minorities must be respected and conserved. In 
 this connection we see the error that the State made 
 when it was under the domination of the Roman Church. 
 Men, knowing that religion was a matter affecting their 
 own souls and God, and wishing to do the will of God as 
 it was revealed to them by that Spirit who is to guide us 
 into all truth were called upon to suffer for conscience
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 209 
 
 sake. Here, too, we see the mistake made when the 
 State was, so to speak, under the domination of the 
 Reformed Church, and Romanists were deprived of 
 their political rights. The whole community do not 
 see eye to eye in relation to religious ideas, forms, and 
 ceremonies, and the rights of minorities, in reference to 
 matters of spiritual belief, must be protected. No man 
 must be ignored or persecuted for conscience sake. Our 
 pioneer fathers were wise enough and liberal enough to 
 perceive this. When Governor Robe brought in his 
 Bill for State-aid to the Christian religion Major O'Hal- 
 loran moved that " the Jews should be included in the 
 grant." Governor Robe asked " Do you mean to 
 propose Pagans ?" Captain Bagot (who was opposed 
 to State-aid) replied " Most assuredly. All who con- 
 tribute." Major O'Halloran affirmed that he " had a 
 great objection to partial legislation," and had found 
 good Pagans as well as Christians. 
 
 Now we view the question in another light, and 
 affirm that the State does support the Christian religion. 
 It secures to adherents of the Christian faith all their 
 legal rights. Our church properties are safe-guarded; 
 our congregations are protected; freedom of thought 
 and of speech, and the right of private judgment in re- 
 ference to spiritual matters is defended. But a narrow- 
 minded objector says : the State does the same for 
 Judaism, Buddhism, or Mahommedanism. And why 
 not ? If the conduct of men who profess these forms of 
 religion is moral, and they render unto Caesar the things 
 that are Caesar's contribute their share to the revenue 
 why should they not be protected ? To assert the 
 contrary, and to try and put into practice what the 
 assertion involves (that all men should worship God 
 under the same circumstances, and should see eye to 
 eye in religious matters) would be to bathe the world in 
 blood. 
 
 We have spoken of religious differences in the 
 community generally as an argument against State-aid, 
 now let us speak of differences among Christians them-
 
 210 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 
 
 selves. We are not all cast in the same mould, and in 
 the spiritual as well as in the material world there is the 
 force of affinity. Instinctively men form themselves 
 into separate societies. Some prefer a simple form of 
 worship and some an elaborate one. Some like a 
 democratic form of Church government, and some a 
 form that is more imperial. If the State, in a distinc- 
 tive sense, is going to give monetary support to the 
 Christian religion, then to which section of the Christian 
 Church shall the grant be made ? To single out one 
 would be to sit in judgment upon and to do an injustice 
 to others, as is the case in England. So our worthy 
 pioneer, Jacob Hagen perceived when the question was 
 under discussion in the old nominee Council. Said 
 he " Would the Council vote money to assist a number 
 of Mussulmen to build a mosque ? If not they sat in 
 judgment upon their opinions." Governor Robe and 
 the official members of the Council perceived this diffi- 
 culty, hence they proposed to support all branches of 
 the Christian Church on a basis of membership. But 
 this would lead the State into difficulty. Many of the 
 sections of the Christian Church are mutually exclusive. 
 The Greek Church looks upon the Roman Church as 
 heretical, and the Roman Church regards the Greek 
 Church as schismatical. The Reformed Church i& 
 made up of different bodies, and these are divided on 
 questions of polity and practice. Neither the Anglican 
 Church nor some Baptist Churches have open com- 
 munion. They do not allow members of other churches 
 to partake with them of the Sacrament of the Lord's 
 Supper. How could the State support such diverse 
 organizations. If it were to decide (as the old nominee 
 Council did) to support churches on a basis of member- 
 ship or adherents, this would be simply to put tempta- 
 tion in the way of the churches. 
 
 We have pointed out that there is a very potent 
 way in which the State does support the Christian re- 
 ligion. But this is not what the advocates of State-aid 
 want : It is monetary assistance that they demand.
 
 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 211 
 
 There is only one way in which the State to prevent 
 anomalies can meet this demand : it must take the whole 
 matter of religion under its control as the South Aus- 
 tralian Parliament has taken the question of education. 
 It must specify one form of religion as the religion of the 
 land. It must demand, under penalties, that all men 
 must conform to this form; they must all hold the same 
 ideas and render worship in the same way. The State 
 must choose ministers and appoint them to their offices. 
 They must hold office at the pleasure of the State only 
 so long as they observe its requirements. Such would 
 mean strife, bloodshed, and national disintegration. It 
 would be State Socialism in relation to the soul of man 
 with a vengeance. And why not if the State is going to 
 support (in a monetary sense) any form of religion. If 
 it provides the money it ought to have a voice in the 
 expenditure of that money. How soon this difficulty 
 cropped up in the experience of our pioneer fathers. 
 Major O'Halloran was not satisfied with the way in 
 which one of the churches had spent its grant. He 
 moved for " copies of all correspondence which had 
 taken place between the Government and the denomina- 
 tions who had forwarded returns of money received, 
 and as to the manner in which that money had been ex- 
 pended." Said Captain Bagot, speaking to this motion: 
 " It was reasonable that all public moneys should be 
 under the scrutiny of the Council." 
 
 The State must not interfere with a man's religious 
 belief, and must not call upon one man to support the 
 religion or form of religion of another man. Spiritual 
 entities are personal matters between the soul and God. 
 Every man shall himself give an account to God. 
 Neither Church nor State must use a bribe or compulsion. 
 There is a system of truth revealed in nature, in the 
 constitution of the soul, and in the Old and New Testa- 
 ment Scriptures, all of which are complementary, and 
 by his personal relation to that system of truth every 
 man must stand or fall. Such is the teaching of the 
 great Head of the Church. He always dealt with man
 
 212 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS EMANCIPATION. 
 
 as a free agent with power to receive or to reject and 
 responsible for his own act. "Put up thy sword," 
 said He, " for all who take the sword will perish by the 
 sword." " The weapons of our warfare are not carnal." 
 Here is to be seen the difference between two of our 
 pioneer builders: the Advocate-General (William Smillie) 
 and Alexander L. Elder. Said the former " Let the 
 dissenters 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." Said the latter " He was con- 
 vinced that religion could propagate itself without 
 Government aid." 
 
 Underlying New Testament teaching is the fact 
 that Church and State are two distinct spheres. It 
 was not to the Imperial authorities at Jerusalem that 
 Christ said, " Ye are the salt of the earth," but to a few 
 men and women who had received the truth. They 
 were to be like leaven which a woman took and hid in 
 three measures of meal till the whole was leavened. 
 The leaven may be represented as the Church and the 
 meal as the State. The Church untrammelled by the 
 State has to leaven society and to do so is to leaven 
 the State.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 
 
 The Legislative Council on its broader and more 
 representative basis did good work. 
 
 It is the rational nature that makes such a wide 
 divergence 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 recognised this 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 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. 
 Amongst the pioneers was a man named Captain Brom-
 
 214 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 
 
 ley. 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 he landed at Nepean 
 Bay, Kangaroo Island. He gathered around him the 
 children of the settlers and taught them the first prin- 
 ciples 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 number amounted to only twenty-four, 
 and nearly half of 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 ten shillings, 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 beautiful currant tree, which 
 would have accommodated 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 
 honor of planting the first British school in British 
 North America in the year 1813. He remained on 
 Kangaroo Island from the 5th of December, 1836, to 
 the 19th of May, 1837. He then removed to Adelaide, 
 having accepted the office of Protector of the Aborigines. 
 Shortly after lie was drowned in the River Torrens. 
 
 The first schoolmaster appointed to the colony was 
 .John Banks Shepherdson. George Fife Angas had been 
 instrumental in founding in England a " South Aus- 
 tralian School Society." John B. Shepherdson was 
 sent out as teacher. He arrived a few months after the 
 colony was founded, and opened his school in a wooden 
 erection on the Park Lands, opposite Trinity Church.
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 215 
 
 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 Drummond, the first Presbyterian 
 minister in the new settlement, also conducted a school 
 in addition to his clerical work. 
 
 In addition to these there was a classical school in 
 Gawler-place conducted by Mr. MacGowan. Ap- 
 parently he had been a teacher in the Old Country 
 before emigrating to South Australia. The " London 
 Literary Gazette " spoke of " Mr. MacGowan 's success- 
 ful 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 Governor 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 
 they met in 1851 a Bill was brought in in which it was 
 proposed to teach not only the preliminary arts of read- 
 ing, writing, and arithmetic, but also to give instruction 
 in the higher branches of education 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 training institution 
 for teachers. Undenominational religious instruction 
 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." One clause in the new 
 Act specified that no minister of religion should have a 
 seat on the Board. No doubt the fierce battle over
 
 216 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 
 
 State-aid to religion lay at the basis of this anti-clerical 
 legislation. Governor Young sent a message to the 
 Council asking that some alteration in this clause should 
 be made, but the Council carried it in opposition to 
 him. 
 
 Another piece of useful legislation passed by the 
 new Council was the District Council's 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, roads, 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 thou- 
 sands 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 industrial 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 instances 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 and coining some of the diggers' gold. They
 
 SIR HENRY EDWARD FOX YOTNG
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 217 
 
 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 telegraphic communica- 
 tion it was impossible to ask the consent of the Imperial 
 authorities. A special session of the Legislative Coun- 
 cil was convened, and the Bullion Act was introduced 
 and passed in a day. Governor Young gave his con- 
 sent to the Bill, and it became law as a temporary ex- 
 pedient to relieve the colonists from a crushing diffi- 
 culty. For his services at this critical juncture the 
 colonists presented George Tinline with a testimonial 
 consisting of 2,500. 
 
 The Legislative Council that assembled on July 
 21, 1853, was the most important political gathering 
 in the history of the province. Governor Young laid 
 before the members copies of dispatches 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, consisting 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 dwelling 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 members, nominated 
 by the Crown, who were to hold seats for life, and thus 
 be independent of the Government and the people. It 
 was entitled " A Bill to establish a Parliament in South 
 Australia." The proposed constitution of the Upper 
 House did not suit the people. They wished to make it 
 elective instead of nominative, and were opposed to life 
 membership. 
 
 To test the case, before the Bill was fully discussed, 
 FRAXCIS S. BUTTON brought forward a motion " That
 
 218 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 
 
 in the proposed Bill for constituting a Parliament for 
 South Australia this Council is of the opinion that the 
 Upper House should be elective." Said he: The ques- 
 tion was brought forward at this time because it was 
 thought to be the primary centre on which the constitu- 
 tion about to be formed would turn. He did not pre- 
 tend 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 un- 
 less the people had a voice in its formation ? 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 building 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 favored a Legislative Council 
 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 poli- 
 ticians did their work we give a few items of the debate. 
 
 EDWARD C. GWYNNE rose with considerable diffi- 
 dence to speak upon the motion. It involved a subject 
 of great magnitude. 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 re- 
 quire any more elaborate constitution than it already
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 219 
 
 possessed. He thought the measure was premature. 
 His fear was the fear of the tyranny of a democratic 
 majority. Many who thought with him objected to 
 the measure on account of its democratic tendencies. 
 He would be willing to support the measure to take 
 all risks if a nominated 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 the germ of what, in due time, would give them 
 a similar institution. 
 
 GEORGE M. WATERHOUSE 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 Govern- 
 ment 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 Eng- 
 land. People appeared to labor under the apprehen- 
 sion of some indefinable evil connected with an elective 
 Upper House; but such was not a necessary feature of a 
 republic. 
 
 The Colonial Secretary (BOYLE TRA.VERS 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 (RoBT. R. TORRENS) de- 
 livered a long and able speech in favor 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 who would re- 
 turn members for the Lower House. It was evident
 
 220 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 
 
 that such an Upper Chamber would be but a reflex of 
 the Lower. Why this jealousy of the Crown displayed 
 here ? Why should we desire 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 demo- 
 cracy established in the colojiy, 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 consideration of which he was capable. If 
 convicted of error he would at all hazards to himself 
 support the motion. Opposing 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 we are in no condition to experimentalise. The 
 British constitution we have tried and proved. He 
 maintained 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 republics 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 institution. 
 W T hat deeds are done under the sacred name of liberty 1 
 The example of an elective Upper House was shown in 
 America. What were its fruits ? Popular opinion 
 substituted for law. The judges of the land bowing 
 before it. The rights of property invaded. There 
 reigns the despotism of despotisms " The will of the 
 majority !" 
 
 EDWARD STEPHENS said he had been asked whether
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 221 
 
 he were 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 hereditary 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 reflex 
 of the lower. 
 
 JAMES H. F[SHER 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. AN GAS said that he had been told by 
 eloquent gentlemen that the Bill, providing for a nomi- 
 nated Upper House was in accordance with the British 
 constitution, but he maintained that in the House of 
 Lords the elective principle, to a certain extent, ob- 
 tained. 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 made upon it by the 
 Registrar-General. Under that constitution flourished 
 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 demoralization 
 of the people, and should not be charged to the constitu- 
 tion founded by the descendants of the religious fathers. 
 It had been said that those who desired to introduce 
 democracy would vote for an elective Upper House. 
 He would do so, and 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 suspected of indifference to the form of constitu- 
 tion which would so materially influence the progress of 
 the colony, and the character of its inhabitants. He
 
 222 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 
 
 had duly weighed all that had been advanced by honor- 
 able members on the subject. He had given the matter 
 his best consideration, and would vote for an elective 
 Upper House 
 
 The Colonial Secretary (BOYLE TRAVERS FINNTSS) 
 was of opinion that the nominee principle gave large 
 scope for selecting men most distinguished for talent r 
 for information, 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 favor of an elective Upper House but that 
 of the Cape, and it was a mere experiment. He trusted 
 that they would adopt the results of experience rather 
 than untried theories in their zeal to serve South Aus- 
 tralia. 
 
 JOHN BAKER argued in favor of an elective Upper 
 House on the basis that the members should be elected 
 for life. By the elective principle only would their 
 object be 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 regarded 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 favorable to a nominated 
 Upper 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 movement. If it were carried
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 223 
 
 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 (CAPT. G. F. DASHWOOD) 
 wished it to be distinctly understood that he would 
 never give his vote to any amended form of the con- 
 stitution 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 judg- 
 ment the Bill before the House was the best that could 
 be devised to secure that object. He objected to an 
 elected 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 
 nominees 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 honorable members who opposed the motion 
 seemed to suppose that all the argument was on their 
 side, lie (with the other members who thought with 
 him) was quite willing to leave the decision of the ques- 
 tion to the intelligent people of the province. A nomi- 
 nated 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 Biitish constitution, and he thought
 
 224 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 
 
 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 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 Chartism 
 was apparent!} 7 in the ascendancy; when the most daring 
 threats were made, public meetings held, and gigantic 
 processions organised 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 majesty, 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 universi- 
 ties, 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 helpless silence. One reason why he favored a 
 nominee Upper House was because he thought the 
 Governor had better opportunities of judging the capa- 
 cities 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 keystone to the British 
 constitution, and which they should endeavour to adopt 
 as much as possible. 
 
 WILLIAM PEACOCK said that so great so deter- 
 mined 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
 
 SOME 'USEFUL LEGISLATION 225 
 
 a farcical imitation of the House of Lords. Let them 
 ask the opinion of the people out of doors, and it would 
 be found that 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 con- 
 sideration, 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 (Richard Davies Hanson) 
 said that 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 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, who 
 would not feel the necessity 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 vox 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 matter 
 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 honor- 
 able members 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
 
 226 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 
 
 passed. A clumsy compromise between the Govern- 
 ment 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. Further 
 on we shall see that it was not accepted 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 property 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 ap- 
 proaching its majority. For such a period Governor 
 Young was an ideal ruler. During the tenure of hi 
 office legislation became more and more in harmony 
 with the will of the people. He did not remain to see 
 responsible government, in the full sense of the word, 
 established, but he remained long enough to see 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 interest. 
 
 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 colonists, went to Goolwa to greet the steamer 
 and her captain. Some two hundred persons assem- 
 bled. A volley from nineteen guns was fired, and hearty 
 cheers were given. Speaking of this historic event the
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 227 
 
 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 honor attaching to the first voyage of 
 a steamer on the waters of the Murray will redound to 
 his credit, and subserve the best interests of his adopted 
 country." 
 
 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 forty horse power, and were 
 not to exceed in draught two feet of water when loaded. 
 Captain Francis Cadell was the successful competitor. 
 He first embarked in a canvass boat a bold under- 
 taking on the upper Murray, 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 " Lady 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 district 
 had gathered, and a great number of blacks. The 
 Governor was also present, with a party from Adelaide, 
 including 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 Commonwealth which the pioneers were 
 building up. They determined to do honor 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 festivities 
 were over the " Lady Augusta," with a distinguished
 
 228 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 
 
 party on board, including the Governor, steamed up the 
 river with the cargo boat in tow. This was on August 
 26, 1853. The party readied Swan Hill on September 
 17, 1853. 
 
 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 
 pioneers celebrated with eager, great, and glowing 
 anticipations. 
 
 A public banquet was tendered to Captain Cadell. 
 This was on Wednesday evening, October 26, 1853. 
 The banquet 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 ad- 
 dresses were given by such noted nation builders as 
 Richard D. Hanson, John Stephens, George Marsclen 
 Waterhouse, William Younghusband, John Baker, Wil- 
 liam Giles, and George Fife Angas. 
 
 The Governor (Sir Henry Young) proposed the toast 
 of Cadell. In doing so he delivered an eloquent speech. 
 Said he: " The great river constitutes a permanent bond 
 of union between three large and prosperous colonies, 
 and as surety 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 im- 
 pulse to the commerce and social improvement of South 
 Australia. The steam navigation of the Murray this 
 Australian Mississippi when fully developed, will form 
 an important epoch, and will hasten 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 produc- 
 tions as the grim visage and uncouth accents of the 
 savage are gradually changed into the smiling aspect and 
 the busv hum of the voices of industrious and civilised
 
 SOME USEFUL LEGISLATION. 22<> 
 
 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 mercenary 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." 
 
 It is said that in after years Captain Cadell went in 
 for pearl fishing on the north-west coast of Australia,, 
 and whilst asleep was murdered by one of the crew in 
 1879. 
 
 Governor Young was the father of South Aus- 
 tralian railways. It was during his time that the rail- 
 way to the Port was constructed, and consent was 
 given for the formation of the Adelaide and Gawler 
 line. During his administration steam postal com- 
 munication was established between South Australia 
 and England, and the electric telegraph within the colony 
 came into use. 
 
 The chilling reception that Governor Young re- 
 ceived on his arrival was more than atoned for by the 
 practical expression of esteem that marked his depar- 
 ture. An address was presented to him, and a hand- 
 some silver claret jug and salver. Lady Young re- 
 ceived a silver tea service valued at one hundred guineas. 
 The party left Government House on December 20, 1854. 
 A salute of thirteen guns was fired. There was a detach- 
 ment of mounted police in front of the carriage, and in 
 the rear a guard of honor composed of the Adelaide 
 Mounted Volunteer Rifle Corps. A large number of 
 gentlemen on horseback, and various vehicles, brought 
 up the rear. Governor Young was appointed ad- 
 ministrator of the Government in Tasmania.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 
 
 It was not till June 7, 1855, that Governor Sir 
 Richard and Lady MacDonnell arrived. During the 
 interim the Hon. B. T. Finniss acted as administrator. 
 
 The liberal rule of Sir Henry E. Young had evi- 
 dently won the hearts of the people. It stimulated 
 their loyalty. The vice-regal appointment was no 
 longer regarded with impatience or indifference. The 
 result was that Sir Richard MacDonnell and his lady 
 met with a most effusive welcome. The ships in the 
 harbor were decorated, and flags from various positions 
 waved in the breeze. An address was presented to 
 him at Port Adelaide. A salute of seventeen 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 pre- 
 sented 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 
 position. 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 
 Oovernor of the Gambia settlements. Here he nar- 
 rowly escaped with his life. In one of his expeditions, 
 visiting a native town, he fell into an ambush. His 
 olothes were pierced in many places with spear and 
 sword cuts. It was the want of union among his 
 assailants, and the gallantry of some native allies that 
 saved him. Afterwards he was appointed to a Go- 
 vernorship in the West Indies, and then to South Aus-
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 231 
 
 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 dur- 
 ing his administration said: " The Governor and his 
 lady are very popular, and deservedly so. They mix 
 freely in society, and take a lead in all the amusements 
 of the place. Sir Richard is spoken of as rather too 
 clever a man for his position, and as being rather in- 
 clined to chafe under the restraints inherent to the 
 condition of the strictly constitutional Governor. He is 
 a fine, powerful, masculine fellow; full of life, vigor, 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 their approval. Sir 
 Richard MacDonnell received a dispatch from Lord 
 John Russell advising a reconsideration of the Bill. 
 Before attempting further legislation Lord John Russell 
 suggested the expediency 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 dispatch the 
 dissolution 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 history 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 formulate their own. Said
 
 232 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 
 
 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 responsibilty 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 
 service to the colonists, suggested the lines on which 
 he thought a new constitution should be based, pro- 
 viding for a single Chamber, of forty members, with 
 four official nominees. The suggestion did not meet 
 with the approval of the people. The days of nomina- 
 tion were numbered. Great interest was taken in the 
 elections. Many were carried away by excitement. 
 Rival colors were worn, and in some instances rival flag& 
 were torn down. Unfortunately in West Adelaide, 
 where the Hibernian element prevailed, shillalahs were 
 used. The successful candidate for West Torrens 
 (Thomas Reynolds) 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 Adelaide banners and 
 decorations were in great profusion. 
 
 The new Legislative Council consisted of the fol- 
 lowing : 
 
 NOMINATED BY THE GOVERNOR. 
 Official Nominees 
 
 Boyle T. Finniss (Colonial Secretary). 
 Richard D. Hanson (Advocate-General). 
 Captain Arthur H. Freeling (Surveyor-General). 
 Robert R. Torrens (Colonial Treasurer). 
 
 Non-Official Nominees 
 
 James H. Fisher Marshall McDermott 
 
 Samuel Davenport Edward Stirling
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 233 
 
 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- 
 Icnown early settlers as Sir James H. Fisher. Major 
 O'Hallorart, Walter Duffield, Alexander Hay, Edward 
 C. Gwynne, Marshall McDermott, and Edward Stirling. 
 
 The Governor chose three of the defeated candidates 
 as non-official nominees. 
 
 Upon this new Legislative Council devolved the 
 responsibility 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. 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, Novem- 
 ber 1st, 1855, in the new Chamber on North-terrace. 
 The public gallery was crowded with citizens and re- 
 presentative public 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-
 
 234 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Chief of South Australia. This he took to be an indi 
 cation 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 cum- 
 brous 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 under- 
 standing that 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 
 their deliberations was: Two Houses; both elective. 
 The Upper House to consist of eighteen members, elected 
 by the whole colony; the Lower House of thirty-six 
 members, elected by districts. In the Upper House 
 aix 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
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 235 
 
 right of purchase; and 25 tenants. All voting was to 
 be by ballot. This Parliament Bill was passed on 
 January 2, 1856. Whilst 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 remem- 
 bered as that in which the principles were established 
 and the broad foundation 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 honorable industiy 
 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 Con- 
 stitution, 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 
 24, 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; Treasurer, Hon. Robert R. Torrens; 
 Commissioner of Public Works, Hon. Captain Arthur 
 H. Freeling; Commissioner of (. !rown Lands, Hon. Charles 
 Bonney. 
 
 The elections under the new regime were very 
 orderly. The battle over State-aid had been fought; a 
 
 * 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."
 
 236 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Constitution in harmony with the wishes of the people 
 had been granted: all that the community now had to do 
 was to quietly and wisely vote for the new representa- 
 tives. 
 
 The Parliament under the new Constitution met on 
 April 22, 1857. About one thousand spectators assem- 
 bled on North-terrace. A guard of honor was drawn 
 up in front of the Council Chambers, and a detachment 
 of police was stationed on the Terrace. A royal salute 
 was fired. The multitude cheered. They brought 
 forth the top stone shouting grace! grace! unto it. 
 
 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 
 John Baker 
 William Younghusband 
 John Morphett 
 Edward C. Gwynne 
 Anthony Forster 
 Abraham Scott 
 William Scott 
 George Hall 
 Henry Avers 
 Arthur H. Freeling 
 George Fife Angas 
 Edward Stirling 
 James H. Fisher 
 Captain C. Bagot 
 Samuel Davenport 
 Charles Davies 
 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, 
 Burf ord .
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 237 
 
 Port Adelaide John Hart arid John B. Hughes. 
 
 West Torrens -Luther Scammell 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. 
 
 Xoarlunga 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 Arthur 
 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 
 4i 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." 
 
 Said the " London Times " in commenting upon the 
 position: " 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 this is no longer a 
 colony, but a nation, saddled with all the rules and 
 traditions of the political life of the Mother Country." 
 
 A visitor to South Australia in 1857 published bis
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 
 
 " reminiscences." From these we may learn what 
 Adelaide and its suburbs looked like in the year in which 
 responsible Government was granted. 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 restric- 
 tions, to plant along the kerb in front of their premises; 
 and along all the terraces which surround the town; 
 and in all the squares, which occur at regular intervals r 
 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 insigni- 
 ficant; however, 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 ten 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, considering their 
 extreme beauty, I am surprised that I have heard BO 
 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 appear- 
 ance; gently undulating, sometimes well-covered with 
 timber, sometimes 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 them- 
 selves, and every passing cloud adds its quota to the 
 general effect. The gardens in the neighborhood of 
 Adelaide exceed any that 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 alto- 
 gether. The kinds range from the gooseberry to the
 
 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 239 
 
 loquat and the orange. Extensive olive gardens pre- 
 sent themselves here and there; but, to my great sur- 
 prise, no use whatever is made of the produce. The 
 vine is being extensively cultivated. Wine making is 
 progressing in numerous directions. The railway and 
 electric telegraph are progressing at a moderate rate. 
 The railway has already connected Adelaide with the 
 Port, a distance of eight miles, and also stretched away 
 to Gawler town, twentj^-five miles into the interior. 
 These lines are in the hands of the Government, and are 
 badty worked. Little attention is paid to either punc- 
 tuality or regularity of working in any respect. Your 
 ticket is either asked for two or three times, or not 
 asked for at all, and to my intense amusement I saw a 
 lady, unprovided with tickets for herself and friend, 
 count out the fare to the guard, and send him away 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 nearly half a century ago. Our 
 railway system then had only just been boni, and no 
 doubt was in a crude condition.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 EXPLORATION. 
 
 Around 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 be- 
 yond ? 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 mariners and customs ? Are there any 
 large rivers, lakes, or inland seas ? Is it possible to 
 traverse the continent ? Such were the questions that 
 appealed to the pioneers and which they soon endea- 
 voured to answer. 
 
 Sheep, cattle, and horses were needed in the new 
 settlement. Would it be possible to bring these over- 
 land 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 pas- 
 toralist 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. Fur- 
 ther on we shall see that he was a born adventurer 
 bold, determined, cool, calculating, and resourceful. 
 He was not the man to give way to panic, or to lose
 
 EXPLORATION. 241 
 
 his wits in the presence of difficulty and danger. Eyre 
 had the " conquer or die " spirit. He was the stuff that 
 heroes are made out of -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 George Grey (afterwards 
 Governor) paid to the new settlement in 1840. He sug- 
 gested to some of the leading emigrants the advisability 
 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 unknown and mysterious centre of 
 the vast Australian continent. Eyre dined with 
 Governor Gawler, and the two talked the matter over. 
 He volunteered to take charge of a party, 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 dis- 
 posal. 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 excur- 
 sions to the north, both from Port Lincoln and Ade- 
 laide . 
 
 The party consisted of Mr. Eyre and his com- 
 panion (Mr. Scott), John Baxter (who had been the
 
 242 EXPLORATION. 
 
 overseer of his sheep station), Corporal Coles (of the 
 Royal Engineers), John Houston, R. McRoberts, and 
 two black boys. All the preparations were now made. 
 
 It is Thursday morning, June 18, 1840. The little 
 settlement on the plains is astir. Something very un- 
 usual 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 
 black boys and several white men are in attendance. 
 Gentlemen are riding into the Government Domain. 
 Several conveyances are driving up, and the occupants 
 are alighting. Whilst 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 heroic 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 have met to say farewell to 
 Edward John Eyre, who is about to enter upon one of 
 the most heroic and hazardous enterprises ever under- 
 taken by man. 
 
 After breakfast Governor Gawler rises and ad- 
 dresses 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 dis- 
 covery of the interior of Australia. Mr. Eyre goes 
 forth this day to endeavour to plant the British flag in 
 the very centre of our island continent. May tritimph 
 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, amongst others Miss 
 Hindmarsh (daughter of the first Governor) and Miss
 
 EXPLORATION. 243 
 
 Lipson (daughter of the first harbor-master) had worked 
 a handsome Union Jack in silk for presentation to Mr. 
 Eyre. The gallant 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 
 color, 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 civilised 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 bow 
 while the Rev. C. B. Howard (Colonial Chaplain) offers 
 prayer. 
 
 It is now twelve o'clock. A large party of the 
 pioneer emigrants have gathered around Government 
 House. A procession of horsemen is formed, cheers 
 are given, and away the gallant explorer canters up 
 North Adelaide road, accompanied by sympathising 
 friends. After proceeding a few miles they say fare- 
 well, and Edward J. Eyre and party are left alone to 
 pursue their journey into an unknown land a land of 
 sand, drought, stones, salt bush, and scrub, into the 
 mysteries of which the mind of civilised 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 drawing-room of civilised life I had r 
 in a few hours, been transferred to the solitude and 
 silence of the wilds. ... I had suddenly become 
 isolated with regard to the world which, so far as I was 
 concerned, now consisted only of the few brave 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
 
 244 EXPLORATION. 
 
 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 one hundred and twenty miles north of the 
 primitive settlement the party met a poor old emaciated 
 native, apparently left by his tribe to die. He was re- 
 duced to a mere skeleton, and life was slowly ebbing 
 away. They also fell in with a party of natives at the 
 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 Costal Brook. The party pushed on to 
 Mount Arden. At the head of Spencer's Gulf they re- 
 ceived 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 
 black boy, 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 twenty-five miles off, was the glittering bed of 
 Lake Torrens. Pushing on the travellers came to the 
 lake. It seemed to be from fifteen to twenty miles 
 across, and from forty to fifty 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
 
 EXPLORATION. 24 & 
 
 centre of the lake to see whether or not it contained 
 water. It was evident that he could not travel further 
 in this direction. His hope of success in penetrating 
 further 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. Fortu- 
 nately here and there the travellers came to a puddle 
 in the plain a kind of clay pan where they obtained 
 a little water. A great many emus were seen, and 
 occasionally the part} 7 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 " ]n such country 
 what accommodation could I expect, or what hopes 
 could 1 entertain for the future, when the very water- 
 shed from the clouds would not be drinkable after re- 
 maining a few hours on the ground I 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 black boy 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 anxious to find 
 permanent water so that he might remove his depot 
 further 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 one hundred and twenty miles from the depot at 
 Mount Arden. In the journey back both the black boy 
 and himself suffered great privations. The country 
 was terribly rough, water scarce, and food unpalatable. 
 Occasionally the black boy secured an opossum, or Eyre 
 shot a kangaroo, which was a welcome change from
 
 246 EXPLORATION. 
 
 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 prepara- 
 tions again to penetrate into the interior. In the 
 course of a few days the whole party reached Depot 
 Pool. 
 
 With a black boy, a man on horseback, leading a 
 packhorse, carrying water, Mr. Eyre again made for the 
 interior. They travelled for the most westerly point of 
 Mount Deception Range. In every direction the 
 prospect was cheerless and disheartening. They sur- 
 prised a camp of blacks, around 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 handkerchief. 
 When they retraced their steps, the next day, they 
 found the two terrified children still in the camp, ap- 
 parently abandoned by the lubras. The fire had gone 
 out, and the elder of the two had scraped a hole in the 
 ashes, in which 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, 
 and a cart loaded with water (about sixty-five gallons), 
 three horses, and a driver. They steered for a high 
 hill, which he named Mount Nor west. 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 around Mount Nor- 
 west was a scene of desolation. To save their lives, 
 and the lives of the horses the party had to go back 
 fifty miles to a place where they had buried some water, 
 and from thence they returned to the Depot. Draw-
 
 EXPLORATION. 247 
 
 ing near the Depot, Eyre was surprised to see about 
 thirty savages around it, brandishing their spears. It 
 appears that in his absence his overseer (Baxter) had 
 oaptured a native woman to gain information about 
 water, and the savages had gathered for the purpose of 
 revenge. Eyre was a wise and a 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 labors and privations had all been endured to 
 no purpose.* 
 
 His last effort in the north was to decide the actual 
 termination of the Flinders Range. He steered for a 
 mountain 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 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 Australian continent by travelling 
 westward. The buried stores were now dug up, and 
 
 * Thirty-two years later a telegraph line was stretched 
 across this apparently impracticable country.
 
 248 EXPLORATION. 
 
 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 for some distance they 
 were driven back to the depot for want of water. 
 
 It was Eyre's desire to get around what isjknown as 
 the Great Australian Bight. A dray was now fitted 
 up and laden with seventy gallons of water. With a 
 black boy and one of his men Eyre again set his face 
 westward. After travelling many miles in the bush, 
 over terrific country, suffering great privations, and 
 losing by death three horses, Eyre 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 " Waterwitch/' then lying in 
 Fowler's Bay. He would make one more effort to get 
 around 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 black boy. They fell in 
 with a party of natives who gave them to understand 
 that there was no water inland. However, there were 
 eighty-five gallons on the dray, and the party pushed on. 
 The horses gave in, and were taken back by the over- 
 seer for water and two days' 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 further 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 the black boys, again 
 went forward. Ere long the man lost heart, and wan 
 sent back. Eyre and the black boy were now alone 
 in the bush. Near the head of the Bight they came to a 
 native pathway, and suddenly came upon four blacks,
 
 EDWARD JOHN EYRE.
 
 EXPLORATION. 249 
 
 camped by a Xvater hole. At first these were hostile, 
 but Eyre soon gained their confidence. From 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 was 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 black boy remained here. Having re- 
 newed their strength they again proceeded westward. 
 This time Eyre achieved his purpose. He got around 
 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 black boy were invited 
 to partake. They got back to the place where they had 
 buried twenty gallons of water, and here they found the 
 overseer on the look out for them, with two fresh horses 
 to assist them back to the Depot at Point Fowler. 
 
 Eyre had been forty-five miles beyond the head of 
 the Australian Bight. He was now satisfied that in 
 this direction there was no route into the mysterious 
 interior. In trying to round the Bight he had travelled 
 six hundred and fortj'-three 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 
 Australia, 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 nine hundred 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
 
 250 EXPLORATION 
 
 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 furthest point that he had reached on his former 
 journej' round the Bight. He now calculated that 
 they had travelled one hundred and ten miles from the 
 last water, but the country remained the same, water- 
 less. 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 had been four days without 
 water, and the supply for the men was now exhausted. 
 The black boy was worn out, and Eyre was little better. 
 He tells how lie lay down to wait for daylight, but not 
 to sleep, agitated by apprehensions as to the fate of the 
 overseer and black boys left behind. They were now 
 one hundred and twenty-eight 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. Following this they providentially, as Eyre 
 affirmed, came to some native wells, where was a good 
 supply of water. Where was 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 black boy hurried back to meet the overseer and 
 party, carrying with them some water. Fortunately 
 they were all preserved. Eyre met them slowly travel- 
 ling onward, though greatly exhausted. 
 
 Having rested for some time at the native wells 
 they again proceeded westward. There were still from 
 six hundred to eight hundred 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 one hun- 
 dred and forty-two pounds to be shared among five
 
 EXPLORATION. 25 1 
 
 persons. Said the heroic traveller -"The task before 
 us was indeed a fearful one, but I firmly hoped, by 
 patience and perseverance, safely and successfully to 
 accomplish it." 
 
 They were now seventy-two miles from water. 
 On they travelled over sandy ridges, salt swamps, arid 
 past dense scrub. Soon they were one hundred and 
 twenty 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) folloAved us about 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 and 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 us." Since leaving the last water they 
 had travelled one hundred and sixty miles, and the horses 
 had been seven days without water and almost without 
 food. The party were 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 recognised and ack- 
 nowledged with sincerity and thankfulness His guiding 
 and protecting hand." 
 
 After camping here for some time they resumed 
 their journey. The party were now about half way 
 between Fowler's Bay and King George's Sound. Food
 
 252 EXPLORATION. 
 
 and water were again almost exhausted, but there was 
 nothing to do but to push on and to trust in Providence, 
 Even if they had wished to retrace their steps to Fowler's 
 Bay such was now impossible. A horse was killed for 
 food. Eyre now had trouble with the black boys. 
 They became mutinous, and stole the rations, conse- 
 quently 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 had 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 running towards 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 black boys, 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 in prosperity, who had accompanied 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 ta 
 be traversed before I could hope to obtain assistance." 
 
 It was night time. Eyre and the native boy had
 
 EXPLORATION. 253 
 
 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 glared in death. It seemed as 
 though he had been awakened by the black boys plunder- 
 ing 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 black boys had been 
 with Eyre four years, the other two and a-half years. 
 It was an awful tragedy, but probablv 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 necessaries 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 black boy (Wylie) again faced westward. On 
 the way the other two black boys 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 change 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 one hundred and 
 thirty 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. It was with the greatest difficulty that 1 could 
 get Wylie to move if he once sat down. I had myself 
 the same kind of apathetic feeling, and would gladly
 
 254 EXPLORATION. 
 
 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. Here to their great joy they 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 sea shore. Vegetation 
 continued to improve, and good water was found. 
 Both Eyre and the black boy 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 horse flesh. 
 Of this circumstance Eyre says " Having seen some 
 kangaroos near our camp I sent Wylie with the rifle 
 to try and get one." He brought home one large 
 enough for two good meals. This was cooked. "Wylie 
 commenced by eating one pound and a-half of horse 
 flesh and a little bread; he then ate the entrails, paunch,, 
 liver, lights, tail, and two hind legs 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 singeing 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 
 presence 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 fresh water they had 
 seen since leaving Fowler's Bay, a distance of nearly 
 seven hundred miles. Further on they went down to 
 the seashore and were joyfully surprised to see some 
 boats in the distance. Looking westward they saw the
 
 EXPLORATION. 255 
 
 masts of a large vessel. Ere long the intrepid explorer 
 and his black boy 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 days 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 or 
 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. Governor Gawler has left the colony 
 but his successor (Governor 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 con- 
 tinent, I would yet hope that others may profit by our 
 ill-success, and that some future and more fortunate 
 traveller may, by knowing 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
 
 256 EXPLORATION. 
 
 eighty sheep a valuable gift in the early days. Eyre 
 demonstrated the fact that there was not a single water 
 course 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 Ade- 
 laide. They accomplished the journey in five months. 
 Along the route that Eyre took, a telegraph line is now 
 stretched between the two colonies. 
 
 Associated with Eyre in his attempt to penetrate 
 the interior was Edward Bate Scott. Mr. Scott was 
 born in Kent, England, in 1822. When quite a youth 
 he emigrated to New South Wales. He went on a 
 cattle station to get experience. Came overland to the 
 little settlement in Adelaide with cattle. Here he met 
 with Edward J. Eyre, and became his travelling com- 
 panion. He was with Eyre in the various attempts 
 which he made to reach the centre of the continent. 
 Mr. Scott was anxious to accompany his friend on his 
 perilous attempt to travel overland to Western Aus- 
 tralia, but this Eyre would not permit. Writing to 
 the author in 1905. some sixty-six years after the event, 
 Mr. Scott said: " Eyre, at all risks, would undertake the 
 journey, and I had to return to Adelaide, as he would 
 not jeopardise my life by taking me with him." Mr. 
 Scott became magistrate at Moorunde, on the Murray, 
 and through a long life held different Government 
 offices. At the time when this history was penned he 
 was still living at Currency Creek, aged 83 years. 
 
 THE FROME EXPEDITION. 
 
 After Eyre's return to Adelaide Captain Frome was 
 sent out with an exploring party. This was in 1813. 
 The object of the expedition was to examine the country 
 in the vicinity of Lake Torrens. The expedition re- 
 vealed little but the sterile nature of the country they 
 had to examine. Frome proved that what appeared
 
 EXPLORATION. 257 
 
 to Eyre to be an 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. 
 
 THE STURT EXPEDITION. 
 
 In connection with this a romantic incident must be 
 related. In 1903 the writer of this book wrote some 
 sketches for the " South Australian Advertiser." One 
 of these dealt with Captain Sturt. A letter came to 
 hand some time after, evidently written by an unedu- 
 cated man. It contained a surprising revelation. 
 Substantially the letter 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 man's romantic story 
 appeared to be true. He was uneducated very much 
 ;so, and unlettered men do not perpetrate literary frauds. 
 As soon as opportunity offered, the author 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 con- 
 sider. 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. Cap- 
 tain Sturt was a great and good man. Among the 
 pioneers of South Australia he stands unique. As we 
 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 further on see,
 
 258 EXPLORATION. 
 
 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 laboring 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 purchased by the Public Library 
 authorities, and is now one of the most valuable of several 
 historical relics. On it we shall partly draw as we 
 make the Sturt expedition live and move before us. 
 ******* 
 It is Saturday, August 10, 1844. The new settle- 
 ment is not yet nine years old, and the city of Adelaide 
 is still in a very primitive condition. Many of the road& 
 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 are going to start 
 to explore the interior. In honor of the event the 
 Government have proclaimed a public holiday. The 
 heroic Eyre had failed to lift the veil that shrouded the 
 interior of the continent 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 ware- 
 house," Grenfell-street. Many of the leading colonists 
 are present, and Major O'Halloran takes the chair. 
 Addressing the company the chairman says: " We are 
 assembled here in great number to do all the honor in our 
 power to one whom we claim as our own the discoverer 
 of this province, 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
 
 EXPLORATION. 259 
 
 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 
 civilised man. May Sturt, the selected of his country 
 for so great and glorious an undertaking, be the fortunate 
 individual reserved to solve the great problem, and, by 
 withdrawing 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 r 
 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 r 
 and if I return I pray God that I might find all in pros- 
 perity and happiness." 
 
 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'Hal- 
 loran on the other. They are followed by more than 
 one hundred of the pioneer settlers, mounted on horses. 
 The loaded bullock drays, with the provisions and camp 
 necessities, bring up the rear. Down King William- 
 street the procession wends its way, past Government 
 House, over the city bridge, and then on to the North- 
 road. The farewell is said at " Dry Creek." How 
 very suggestive. Before Captain Sturt returns he will 
 meet with many a dry creek and will often be in need of 
 water.
 
 260 EXPLORATION. 
 
 The exploring party consisted of : 
 
 Captain Sturt (in command) 
 
 Jno. M. Stuart (draughtsman) 
 
 J. Lewis (mariner) 
 
 L. Piesse (storekeeper) 
 
 J. Poole (second in command) 
 
 J. Browne (medical officer) 
 
 D. G. Brock (scientist) 
 
 ATTFNDANTS. 
 
 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, two hundred 
 .sheep, and a supply of provisions for twelve months. 
 The party also took a boat twenty-two feet long. The 
 explanation is that some were of the opinion that in 
 the interior of Australia there was an inland sea. 
 
 The party reached Moomnde on the River Murray 
 Eyre had gone north, and, finding no practicable route, 
 had traversed the west coast. Sturt set out in an 
 easterly direction. At Moorunde he appointed the 
 men to their respective positions, and addressed them. 
 He forbade any communication 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 would be permitted to return to their homes ? 
 Would his own body be laid in the desert, or would he 
 be more successful in lifting the veil from the interior 
 than Edward John Evre had been ?
 
 EXPLORATION. 261 
 
 For some distance the party followed the course of 
 the Murray. Eyre (who was now at Moorunde as a 
 special magistrate) travelled with them part of the 
 way. Captain Sturt's attendant was a black boy 
 named Tampawang. For several days the party tra- 
 velled up the Darling River till they reached Laidley 
 Ponds. At Cawndilla they formed a camp, and Cap- 
 tain Sturt, Dr. Browne, two men, and a native named 
 Topar made an incursion into the interior to the north- 
 west. Captain 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 misunder- 
 standing. He discovered a water hole to which he gave 
 the name of Parnari, and to this the whole party moved. 
 After staying here for a few days they moved further 
 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 further 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 pursuit, 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."
 
 -262 EXPLORATION. 
 
 '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 natives who were 
 quiet, inoffensive, and who shunned the presence of the 
 whites. 
 
 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 neigh- 
 borhood, and had traversed the country in every direc- 
 tion, that the truth flashed across my mind that we 
 were locked up in the desolate and heated region into 
 which we had penetrated as effectively as if we had 
 wintered at the pole. . . . Providence had, in its 
 .all- wise purposes, guided us to the only spot in that 
 wide-spread desert where our wants could have been 
 permanently supplied, but had there stayed our further 
 progress into a region that almost appeared to be for- 
 bidden ground." Here was both food and water for 
 the animals and men. Sturt called this the Depot 
 Glen. Here Dr. Browne had a serious attack of illness, 
 -and the health of several of the men broke down. Sturt 
 also was 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 continent. Taking with him his "draughtsman 
 {John Macdouall 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, whilst he and 
 a lad named Joseph tried to penetrate still further 
 north. They took with them a horse and cart laden 
 with sixty-nine 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,
 
 EXPLORATION. 263 
 
 no living creature was to be heard. Sand and spinifex 
 were the universal covering of the land." They re- 
 turned to the water where they had left the other two 
 men. After scouring the country in various directions 
 the party returned 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 manu- 
 script 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 means of changing 
 his diet. I pray that neither Mr. Browne nor myself 
 (on whom the first symptoms still continue) may be 
 similarly afflicted." 
 
 April 28th. I regret to say that Mr. Poole is 
 worse. I am realty 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 dis- 
 colored, 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; 
 provisions were getting low. The animals had made 
 .the ground bare for miles around the Depot. Said
 
 264 EXPLORATION. 
 
 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." 
 Towards the end of June they had been five months 'at 
 the Depot, still the long drought had not broken up. 
 
 On July 12, 1845, rain began to fall.'l I " 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 
 five inches. 
 
 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 between Sturt and his second in command was 
 a most affecting one. " Poole wept bitterly." 
 
 On July 16 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 pene- 
 trate 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. .t 
 
 In his manuscript diary Sturt wrote : 
 
 July 15th. " About seven o'clock we were sur- 
 prised by the sudden return of Joseph Cowley, who 
 attended Mr. Poole as his servant, and who now came 
 to announce to us that our unfortunate companion was 
 no more. This sad intelligence has come like a thunder- 
 bolt on myself and Mr. Browne." 
 
 Apart from the sadness of the event the delay must 
 have been very distressing to Captain Sturt. The 
 long-looked for rain had corne, 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.
 
 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NATIVE WOMAN.
 
 EXPLORATION. 265 
 
 On an inspection 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 twelve I went over to the Depot, at which place I 
 read the funeral service over our departed comrade, 
 who now sleeps hi the desert. As we had not the 
 material with which to make a coffin I suggested that 
 an open space should lie left at the bottom of the grave 
 to be boarded over, so as to prevent the earth from fall- 
 ing 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 towards the higher part of Lake 
 Torrens, beyond Mount Hopeless. In doing so they 
 surprised some natives on the top of a sandhill. " 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 vehemently, 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
 
 266 EXPLORATION. 
 
 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, fur, 
 skin, entrails and all, only breaking away the under 
 jaw, and nipping off the tail with their teeth." 
 
 Having ascertained that the country to the north- 
 west of Lake Torrens was not practicable, they retraced 
 their steps to Park Depot. It was now August 10, 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 pro- 
 visions with them for fifteen weeks. They started on 
 August 14, 1845. 
 
 By August 23 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, 
 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 N.W., notwithstanding the incessant 
 assurances of these poor creatures, we came upon their 
 huts under a sand hill, 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 at 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
 
 EXPLORATION. 267 
 
 region was not uninhabited. Of this stony desert 
 Sturt wrote in his diary: " This plain fe a most remarkable 
 feature in the geology of the interior. It is about 
 ten 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 N.E. during some violent 
 change in the central parts of the continent 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 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 labors 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 unfavorable 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 difficult country. Fortunately as they tra- 
 velled still further into the interior they again came to a 
 pool with water. 
 
 Turning again to Sturt's manuscript diary we 
 read : 
 
 August 31st. " 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 purpose that we ran down every 
 creek, and searched the flats for water. The whole 
 left by the late rains had disappeared, and our hitting
 
 268 EXPLORATION. 
 
 upon any now 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 disappeared. 
 Close to us there was a small puddle at which the natives 
 appear to have stopped until they could stop no longer 
 the dregs of one of those pools left by the late rains, in 
 which a stick would stand upright. To this all kinds of 
 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 further. Dr. 
 Browne was unwell. The horses were becoming ex- 
 hausted. 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 four hundred miles distant, to 
 tell the fate of his companions." 
 
 Turning again to his recently discovered diary we 
 find this entry : 
 
 September 7th. -" The more anxiously we look 
 out for rain the less likely is any to fall. Our position r 
 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 ten 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
 
 EXPLORATION. 269 
 
 effort in that direction, in the present dry state of the 
 weather, would be \vorse 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 one hundred and fifty miles of the centre 
 of the continent. He tried to strike out in other direc- 
 tions, but circumstances were against him. On Sep- 
 tember 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 sue* 
 cess. This morning, in accordance with this resolution, 
 we commenced our retreat, yet it is with a heav} 7 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 found 
 Mr. Stuart and party well. 
 
 Sturt now decided that Dr. Browne should return 
 to Adelaide with all the party but three, whilst he him- 
 self 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 M. 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 provisions. It is very doubtful how far I 
 shall be able to go."
 
 270 EXPLORATION. 
 
 '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. 
 
 The following extracts from his manuscript diary 
 indicate his position : 
 
 October 20. " From the summit of one of the 
 ridges hereabouts we observed the Stony Desert ex- 
 tending 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.' 1 
 
 October 21. "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 fifty- 
 three miles into this iron-clad desert, and had passed 
 over thirty-eight miles of bare stones. My horses had 
 been one night as well as ourselves without water, and 
 we were forty one miles from the nearest of which we 
 knew. Immediately in front of us there rose a succes- 
 sion 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 determined 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 
 half to let the horses feed, and then pushed on for water 
 . . . arid halted at an hour and half after sunset 
 about twelve miles short of it. My horses suffered 
 greatly, and I lost one, which I was obliged to leave in a 
 dying state."
 
 EXPLORATION. 271 
 
 October 23. " 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 forty miles from the heartless and 
 impracticable desert I had entered, and I really knew 
 not which way to turn. I was unwilling 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 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, and 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 
 X.E. I determined on riding a few miles in that direc- 
 tion to ascertain 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 ap- 
 peared to have been dashed against the ground and 
 firmly imbedded in it when the surface was soft. I 
 had advanced from ten to twelve miles, and it had been 
 painful to ride the horses on such ground. Splinters 
 from one to two inches flew from their hoofs as they 
 struck them against the fragments of rocks they could 
 not avoid. . . I found, therefore, that 1 had insur- 
 mountable 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
 
 272 EXPLORATION. 
 
 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 sea fowl. The death-like 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 1 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 geo- 
 logical 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 honor of the pioneer judge of 
 the new settlement. 
 
 When they arrived at Park Depot (also named 
 " Grey Fort " in honor 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 (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 Moorunde. Here a 
 carriage was in waiting to convey him to Adelaide. On 
 January 19, 1S46, he was once more in the primitive 
 settlement with his wife and family. 
 
 Now we sit down at another banquet. It is spread 
 in the Freemasons' Tavern. About two hundred and 
 fifty-six guests are present. Major O'Halloran again
 
 EXPLORATION. 273 
 
 occupies the chair. Among the speakers are men whom 
 South Australians should ever hold in honor 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 barrenness. 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. Experi- 
 ence, 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 thirty 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."* 
 
 * John McDouall Stuart (Sturt's draughtsman) in 1860 
 succeeded in reaching the centre of the Continent. Later on 
 he crossed the Continent, but it was at the risk of his life, 
 and the heroic deed shortened his days. He suffered from 
 scurvy, and almost lost the use of his eyes. In his journal 
 he gives thanks to God for preserving' his life, and then 
 describes some of his sufferings "My right hand nearly 
 useless to me by accident; total blindness after sunset, and 
 nearly blind during the day; my limbs so weak and painful 
 that 1 am obliged to be carried about; my body reduced to 
 that of a living skeleton, and my strength that of infantile 
 Wf-akness; a wreck of former days."
 
 274 EXPLORATION. 
 
 Dr. Browne outlived all the members of the gallant 
 Sturt party. He saw the third generation of South 
 Australians, and died in England in January, 1904, at a 
 great age. 
 
 THE DARKE EXPEDITION. 
 
 About the same time that Captain Sturt set out 
 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 organising 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 sur- 
 veyor." Tents, provisions, ammunition. &c., 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 The expedition succeeded 
 in getting as far as the Gawler Ranges, but were driven 
 back by the inhospitable character of the country. On 
 the return journey Mr. Darke was mortally speared by 
 the blacks, and was buried in the desert. 
 
 THE HORKOCKS' EXPEDITION. 
 
 John A. Horrocks, the leader of this expedition, was 
 a young man of splendid physique, who had had some 
 experience in the work of exploration. In July, 1846 r 
 he and a party set out to penetrate the interior. Un- 
 deterred by the tragic experiences of Eyre, his aim was 
 to cross the head of Spencer's Gulf, and then to 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 Re- 
 markable 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
 
 EXPLORATION. 27i> 
 
 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, 
 8. 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 that he saw to add to the collection they were 
 making. Unfortunately while he was handling the 
 gun the charge exploded, wounding him in the face. 
 The wound was a serious one, and the party had to 
 retrace their steps. After suffering great pain. Hor- 
 rocks 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.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 
 
 The " Tight Little Island," of whieh 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 we have now to speak, 
 
 In our first chapter we followed Captain Matthew 
 Flinders on his voyage of discovery to Terra Australis, 
 and sailed with him around the south coast. We then 
 saw Captain Charles Sturt in his whaleboat, sailing 
 down the Murrumbidgee, 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 Southern to Western Aus- 
 tralia. 
 
 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 
 profession that his father belonged. Matthew was born
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 277 
 
 on March 16, 1774, at Donington, in Lincolnshire. 
 How often the career of a man is decided by the associa- 
 tions of his youth. It was so in the case of young 
 Flinders. He read Robinson Crusoe, and this 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 " Bellerophon " when Lord Howe 
 won his signal victory over the French on the 1st of 
 June, 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 " as mid- 
 shipman, bound for the young settlement on the eastern 
 coast of New Holland. It was " his passion for explor- 
 ing new countries " that " led him to embrace an oppor- 
 tunity of going out upon a station, which, of all others, 
 presented the most ample field for his favorite pursuit." 
 Such is his testimony. It was in September, 1795, that 
 the " Reliance " 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 ad- 
 venture. While the " Reliance " was stationed at Port- 
 Jackson these two young men secured a boat, only eight 
 feet 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 civilised 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
 
 278 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 
 
 whites before, and had had their hair cut. Others now 
 wished to have the same distinction, so, whilst Flinders' 
 powder was drying, he took a large pair of scissors and 
 set to work " upon the eldest of four or five chins pre- 
 sented 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 suc- 
 ceeded 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 coal 
 fields that have made New South Wales famous. 
 
 For a time the two young adventurers were 
 separated. Bass took a whale boat 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 Dieman's Land (Tas- 
 mania) 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 twenty -five tons to further ex- 
 plore the Australian coast, and to look for the strait 
 the existence of which Bass had surmised. In this 
 expedition Bass was associated with Flinders. They 
 circumnavigated Van Dieman'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 around the Australian coast.* 
 
 * Bass had a mysterious end. He returned to England, 
 iind 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.
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 279 
 
 The " Reliance " was ordered to England, and 
 Flinders returned in the vessel to his native land. 
 
 Hitherto the South Coast of Australia was un- 
 known. 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 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. From thence he 
 proceeded to Port Jackson, New South Wales. 
 
 After spending some time in port he set sail examin- 
 ing the east and north coast of Australia, sailing right 
 round the Australian continent. 
 
 Having accomplished all that he desired, Flinders 
 determined to sail for the Old Land. The " Investi- 
 gator " 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 col- 
 lection 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 thought to be well on his way to the Old
 
 280 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 
 
 Land. The " Rolla," a vessel bound for China, and two 
 smaller ships, were sent to rescue the wrecked mariners. 
 
 .Governor King offered Flinders the use of the 
 " Cumberland," a vessel of twenty-nine tons burden, 
 with which to get to England, if possible, without delay. 
 On September 29, 1803, he sailed out of Sydney harbor. 
 
 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 over- 
 took 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 w T ere 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 twenty-nine 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 by 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
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 281 
 
 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 dispatches from 
 Flinders. 
 
 After about three years of imprisonment Flinders 
 wrote : " The state of incertitude in which I remained 
 after nearly three years of anxiety brought on a dejec- 
 tion of spirits which might have proved fatal, had I not 
 sought, by constant occupation, to force my mind from 
 a subject so destructive to its repose. I reconstructed 
 some of my charts on a larger scale . . and com- 
 pleted for the Admiralty an enlarged copy of the " In- 
 vestigator's " log book. The study of the French lan- 
 guage 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 and 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 honor 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 Australis." He died just about the 
 time that it was published, July 14, 1841. The ruling 
 passion of his life was strong in death. Among his last 
 words were these: " I know that in future days of ex- 
 ploration my spirit will rise from the dead and follow 
 the exploring ships."
 
 282 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 
 
 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 that were common to school 
 boys 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 throw- 
 ing a brick bat 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 counties, and for a time estab- 
 lished 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 farm 
 house in ruins and among the debris was the dead body 
 of a beautiful girl, and the lifeless bodies of other mem- 
 bers 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 adventures
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 283 
 
 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 blind- 
 ness, 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 Aus- 
 tralia. 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, sold his 
 cattle station, and 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 nar- 
 rated 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 repre- 
 sentative 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 
 that he had rendered to the colon}'. Captain Sturt 
 had a great love for South Australia. Said he: " Wher- 
 ever I may go, to whatever part of the world my destinies 
 may lead me, I shall yet hope one day to return to my
 
 2S4 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 
 
 adopted home, and make it my resting place between 1 
 this world and the next." 
 
 It may interest the South Australian reader to 
 know that Captain Start's home in the colony was at 
 the Grange, near the seashore, a few miles to the west of 
 Adelaide. Speaking of it he said: " The Grange is a 
 most healthy spot. It has fine, lofty, umbrageous 
 trees, like oaks, the moisture having 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 16, 1869. Cap- 
 tain Sturt was designated for the honor 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 District of Sturt, south of Adelaide, 
 a street in Adelaide, and in a small river that bears his 
 name. 
 
 What has specially impressed the author as he lias 
 followed Captain Sturt from place to place has been his 
 unwavering confidence in God his recognition of an 
 over-ruling Providence. 
 
 EDWARD JOHN EYRE. 
 
 A man of heroic, determined spirit, who for manjr 
 years led a most eventful life. Eyre came from an old 
 and honorable 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 Gram- 
 mar School, at which Alfred Tennyson had been edu- 
 cated. 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
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 285 
 
 star in the literary horizon." Arithmetic and algebra 
 seem to have been his favorite 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 sheep farmer. 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 South Wales to Adelaide with a 
 herd of cattle. On the way he discovered a lake, and 
 named it Hindmarsh, after the Governor. Returning 
 to New South Wales he made a second trip in 1839, 
 bringing with him one thousand sheep and six hundred 
 Tiead of cattle. It was shortly after this that we find 
 Trim 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 enter- 
 prises 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 sometimes 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 possibility 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 over-
 
 286 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 
 
 landers 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, in- 
 deed 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 17/6; six roast geese at 1 each; two legs of 
 mutton, 1; sixteen chickens, 3 12/; twelve pairs of 
 fowls, 8 12/: eight pairs of pigeons at 10/ a pair; three 
 dozen tongues, 7 16/; twelve dozen eggs at 6/ per 
 dozen; thirty-six Ibs. of butter at 3/6 per lb.; twenty Ib, 
 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 
 journeys in the way that 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 find- 
 ing 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 open- 
 ness rarely to be looked for in such a mode of life; and 
 in the distant bush one would unexpectedly stumble on 
 a finished gentleman in the bushman's garb of blue shirt,, 
 soiled cabbage 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."* 
 
 Not long after the events which we have just nar- 
 rated Eyre and his party set out to explore the interior. 
 With this heroic enterprise the last chapter has dealt- 
 
 * "Reminiscences:" Alexander Tolmer.
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 287 
 
 He returned 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 understanding between the 
 blacks and the whites. In the attainment of this object 
 Eyre was eminently successful. He obtained the con- 
 fidence and the goodwill of the natives, and had great 
 influence over them; travelling alone from wurlie to 
 wurlie, 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 con- 
 gregated 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 1 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 Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor 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 com- 
 pany with some Maories he climbed a high snow-capped 
 mountain. In the descent one of the Maories fell a 
 depth of 1.500 feet. 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 moun- 
 tain 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
 
 288 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 
 
 appointed Lieutenant-Governor of St. Vincent, in the 
 West Indies. Here he remained for eix years. 
 
 We are now approaching one of the most painful 
 periods of his life. The awful struggle that he 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 overpowered. Several 
 were killed. The remainder, in company with some 
 prominent whites (among whom was the rector and his 
 sons) took refuge in the court house. The negroes 
 held a consultation, and then set fire to the courthouse. 
 The inmates succeeded in making their escape to the 
 school house. This, too, was set on fire. As the burn- 
 ing 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 mad- 
 dened 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 disaffected 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-martialled, and hung on the ruins of the 
 courthouse. Many negroes were put to death, some 
 were flogged, and hundreds of their huts were burned.
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 289 
 
 When the news reached England Governor Eyre's 
 action was resented by a section of the community. 
 A Royal Commission was appointed to enquire into his 
 conduct. The finding of the Commission was: That 
 whilst the Governor had acted with skill and prompti- 
 tude the punishments inflicted were excessive. The 
 Imperial authorities wrote to Governor Eyre to this 
 effect: That while they appreciated his prompt action 
 in checking the insurrection they considered that it 
 would be wise if some gentleman who had not been 
 obliged to take sides in the recent trouble should be 
 entrusted with the duty of inaugurating a new con- 
 stitution for the island. This was the Governor's re- 
 call. 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 touch- 
 stone of ultimate political convictions. Men who had 
 little concern for ordinary politics came forward to 
 defend a great constitutional principle which they con- 
 ceived to be endangered. A committee was formed to 
 prosecute Governor Eyre on a charge of murder. There- 
 upon a counter committee was organised 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 prosecu- 
 tion 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 utterance of con- 
 viction. I hope he will bear it with good temper 
 when he finds such utterance to be in opposition to him- 
 self. He doubtless sees in himself the assertor of con- 
 stitutional principles. I see in him the persecutor of a 
 
 - "Life of Professor Huxley."
 
 290 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 
 
 man who has done the State incalculable service. I see 
 him endeavoring to fix the brand of murder upon one 
 who (whatever his legal errors may 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 subordinates. 
 
 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 said: "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 com- 
 monly act together, are divided about it." In com- 
 menting 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 partizan, 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. 
 
 Thomas Carlyle, to whom Governor Eyre was un- 
 known in person, was deeply moved by sympathy for 
 him. He was now an old man. Writing to a friend 
 he said: " Yesterday, in spite of the rain, I got up to the 
 Eyre Committee, and let myself be voted to the chair r 
 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 r 
 it seems, has suddenly fallen from 6.000 a year into 
 almost zero, and has a large family, and needy kindred 
 dependant upon him. Such is his reward for saving 
 the West Indies, and hanging one incendiary mulatto,, 
 well worth the gallows if T can judge." 
 
 Froude. in his history of " Thomas Carlyle' s Life in 
 London." says : " In submission to geneial clamour 
 Eyre had been recalled in disgrace. He had applied
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 291 
 
 for other employment, 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, had 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 Em- 
 pire 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 John Edward 
 Eyre was a just, humane man is evident from his gracious 
 treatment of the Australian aborigines in his early days, 
 of which we have spoken in this sketch. He was their 
 advocate and their defender. He was too honorable 
 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 we have 
 dealt in the previous chapter. That mistakes may 
 have been made in the grave crisis with which he had 
 momentarily 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, courage, 
 and judgment with which he acted under circumstances 
 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
 
 292 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 
 
 that the means adopted by Governor Eyre were pressed 
 upon him by difficulties 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 pre- 
 sented him with an address in which it was stated 
 " That he saved the island from the most imminent 
 peril of a general insurrection, 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 adjudi- 
 cated 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 adequately 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 
 consolation of feeling that there has been nothing in 
 my conduct to merit it, nothing to occasion self-re- 
 proach, nothing to regret. . . I carry with me. in my 
 retirement, the proud consciousness that at all times, 
 and under all circumstances. I have endeavoured, to 
 the best of my ability, to do my duty as a servant of the 
 Crown faithfully, fearlessly, and irrespective of personal 
 considerations. ' ' 
 
 The British Government granted Mr. Eyre a pen- 
 sion, 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 in- 
 justice. He passed away in December, 1901, in his 
 eighty-seventh year. 
 
 PERSONAL NOTES. 
 
 When I first set to work, a few years ago. to gather 
 material for these chapters, the reading of Eyre's " Dis- 
 coveries in Central Australia," strangely moved me.
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 293 
 
 As I followed him from point to point in that awful 
 attempt to reach Western Australia across country that 
 was a terra incognita my imagination was fired. As a 
 South Australian born and bred the country was known 
 to me. I had no idea that the gallant explorer was 
 then living, so completely had he passed out of sight. 
 When tidings came to me that the gallant Eyre was still 
 alive I despatched 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. 2, 1900. 
 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 " I am much obliged by your letter dated 
 September 21, 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 fui, 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 recollection 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 injured 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, belonging 
 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.
 
 294 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 
 
 " My wife has supplied me with the only photo- 
 graph I am able to send you, as I have not been photo- 
 graphed 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, interesting not only on account of the 
 personality of the writer, but 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 T received your book, for which 
 I again thank you. I 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 Hind- 
 marsh was about to embark in a man-of-war upon giving 
 up his Government, and was just in time to be intro- 
 duced to him before he left. Of his successor (Colonel 
 <5awler) 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 pre- 
 sent with him when he laid the foundation of the Wes- 
 leyan Methodist Chapel, on November 27th, 1838, and I 
 remember well that the substance of his address was to 
 the effect that, although his own church differed in form 
 from that of the Wesleyan Methodist, yet the essentials of 
 the religion of both were identical, and he used the re- 
 -markable 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.'
 
 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 295 
 
 " 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 labor, 
 anxiety, and firmness well might he exclaim: Si monu- 
 me/ntum requiris circumspice." 
 
 " Very sincerely yours, 
 
 " EDWD. JOHN EYRE." 
 
 JOHN AINSWORTH HORROCKS. 
 
 He was born at Penwortham Lodge, Lancashire, 
 England, in 1818, and came from an honorable and 
 wealthy family. 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 suitable for settlement nearly 
 one hundred miles from Adelaide. 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 Horrocks 
 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 Pen- 
 wortham, 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
 
 296 SKETCHES OF THE PIONEER EXPLORERS. 
 
 almost killed one of his shepherds with their waddies. 
 After three or four years residence at Penwortham Hor- 
 rocks visited the Old Land. Returning to South 
 Australia he left his station in 1846 to lead the explora- 
 tion party of which we 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 liis house, and lie took steps towards 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, who, in one of his exploring tours, killed 
 seven emus in four da} r s on these plains.
 
 THE REV. WIL.LJAM LONGBOTTOM.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 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 continued. The earth could not absorb 
 the water. The rivulets became rivers, and the ponds 
 lakes. The wind blew in fierce gusts. Both struc- 
 tures 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 foundation, collapsed, 
 and was soon swept away. How true of human ex- 
 perience in all ages. A nation is but an aggregate 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 superstructure together. When the 
 cement is wanting the nation falls. Sir George Grey 
 lias said: " It is adherence to the principles of righteous- 
 ness that has given to the British people the great and 
 grand position they occupy such as no other nation 
 has ever held upon earth." All history demonstrates 
 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.
 
 298 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 Sin is always a disintegrating factor. Just as it 
 destroys individual life body and soul so it eats 
 away the life of a nation. Of ancient Rome, at the 
 time of her collapse, 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. 
 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 civilization, 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 ordin- 
 ances 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 ecclesiastical structure men 
 and w r omen met together for Divine W T orship. Look 
 again at the picture that in earlier chapters we have 
 painted. See the first emigrants, as soon as they had 
 landed upon Kangaroo Island, gathering around Cap- 
 tain Morgan while he conducted a short service and 
 engaged in prayer. Was not the action prophetic ? 
 
 The South Australian Company practically founded 
 the colony. It is a remarkable fact that its leading 
 employees who came to help lay the foundations of the 
 colony were Christian men. Its first manager (Samuel
 
 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 299 
 
 Stephens) was a Christian man. As soon as the com- 
 pany's store was erected it was available for service. 
 Here Samuel East (another employee of the Company) 
 preached the first Methodist sermon 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. Randell, another servant of the Company, was one 
 of the founders of the Baptist Church. William Giles, 
 the third manager, was an earnest Christian a Con- 
 gregationalist and took a deep interest in the spiritual 
 life of the colony. No sectarian was he. James 
 Breeze, also in the service of the Company, was a pioneer 
 Methodist preacher, and so was William Lillicrapp, who 
 came out as manager of the Company's flocks and herds. 
 There must have been some 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 in- 
 fluence 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 signal for attending being the firing of a 
 gun." 
 
 Ere the first emigrants left the Old Land arrange- 
 ments were made for establishing a branch of the Epis- 
 copalian Church. The first number of the " South Aus- 
 tralian Gazette and Colonial Register," published in 
 London, stated that the framework of a church, to seat 
 seven hundred and fifty persons, was in course of pre- 
 paration, and that 700 had been subscribed towards 
 the expenses of establishing the church .
 
 300 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 In the Act founding the colony, power was given 
 for the official appointment of chaplains of the Estab- 
 lished 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, 
 conducted by the Chaplain, was held under a sail. It was 
 borrowed by Mr. Howard from a captain in the Port- 
 There were no carriers in those days, and how to get the- 
 sail transported 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 Gilles) was pressed into service. 
 The cleric and his lay associate dragged the sail in 
 triumph across country, a distance of about seven miles- 
 The first church (Trinity Church) was a reed hut. Mr. 
 Howard brought up part of the material for fencing his. 
 church from the Port with his own hands. This meant 
 a wearisome journey, over rough country, of seven miles. 
 He has the honor of being the first ordained minister 
 to preach the Gospel in the new Province. In 1840 
 the Rev. James Farrell came to Mr. Howard's assistance, 
 and in 1847 the first Episcopalian Bishop (Dr. Short) 
 arrived. 
 
 The Bishop's " first impressions " indicate the pros- 
 perity 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 labor. The 
 wages of one day will purchase one and a-half bushels 
 of wheat, an amount equal to six days' labor in England. 
 The finest wheat in the world is now selling for two 
 shillings and sixpence per bushel, while the wages of a
 
 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 301 
 
 day laborer are three shillings and sixpence; mechanics, 
 seven shillings. Fat cattle are sold at from 2 10/ 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 sixpence a piece prime meat. 
 In short, the means of subsistence are abundant, and 
 immigrants by the thousand might be fed and em- 
 plo} r ed most profitably." 
 
 The foundation of St. Peter's College was laid on 
 May 24, 1849. 
 
 Thomas Quinton Stow, the pioneer Congregational 
 minister, a man of great ability, came out by the ship 
 " Hartley," in October, 1837, the voyage occupying 
 one hundred and thirty-nine days.* 
 
 No minister of the gospel in those early days could 
 stand upon his dignity. So far as the social system was 
 concerned learned 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 them- 
 selves hired labor was scarcely possible. 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 
 Ms eyelids till he had found out a place for the Lord, 
 & 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 ex- 
 perience. After his arrival a tent was erected some- 
 where near the Torrens, and here the first Congrega- 
 tional 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, re.eds that 
 
 * Now it can be done in thirty-five days.
 
 302 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 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 settle- 
 ment in 1838, has described to the writer this primitive 
 Congregational Church, and incidents in connection with 
 it. On the Saturday 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. Amidst all Mrs. Stow's suffer- 
 ings 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 mem- 
 bers, 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." 
 
 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 satisfied. 
 Writing to the Missionary Committee, who 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. Ridgeway Williams Newland deserves 
 special mention. He came to Adelaide in 1839 and 
 took up work at Victor Harbor. Both in relation to- 
 things material and spiritual he was a splendid pioneer. 
 His death in 1864 was the result of an accident.
 
 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS . ORGANIZATIONS. 303 
 
 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 little 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 Reformation, cemented by the 
 blood of many martyrs, be forgotten 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 four score years, 
 and died at Mitcham, April 26th, 1872. 
 
 The earliest reference to the Roman Catholic 
 Church that the author has been able to find is in the 
 " Register " for October, 1838. The Catholics of South 
 Australia were requested to meet at the residence of 
 Mr. Phillips, East-terrace, 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 circumstance in his autobiography Dr. Ullathorne 
 says : " When we landed at Adelaide (a few miles from 
 the Port) the city was in the fourth year from its founda- 
 tion. Like the old Etruscan cities, it had been re- 
 gularly laid out from the first in a square. The straight 
 streets were (many of them) only marked out by roxigh
 
 304 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 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 family, 
 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. 
 Ullathorne held service in the little city in a china shop. 
 He 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 hostess waded to the china shop 
 for evening service, and in which the brilliant stars of 
 the Southern Hemisphere were reflected." 
 
 The first priest to come to South Australia was the 
 Rev. J. Benson. This was in 1841. The house 
 occupied by Mr. Phillips was taken by the Committee 
 and fitted up as a temporary chapel. After remaining 
 two or three years in the colony the Rev. J. Benson went 
 to Sydney, and then to England, dying at Wolverhamp- 
 ton 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. 
 
 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 the}^ were lost in Wakefield-street, and had to 
 " cooee " for assistance before they could find their way 
 home. 
 
 The Lutheran Church in the new settlement" was 
 founded as the result of persecution. It was in No- 
 vember, 1838. that Pastor Kavel arrived with the first 
 batch of German refugees. The story of their emigra-
 
 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 305 
 
 tion is as follows: In 1830 the Prussian Government 
 attempted to force on the Lutherans a form of liturgy 
 of which many of them disapproved. As a matter of 
 conscience hundreds of Germans refused to conform. 
 An era of persecution began. Some of the Noncon- 
 formist Germans were banished, imprisoned, and fined. 
 They were not allowed to meet together for Divine wor- 
 ship under the circumstances of which they approved. 
 Rich as well as poor were persecuted. In the " Life of 
 George Fife Angas " (to which the reader is referred 
 for a full account of the persecution) 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 
 unrelenting that many of the Germans determined to 
 emigrate. The pastor of a Lutheran congregation in 
 Klemzig, Augustus Kavel, having heard of the proposed 
 new settlement in Australia, and that George Fife Angas 
 was one of its promoters, waited upon him in London. 
 He wished to see if any arrangement could be made by 
 which the persecuted Germans could emigrate to the 
 new colony. Great difficulties were in the way. The 
 Prussian Government, although denying the people 
 liberty of conscience, threw difficulties in the way of 
 their emigration. On the other hand the monetary 
 resources of the people were very limited. George 
 Fife Angas and others advanced large sums of money in 
 their interest, and in course of time all difficulties and 
 restrictions were removed. In June, 1 838, the "Prince 
 <ieorge," chartered by Mr. Angas, left London for 
 Hamburg. The vessel was not sufficient to take all 
 the Germans who desired to emigrate. At his own 
 expense Mr. Angas sent out the balance in a vessel 
 belonging to the South Australian Company. In 
 course of time other vessels followed, one was com- 
 manded by Captain Hahn, after whom the picturesque 
 town of Hahndorf is named. 
 
 The founding of the Methodist Church in South 
 Australia has manv elements of romance. One of the
 
 306 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 pioneer lay preachers kept a diary; many items of in- 
 terest 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 favor 
 extension. It has two orders of preachers lay and 
 ministerial. 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 prac- 
 tice. This makes it possible for a lay preacher, in the 
 absence of a minister, to gather men and women together 
 for Divine worship, and to constitute a church. Sueh 
 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 " Africane " in November, 1836, before 
 the proclamation of the colony. He 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 January 19, 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 merely located 
 there 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 Hold* 
 f ast Bay to the banks of the Torrens. A wooden house 
 was speedily erected. It stood near the present House
 
 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 3J7 
 
 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 Torrens, 
 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 at- 
 tended, and gave in their names as members. The 
 society grew. A church was now necessary. Towards 
 its erection some of the pioneers gave labor 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 Long- 
 bottom), with wife and child, was on his way from Van 
 Diemen's Land to King George's Sound. Along the 
 Australian coast terrific weather is sometimes experi- 
 enced. It was so on this occasion. The vessel had not 
 cleared Van Diemen's Land before rough weather set in. 
 Twice she put back for shelter. For a time fine weather 
 was experienced. On Sunday, June 17. 1838, the wind 
 blew a perfect hurricane. On the following Thursday 
 the water changed color, 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 nine 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 morn- 
 ing the sea broke on board in all directions. The cap-
 
 308 THE KISE OF DELICIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 tain found himself in only seven fathoms of water. All 
 attempts to sail were fruitless. The vessel struck. 
 " About one 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 
 M-e had lain down in our clothes. I hurried on little 
 William's shoes and cap. and, after commending our- 
 selves to God, we endeavoured to get on deck. We 
 found the hatches down and it was some time before we 
 could make 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 swum 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 merci- 
 fully 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 dread- 
 fully 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. 
 
 The day after the shipwTeck a party of blacks came 
 upon the scene. It must have been with mingled feel-
 
 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 309 
 
 ings that the shipwrecked people saw them approach. 
 What were 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 water holes. 
 
 Strange to relate, the same tribes of natives wh& 
 showed such kindness to this shipwrecked party was the 
 tribe who, two years afterwards, brutally murdered the 
 crew and passengers 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. 
 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. 
 Longbottom says : " We had no alternative but either 
 to accompany 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 so stiff, 
 and brought on such rheumatism that I could scarcely 
 walk at all. I dragged on about five miles, when I could 
 go no further. 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 r 
 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
 
 310 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 <j!ill then set to work to lengthen and repair it. About 
 half a mile inland the shipwrecked party discovered a 
 lagoon. It appeared to run parallel 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 laboring at 
 the dinghy, they met with a strange surprise. A few 
 white men were seen coming down the coast in the direc- 
 tion of the wreck. They proved to be companions in 
 misfortune. Another vessel (the " Elizabeth ") had 
 been wrecked about fifty miles eastward. The leg' 
 weary travellers were the shipwrecked 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 com- 
 pass. This was a great comfort, as Mr. and Mrs. Long- 
 bottom and party now knew in what direction to travel 
 for the new settlement on the south coast of Australia. 
 The two captains labored 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, whilst they and some 
 of the sailors made for Encounter Bay. At this place 
 there was a whaling station, and here 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. 
 Longbottom 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 with the joyful intelligence that they had been 
 to Encounter Bay, and that the captain would be up in 
 two days with a large whale boat for us. We waited 
 several days after the time appointed, but, seeing no
 
 THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 311 
 
 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 with a few of my husband's most valuable 
 papers, with a supply of provisions. We left the bush 
 on August 7, 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 dread- 
 fully cold, and a very 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 ten 
 o'clock met the captain with a large boat. We changed 
 boats, and about 1 o'clock crossed the Murray Biver. 
 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 pro- 
 vidential. To reach Encounter Bay they had to cross 
 the mouth of the Murray. 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. Sir John Jeffcott was the first Judge 
 of the new colony. In opposition to Colonel Light he 
 thought that the cit} 7 shoiild be at Encounter Bay. To 
 prove that the mouth of the Murray was navigable, in 
 company with Captain Blenkinsopp and others he tried 
 to sail out of it. The boat was wrecked, and only two 
 of the party, after a desperate struggle, escaped with 
 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 " Eliza- 
 beth " and the " Fanny." The pioneer Methodists
 
 312 THE. KISE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 heard that among the shipwrecked 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, offering them a 
 home, and every assistance in his power. He came, 
 and by these strange means the pioneer Methodist 
 Church received its minister. Said one of the pioneers, 
 who belonged to that church : " We could not get on, 
 for we could not agree who should he superintendent; 
 but God pitied us, and sent us a minister bv wrecking 
 one on our coasts." 
 
 In the founding of the Methodist Church in South 
 Australia " Pastor Jacob Abbott " took a prominent 
 part. He is a pioneer who deserves special mention. 
 Jacob Abbott came to our Province by the " John 
 Renwick " in the early part of 1837. At the time when 
 this history was penned he was still alive, aged more than 
 ninety years. He conducted the first class meeting in 
 connection with the Methodist Church in South Aus- 
 tralia. It was held in a hut on the banks of the Torrens 
 before Adelaide was laid out.
 
 Til JAMES HURTLE FISHER.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 In previous chapters we have watched the process 
 of nation building. We saw the plans prepared and the 
 foundations laid; the circumstances under which the 
 builders worked; their reverses and their successes; their 
 struggles for political and religious freedom; we saw them 
 rise from a position of imperial tutelage to that of a 
 self-governing people; we witnessed their efforts to pene- 
 trate into the interior and the rise of their religious in- 
 stitutions; now some of the builders will come under 
 review. Their memories ought to be kept green. This 
 is a duty that we owe to 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 under- 
 stood, and of whose productive powers absolutely 
 nothing was known. When the} 7 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
 
 314 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 privations, their disappointments, 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. 
 
 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 settlement. They were of 
 the right stamp determined, self-reliant, and hope- 
 ful." 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 furniture, 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 
 industrious, determined, self-reliant, and independent. 
 One pioneer and his wife, in addition to various other 
 engagements, sank a well one hundred feet deep. The 
 good lady pulled the rock up with bucket and windlass 
 as her husband cut it away. 
 
 One of our sturdy pioneers, more than ninety years 
 of age. has put on record some of his recollections. He
 
 SOME- PIONEER BUILDERS. 315 
 
 landed at Glenelg in 1840. The total amount of his 
 capital was four shillings and sixpence. Footing the 
 track from Glenelg to Adelaide he called in at the " Half- 
 way House." Here he had to pay three shillings and 
 sixpence. When he reached Emigration Square, on 
 the west park lands of the embryo city, he had one shil- 
 ling only with which to begin his colonial experiences. 
 But he had strong arms, a good character, and deter- 
 mined spirit. The day after his arrival he left Emigra- 
 tion 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 worthy 
 pioneer had to take work in the hills at eight shillings per 
 week, with board for himself and wife. Out of this 
 miserable allowance he managed to save 10 10/ 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 labored. 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 sturdy pioneer was a 
 splendid hand with the scythe. He could mow about 
 three acres a day. Subsequently he rented a farm at 
 Coromandel Valley, and finally became the owner of a 
 large estate. At ninety years of age his proud and 
 praiseworthy boast was : " I never turned insolvent; 
 I never had anything to do with a law case; and never 
 had a man ask me twice for money." When this history 
 was penned he was still with us. 
 
 The reader will bear in mind that we are only deal- 
 ing with the early history of the colony the heroic
 
 316 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 period. We witnessed its birth in 1836, and shall take 
 leave of it in 1857, when it reached its majority. Manv 
 good men and true came later on the scene, but with 
 these men and that period some other historian will have 
 to deal. We confine our attention to some nation- 
 builders who were taking a prominent part in building 
 up the social and political fabric for the first twenty-one 
 ye irs. 
 
 As South Australians we have cause to reproach 
 ourselves. Why ? For a neglect of duty in relation 
 to those who will have to take our places. We teach 
 our children the history of England, and rightly so, but 
 we neglect to teach them our own. The author ventures 
 to affirm, without fear of successful contradiction, that 
 not ninety per cent, of the children in our South Aus- 
 tralian State schools could tell when the Parliament 
 Bill was passed, or who Robert Gouger or even Sir 
 Robert R. Torrens was. Why this lamentable ignor- 
 ance ? Because no history of the colony has hitherto 
 been published on popular lines. George Fife Angas 
 preserved a large quantity of material as the basis of a 
 history of the colony. It has been published in two 
 volumes by Edwin Hodder. But the work is more one 
 of reference than for popular use. 
 
 With some pioneer builders we have already dealt. 
 The early Governors have been sketched, and Robert 
 Gouger, Colonel Light, George Milner Stephen, David 
 McLaren, John Ridley, Charles Bonney, and some of 
 the pioneer explorers and preachers have come specially 
 under review. We now deal with prominent early 
 settlers to whom no special reference has been made. 
 
 PIONEER CROWN OFFICIALS. 
 
 These were the men sent out by the Commissioners 
 in 1836 to lay the foundations of the new Province. 
 
 SIR JAMES HURTLE FISHER. Among the pioneer 
 builders his position is unique. He was appointed 
 Resident Commissioner, and came out with Governor
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 317 
 
 Hindmarsh in the " Buffalo." The vessel arrived on 
 December 24, 1836, and four days after dropping anchor 
 the colony was proclaimed. Speaking on that occasion 
 Governor Hindmarsh said : " May the present unanimity 
 oontinue as long as South Australia exists." The 
 Glenelg plains rang with acclamation. Such a desidera- 
 tum, however, was not to be. To send out a Governor 
 and a Resident Commissioner two men armed with 
 authority was an unfortunate mistake. Judging 
 from circumstantial evidence the relationship they 
 sustained to each other, and the sphere in which each 
 had to operate, was not clearly defined. Their orbits 
 lay in much the same plane, and frequently they came 
 into collision. 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 Commis- 
 sioner was merged in that of Governor. James Hurtle 
 TTisher continued in the colony practising as a lawyer. 
 He took a deep interest in the welfare of the early settlers. 
 He was one of the Committee who named the streets of 
 the city. In 1840 he was elected as one of the Coun- 
 cillors for the embryo city, and chosen Mayor a posi- 
 tion 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 prominent part in resisting the imposition of royalties 
 in Governor's Robe's time, and in opposing the proposal 
 to send out the " Parkhurst Boys," so called from the 
 Reformatory in 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 appre- 
 ciation of his services, a banquet was tendered to him 
 by some of the settlers, and he was presented 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 worth}' pioneer was one of 
 our Constitution makers. He helped to pass the Parlia- 
 ment Bill, giving the power of self-government to the 
 people, and in the First Parliament was elected a mem-
 
 318 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 ber of the Legislative Council and chosen as President. 
 This position was occupied by him till he retired in 1864. 
 In I860 James Hurtle Fisher was knighted by the 
 Queen. The Hon. John Baker (who will come under 
 review) speaking of him said : " 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. He was ever the man 
 chosen to preside at meetings convened either to 
 denounce 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 28, 
 1875, at the ripe age of eighty-five years, passed away. 
 Hurtle-square is named after him. In the Adelaide 
 Town Hall his marble bust and portrait in oils may be 
 seen. 
 
 CAPTAIN LIPSON was an old and useful colonist. 
 In 1793 he joined the Royal Navy, and saw active ser- 
 vice. When the South Australian Colonization Bill 
 was passed the Admiralty appointed Captain Lipson 
 naval officer for the proposed colony. The Commis- 
 sioners nominated him as Harbor 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. Captain Lipson held the position of Harbor 
 Master till 1855, when he retired on a life pension. He 
 died October 25, 1863, aged seventy-nine years. Lipson- 
 street, Port Adelaide, perpetuates his name. 
 
 SIR JOHN JEFFCOTT. He was one of the first 
 emigrants, the first Judge of the new settlement, and 
 one of the Committee who named our city streets. His 
 life in the infant Province soon came to an end. Sir 
 John thought that the site of the city should be in the 
 vicinity of Encounter Bay. In trying to demonstrate 
 that the Murray mouth was navigable he lost his life.
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 319 
 
 The boat was swamped, and Sir John Jeffcott and 
 Captain Blenkinsopp vere drowned. This was on 
 December 12, 1837. Jeffcott-street, North Adelaide, 
 is named after him. 
 
 JOHN BROWN. Well known to the early emigrants. 
 He was the first Emigration Agent, and came out with 
 his wife in the " Africane," arriving November 2, 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 everlasting 
 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 
 who named the streets of the city, and took an active 
 part in the public affairs of the young colony, especially 
 in opposing State-aid to religion. He was a member 
 of the first City Council, and was ; for some years, editor 
 of the " Adelaide Times." He became manager of the 
 Adelaide Life Assurance and Guarantee Company, a 
 position that he occupied till failing health necessitated 
 his resignation. He retired on a pension. In 1879 he 
 met with an accident in King William-street that had a 
 fatal ending. He died August 17, 1879, aged seventy- 
 eight years. John Brown has been described as " a man 
 of high mental culture, and of the strictest integrity." 
 Brown-street 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
 
 320 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 country Thomas Gilbert was associated with such re- 
 presentative 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 honored pioneers, and landed at 
 Kangaroo Island in September, 1836. It was this 
 worthy pioneer who proposed the toast, " Mrs. Hind- 
 marsh and the Ladies " at the foundation of the colony. 
 He occupied the position of Colonial Storekeeper, and 
 for some time acted as Postmaster. In 1854 he re- 
 tired on a pension. He was a man of excellent char- 
 acter. His long life came to an end on May 30, 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. 
 
 OSMOND GILLES. The first Treasurer of South 
 Australia. Came to the Province with Governor Hind- 
 marsh in the " Buffalo." Died September 23rd, 1866, 
 aged seventy-one years. Glen Osmond is named after 
 him and Gilles-street, Adelaide. 
 
 SIB GEORGE STRICKLAND KINGSTON came out in 
 the fifth vessel, the " Cygnet," arriving at Kangaroo 
 Island, September 11, 1836. His position was that of 
 Deputy Surveyor, second in command to Colonel Light. 
 By the aid of emigrants' 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 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." 
 Gentlemen " are to be seen in all kinds of dress, each 
 having consulted 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 Strick-
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 321 
 
 land 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. 
 Kingston's hut !" At this time of day it is refreshing 
 to read of men who rose to the highest positions of 
 honor, and who were knighted by the Queen, as dwelling 
 in huts. It was George S. Kingston who, in company 
 with two other emigrants, discovered the Torrens. on 
 which the city of Adelaide is built. After the resigna- 
 tion of Colonel Light he became acting Sxirveyor- 
 General. The monument over Colonel Light's tomb 
 was designed by him. George S. Kingston sat in the 
 first Legislative Council elected on a more representative 
 basis. This was in 1851. He was chosen for the 
 Burra, a district that he represented for many years. 
 In 1855 he was re-elected for that district, and helped 
 to frame the new Constitution. When the First Parlia- 
 ment was formed in 1857 he again represented the Burra, 
 and was chosen Speaker of the House of Assembly, a 
 position that he occupied 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 Queen. George S. Kingston was an 
 opponent to State-aid to religion. He did posterity 
 good service 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 26, 1881. The town- 
 ship of Kingston perpetuates his name. 
 
 GEORGE STEVENSON. All lovers of flowers should 
 remember him. He and his wife came out with 
 Governor Hindmarsh in the " Buffalo " in December, 
 1836. His position was that of Secretary to the Governor 
 and the Executive Council. He was also the first editor 
 in the new settlement, the " South Australian Gazette 
 and Colonial Register " being under his charge. He was
 
 322 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 a man of splendid physique, standing six feet four inches 
 high, and with a mind as capacious as his body. He 
 had a full forehead, and was full of information. It was 
 George Stevenson who read the proclamation under a 
 large gum tree on December 28th, 1836. On this 
 occasion his love for flowers was evident. Whilst others 
 noted the booming of the cannon, the shouts of the 
 emigrants, the cold collation and speeches, the eye of 
 George Stevenson also fell upon the shrubs and flowers 
 with which the plains of Glenelg weie 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 Ste- 
 venson deserves to be remembered. In relation to 
 things material as well as moral there is an inspiration 
 about a good example. The man who builds an attrac- 
 tive cottage and surrounds it with a beautiful garden, is 
 really a benefactor to his race : he sets before his fellow 
 men a worthy a-sthetic ideal. This is what George 
 Stevenson did. As soon as the site for the city was 
 surveyed the subject of this sketch secured four acres of 
 land. 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. He did perhaps 
 more than any early settler to develop in the young 
 community a love for useful and ornamental gardening. 
 His garden was one of the " show spots " of the primi- 
 tive settlement. He has been called " The Father of 
 Horticulture in South Australia." George Stevenson 
 was one of a Committee who chose the site for our 
 Botanic Gardens. He died at North Adelaide, October 
 18, 1856, aged fifty-six years. 
 
 MEMBERS OF THE NOMINEE COUNCIL. 
 
 When South Australia became a Crown colony, in 
 Governor Grey's time, a Legislative Council was formed 
 consisting of eight persons, including the Governor.
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 323 
 
 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 confined to the thirties and forties. In 1839 he 
 drove over from New South Wales to Adelaide in com- 
 pany with Mr. Joseph Hawdon. In 1843 he was 
 nominated as Colonial Secretary by Governor Grey. 
 He remained in the Council till 1849. Having obtained 
 leave of absence, he went to England, May 30th, 1849, 
 and died at Nice in 1877. He supported the principle of 
 State-aid to religion and the imposition of royalties. 
 Mundy-street, Port Adelaide, bears his name. 
 
 WILLIAM SMILLIE. In 1843 he was nominated by 
 Governor Grey as Advocate-General. He was a mem- 
 ber 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 principle 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 considerable 
 ability. We believe he died about 1851, in Paris, 
 having received two years leave of absence from the 
 colony. It was said that he wore himself out in the 
 service of South Australia. 
 
 JACOB HAGEN. Ninety-nine out of every hundred 
 South Australians to-day never heard of Jacob Hagen. 
 Many have driven past the " Hagen Arms," Echunga, 
 but have not had the slightest idea why the hostelry 
 has been so named. Yet Jacob Hagen was a most 
 influential and useful pioneer. In 1843 he was nomi- 
 nated 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
 
 324 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 Jacob Hagen 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 
 with him to the colony. He entered into partnership 
 with Captain John Hart, of whom we shall have to speak. 
 In the early days " Hart & Hagen " was a well-known 
 firm. Retiring from business he purchased a large 
 estate at Echunga. His house and garden in this 
 picturesque spot were amongst the finest in the colony. 
 About the end of 1853 he left the colony, and purchased 
 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 member of the first Nominee Council. In 
 1847 he was appointed Acting Commissioner of Police 
 and Police Magistrate. Later on he was Collector of 
 Customs for the Province with a seat in the Legislative 
 Council that passed the first Parliament Bill in 1853, 
 and then acted as Emigration Agent in Great Britain. 
 Finally he served the Crown and colony as Stipendiary 
 Magistrate for Port Adelaide and Edithburg. He died 
 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 service 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 Australia, arriving in 1838. 
 Major O'Halloran at once settled down at a place south 
 of Adelaide that has ever since been known as O'Halloran 
 Hill. Not long after his arrival the position of Com- 
 missioner of Police was offered to him, which he ac- 
 cepted. Dealing with bushrangers and blacks he had 
 some stirring experiences. It was he who had to lead
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 325 
 
 the party of pioneers who scoured some of the South - 
 East country in search of the blacks who murdered the 
 passengers and crew of the " Maria." Later on he had 
 to lead a party up the Murray 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 bull dog. The dog had been 
 speared in two places by the blacks. The man's body 
 was covered with wounds, his head and face frightfully 
 battered with waddies and mutilated. Part of a dray f 
 flour in heaps, broken muskets, and other articles lay 
 strewed around, as also many waddies and jagged spears, 
 with blood, flesh, and hair upon them. The sight was 
 horrifying. A grave was dug for the remains of the 
 man, and Major O'Halloran had the melancholy satis- 
 faction of giving the body Christian burial. We quote 
 this as an evidence of some of the exciting circumstances 
 through which the Major passed, and the dangers with 
 which the pioneers were confronted. In 1843 the Go- 
 vernment wished to add the duties of Magistrate to 
 those of Commissioner of Police, and Major O'Halloran 
 resigned his position. In the same year he was nomi- 
 nated as a non-official member of the Nominee CounciL 
 He took a prominent part in resisting the imposition of 
 royalties. It was Major O'Halloran who moved, in 
 1846, that if the Government were determined to give 
 State-aid to religion, the Jews should share in it. In 
 1857 he 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'Halloran Hill ; he was also one of the 
 Governors of St. Peter's College. He died August 16, 
 1870, aged seventy-three years. 
 
 Sin JOHN MORPHETT, a colossal figure in the Pro- 
 vince for more than fifty years. This the reader will 
 have surmised from our frequent references to him. 
 In our chapter on " Preparing to Build " we had a 
 glimpse of John Morphett in Exeter Hall, London, some
 
 326 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 seventy-two years ago. On that historic occasion, 
 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, 
 September 11, 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 Kangaroo Island to the mainland 
 on an exploring expedition. A little later on he is 
 amongst the " butters " at Holdfast Bay. From this 
 position John Morphett, George S. Kingston, and 
 another emigrant tried to penetrate a little further into 
 the heart of the new and unknown country. They dis- 
 covered the Torrens on the banks of which Colonel Light 
 afterwards decided to lay out the city. When the 
 fugitive camp at Holdfast 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 he 
 wrote a letter to friends in England in which 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 emigrants 
 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 experiment 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 barrenness. . . 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
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 327 
 
 who were in favor of State-aid to religion. He was one 
 of the four n on -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. Perhaps no early settler labored more 
 earnestly than he for the establishment of responsible 
 Government. He was elected a member of the Legis- 
 lative Council in 1857, under responsible Government, 
 and was Chief Secretary of the Province in 1861, when 
 Sir James Hurtle Fisher retired from political life, John 
 Morphett was chosen President of the Legislative 
 Council, which position he held for several years. For 
 services rendered to Crown and country he was knighted 
 by the Queen. He died November 7, 1892, having 
 attained more than four score years. His name is 
 handed down to posterity in Morphett Vale and 
 Morphett-street. 
 
 CAPTAIN CHARLES H. BAGOT. A patriarch indeed! 
 He was born in Kildare, Ireland. Entered the army, 
 and saw active service in India. He came to the new 
 colony in 1840, bringing with him a number of agri- 
 cultural laborers. Land was taken up by him near 
 Kapunda, not far from the spot where his son, C. S. 
 Bagot, and F. S. Dutton discovered the indications of 
 ore that led to the development of the Kapunda Mine. 
 It is said that Captain Bagot and Jiis son defined 
 the first road from Gawler to Kapunda with a plough. 
 He was nominated as a member of the Legislative Coun- 
 cil in 1843, and was a doughty opponent of State-aid to 
 religion. When the Colonial Secretary (Alfred M. 
 Mundy) objected to specify in the estimates the sum of 
 5 16/ for the Jews, on account of the smallness of the 
 sum, it was Captain Bagot who most opportunely said: 
 " This shows the position in which you have placed 
 yourselves. The Jews have as much right to their 
 share as the Christians have." He took a great in-
 
 328 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 terest 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. He was also 
 elected a member of the Legislative Council under the 
 new Constitution in 1857. After visiting England he 
 was re-elected in 1865. This worthy pioneer was 
 Patron of the Total Abstinence League, and worked 
 hard to secure Sunday closing and the people's veto. 
 His characteristics were honesty and thoroughness. 
 He was a " true friend " and " a man of sterling 
 worth." He died July 28, 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's vote. 
 He opposed the Bill giving State-aid to religion. 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 legis- 
 latorial duties, and ride back the same day a distance 
 of over fifty miles. In order to do this he had to rise 
 at four o'clock in the morning. He was nominated for 
 the Legislative Council in 1855, and sat in the first 
 Legislative Council under responsible 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 
 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
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 329 
 
 1884 he was knighted by the Queen. In the early days 
 Sir Samuel took a great interest in exploration, and 
 throughout his colonial career interested himself in the 
 industries of the colony. No pioneer has been more 
 respected or useful than he. He passed away at Beau- 
 mont on September 3, 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." 
 
 SOME MEMBERS or THE NOMINEE AND 
 ELECTIVE COUNCIL. 
 
 In 1851 a further privilege a right was con- 
 ceded 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 we have already 
 dealt. 
 
 LIEUT. -COLONEL THE HON. BOYLE TRAVERS FIN- 
 NISS. 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 commission in the 56th Regiment, and 
 served for some time in Mauritius. In 1835 he sold out 
 of the army, and made preparations to come to the 
 proposed new Province of South Australia. He took 
 office under the South Australian Colonization Commis- 
 sioners, and was appointed Assistant Surveyor to Colonel 
 Light, arriving in the " Cygnet " in 1 836. This pioneer, 
 who saw an empty land covered with towns, and waste 
 places transformed into smiling fields and fruitful 
 gardens, tabernacled with us till 1893. In 1839 he was
 
 330 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 appointed Deputy Surveyor, and, later on, 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 B. T. Finniss strongly advo- 
 cated the principle of State-aid t.o religion. In later 
 years his views underwent a change. Writing about 
 thirty-five years later he said : " Nor can legislators 
 look without pride upon the signs of moral and intellec- 
 tual culture illustrated in the building of 863 churches 
 and chapels, capable of accommodating 180,556 persons, 
 who, by voluntary contributions, support their own 
 clergy. ... If the State is to teach religion, or to- 
 pay the clergy to do so, what standard is to be adopted ? 
 The State must teach the truth, and to do so must ascer- 
 tain the truth amid the conflict of opinions. It must 
 adopt some uniform system and compel obedience. 
 No man, in a free community, should be taxed to sup- 
 port what he deems error in sectarian teaching or 
 doctrine." 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 on he was Treasurer of the colony. 
 In 1864 he was appointed Government Resident of the 
 Northern Territory. 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 Constitutional History of South 
 Australia." He has been described as " a man of deter- 
 mined character, varied capacity, and great usefulness; 
 a capable administrator, hardworking, fearless, and 
 thoroughly patriotic." In recognition of his services 
 the title of " Honorable " was conferred upon him; he 
 also received a pension. In the later years of his life 
 the Hon. B. T. Finniss was almost lost to the public eye. 
 He contested an election and failed to secure a seat; 
 when asked the reason why, his reply was: " That a
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 331 
 
 man might live long enough to be forgotten." He died 
 December 24, 1893, aged eighty-six years. The Fin- 
 niss River arid Finniss-street, North Adelaide, bear his 
 name. 
 
 FRANCIS STACKER BUTTON, C.M.G. He was 
 one of the discoverers of the Kapunda Mine while out 
 mustering sheep in 1843. Later on he became the 
 owner of the famous Anlaby Estate. When a new 
 constitution was granted for the Legislative Council in 
 1851 Francis S. Button was the first candidate in the 
 field the first pioneer to seek the suffrages of the 
 settlers. He was elected for East Adelaide and in- 
 formed his constituents that " as trustee for the public 
 he would vote against State-aid to religion." Not only 
 did he vote against it, but delivered an effective speech 
 in opposition to it. He was re-elected for East Ade- 
 laide in 1855, and was one of the leading spirits in 
 framing a new Constitution. He also sat in the First 
 Parliament in 1857. On two occasions he was Premier 
 of the colony, and sat in the fourth Ministry as Commis- 
 sioner of Crown Lands. In 1865 he was appointed 
 Agent-General to represent the colony in London. It 
 was during his term that the South Australian Govern- 
 ment constructed the overland line from Port Augusta 
 to Port Darwin, through the centre of the continent, 
 bringing Australia into telegraphic communication with 
 Europe. This was one of the deeds that have helped 
 to make the Empire. It was a gigantic task, reflect- 
 ing great credit upon Sir Charles Todd, who had the 
 entire supervision. In honor of the event a great 
 banquet was held at the Cannon-street Hotel, London. 
 The Secretary of State (the Earl of Kimberley) presided. 
 Speaking of those to whom honor was due he gave the 
 premier position to the South Australian Government. 
 He spoke of the comparatively small population of the 
 colony, of its recent settlement, of the enormous task 
 of carrying the telegraph 2,200 miles from north to 
 south over a continent which was almost a pathless 
 desert. "Such an achievement was proof of the greatest
 
 662 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 energy, pluck, and perseverance, of which lie had heard. 
 There was no man in England who did not feel proud of 
 being a fellow subject with those South Australians who 
 had done so marvellous a work." Francis Stacker 
 Dutton was present as representing the colony on this 
 auspicious occasion, and must have felt his heart 
 " strangely warmed " by the laudatory words of the 
 Earl of Kimberley. He delivered an able speech in 
 reply. Amongst other things he said: " Although 
 whispers and insinuations had been lately heard of 
 politicians in England advocating the separation of the 
 colonies from the Mother Country, he believed that he 
 was expressing the views of all Australians when lie said 
 they did not intend to allow themselves to he so 
 separated, but that, on the contrary, they would stick 
 to the grand old ship so long as two of her timbers stuck 
 together." Francis Stacker Dutton is represented as a 
 man of " varied attainments, 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 bears his name. 
 
 ROBERT DAVENPORT. He was an opponent of 
 State-aid to religion, and was elected for the District 
 of Hindmarsh in 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 September 3, 1890 
 aged seventy-nine years. 
 
 ANTHONY FORSTER was born in the County of 
 Durham in 1813. Was engaged by George Fife Angas 
 to go to South Australia as his agent. Arrived in 1841. 
 Took a great interest in the social and religious life of the 
 colony. Was the leading spirit in the Methodist New 
 Connexion Church. In 1855 he was elected for West 
 Adelaide, defeating James H. Fisher. Anthony Forster 
 was one of our Constitution makers, and an able and most
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 333 
 
 determined antagonist to State-aid to religion. He 
 was elected to the First Parliament in 1857, and for 
 some years had a seat in the Legislature. He worked 
 hard to secure the passing of the Real Property Act. 
 In 1855 Anthony Forster became part proprietor of 
 the " Register, '\ and for nearly twelve years was con- 
 nected with that paper. He wrote a book on " South 
 Australia: Its Progress and Prosperity." This worthy 
 pioneer left the colony for England in 1868. He had a 
 fine presence, and was a good speaker, with a full 
 vocabulary. A most consistent politician. He died 
 in England in January, 1897, aged eighty-three years. 
 
 CAPTAIN GEORGE HALL was born in Kent, England, 
 in 1811. Spent some time in the mercantile navy. 
 He came to the new settlement about 1 842, and took up a 
 cattle station 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 
 January 28, 1867. 
 
 GEORUE MARS DEN WATERHOUSE, evidently named 
 after a famous President of the Methodist Conference 
 in England " George Marsden." He was the son of 
 the Rev. John Waterhouse. General Superintendent of 
 Methodist Missions in the Southern Hemisphere, and 
 began his public life in South Australia. He was elected . 
 a member 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 as a member of the 
 House of Assembly. On each occasion he represented 
 East Torrens. When the Parliament Bill was under
 
 334 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 discussion in 1853 he advocated that the Upper House 
 should be elective. He was Chief Secretary in the Hon. 
 Thos. Reynold's Ministry in I860. From 1861 to 1863 
 he was Premier of South Australia. Two or three 
 years later he removed to New Zealand, and became 
 Premier of that colony. 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 one of the official members 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 Commissioner of Public Works. For several 
 years he sat in Parliament, and acted as Surveyor- 
 General for the colony. He resigned his official posi- 
 tions in the colony and returned to England; joined the 
 Royal Engineers, and rose to the rank of Major-Ceneral. 
 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 the Government grant was one of 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., and died in London, 
 September 5, 1885.
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 335 
 
 SIR ROBERT R. TORRENS. The passing of the Real 
 Property Act has made the memory of this pioneer 
 immortal. He was a son of Colonel Torrens, one of the 
 founders of the colonj^. Illustrious as the father was the 
 son was much more so. After taking the degree of 
 M.A. at Trinity College, Dublin, he came to the new 
 oolony in 1840, and was appointed Collector of Customs. 
 In 1841 he had an exciting experience. A French 
 vessel, the " Ville de Bordeaux," dropped anchor in 
 Holdfast Bajr. The captain affirmed that he had come 
 to take in sheep. The boarding officer at Holdfast Bay 
 did not consider that satisfactory credentials were pre- 
 sented. 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 serve as fuel 
 shingles and palings were pressed into service. Steam 
 was got up, and away the " Shingle 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 matter did 
 not end here. The authorities sued the captain for ex- 
 penses connected with the chase. The case was given 
 in favor 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 Eng- 
 land. The Collector of Customs seems to have muddled 
 the matter. Alexander Tolmer, in his " Reminis- 
 cences," affirms that ultimately the Colonial Govern- 
 ment " had to disburse to the tune of 14,000 irrespec- 
 tive of other expenses." 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 one of the commanding spirits on the 
 vanquished side. He was a member of the Council 
 formed in 1855 to frame a new Constitution, being
 
 336 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 nominated to the position of Colonial Treasurer. When 
 responsible Government was granted, and a new Par- 
 liament was formed in 1857, Robert Torrens was elected 
 for the City of Adelaide, and sat in the Cabinet as Trea- 
 surer. Later on 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 pos- 
 terity. This was an Act to simplify the transference 
 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 him- 
 self 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 he ex- 
 pended worn-out in the work, for I believe it worthy; 
 and I will not desert it until success has been achieved- 
 1 am willing to work to the last of my strength in any 
 cause which I know to be good." The country de- 
 manded the Act. A candidate had a poor chance of 
 success unless he declared in favor of it. In 1858 the 
 Bill received Royal Assent. The best argument in 
 its favor is the fact that shortly after it became law 
 property was brought under it to the value of a million 
 pounds. Robert Torrens stands out as one of the bene- 
 factors of his race. After the Act was passed he had a 
 triumphal procession through the colonies, and in a 
 visit to England gave information respecting the mea- 
 sure. 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. An eloquent speaker 
 when roused to action. He wounded rather than per- 
 suaded, preferring invective as a weapon of attack to 
 Jogical reasoning, for which he seldom exhibited much
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 337 
 
 capacity." He dred in England, August 31, 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 we 
 have in our mind's eye. He came to the colony in 1837, 
 and in 1841 succeeded David McLaren as manager of 
 the South Australian Company. This position he held 
 till 1861. when he retired on a pension. He was ap- 
 pointed a special magistrate by Governor Hindmarsh, 
 and in 1851 was elected a member of the new Legislative 
 Council, representing the District of Yatala. He 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." He was 
 a zealous assistant to the pioneer Congregational 
 Minister, the Rev. Thomas Q. Stow, and helped other 
 denominations by speaking at their meetings and con- 
 ducting services. William Giles was an honest, active, 
 and useful member of the community. Indifferent 
 health would not allow him to take a prominent position 
 in political life. He died at Beaumont, May 11, 1862, 
 aged seventy years. His was the peaceful end of the 
 righteous man. 
 
 CHARLES SIMEON HARE. A quaint and eccentric 
 character. A pioneer who played many parts. He and 
 his wife came to the colony before it was proclaimed. 
 The}- sailed by the " Emma." which dropped anchor at 
 Kangaroo Island, October 5th, 1836. For a time he 
 served the South Australian 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 we 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 
 religion. When the first Parliament was formed in 
 18o7 Charles Simeon Hare had a seat in the House of
 
 338 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 Assembly, being elected for the District of Yatala. For 
 a time he dabbled in medicine, and was termed "Doctor." 
 For a short time he was Superintendent of the Stockade. 
 Then we meet him as Manager of Railways. In this 
 position he had what might have been a very tragical 
 experience. Fortunately there was more comedy about 
 it than tragedy. Sir Dominick Daly (the Governor) 
 and some members of the Ministry, with a number of 
 distinguished visitors, wished to travel by express 
 train to Port Adelaide to visit" II. M.S. " Falcon." 
 Charles Simeon Hare had charge of the train, and no 
 doubt wished to give the visitors an adequate idea of the 
 rate at which a South Australian train could travel. 
 He gave instructions to the driver to " put on full speed " 
 which he did. The result was that the rails were dis- 
 placed, and two carriages thrown off the line. The 
 party was upset in more senses than one. Fortunately 
 the coupling chain between the engine and the carriages 
 broko. and the passengers escaped injury. A Com- 
 mittee of Enquiry was held, and Charles Simeon Hare's 
 services were dispensed with. Long after he had a joke 
 to the effect that, though he had never been in the 
 Ministry, he had upset a Ministry and a Governor. He 
 went to Fiji for some years, and then returned to the 
 colony. At intervals he was elected to Parliament. 
 He was also sub-editor of a paper and a mine manager. 
 Charles Simeon Hare knew how to work upon the sus- 
 ceptibilities of Cornish miners. On one occasion, when 
 seeking their suffrages, he pulled off his coat, and ran 
 up a ladder to the top of a scaffold, exclaiming : "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 22, 1882. His age was 74 years. 
 
 Sm RICHARD DAVIES HANSON. A noted pioneer. 
 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
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 339 
 
 South Australia was almost a terra incognita. The 
 three came to the colony, made their mark, and at- 
 tained the honor of knighthood. In London, seventy- 
 two years ago, Richard Hanson was recognised as a man 
 of ability, and was chosen to deliver an address in 
 Exeter Hall in the interests of the proposed colony. 
 He came to the Province in 1846, and practised his pro- 
 fession. 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 
 nominated 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 introduced the District Councils 
 Act. He was nominated a member of the new Council 
 in 1855. and helped to frame 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 on 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 1 861 
 the vacant post was given to Richard Hanson. In 
 1869 he visited England, 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 in- 
 sured attention to what he uttered. He was no orator 
 of the impassioned school, but a steady How 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 Air. Hanson (Attorney- 
 General) I am inclined to think that I recognise the ablest
 
 o4U SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 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 atten- 
 tion to philosophical and theological questions. He 
 wrote and published a rationalistic work on " The Jesus 
 of History." He died March 4, 1876, aged seventy 
 years. Hanson-street in the city bears his name. 
 
 EDWARD CASTRES GWYNNE was born in February, 
 1811. and came to the new Province of South Australia 
 by the " Lord Goderich," arriving in 1838. He began 
 to practise as an attorney, and put up an office at the 
 West end of North-terrace. In 1851 his political life 
 began, being nominated as a non-official member of the 
 new Legislative Coiincil. It was he who led the party 
 in this Council in favor 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 in what is known as " The Ten Days Ministry." 
 A little later on 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 contemporary, " 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 in- 
 dustry. Judge Gwynne died June 10, 1888, aged 
 seventy-seven years. 
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN HART C.M.G. As early as 1834 he 
 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 Tasmanian mer- 
 chant. Here he was often consulted by the South Aus- 
 tralian Colonization Commissioners, to whom he was 
 able to give useful information. After Captain Hart
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 341 
 
 returned to Australia he traded between the colonies. 
 Through the boat accident at the Murray mouth by 
 which Judge JefTcott lost his life and Captain Blenkin- 
 sopp (the owner of a whale fishery) the plant was pur- 
 chased by a company in Adelaide, and Captain Hart 
 was appointed manager. The disasters which over- 
 took the colony in Governor Gawler's time ruined many 
 of the pioneer merchants. The result was that Captain 
 Hart resumed a seafaring life. After a time he gave this 
 up, and devoted himself to commercial pursuits, and 
 became a leading merchant in the new settlement. He 
 built large flour mills at the Port 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 who 
 were opposed to State-aid to religion, moving a resolu- 
 tion 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 that 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 was made a Companion of 
 the Order of St. Michael and of St. George. At the time 
 of his decease it was said that there was no man in the 
 House of Assembly who could worthily fill the gap occa- 
 sioned by his death. Few men had been so intimately 
 associated with the many valuable reforms in the 
 interests of the Commonwealth. He died suddenly 
 January 28th, 1873, at an advanced age. 
 
 EDWARD STIRLING was one of the makers of the 
 Constitution, being nominated to a position in the 
 Legislative Council in 1855. He was also chosen as a 
 member of the First Parliament in 1857. Died in 
 London on February 2, 1873. Professor Stirling, 
 F.R.S., C.M.G., and Sir John Lancelot Stirling, K.C.M.G. 
 (President of the Legislative Council) are sons of the late 
 Edward Stirling.
 
 342 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 GEORGE FIFE ANGAS. One of the founders of the 
 colony. As we have referred to him in earlier chapters, 
 it will not be necessary to make any extended reference. 
 He took a very active part in the social, political, and 
 religious life of the colony. He was in all the early 
 Legislative Assemblies, except the old Nominee Council 
 established in Governor Grey's time. George F. Angas 
 fought hard for religious liberty, and helped to mould 
 the Constitution of the colony on a liberal basis. He 
 retired from political life in 1866. Died at Lindsay 
 House, Angaston, May 15, 1879, aged 90 years. It is 
 said that his shrewdness and foresight secured for Great 
 Britain the possession of New Zealand. Angas-street 
 and Angaston are named after him. (See his life by 
 Edwin H odder.) 
 
 WILLIAM YOUNGHUSBAKD represented the District 
 of Stanley in the two most important Legislative Coun- 
 cils in the early days, one dealing with the Government 
 Grant to religious bodies and the other laying down the 
 basis for responsible Government. William Young- 
 husband took a prominent 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 develop- 
 ment of the Murray trade. We believe that he died and 
 was buried at Rome about May, 1863. Lake Young- 
 husband in the Far North bears his name. 
 
 JOHN BENTHAM NEALES. An old and useful poli- 
 tician. 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 developing the mineral resources of the 
 colony. He is traditionally 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 " Parkhurst 
 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 Ade-
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. , 343' 
 
 laide in the Legislative Council in 1851 and 1855. using 
 his influence in the interests of religious freedom, and 
 helping to formulate the Bill for responsible govern- 
 ment. He was elected to the First Parliament in 1857, 
 representing the City of Adelaide. In 1866 he was 
 Commissioner of Crown Lands, and was connected with 
 politics to the time of his death. As a speaker he was 
 fluent and always entertaining, full of humor and 
 anecdote. Died at Glenelg, July 31, 1873, aged sixty- 
 seven years. The Hundred of Xeales perpetuates his 
 memory. 
 
 JOHN T. BAGOT. In the Council in 1853 and was 
 re-elected in 1855. On both occasions he represented 
 the District of Light. He helped to make the new Con- 
 stitution, and sat in the second Ministry under respon- 
 sible Government, having been re-elected for the district 
 of Light in 1857. For several years he was a useful 
 politician. He died August 6. 1870, aged sixty-one 
 years. 
 
 WILLIAM PEACOCK. A most worthy pioneer. He 
 came from the Old Land in 1838, and took a deep in- 
 terest 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 re- 
 presenting the District of Noarlunga. In 1861 he was 
 elected again to a seat in the Legislative Council. Wil- 
 liam Peacock did good work in helping to build up the 
 social, political, and religious fabric. He built what was 
 known as " Ebenezer Chapel," off Bundle-street, at his 
 own expense. Died January 20, 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 signing 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 delivered his first public 
 address in a store in Flinders-street, on Saturday, De-
 
 344 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 cember 13, 1845. It was in opposition to the Royalties 
 Bill. John Baker interested himself 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 Coun- 
 cils that dealt with the question of State-aid to religion, 
 and formed a Constitution for the colony. In the 
 debates connected with these momentous subjects he 
 took a very prominent part. On each occasion he re- 
 presented 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 Legislative 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 associated with politics. He was elected 
 a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of England 
 and of the British Association and Ethnological Society. 
 He possessed a good command of language, facility of 
 expression, and a forcible style of delivery. The Hon. 
 .John Baker was 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 18, 1872, aged fifty-nine years. 
 
 JOHN BRISTOW HUGHES arrived in 1840. Was 
 elected for East Torrens in 1855, and helped to make 
 the new Constitution. Having helped to make it he 
 was elected under it, representing the District of Port 
 Adelaide in the first House of Assembly. For a short 
 time in 1857 he held office as Treasurer. His budget 
 speech was described as a very able one. Was an 
 active member of the Episcopalian Church, one of the 
 Founders of St. Peter's College, and a pronounced anti- 
 Ritualist. Was drowned in April, 1881, while bath- 
 ing.
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 345 
 
 HON. THOMAS REYNOLDS, a grand pioneer, who met 
 with a tragic end. He came from the Old Land to the 
 New Settlement in 1840 to join his brother in business. 
 When he arrived he found that his brother had been 
 dead four months. His brother's child died on the 
 day that he landed, and he had the mournful satisfac- 
 tion of following his remains to the grave. Before he 
 left England he was an active worker in the Methodist 
 Church, and on his arrival in the new land took a deep 
 interest in spiritual work. He was the first candidate 
 for the Methodist ministry in the colony. One is 
 tempted to speculate what Thomas Reynolds' career 
 in the colony would have been had he not forsaken the 
 ministry to " serve tables." There was a secession in 
 the Methodist body in 1843 in which Jacob Abbott (a 
 grand old pioneer) and Thomas Reynolds took a leading 
 part. These two men formed a new denomination 
 called " The Australian Methodist Society." It had a 
 short life, and Thomas Reynolds returned to the Wes- 
 ley an Methodist fold. When the church decided to 
 receive State-aid he finally left it. 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 Bill that led Thomas Reynolds to plunge 
 into political life. He thought it was high time for 
 " earnest men to bestir themselves," which he very soon 
 did. When Charles Simeon Hare retired from the re- 
 presentation of West Torrens in the Mixed Council of 
 1851, Thomas Reynolds was elected in his place. In 
 1855 when a new Council had to be formed to create a 
 Constitution, Thomas Reynolds again sought the suf- 
 frages 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 on he was Com- 
 missioner of Public Works. In 1860 he formed a 
 ministry and brought in " a told and progressive 
 policy." This Ministry held office for some time. 
 After it was ousted he sat in a Cabinet formed by George 
 M. Waterhouse (1861) taking the position of Treasurer. 
 He also held the office of Treasurer ip a Ministry formed
 
 346 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 by Francis S. Button (1865). In 1867 and also in 1868, 
 he was Treasurer in the Ayers' Ministry. In 1873 he 
 was Commissioner of Crown Lands under the same 
 leader. About this time the condition of the Northern 
 Territory caused anxiety. In its interests the Hon. 
 Thomas Reynolds 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 in the Government 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 
 leading colonists started for " home " in the " Gothen- 
 burg." She struck on the Barrier Reef on the evening 
 of Wednesday, February 24, 1875. A storm was raging. 
 The night was an awful one. There was lightning, 
 thunder, and blinding rains. There were nearly a 
 hundred passengers on board beside the crew, also about 
 3,000 ounces of gold. All perished with the exception 
 of twenty-two. Amongst those who went down were 
 Judge Wearing, Lionel J. Pelham (Judge's Associate), 
 Joseph J. Whitby (Acting Crown Solicitor), and the 
 Hon. T. Reynolds and his wife. When the diver went 
 down after the wreck, Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds were 
 kneeling in their cabin in the attitude of prayer. The 
 Hon. T. Reynolds was a leading worker in the temper- 
 ance cause. In the young colony his energy, his readi- 
 ness in debate, and his progressive views, gave him 
 great influence. In Parliament it 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 maintained 
 his opinions, and the fact that his political integrity 
 was beyond dispute, contributed largely to his popu- 
 larity. He was an able, ready, and forcible speaker; 
 brilliant as a financier. His combative disposition 
 and his talent for cutting sarcasm sometimes led him to
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 347 
 
 extremes." He was drowned in his fifty-seventh 
 year. 
 
 SIR ARTHUR BLYTH. The Province of South Aus- 
 tralia had only been in existence 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 iron- 
 monger. 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 Commis- 
 sioner 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 position for which he was 
 eminently qualified. In 1878 he was knighted by the 
 Queen. Sir Arthur died in London, December 7, 1891. 
 
 
 
 THE FIRST PARLIAMENT. 
 
 Many of the nation builders whom we have already 
 mentioned sat in this Parliament. It was the inau- 
 guration of responsible government. We now deal with 
 some prominent pioneers who had no seats in the pre- 
 vious 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 years in both Houses of Legislature. In 
 1865-6 he was Treasurer of the colony. Prominent 
 in the mercantile life of the community. Died No- 
 vember 4, 1882.
 
 348 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 DR. CHARLES GEORGE EVERARD arrived by the 
 " Africane " in 1836. Was present when the Proclama- 
 tion was read at Holdfast Bay. Sat in the First Legis- 
 lative Council under the new Constitution. Died March 
 30, 1876, aged eighty-two years. Father of the better 
 known William Everard, who, as a youth, came out in 
 the " Africane," 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 worthy doctor, with his 
 wife and family had to spend the night on a table. 
 However, the doctor could make the best of everything. 
 / 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 emigra- 
 tion." Writing to his sister in England in 1837 he said : 
 "After a very long delay the site of the chief town was 
 fixed, and we have been on our town land about a 
 month. It certainly is admirably chosen, and must 
 eventually become a very prosperous city. It is situ- 
 ated 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 
 five miles from where our cottage is situated, which is 
 now called Glenelg. and seven miles from the harbour, 
 which is called Port Adelaide, but a canal is contem- 
 plated of six miles in length, which will bring mer- 
 chandise from the Port to the city. I should tell you 
 that the country soil and climate exceed my most san- 
 guine expectations, and that I would not return to live 
 in England on any account." Dr. Everard introduced 
 the mulberry tree into South Australia. He secured a 
 cutting at the Cape of Good Hope, placed it in a hollow 
 walking stick, and planted it as soon as he landed. 
 Fortunately it grew, and became a splendid specimen of 
 its kind. He also raised olives from seeds obtained at 
 the Cape.
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 349 
 
 HENRY MILDRED canie to the province in 1837, 
 and took a prominent position in political and municipal 
 life. " Councillor 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 different times during his 
 long life he occupied seats in the Legislative Council or 
 House of Assembly. About 1871 he retired from politi- 
 cal life. He passed away at the age of 82 years. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM MILNE was born near Glasgow in May, 
 1822, and came to the new settlement in 1839. He 
 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 representative of Onkaparinga, and 
 in 1869 he was chosen a member of the Legislative Coun- 
 cil. Sir William served in several Ministries, and intro- 
 duced some valuable legislation. He was chosen to 
 succeed Sir John Morphett as President of the Legisla- 
 tive Council. He died April 23, 1895, aged seventy-two 
 years. 
 
 ALEXANDER HAY was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, 
 in 1820, and came to South Australia in 1839. Was 
 engaged principally 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, advocated 
 the selling of waste lands on credit as well as for cash, 
 brought in a Bill to legalise 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 Chris- 
 tian Association. He died February 4, 1898, aged 
 seventy-eight years. 
 
 SIR HENRY AYERS. This pioneer will long be re- 
 membered for valuable services rendered to the com-
 
 350 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 munity. For a great many years he occupied a unique 
 position in the colony. Henry Ayers was born at 
 Portsea, England, in May, 1821. He came to South 
 Australia in 1840. When the Burra Mine was dis- 
 covered he became Secretary to the South Australian 
 Mining Association, a position that he occupied through 
 a long life. In 1857 'he was elected a member of the 
 Legislative Council, and was seven times Premier of 
 South Australia and sat in several Ministries. For 
 twelve years he was President of the Legislative Council. 
 In 1894 he was knighted by the Queen. 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 Con- 
 ferences. Of him the " South Australian Register " has 
 said : " Sir Henry was peculiarly fitted to represent 
 the people in the Senate Hall and in the Cabinet office. 
 As an administrator he showed his ready grasp of detail." 
 His " culture and diplomatic training " served him 
 admirably in the discharge of the work connected with 
 the " occupancy of the highest positions in the State." 
 No one " presided over the deliberations of the Legis- 
 lative Council with a higher conception of the require- 
 ments of the office. His rule was characterised by 
 ability, gravity, impartiality, and courtesy. His de- 
 meanour, 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 unquestionable title to the enduring and 
 grateful recollections of tens of thousands of thrifty 
 families in South Australia." When a great financial 
 disaster overtook the colon}' 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 June 11, 1897, in his seventy-seventh 
 ear.
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 351 
 
 BENJAMIN HERSCHEL BABBAGE was the son of the 
 celebrated inventor of the calculating machine that 
 made the name of " Babbage " universal. When the 
 Bullion Act was passed, to which reference has been 
 made, Benjamin H. Babbage was appointed Govern- 
 ment Assayer. In the first Parliament under respon- 
 sible government he was elected for the District of En- 
 counter Bay. In 1856 he was Government Geologist, 
 and led a party into the interior as far as Mount Hopeless 
 in search of gold. During the trip he found a large 
 creek which he named MacDonnell, in honour of the 
 Governor; also a fresh-water lake, to which he gave the 
 name of Blanchewater in honour of Lady MacDonnell. 
 He also led a party to more thoroughly examine Lake 
 Torrens and the vicinity. One discovery that he made 
 was of a very painful character it was the dead body of 
 W. Coulthard, an early settler 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. Amongst others the fol- 
 lowing : " My tung is stiking to my mouth. 
 Blind (?) although feeling exce for want of water. 
 My ey dazels. My tung burn. I can see no way. 
 
 God help ." What made the tragedy more painful 
 
 was the fact that not far from the dead body unknown 
 to the perishing man was a water hole with a good 
 supply of water. Benjamin H. Babbage died at his 
 residence, St. Mary's, South-road. October 22. 1878. 
 
 FRIEDRICH 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 colonists (as a rule) they have made frugal, 
 honest, independent, and industrious. Of our German 
 brethren the author (from personal experience) can speak 
 in the highest terms. 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 Schleswig Hoi- 
 stein, and passed through all the classes of the college 
 there, and then apprenticed himself for three years at
 
 352 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 the Botanical Gardens at the University of Kiel. Matri- 
 culated in 1846 as a student of philosophy at the Uni- 
 versity 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 representative for Mount Barker in the First 
 Parliament. He did good service in assisting to pass 
 the Real Property Act at a critical time. He also advo- 
 cated a Distillation Bill, and a Bill of his own in the 
 interest of Rifle Clubs. Friedrich Krichauff was a warm 
 supporter of the principle of payment of members. 
 Not being able to spare so much time from his agri- 
 Cultural 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 Commonwealth we may 
 say that the author of this sketch walked to Adelaide 
 on the Monday (a distance of about twenty -eight 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 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 the appointment of a Forest Board. 
 In 1884 Friedrich Krichauff was returned for the Dis- 
 trict 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 Commission, and was 
 also elected permanent Chairman of a most useful in- 
 stitution the Central Agricultural Bureau. Mr. 
 Krichauff died September 29, 1904.
 
 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 353 
 
 HON. JOHN DUNN. His life is a lesson in the virtues 
 of patience and perseverance. From a very lowly 
 position by virtue of hard work he rose to one of 
 honor and affluence. John Dunn was born in Devon- 
 shire in February, 1802. His parents were poor, con- 
 sequently he received very little education. When ten 
 years of age he had to go to work, receiving the miser- 
 able pittance of sixpence per week. After seven years' 
 apprenticeship John Dunn became manager of a flour 
 mill at Bideford, Devon. His wages now were fifteen 
 shillings per week. About four years after the found- 
 ing 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 flour 
 mill at Hay Valley, worked by the wind. This process 
 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 hours' system;" he worked from daylight to dark, 
 and after dark continued his labors, 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 
 1 857. 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 Torrens' 
 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
 
 354 SOME PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 served his generation the annals of the colony abun- 
 dantly 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 righteousness;" 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 labored. He died October 13, 1894, in his ninety- 
 third year. 
 
 NOTE. In biinging this chapter to a close it may be 
 of interest to remark that the only surviving member of 
 the First Parliament is Mr. Luther Scammell, of Unley. 
 Mr. Scammell has proved himself a most worthy and 
 useful colonist.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 In our last chapter we spoke more especially of the 
 Crown officers of the primitive settlement, and of the 
 Senators who helped to mould the destinies of the young 
 and growing nation. This chapter will be devoted to 
 men of a somewhat different type. The social system 
 is complex. As in the erection of some large material 
 fabric various trades are represented, so in nation build- 
 ing representatives of the various professions and in- 
 dustries have a prominent part to perform. In the 
 building up of a Commonwealth these cannot be ignored. 
 It is only of a few prominent pioneer workers, of whom 
 posterity ought to know something, that we can speak. 
 
 There were three brothers, representing different 
 phases of social life, who ought to come under review. 
 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 anta- 
 gonists to State-aid to religion, and led the van in the 
 most important and severe conflict that our colony 
 has witnessed. One was a caustic and robust writer,, 
 and the other an able and vigorous speaker. 
 
 John Stephens was a Methodist preacher one of 
 the ablest men who ever 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 a high position in the 
 ecclesiastical world, and to do a good work. When 
 little more than twenty years of age he entered the 
 ministry, and occupied the highest positions that the 
 Church could give. His instincts were conservative. 
 History affirms that he was one of " the most unbending
 
 .356 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 champions of authority that the Conference could pro- 
 duce." He had five able sons, and, strange to relate, 
 three of them at least developed radical tendencies. 
 One (Joseph Raynor Stephens) not willing to bow to 
 Conference authority, retired from the Methodist 
 ministry. He became a political agitator, and " gave 
 the British Government more trouble than ever he gave 
 the British Conference." It is with his three brothers 
 Samuel, John, and Edward Stephens that we have 
 specially to deal. They all came early to the new 
 colony, and materially helped in laying its foundations 
 and in raising the superstructure. 
 
 SAMUEL STEPHENS was the first adult colonist to 
 put his foot on South Australian soil. He came by the 
 first vessel (the " Duke of York ") in 1836, and landed 
 on Kangaroo Island. He was sent out by the South 
 Australian Company as its first manager, and was the 
 leading spirit at the Kangaroo Island settlement. 
 
 Every detail in relation to the pioneers is valuable, 
 and will become increasingly so as the years roll by. 
 From the letters of early emigrants we get glimpses of 
 the son of the Rev. John Stephens and his new sur- 
 roundings. Under the guidance of these we see several 
 tents and rude huts not far from the beach at Nepean 
 Bay, Kangaroo Island. A number of 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. Presently depth of water fails. 
 The passengers are either carried by the sailors or they 
 wade through the surf to the beach. They are met by 
 Samuel Stephens and conducted to his tent. Lunch is 
 prepared. He 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 down to the 
 water's edge, and a fine view of the ocean. There are 
 several Cashmere goats, imported by the South Aus- 
 tralian Company, browsing the herbage. Some poultry 
 are busy examining the nature of the new country. 
 Cattle there is none. Mr. Stephens and party go for a
 
 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 357 
 
 short walk in the bush. They come to a piece of land 
 that has been cleared. It is a burial ground. Already 
 there are two graves in it. How suggestive ! What a 
 lesson it reads in human mortality ! How soon the 
 most recent and smallest community needs a cemetery ! 
 As soon as we provide homes for the living a place must 
 be prepared for the dead. The party walk back to the 
 beach, gathering shells and sponges. Farewell words 
 are spoken. The visitors take their seats in the boat. 
 Samuel Stephens goes back to his tent, while the sailors 
 pull for the emigrant vessel, whose destination is Hold- 
 fast Bay. 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 astonishment 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 erect- 
 ing several stores and buildings. He also did useful 
 work in exploring the country round Adelaide and the 
 west coast. Alas! the 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 speech- 
 less . His horse had fallen with him . He died about half 
 an hour after his friends picked him up. He was buried
 
 358 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 in the West-terrace Cemetery, Adelaide. Of him one of 
 the pioneers left the following record : " He was en- 
 deared by the benevolence of his disposition and kind- 
 ness of heart, as he was admired for his clear perception 
 and sound judgment. No case of real distress or diffi- 
 culty 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 heaping fire on 
 the head of an opponent, it was sure to be by rendering 
 him a kindness." The Rev. William Longbottom 
 must have cherished a regard for the memory of Samuel 
 Stephens, as it was his wish to be buried by his side. 
 
 Samuel Stephens is buried in a block of land secured 
 by his brother Edward. The forces of nature are 
 destroying the lettering on the tombstone. Before the 
 inscription totally disappears the author would like to 
 transfer it to his pages. Some of the words are already 
 lost. 
 
 " In the 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 Aus- 
 tralia 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 return- 
 ing .... to Adelaide." 
 
 John Stephens is buried in the same vault. 
 
 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 his foot on South 
 Australian soil. The following are the directions for 
 finding it : Road No. 1 south. Path 30 west and 
 path 31 east. Nos. 44-45. Situated between first and 
 second road. 
 
 JOHN STEPHENS. About 1832 a paper was pub- 
 lished in England with pronounced radical tendencies.
 
 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 359 
 
 It was conducted by four able young men, sons of dis- 
 tinguished ministers. All had the literary gift, and 
 were writers to the annuals. The paper took the name 
 of the " Christian Advocate.'" A contemporary says : 
 " The paper was conducted with ability, its articles were 
 exceedingly plausible, and in the absence of any counter- 
 acting 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 thousands. Pegple looked for the " Christian 
 Advocate " with an eager spirit, and there was some- 
 thing 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 botli paper and editor disappeared 
 from view. It was in connection with the founding 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 Pro- 
 gress of South Australia." A copy of this edition the 
 writer has been privileged to see. It consists of more 
 than two hundred pages, and reveals considerable 
 literary merit. In 1843 John Stephens is in Adelaide. 
 He established the " Adelaide Observer." Later on 
 the " Register " came into his hands. The same 
 characteristics that were so marked in England were 
 manifested here. He was a fighter indeed. By the 
 courtesy of the present proprietors of the " Register " 
 the writer has been able to glean the following respecting 
 his colonial career. " He had great difficulties with
 
 360 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 his literary business, as he wielded a trenchant pen, and 
 enemies rose up all round him, some of whom sought 
 redress for their imagined 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 represented as 
 having " decision of character, indomitable pluck, and 
 untiring energy in an eminent degree." He was a 
 staunch teetotaller. In the various actions that were 
 brought against him it was his conviction that he suf- 
 fered for righteousness 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 uncom- 
 promising exposer of every proved corruption 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 labor, but not 
 until he had established, on a permanent basis, the re- 
 putation and success of the " Register." Business 
 worries and the death of a beloved son helped to break 
 him down. His body lies in the West-terrace Ceme- 
 tery, Adelaide. The stone that marks his resting-place 
 is wasting away. Some of the letters are obliterated. 
 The Curator of the Cemetery went to considerable 
 trouble to decipher the inscription. 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 onlv trust.
 
 JOHN STEPHENS.
 
 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 361 
 
 John Stephens' residence was on North-terrace, 
 nearly opposite where the Library now stands. His 
 printing office, from which he issued the " Observer, " 
 was in Hindley-street, near the site on which Beach's 
 restaurant is built. 
 
 EDWARD STEPHENS. Of his early history we are 
 not in a position to speak. We believe that he came 
 to the new colony from Hull. He and his wife ar- 
 rived by the " Coromandel," about five months after 
 his brother Samuel. He came to the colony as cashier 
 and accountant of the South Australian Company's 
 bank, bringing with him a portable banking house and 
 iron chests. The site for the city had not yet been fixed, 
 so Edward Stephens and his wife had to take up their 
 abode in a tent, not far from the beach, at Holdfast 
 Bay. In public matters connected with the young 
 colony Edward Stephens took a leading part. In 
 searching old records in the Adelaide Public Library 
 the writer has found his name in connection with a 
 variety of social, political, religious, and philanthropic 
 movements. He was one of the early emigrants 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 who named the 
 streets and squares of Adelaide; he was also a magis- 
 trate, 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 Miscellany," 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 Eng- 
 land. In connection with his departure the editor of
 
 362 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 the " Adelaide Times " said : " No one who remembers 
 the crisis of 1841-4 can deny to Mr. Stephens the posses- 
 sion of tact and talent of a very superior order, or can 
 hesitate to admit his perfect self-possession and far- 
 sighted forbearance on that trying occasion. Not one 
 banker out of ten or perhaps out of a hundred could 
 have done what he then did. There was 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 Banking Com- 
 pany entombed in its ruins. As it was the bank was 
 saved, and was brought out of the crisis without any con- 
 siderable 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 
 Governor Grey quailed, who then referred the matter in 
 dispute home, only to meet with more signal and com- 
 plete discomfiture. For this Mr. Stephens entitled 
 himself to the best thanks of the colonists. The ques- 
 tion at issue was the disposal 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. So 
 far as the author has been able to ascertain he resigned 
 his position as Manager of the Bank of South Australia 
 in 1855, and returned to England. In February, 1861, 
 we meet with Edward Stephens in London, writing to his 
 old friend, John Ridley, the inventor of the stripper. 
 A number of old colonists at this time were in England, 
 and Edward Stephens was arranging for a dinner and 
 for a testimonial to Mr. Ridley. Amongst the old colonists 
 in London were Captain Bagot, Alexander L. Elder, 
 Joseph Hawdon (who brought over the first herd of 
 cattle), Charles Bonney (the first Commissioner of 
 Crown Lands), W. H. Maturin, James Hurtle Fisher, 
 and Colonel George Gawler (the second Governor of our 
 Province). The dinner was held, and the presentation
 
 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 363 
 
 to Mr. Ridley was made at the Albion Hotel, Aldersgate- 
 street, London. The testimonial to Mr. Ridley was in 
 the form of a large candelabrum, made of South Aus- 
 tralian gold, silver, malachite, and woods. At this 
 banquet report says that Edward Stephens made " the 
 most delightful speech " in answering the toast, " The 
 Ladies." His speech was in praise of the wives of the 
 arly settlers in South Australia. A few days after 
 this festival Edward Stephens, who had taken such a 
 prominent part in connection with it, passed away. Of 
 this sad circumstance John Ridley wrote : "Mr. Edward 
 Stephens," one of the Vice-Chairmen at the dinner, 
 " within a fortnight is gathered to his rest. May not a 
 line be added to his memory ? 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. 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 con- 
 ducted with signal ability through all its early stages, 
 and continued its colonial manager till 1855, when he 
 honorably retired, leaving his favorite institution a large 
 and profitable concern. His promise on leaving Ade- 
 laide in 1855 to continue serving South Australia has 
 been more than fulfilled, his high qualifications for pub- 
 lic life being pre-eminent when its interests were to be 
 advocated, or its claims asserted." Edward Stephens 
 represented the colony at the International Statistical 
 Congress, and, had he lived, he would have done so at the 
 Exhibition of 1862, to which he had been appointed a 
 commissioner. John Ridley affirms that in Edward 
 Stephens the colony had one of the best of its public 
 men, 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. 
 
 "PROFESSOR" MENGE. A pioneer mineralogist. 
 This is a name that ought not to pass into oblivion.
 
 364 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 He was the father of South Australian mineralogy and 
 geology. He arrived in the colony in 1836, and for a 
 time resided on Kangaroo Tslfird. Here he devoted 
 himself to the cultivation of a garden. A gentleman 
 who visited South Australia in 1837. speaking of Menge, 
 said : " This great scholar (for he is eminent as a lin- 
 guist as well as a mineralogist) is the completest speci- 
 men of an eccentric student I ever knew. He is by 
 birth a German; he lives upon tobacco smoke and pan 
 cakes. A more perfect hermit could not be. His den 
 (for it cannot be termed a hut) is under ground, with 
 the mound or roof just hummocked up above the level; 
 on one side is his fireplace, where he may be observed, at 
 daybreak and evening, frying his cakes." When the 
 first emigrants moved from Kangaroo Island to the 
 mainland, Menge left his " dug out " and garden, and 
 went with them. He then devoted his time and atten- 
 tion to an examination of the country. He discovered 
 indications of gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, and found 
 several precious stones. He collected scores of speci- 
 mens, arranged and classified them. These he deposited 
 at Dr. Moorhouse's residence, North-terrace. He spoke 
 highly of the mineral resources of the colony, and time 
 proved the truth of his anticipations. Before coming to 
 South Australia, Menge had travelled over Europe, 
 Siberia, Iceland, North America, and a great part of 
 Northern Asia in pursuit of his study. A person who 
 knew him well wrote of him as follows : " He has all 
 the guileless innocence and merriment of a child. 
 He carried his contempt of gain so far as to decline to 
 give lessons in Hebrew to Governor Grey and his lady 
 because the Governor would not consent to his proposal 
 to found a school of mining. . . It appears indif- 
 ferent to him whether he converses in German, French, 
 English, Russian, Dutch, Hebrew. . . All the living 
 languages he has acquired in the respective countries 
 which he traversed or lived in while pursuing his favorite 
 hobby mineralogy." " Professor " Menge travelled 
 as far as the Flinders' Range, and spoke highly of its 
 mineral wealth. It is said that the life of this remark-
 
 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 365 
 
 able man came to an end in a wretched tent on the 
 Bendigo diggings, Victoria, in 1852. He died alone, 
 without a friend to solace him, or to see him through the 
 dark valley. 
 
 CAPTAIN WATTS, pioneer Postmaster-General, ar- 
 rived in the Province in 1841, and was almost imme- 
 diately appointed to the office of Postmaster-General, 
 which he held for 20 years. He retired in 1861. An 
 address was presented to him by the officers of the de- 
 partment, and a French gilt drawing-room clock, suit- 
 ably inscribed. He also received the special thanks of 
 the Governor and of the Adelaide Chamber of Commerce. 
 He died March 28th, 1873, aged 87 years. Captain 
 Watts had been an officer in the British Army. The 
 General Post Office was a wooden building, which stood 
 on the eastern corner of King William-street and North- 
 terrace, where the Bank of New South Wales now stands. 
 Here Captain Watts and his family resided. 
 
 HENRY JICKLING. A pioneer barrister. He was 
 among the early emigrants. When Sir John Jeffcott 
 was drowned in 1837 at the Murray mouth, Mr. Jickling 
 acted as Judge. He was Master of the Supreme Court, 
 and with the late Sir R. D. Hanson examined our pre- 
 sent worthy Chief Justice (the Right Hon. Sir Samuel 
 Way) when he was admitted to the Bar. Henry 
 Jickling was a prominent figure in Adelaide in the early 
 days. There is something funny about the name 
 the very sound seems to provoke a smile. The name 
 was characteristic of the man. He was indeed an eccen- 
 tric character, and many were the jokes manufactured 
 at his expense. He wore shoes, white stockings, short 
 trousers, and a peculiar cloak. In addition, he was 
 very near-sighted, and had a springy walk. One of the 
 early emigrants (Mr. Nathaniel Hailes) in an address 
 delivered at Kensington fifty years ago. said : " There 
 is still living in the city a gentleman deeply read in the 
 law, but somewhat peculiar in his habits and manners. 
 His hearing was defective and his sight contracted. 
 The learned gentleman had been dining at Mr. Osmond
 
 366 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 Gilles' house, near St. John's Church. His own resi- 
 dence was in Gilles' Arcade. Two other guests, who 
 left long after him, were surprised to overtake him a 
 short distance from his starting point. He was stand- 
 ing opposite the stock of a sheaoak tree. Bowing 
 politely and addressing the tree, he said : " Will you 
 have the kindness to tell me the way to Gilles' Arcade ? 
 . . . Do oblige me." Some time after 1861 Henry 
 Jickling left South Australia, and returned to the Old 
 Country. 
 
 Sm CHARLES COOPER. A pioneer Judge. He was 
 sent out by the Colonization Commissioners to take the 
 place of Sir John Jeffcott, and arrived in 1838. For 
 many years Judge Cooper was a prominent figure among 
 the early settlers. In addition to the valuable services- 
 rendered as a judge he took an interest in the social life 
 of the people. Alexander Tolmer (Commissioner of 
 Police) has left on record an amusing incident in which 
 Judge Cooper figured shortly after his arrival. He re- 
 sided in a house near Whitmore-square, since utilised as 
 the Bushman's Club. One of the rooms of the house 
 was used as a court room. Joseph Stagg, a notorious- 
 criminal, was on his trial. William Smillie (the Advo- 
 cate-General) was conducting the case on behalf of the 
 Crown. Charles Mann was defending the prisoner. 
 Several ladies and other spectators were present. Sud- 
 denly there was a report like the crack of a pistoL 
 " He's shot at !" some voices exclaimed. In a moment 
 the foreman of the jury, followed by the eleven, dashed 
 out of one of the French windows. The Judge, lawyers, 
 and ladies went pell-mell through the other. The only 
 persons left in the room, besides the prisoner, were Tolmer 
 and the Governor of the gaol.* The latter held the 
 
 * Mr. Ashton (Governor of the Gaol in the early days) 
 passed 'through some exciting: experiences. He had been 
 connected with the police department in England, and came 
 to South Australia shortly after its foundation. He lived in 
 a hut on the banks of the Torrens. Under his charge were 
 criminals of the worst type known in pioneer times as 
 "Vandamonians." The gaol consisted of a small stone build- 
 ing 1 , and another built of wood, the whole surrounded by a. 
 paling fence.
 
 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 367 
 
 prisoner, and the former kept a loaded pistol at his 
 head. The general conviction was that one of the 
 principal witnesses in the case a friend of the prisoner's 
 had fired at the police officer. When order was 
 restored it was found that the report was caused by the 
 snapping of one of the beams of the floor which stood 
 above a cellar. Judge Cooper had some difficult and 
 peculiar cases to decide. One of these was the legality 
 of the Royalty Bill, another which was known as " The 
 Cathedral Acre Case " a block of land in Victoria- 
 square claimed by the Church of England authorities 
 on which to build a Cathedral. In 1856 he visited Eng- 
 land. A farewell banquet was given to him by some of 
 the settlers. In the Old Country he was knighted by 
 the Queen. He returned to the colony, and after some 
 years of service resigned his position with a pension and 
 went back to England. Sir Charles died at Bath, Eng- 
 land, in May, 1887. He reached an old age. Cooper's 
 Creek in the North is named after him. It may be of 
 interest to mention that Lady Cooper died at Bath in 
 1906. She was the daughter of one of our pioneers, 
 C. B. Newenham, who came out in 1837. For a time 
 he was Auditor-General of the Province, and for many 
 years Sheriff. 
 
 ADMIRAL PULLEN. A pioneer navigator. Lieut. 
 Pullen came from the Old Country in the " Rapid " as 
 second officer under Colonel Light. In company with 
 the Colonel he spent some time in searching for a suit- 
 able harbor. Lieut. Pullen was one of the discoverers 
 of Port Adelaide. After the site of the city had been 
 fixed, and the harbor chosen, we meet with him on the 
 Murray. He took a great interest in the question as 
 to whether the mouth of the Murray were navigable, 
 and was the first to enter the Murray mouth from the 
 sea. Lieut. Pullen surveyed Port Elliott. The 
 " Goolwa " was first called Port Pullen in honor 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.
 
 368 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 Associated with Lieut. Pullen in trying to discover 
 a suitable port for the new settlement was Lieut. Field. 
 It is probable that he was one of the first of the emigrants 
 to enter the Port River. A few years later he took a 
 prominent part in expeditions for punishing the blacks 
 for attacks upon the settlers. He died about 1842 at 
 Yankalilla, and was buried in the churchyard at or near 
 Willunga. 
 
 DK. WYATT. A pioneer Coroner and School In- 
 spector. Came to the colony by the " John Renwick " 
 early in 1837. Dr. Wyatt was one of the purchasers 
 at the first land sale in the embryo city. This was 
 in 1837. In the same year Governor Hindmarsh ap- 
 pointed him Protector of Aborigines (pro tern) and City 
 Coroner. He was present at the proclamation of Queen 
 Victoria in the front of Government Hut, and was one 
 of the guests at the banquet to celebrate the first anni- 
 versary of the colony. In 1851 he was appointed In- 
 spector of Schools, a position that he held about thirty - 
 three years. There are many fathers of the rising 
 generation in South Australia to-day who (as lads attend- 
 ing school) will remember the short figure and spare 
 form of Dr. Wyatt, and the school holiday that followed 
 one of his visits. For many years he was Chairman of 
 the Adelaide Hospital. Up to the end of his life Dr. 
 Wyatt was connected with various useful institutions 
 that owe a debt of gratitude to him. He died in 1886, in 
 his eighty-second year. 
 
 DR. MOORHOTJSE. A pioneer Protector of the 
 blacks. He was sent out from the Old Country in 1840 
 to fill this position. In the early days there was a 
 ' Native 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 experiences in the early times, and finally 
 settled many miles north of Adelaide at Mount Re- 
 markable. Here he had an estate to which he gave the 
 name of " Bartigunya " a native name, we believe.
 
 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 369 
 
 His body rests in a little cemetery near the quaint vil- 
 lage of Melrose. On the tomb-stone the following verse 
 is inscribed : 
 
 " He hated falsehood's mean disguise. 
 
 And loved the thing that's just; 
 His honor, in his action lies, 
 
 And here remains his dust." 
 
 Ancient villagers say that the lines are characteristic of 
 the man. There was no material need for him to prac- 
 tice his profession, but in the interests of suffering 
 humanity he did so. He undertook cases without hope 
 of material reward, saying : " If I can relieve pain I am 
 paid." He died in 1876 at an advanced age. 
 
 JOHN BANKS SHEPHEKDSON. A pioneer school- 
 master the first officially appointed to the colony. 
 In company with the Rev. T. Q. Stow and William Giles 
 (Manager of the South Australian Company) he came 
 out in the ship " Hartley " in 1837. Speaking of his 
 early experiences he said : " Adelaide had just been 
 laid out, and the few people living there were located in 
 tents, reed huts, wooden erections, and piese houses." 
 These were so called after the man who first built them, 
 Mr. Piesse. They were composed of mud and straw. 
 When John B. Shepherdson arrived he tells us that 
 " serious quarrels had taken place as the 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 secured at a rental of 1 
 per week." A committee was formed to facilitate 
 arrangements for opening school. It was held in a 
 wooden erection on the North Park Lands, opposite 
 Trinity Church. The pioneer schoolmaster did not long 
 continue his scholastic duties. In Governor Robe's 
 time he was appointed clerk of the Mount Barker Fench 
 of Magistrates. Some years after he published a very 
 useful book on " Practice of the Local Courts," dedicat- 
 ing it to Governor MacDonnell. In 1861 he was ap- 
 pointed Stipendiary Magistrate for Yorke's Peninsula, a
 
 370 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 position that he occupied for about twenty-six yearn. 
 In 1887 he tendered .his resignation, re- 
 ceiving a letter from the Attorney-General (Hon. C. (', 
 Kingston) thanking him for " his forty years of faithful 
 service." Although eighty-eight years of age only a 
 few days before his death he went to the polling booth 
 to record his vote. He was " a grand old man," and 
 passed away May 24th, 1897, aged eighty-eight years. 
 
 ROBERT THOMAS. A pioneer printer. He and his 
 family came out in the " Africane " in 1836. The site 
 for the city was not then fixed. The family found a 
 temporary resting place in a tent and rush hut at Hold- 
 fast Bay. Robert Thomas was the printer and one of 
 the proprietors of the " South Australian Gazette and 
 Colonial Register." He had an ambition to found a 
 paper in a new colony, and for the paper to run parallel 
 with the life of the colony. This ambition was ful- 
 filled. He was one of the deputation to receive Governor 
 Hindmarsh when he landed at Holdfast Bay. Having 
 brought a printing plant with him, he " 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 of 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. We are indebted to the wife of this worthy 
 pioneer for a most graphic description of the circum- 
 stances under which the foundation-stone of the colony 
 was laid. He passed away in July, 1860, aged seventy- 
 eight years. Of him Sir George Grey has said : "He 
 was a fine example of the earnest, able, energetic pioneer 
 colonist; a man of great natural ability, and singular 
 force of character." 
 
 JOHN BARTON HACK. A pioneer contractor. Be- 
 fore South Australia was founded, when Robert Gouger 
 was trying to give birth to our State, he wrote in his 
 journal : " Mr. Barton Hack, a Quaker, called to say he 
 has some friends, persons of capital, desirous to emi-
 
 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 3fl 
 
 grate. He appears to be a highly respectable man, and 
 is well connected/' Mr. Hack came to the Province in 
 1837. He was one of the Committee who named the 
 streets of Adelaide. He first engaged in pastoral pur- 
 suits, and then became a contractor. John Barton 
 Hack worked well in helping to lay the foundations of 
 our State, and suffered many reverses. He died 
 October 4th, 1884. Barton-terrace, North Adelaide, 
 bears his name. 
 
 JOHN BAILEY. Pioneer gardener and botanist. 
 All the old colonists will remember " Bailey's Garden " 
 at Hackney. Though the site of the garden has been 
 built upon, some of the grand old trees are still alive, and 
 show signs of vigorous life. John Bailey was the first 
 Government Botanist. He came to this State in 1838, 
 and brought with him a variety of fruit and other trees. 
 He helped to lay the foundations of our horticultural 
 industry. Died in 1864. 
 
 CAPTAIN EDWARD CHARLES FROME. A pioneer 
 surveyor. He was appointed to succeed Colonel Light 
 as Surveyor-General, and came to the colony in com- 
 pany with a number of Sappers and miners. He was 
 an energetic officer, and made great progress in sur- 
 veying the Crown lands. He did useful work as an ex- 
 plorer in the vicinity of Lake Torrens. See " Frome 
 Expedition " in chapter on Exploration. It should be 
 remembered that when the colony was in financial 
 distress through Governor Gawler's lavish expenditure. 
 Captain Frome generously consented to gratuitously 
 perform the duties of Colonial Engineer. This saved 
 the colony many pounds as well as secured to it the 
 benefit of Captain Frome's talents. He returned to 
 England in 1849, and rejoined the Royal Engineers, 
 rising to the rank of Colonel. He died in the Old Land 
 in 1890, aged eighty-eight years. Frome-road, within 
 the city bounds, Lake Frome, and the District of Frome 
 are named after him. 
 
 HENRY INMAN. Pioneer police officer. He was 
 in the English army, and came early to the new settle-
 
 372 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 
 
 ment. He was appointed Superintendent of Police by 
 Governor Hindmarsh, and saw some active and exciting 
 service. 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 carry a letter to Adelaide to Mr. Edward 
 Stephens at the Bank of South Australia. Being a good 
 bushman, and well mounted, after some hesitancy he 
 consented. He duly arrived in Adelaide; hitched his 
 horse to the bank 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, carrying 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 bushranger's suspicions were 
 aroused. He bolted through the door, and made a 
 rush for his horse. Just as he was mounting Super- 
 intendent 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 discharging, and wrenched it out of the felon's 
 hand. He was immediately captured. Later on we 
 meet with Henry Inman leading an overland party, and 
 severely speared in an affray with the blacks. Subse- 
 quently he returned to England. The powerful young 
 Lancer and police officer became interested in spiritual 
 life and work, and entered the ministry of the Epis- 
 copalian Church. The Inman River and Inman Valley 
 bear his name. 
 
 JOHN HOWARD ANGAS. A pioneer pastoralist 
 -whose name is known throughout Australasia. He 
 was born at Newcastle-on-Tyne on October 5, 1823. 
 Came to South Australia in 1843 to manage his father's 
 estate. In this work he was eminently successful.
 
 OTHER PIONEER BUILDERS. 375 
 
 In 1854 he again visited England, and returned to settle 
 on his beautiful estate at Collingrove. For some yeais 
 he sat in the Assembly for the District of Barossa, 
 and from 1887 to 1893 he had a seat in the Legislative 
 Council. In various ways he rendered great service to 
 the province. " Few men have done more to improve 
 the breed of farm stock or taken a greater interest in 
 the progress of agriculture." His gifts to some of our 
 charitable institutions have been of a munificent char- 
 acter, and practically all of them have benefited from his 
 generosity. He died May 17th. Ifi04.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 After what we trust has been a pleasant and pro- 
 fitable association, the author and the reader must part 
 company. We undertook to reveal the process of 
 nation building till South Australia reached her majority. 
 This was on December 28th, 1857. The day was a 
 memorable one. Early in the morning thousands were 
 astir. A mysterious force seemed to be drawing all 
 the colonists in one direction. From various points 
 of the compass faces were turned towards Holdfast Bay. 
 One desire had taken possession of the hearts of men, 
 women, and children This was to reach the spot 
 where the pilgrim fathers landed, and to do so as quickly 
 as possible. Some were mounted on horses, and many 
 were on foot. Vehicles of all kinds had been pressed 
 into service. For three hours in the morning a dense 
 mass of humanity moved in obedience to one law. The 
 experience was unique. What was the explanation ? 
 It was the twenty-first birthday of the colony. Twenty- 
 one years ago Governor Hindmarsh had been carried 
 " pick-a-back " from the " Buffalo." A few emigrants 
 had preceded him. These lined the beach at Holdfast 
 Bay. A move was then made to the tent of Robert 
 Gouger, about a mile from the beach. Here the oaths 
 of office were taken. The emigrants then gathered 
 under the shade of a large gum tree, where George 
 Stevenson read the Proclamation, and Governor Hind- 
 marsh laid the foundation of what would eventually 
 prove to be a vigorous community. Yes; twenty-one 
 years had passed by since these historic events. The 
 colony was now " of age," and the settlers decided to do 
 honor to the occasion.
 
 PAST AND PRESENT. 375 
 
 In front of " Government Cottage," facing the place 
 where Governor Hindmarsh and party landed, a large 
 tent had been erected. Here Governor MacDonnell 
 and his lady, with the leading public men of the com- 
 munity and their wives, were expected to dine. Around 
 this large pavilion were many smaller ones for the ac- 
 commodation of visitors. The scene was a gay one. 
 Thousands of colonists were present. Flags were flying, 
 and strains of music floating on the breeze. On 
 every hand hearty laughter and merry conversation 
 were 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 Legislative 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 fol- 
 lowing inscription : 
 
 " On this spot, on the 28th of December, 1836, the 
 Colony of South Australia was proclaimed and estab- 
 lished as a Province by Captain John Hindmarsh. 
 R.N., the Governor 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 December, 1857, the 
 record of the above fact was here publicly affixed 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 public 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 con-
 
 376 PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 tinued. 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 water- 
 proof. 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, about noon, the 
 brass plate was to be affixed. But Governor Mac- 
 Donnell failed to put in an appearance, being detained 
 by the rain. 
 
 The Hon. James Hurtle Fisher presided at the 
 banquet. Among the guests were Governor Mac- 
 Donnell and his lady. After the Queen, the Prince 
 Consort, and the Royal Family had been duly honored, 
 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 salute). The Chairman 
 was equal to the occasion. Said he : " It was a sub- 
 ject evidently worthy of a good report. It was a 
 Here 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 seven- 
 teen guns over he rose again. " He thought that he 
 was to have fired the great gun on that occasion, but it 
 appeared there were others outside who appreciated, 
 by inspiration, the toast he was about to propose. It 
 was the health of their 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
 
 PAST AND PRESENT. 377 
 
 pleased to receive my health. My predominant feel- 
 ing, at present, is one of regret that the change in the 
 weather should have inconvenienced so many of our 
 fellow-colonists. South Australia is, however, a colony 
 that has risen superior to many more trying circum- 
 stances, 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, en- 
 countered manfully, and overcome; by many sanguine 
 hopes deferred, but eventually realised. 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 realise the high hopes, and 
 assume the resolute bearing of vigorous manhood. 
 Everyone may have his own way of looking at the past, 
 and I have mine, which is this : That in proportion 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 emi- 
 grants to make that land productive, and to construct
 
 378 PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 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." 
 
 After an able and appropriate speech, of which we 
 have given only a part, the Governor gave " The Pros- 
 perity of South Australia," and " The Health of the Hon. 
 James Hurtle Fisher." This was received with en- 
 thusiastic applause. 
 
 Now came the event of the day : it was the chair- 
 man'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 spec- 
 tacle 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 with 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 organised 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 in- 
 teresting day; and we may not withhold from names of 
 more tender, more profound import, the tribute of a tear
 
 PAST AND PRESENT. 379 
 
 and pang all tiiat 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 com- 
 merce, 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." 
 
 We must now leave the joyful scene which we have 
 been picturing and come down to our own day. Forty- 
 nine years have passed by since the festivity took place, 
 the memory of which we have been reviving; and seventy 
 years have gone into oblivion since the foundation of 
 the colony was laid. In this year of grace 1907 let us 
 look back and contrast the past with the present. 
 
 Before the foundation of the colony South Aus- 
 tralia was almost a terra incognita. Captain Flinders 
 had surveyed its coast; Captain Sturt and party had 
 sailed down the Murray; Captain Barker and his men 
 had walked over the Adelaide plains, ascended Mount 
 Lofty, and obtained a glimpse of the country; for several 
 years some white sealers had been living on Kangaroo 
 Island; but the real interior of South Australia 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 realised theru 
 was something awanting and amiss. There was nc 
 lowing of oxen, nor bleating of sheep; no ploughman's 
 whistle, nor milkmaid's song; no long freshly-turned fur- 
 rows, nor fields of waving corn The air had no*
 
 380 PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 vibrated with the sound of horse's hoof, nor the rumble 
 of wheels. The music of the whetted scythe no ear had 
 heard. There were no roads, bridges, fences, nor 
 houses surrounded with flowers and fruit-bearing trees. 
 Save the loud, ludicrous laugh of the jackass, the howl 
 of the dingo, or the war cry of the blackfellow, few 
 startling noises were heard. 
 
 The country abounded in game. Kangaroos and 
 wallabies 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 Ade- 
 laide 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. 
 
 We have spoken of evil traits in the character of the 
 South Australian blacks; but he had some good qualities 
 as well as bad. In these pages reference has Veen 
 made to a few wild white men (whalers and sealeis) who 
 had found their way to the South Australian coast before 
 colonization took place. The ReV. George Taplin.. 
 who spent many years among the natives in the early 
 days, tells a story that he heard. Some of the white- 
 savages on Kangaroo Island 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 and families. At 
 last they found a small dinghy belonging to the sealers.. 
 It would only hold 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, reaching it in safety. The poor mother 
 left behind with her babe, must have pined sadly for her 
 country and friends; but nothing was heard of her for
 
 PAST AND PRESENT. 381 
 
 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 Back- 
 stairs Passage (about nine miles in the narrowest part, 
 and infested with sharks) and then, in a state of utter 
 exhaustion, crawled to the shore and died. 
 
 In our early chapters we heard the gloomy pro- 
 phecies of the " London Times " in 1834 when the 
 Colonization Bill was passed. Said the editor, after 
 the Bill had passed into Committee : " Let the gentle- 
 men 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 his foot on South Australian shore. We have 
 viewed the early emigrants' tents pitched among the 
 trees and rushes that skirted the shores of Holdfast 
 Bay. Beds made of rushes, pork barrels and packing 
 cases extemporised as tables; emigrants dragging their 
 goods to the site of a city that was to be, have passed 
 before our view. 
 
 Where those tents sixty-nine years ago were pitched 
 the large and aristocratic town of Glenelg now stands. 
 A few miles inland, where the serpent glided, the kan- 
 garoo fed, and the blackfellow roamed, the queenly 
 city of Adelaide rears her head. Here are to be seen 
 some of the finest buildings and streets that the Southern 
 Hemisphere can show. Here is a system of deep 
 drainage, and of water supply that is unsurpassed. 
 Trams and motor cars are running in all directions. 
 Through country that seventy years ago was unex- 
 plored and unknown trains now rush laden with pas- 
 sengers, wheat, wool, sheep, cattle, and mineral wealth. 
 Around the city there is a beautiful park; outside are 
 crowded suburbs. To walk down Montefiore Hill on a 
 beautiful day in spring or autumn is an inspiration. 
 In the foreground are flowers, plantations, and buildings 
 nestling in foliage. In the background are the magni-
 
 382 PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 ficent 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 institutions, trees, grass, everything and every- 
 body that is good. . When making a special study of 
 its gardens, parks, and street planting that feeling of 
 abundance of space impressed itself upon my mind 
 more strongly than ever. Adelaide is a beautiful city r 
 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, 
 gardens, and farms. It seems like a fairy tale. Ail 
 has been accomplished in less than seventy-one years. 
 Sixty-nine years ago the population was about five 
 hundred; to-day it is more than three hundred and 
 eighty-three thousand. 
 
 In 1886 we celebrated our Jubilee. Speaking on 
 that occasion Sir Henry Ayers said : " Something 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 utilised, for pastoral 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 thousand 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 
 communication across the continent, and thus brought 
 Australia within speaking distance of all parts of the 
 world. We have constnicted over one thousand mile& 
 of railway, and many thousand miles of macadamized 
 roads. We have erected various buildings, and built 
 bridges, docks, wharves, jetties, and other works re- 
 quired for our wants. We have made ample provision 
 for educating the people, including the establishment
 
 PAST AND PRESENT. 383 
 
 and endowment of a University. We have founded 
 hospitals and asylums for the insane, the sick, the in- 
 curable, the blind, the dumb, the deaf, and the neces- 
 sitous poor. . . But some captious critic may say: 
 All these things are for yourselves; tell us what you have 
 done for your brethren abroad ? We have fed the 
 people of the outside world with breadstuff s to the 
 value of some thirty-five millions sterling. We have 
 clothed them with some forty million worth of wool. 
 We have sent them nearly twenty millions sterling of 
 minerals 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 more than sixty 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 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. We give the statistics for the years 
 1838 and 1906. This will give the reader some idea of 
 the progress made in sixty-eight years. Some of the 
 lines include the Northern Territory : 
 
 1838. 1906. 
 
 Population 6,000 .. 383,831 
 
 Acres under Cultivation .. 200 .. 3,368,708 
 
 Horses 480 .. 216,345 
 
 Cattle 2,500 .. 647,631 
 
 Sheep 28.000 . . 6,202,330 
 
 Revenue 1,448 .. 2,806,011 
 
 Exports 6,442 11,877,256 
 
 A little more than seventy years ago, when prepara- 
 tions were being made for the founding of South Aus- 
 tralia, 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,
 
 384 PAST AND PKB8ENT. 
 
 but there were marvellous possibilities bound up in it. 
 In the nature of things John Stephens could only 
 speculate; to what a marvellous extent his speculations 
 have been fulfilled. 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. Here fruits of almost 
 all kinds grow to perfection. The visitor to South 
 Australia should try to be present at our Horticultural 
 and Agricultural Shows. He should travel by rail 
 through our Northern Areas at harvest time and see the 
 vast stacks of wheat awaiting carriage at the various 
 railway stations. The following are a few items of 
 production for the season embracing part of 1905 and 
 1906 : 
 
 Wheat 20,143,798 bushels 
 
 Hay 435,546 tons. 
 
 Apples . . .... . . 405,223 cases. 
 
 Honey 1,193,421 Ibs. 
 
 Wine 2,845,853 galls. 
 
 Butter 8,226,805 Ibs. 
 
 Cheese 1,174,867 Ibs. 
 
 In 1906 there was held in Adelaide the record wool 
 sale of the world. 
 
 From statistics courteously supplied by the Go- 
 vernment Statist the following items have been taken : 
 Value of wheat exported in 1906 . . . . 2,012,915 
 Value of fruit (fresh and dried) .. .. 115,077 
 Value of meat (fresh, frozen, and preserved) 155,436 
 
 In reading these results the reader must bear in 
 mind ftiat the country which produced them is but 
 seventy years of age. 
 
 In our chapter on " Some Useful Legislation," we 
 saw Captain Bromley, our first schoolmaster, gathering 
 the children of the pioneers together for instruction. 
 This was on Kangaroo Island, under the shade of a large 
 tree. To-day we have 1,420 teachers, schools dotted 
 all over the State, and in 1905 the Government spent
 
 PAST AND PRESENT. 385 
 
 149,183 on primary education; 2,058 on secondary 
 education; and 9,094 on school buildings, making a 
 total of 160,335 spent in one year on education. 
 
 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 superintendence of the Rev. George Taplin, 
 who deserves honorable mention in South Australian 
 history. Visitors to the colony should try to see this 
 station, situated in one of the most interesting parts of 
 South Australia. They would sail over the historic- 
 sheet of water through which the boat of a white man 
 (Captain Sturt) glided for the first time since creation 
 seventy-six years ago. Missionary work among the 
 .aborigines has been much retarded by the lecherous con- 
 duct of some whites. 
 
 In the chapter on " The Rise of Ecclesiastical 
 Organizations " we saw a few men and women, in 1836. 
 going to the rush hut of the principal surveyor at Hold- 
 fast Bay (probably George S. Kingston's). Here a 
 service in connection with the Anglican Church was 
 held. The congregation consisted of twenty-five 
 persons. They took their seats with them, and the 
 signal for assembling was the firing of a gun. A little 
 later on we saw a few Methodists meeting in a hut, on 
 the banks of the Torrens, to form a church. Fifteen 
 <>ave in their names as members. Then the pioneer 
 Congregational minister (the Rev. Thomas Q. Stow) 
 <-ame upon the scene, holding service in a tent, with 
 Governor Hindmarsh sitting before him on a box. A 
 little later we saw a few members of the Roman Catholic 
 Church meeting in the house of Mr. Phillips. East- 
 terrace, to take steps 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 (afterwards Sir Robert, member for 
 Cambridge in the House of Commons) : " So far as 
 religious instruction went voluntaryism was a fallacy.
 
 386 PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 . . . The burden of supporting public worship fell 
 upon a few." Said another pioneer Senator : "He 
 believed 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 was weak wher. 
 they could not shake off their old world ideas. In an 
 ecclesiastical sense what do we see after the lapse of 
 three-score years and ten ? A perfect network of 
 churches through the State of South Australia, in the 
 bush as well as 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 one of the best 
 specimens of Australian muse that the author has seen. 
 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 heroic 
 Edward John Eyre, in the early days, was located r.s 
 Protector of the Aborigines. 
 
 ALONG THE MURRAY. 
 
 Hroad, and fair, and free old Murray, 
 
 Rolling ever on his way, 
 'ailing to the mist and starlight, 
 Singing through the shade and sunlight, 
 '."hrough tho years unchanged, unending 
 
 Mirrors night and day. 
 Long ago the bright fires leaping 
 
 On its reeded margin wide 
 Saw the poor, rude natives gather 
 Hound the cheerful blaze together, 
 And their weird and mournful chanting 
 
 Mingled with his tide. 
 
 In tho past, forgotten ages, 
 
 Who can tell or know how long 
 Murray rolled his mighty waters. 
 Fed his dusky sons and daughters.
 
 PAST AND PRESENT. 387 
 
 1 hrilled the vast, unbroken scrubland 
 
 With his wondrous song. 
 Now ihfc 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 forest, 
 
 Hunted, from their lowly lair, 
 All its dwellers, strange and harmless, 
 Left the grey flats grey and charmless, 
 
 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 tho morning, fresh and early, 
 Comes no "cooee!" from the wurlie 
 Bringing back the duslty huntsmen 
 
 Through the sunrise red. 
 Only by some lonely shallow, 
 
 Shadow-haunted, ripple-stirred. 
 Still may be tne waning traces, 
 Mouldering hut, or grass-grown places. 
 Records of a hunted people 
 
 Graven without a word. 
 
 i 
 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 for poorer she has 
 become part of a great Commonwealth. The federation 
 of the colonies is now an accomplished fact. Our 
 destiny is now more especially bound up in that of other 
 colonies. We are a united people. Our position
 
 388 PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 among the nations of the earth will be decided not so 
 much by our material resources as by the position we 
 take up in relation to the Power in the universe that 
 makes for righteousness. Said Governor Hindmarsh, 
 when leaving the colony : " If the colonists do them- 
 selves justice, if they respect the laws, and ATTEND TO 
 THE ORDINANCES OF RELIGION, if they continue the habits 
 of temperance and industry which have so happily 
 prevailed, South Australia must realise 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 colony, 
 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 our Governor : " 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 sileiit, 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 a continent assigned 
 As God's own gift, for service to mankind." 
 
 J. Brunton Stephens.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Abbott, Pastor, 312, 345, 357 
 Accession, Queen Victoria, 85 
 Adelaide Why so called, 09 
 A Feast in Pioneer Times. 141 
 Angas, George Fife. 30, 45, 46, 
 47, 221, 228, 299, 316, 342 
 Angas, John Howard, 372 
 An Ungracious Reception, 175 
 Anxious Bay, 17 
 Arrangements for Self-govern- 
 ment, 217 
 Ashton, 366 
 
 Ayers, Sir Henry. 145, 160, 
 236, 313, 349, 382 
 
 B 
 
 Backstairs Passage, 22 
 Barker, Capt., 26 
 Baring, F., M.P., 38 
 Bagot, Oapt., 177, 178. 182, 
 
 190, 203, 204, 209, 236, 327 
 Baker, Hon. John, 203, 222, 
 
 228, 233, 236, 318, 343 
 Bagot, John T., 223, 233, 237, 
 
 343 
 Babbage, Benjamin H., 237, 
 
 351 
 
 Bailey, John, 140, 371 
 Bass, George, 277, 278 
 Baxter killed, 252 
 Beare, William L., 55 
 Benson, Rev. J., 304 
 Bills dishonoured, 119 
 Bill for better government 
 
 S.A., 155 
 
 Blyth. Arthur, 233, 237, 347 
 Btankinsopp, Capt., 311 
 Bonney, Hon. Chas., 94, 104, 
 
 237 
 Bold and comprehensive 
 
 policy, 112 
 
 Botanic Gardens, 140 
 Brown, John, 85, 106, 319 
 Bryan, Mr., 124 
 
 Bromley, Capt., 214 
 Browne, Dr., 260, 261 
 Breeze, James, 299 
 Buffalo, 64 
 Buffalo Row, 81 
 Bushrangers, 135 
 Burr a Mine, 157 
 Bull, J. W., 80, 157 
 Bullion Act, 216 
 
 Campbell, Major, 203, 205 
 Cadell, Capt., 227 
 Cape Catastrophe, 20 
 Coffin's Bay, 18, 32 
 Colonization Plan, 35 
 Colonization Bill, 37 
 Colonization Bill passed, 41 
 Coromandel Row, 81 
 Committee who named streets. 
 
 106 
 Cooper, Judge. 142, 259, 273,. 
 
 366 
 
 Coles, James W., 237 
 Crown Colony, 155 
 Cygnet, 62 
 
 Dashwood, Capt., 156, 223 
 324 
 
 Davies, Chas., 236 
 
 Da vies, William B., 237 
 
 Davenport, Sir Samuel, 170 r 
 177, 178, 179, 183, 189, 
 236 328 
 
 Davenport, Robert, 203, 223, 
 332 
 
 Davison, F., 93 
 
 Delays and Difficulties, 44 
 
 Dean, Horace, 237 
 
 Discussion in House of Com- 
 mons, 37 
 
 Disputes, 106 
 
 Division in Methodist Church 
 State-aid, 200
 
 390 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 District Councils Act, 216 
 Drummond, Rev. R., 215, 303 
 Dunn, Hon. John, 237. 353 
 Duffield, Walter, 202, 233, 
 
 237, 347 
 Dutton, Francis Stacker, 201. 
 
 203, 217, 233, 236, 331 
 Duke Wellington, 41 
 
 East. Samuel, 299, 306 
 
 Earthquake, 91 
 
 Ecclesiastical Organizations. 
 
 297 
 
 Education Bill, 215 
 Election, 199, 231, 235 
 Elder, Alex. Lang, 203. 212, 
 
 334 
 
 Ellis, John, 203 
 Emigration Square, 81 
 Encounter Bay, 23 
 Everard, Dr.,' 128, 236, 348 
 Exeter Hall Meeting, 32, 51 
 Expectations not realised, 197 
 Exploring Expeditions, 241, 
 
 275 
 Eyre, John Edward (Life of), 
 
 284 
 
 Father S.A. Railways, 229 
 
 Feast to Blacks, 111 
 
 First Commissioners suggested 
 44 
 
 First Commissioners ap- 
 pointed, 45 
 
 First Anniversary of Colony, 
 91 
 
 First Steamer, 125 
 
 First Municipal Election, 143 
 
 First Mayor, 144 
 
 First Professional Concert, 
 144 
 
 First School, 214 
 
 First Parliament, 236 
 
 Field. Lieut,, 131, 368 
 
 Finniss, Hon. B. T. 170, 200, 
 202, 219, 222, 230, 232. 
 235, 329, 336, 339, 344 
 
 Finlayson, Pastor, 76, 90 
 
 Fisher, Sir James Hurtle, 64, 
 106, 107, 123, 144, 173, 
 221, 233, 236, 273, 316, 
 376 
 
 Flinders, Oapt., 15, 276 
 
 Flinders Range, 21 
 
 Fowlers Bay, 16 
 
 Forster. Anthony 233, 236, 
 332 
 
 Forrest, Sir John, 256 
 
 Franklin, Sir John, 20 
 
 Freeling, Sir Arthur. 236, 334 
 
 Frome. Capt., 371 
 
 Gawler, Governor, 110, 125, 
 
 140 
 
 Gawler, Town of. 125 
 Gilles, Osmond, 65. 300, 320 
 Giles, William, 203, 208, 225, 
 
 228, 299, 337 
 Gilbert, Thomas, 319 
 Gouger, Robert, 29, 106, 107 
 Gouger-street, 29 
 Grant Lieut. James, 13 
 Grey, Governor, 147, 297. 
 
 His Policy, 149 
 
 His Return, 161, 314 
 Gwynne, Edward C. 202, 204, 
 
 218, 233, 236, 340 
 Grainger, John, 202 
 Gulnare Plains, 2D6 
 
 > 
 
 H 
 
 Hanson, Sir Richard, 34, 50, 
 
 202, 208. 225, 228, 232, 
 
 235, 338 
 
 Hawdon, Joseph, 93 
 Hagen. Jacob. 156, 190, 191, 
 
 208, 323 
 Hall, George, 201, 204, 236, 
 
 333 
 Hart, Capt. John, 201, 203, 
 
 206, 233, 237, 340 
 Hare, Charles Simeon, 201, 
 
 204. 237, 337 
 Hack, John Burton, 370 
 Hay, Hon. Alex., 233, 237, 349 
 Hahn. Capt. (Hahndorf). 305 
 Hallett, John, 237
 
 INDEX. 
 
 391 
 
 Harvey, John,. 237 
 Hindmarsh Governor, 48, 52, 
 
 65, 106, 109, 317 
 Hindmarsh Sauare, 109 
 Howard, Rev. C. B., 64, 139, 
 
 141, 162, 300 
 Horrocks, J. A., 274, 295 
 Horrocks Pass, 295 
 Hughes, John B., 233, 237, 
 
 344 
 
 I 
 
 Impressions of a Visitor, 237 
 Imposition of Royalties, 171 
 Improved Prospects, 158 
 Investigator Strait, 22 
 Inman, Henry, 124, 131, 136, 
 
 371 
 
 Interesting Letter, 162 
 Indignation Meeting, 172 
 
 Jeff co tt, Sir John, 311, 318 
 Jews and State-aid to Religion 
 
 185 
 Jiekling, Henry, 91, 365 
 
 K 
 
 Kangaroo Island, 22 
 Kapunda Mine, 156 
 Karel, Pastor, 304 
 Kingston, Sir George S., 86, 
 
 203, 208, 222, 233, 237, 
 
 320 
 
 Klemzig, 305 
 Krichauff, F. E. H. W., 237, 
 
 351 
 
 L 
 
 Lake Alexandrina, 25 
 Lady Mary Pelham 62 
 Lake Victoria. 99 
 Lake Bonney, 101 
 Leake, Robert R., 237 
 League against State-aid, 186 
 Light. Colonel, 63, 144 
 Lipson, Capt., 243, 318 
 Lindsay, Arthur F.. 237 
 Lillecrapp, William, 299 
 London Times, 42, 88, 153, 
 237, 381 
 
 Longbottom, Rev. W., 201. 
 
 307 
 Lutheran Church, 304 
 
 M 
 
 Mackinnon, Mr., M.P., 154 
 MacDonnell, Governor, 230, 
 
 376 
 
 Mann, Charles, 320, 366 
 McLaren, David, 122, 139. 
 
 142, 181 
 
 Macgowan, Schoolmaster, 216 
 Marks, Morris, 237 
 MacDermott, Marshall 233, 
 
 237 
 
 Menge, Prof., 363 
 Memory Cove, 19 
 Milne. Sir W. A 349 
 Mildred, Henry, 151. 237, 349 
 Mount Brown, 21 
 Mount Lofty, 22 
 Mount Barker, 27 
 Morphett, Sir John, 53, 54, 
 
 156, 176, 178, 183, 200, 
 
 228, 236, 273, 320, 325 
 Morgan, Capt., 55, 56 
 Mounted Police, 124 
 Moorhouse, Dr.. 368 
 Murray River, 24, 226 
 Mundy, Alfred, 156, 176, 184, 
 
 189, 323 
 Murphy, Bishop, 304 
 
 N 
 
 Natives, 128 
 New Council, 156 
 New Constitution, 198 
 Nominee and Elective Coun- 
 cil, 199 
 
 New Legislative Council, 232 
 Newland, Rev. R. W., 302 
 Neales, John Bentham, 203, 
 233, 236, 274, 342 
 
 O'Halloran, Major 156, 171, 
 174. 177, 178. 184, 186, 
 189 232, 236, 258, 272, 
 324 
 
 Officers for the Province, 48 
 
 Onkaparinga, 103
 
 392 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 "Parkhurst Bovs." 317 
 
 Parting of the Wave. 179 
 
 Parliament BilJL 217 
 
 Parliament Bill passed, 235 
 
 Past and Present, 374 
 
 Peacock, William, 151. 203. 
 205. 224, 233, 343 
 
 Peake, Edward.. 237 
 
 Penwortham, 275 
 
 Piesse, L., 265 
 
 Pioneer Statistics. 109. 146, 
 159 
 
 Port Lincoln, 20, 23 
 
 Port Road. 139 
 
 Poole, J. (Death of), 264 
 
 Proclamation Day, 65 
 
 Provision for Self Govern- 
 ment, 231 
 
 Pullen. Lieut., 367 
 
 Question of World-wide In- 
 terest, 208 
 
 Rapid, 63 
 Randell, Capt., 226 
 Rankine, John. 233 
 Reynolds, Hon. Thos.. 200, 
 
 233, 237, 345 
 Ridley, John, 157. 362 
 Robe. Governor, 169. 180, 191 
 Royalty Bill, 171 
 
 " Suspended, 198 
 Rossi ter Bay, 255 
 Russell. Lord John. 117. 231 
 
 South Australian Association, 
 
 31 
 South Australian Company, 
 
 47, 298 
 South Australian Literary 
 
 Association, 50 
 South Australian "Register," 
 
 84, 232, 237, 299. 303. 
 
 359 
 
 South Australian "Adver- 
 tiser," 257 
 Savings Bank, 193 
 Scott, Abraham, 236 
 Scott. William. 236 
 Scott. Edward Bate, 2"><> 
 Scammell, L., 237, 354 
 Sealers. 27, 57 
 Select Committee, 152 
 Shepherdson, J. B., 107, 309 
 Short, Bishop, 300 
 Smoky, Bay, 17 
 Smed'ley, Carrington, 237 
 Smillie, Win., 156. 184, 212, 
 
 323 
 
 Spencer's Gulf, 21 
 Spring. Rice, 41 
 Streaky Bay, 17 
 St. Vincent's Gulf, 22 
 Sturt, Capt., 24, 15<>. 200. 
 
 202, 204, 25, 257, 282 
 Stephens, Samuel, 58. 298, 
 
 356 
 Stephens, Edward. 106, 140, 
 
 173, 186, 220, 273, 299, 
 
 306, 312, 361 
 Stephens, John. 160, 169, 176, 
 
 186, 192, 195, 228, 337, 
 
 358, 383 
 
 Stevenson, George, 67, 321 
 Stephen, George Milner, 110 
 Stagg, Joseph, 136, 366 
 Stanley, Lord, 154 
 State-aid to Religion, 181, 231 
 Stow. Rev. T. Q., 215. 301 
 Stuart, John McDouall. 2(30, 
 
 262. 266, 269, 273 
 Stirling, Edward, 232. 233. 
 
 236. 341 
 
 Taplin. Rev. G., 26. 129. 385 
 Thistle, John, 18 
 The "Courier," 43 
 Thomas, Mrs. Robert. 08, 73, 
 
 299 
 
 Thomas, Mr. Robert, 84. 370 
 Tinline, Geo., 217 
 Todd, Sir Charles, 331 
 Tolmer, Inspector, 125. 136
 
 INDEX. 
 
 393 
 
 Torrens, Ool., 29, 31 
 Torrens, Sir R. R., 202, 207, 
 
 219, 232, 335 
 Tradegy at Port Lincoln, 133 
 
 U 
 
 Ullathorne, Rev. Dr. (V.G.), 
 303 
 
 W 
 
 Wakefield, Edward G., 30, 154 
 Waterhouse, George M., 203, 
 
 219, 228, 237, 333 
 Watts, Alfred, 233 
 Watte. Postmaster General, 
 
 365 
 
 Work, David, 237 
 Whitmore, Wolryche, 33, 37, 
 
 40 
 
 Where shall City be built? 62 
 When will Governor come? 64 
 White. John C., 306 
 Wrecks, 134, 308, 310 
 Wyatt, Dr., 368 
 
 Yorkee Peninsula, 22 
 Young, Governor, 194 
 Young, Thomas, 237 
 Younghusband. William, 203, 
 
 208, 225, 227, 228, 233, 
 
 236, 342
 
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