■i??^is:>^c;!if 
 
 E Bom hisrnim 
 
 '30m BWCKCT
 
 la 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NATIVE, WITH SPEAR AND WADDY
 
 A 
 
 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 HOW A COLONY WAS FOUNDED 
 
 AND A 
 
 METHODIST CHUECH FOEMED 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. JOHN BLACKET 
 
 SOUTH AUSTRALIA 
 
 " Noiv shall it be said of . Jacob and of Israel, 
 Uliat hath God wrought?" Ncm. xxiii. 23. 
 
 Itonbon: 
 CHARLES H. KELLY 
 
 2, CASTLE ST., CITY RD. ; AND 26, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.G. 
 
 1899
 
 ■'A 
 
 " Fellow-Colouists ! if this is a proud day to us, as most 
 assuredly it ought to be, how much more should our 
 Brethren, in the dear Old Mother Country, exult in the 
 pride of our situation ! How should they rejoice at being 
 witnesses of what no other nation in the world besides 
 England has been permitted to see ! What other nation 
 has seen her children so extensively spread over the most 
 distant parts of the earth, founding communities, governing 
 themselves, speaking the same language, improving on the 
 models of her institutions, reverencing the land of their 
 forefathers, and sympathising with that race of which we 
 ourselves are a continuing branch?" — Sir Henry Ayers, 
 "Address at JuVjilee of South Australia, 1886," 
 
 1780.152
 
 TO 
 
 TJIE Jl EMORY 
 
 OF 
 
 MY wife's parents 
 
 CALEB AND PHQIBE FIDLER 
 
 PIONEERS 
 
 IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF METHODISM IN^ THE 
 
 SOUTH-EASTERN PART OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA 
 
 THIS BOOK 
 
 TS DEDICATED
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
 
 I. INTRODUCTORY . 
 
 II. DRAWING THK PLANS . 
 
 III. PREPARING TO BUILD . 
 
 IV. LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS . 
 
 V. RAISING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE 
 
 YI. THREE BUILDERS OF METHODIST FAME 
 
 VII. HOW A METHODIST CHURCH WAS FORMED . 
 
 VIII. THE TRAVELLING PREACHER AND HOW HE CAME 
 
 IX. HOW THE CHURCH GREW 
 
 X. AN ABLE ADMINISTRATOR 
 
 XI. AFTER SIXTY YEARS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 xi 
 
 1 
 
 9 
 
 23 
 
 33 
 
 49 
 
 73 
 
 97 
 
 121 
 
 148 
 
 171 
 
 201
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NATIVE 
 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SCENE 
 PORTRAIT : JOHN CHARLES WHITE 
 PROCLAMATION TP>EE, HOLDFAST BAY, 1S9S . 
 FIRST WESLEYAN PLAN FOR ADELAIDE CIRCUIT 
 ADELAIDE : HINDLEY STREET, 1846 
 GOVERNMENT HOUSE, ADELAIDE, 1846 . 
 PORTRAIT : REV. JOHN STEPHENS 
 PORTRAIT : PASTOR JACOB ABBOTT 
 PORTRAIT : REV. WILLIAM LONGBOTTOM 
 
 CLARENDON 
 
 PORTRAIT : REV. JOHN ECiGLESTON 
 PORTRAIT : REV. DANIEL J. DRAPER . 
 ADELAIDE IN 1896 : KING WILLIAM STREET 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Frontispiece 
 8 
 22 
 32 
 
 47 
 
 48 
 
 70 
 
 72 
 
 96 
 
 120 
 
 142 
 
 161 
 
 170 
 
 200
 
 
 AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
 
 After the lapse of more than sixty years, to " trace 
 the course of all things accurately from the first," 
 is by no means easy. Unless the course is 
 accurately traced, the attempt had better not be 
 made. It was in the spirit of this conviction that 
 the writer undertook the present work. 
 
 It is not a relation of personal experience. The 
 Colony of South Australia had been founded many 
 years before the writer came out of the mysterious 
 somewhere upon this busy Australian scene. 
 Whilst this is true, the reader will please bear 
 in mind that painstaking effort has been put 
 forth to make the record correct. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to add that this has 
 consumed a large amount of time, and has in-
 
 xii AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
 
 volved a considerable degree of labour. Old 
 records had to be found, and then carefully 
 searched. Like Papias, when seeking apostolic 
 traditions, the writer " imagined that what was 
 to be got from books was not so profitable for 
 him as what came from the living voice," con- 
 sequently old colonists had to be sought out, and 
 interrogated. 
 
 To all who so generously rendered assistance my 
 hearty thanks are due, and are herewith tendered. 
 
 JOHN BLACKET. 
 
 Wesleyan Paksonage, 
 
 Melrose, South Australia, 
 
 July 1898.
 
 <^-^ 
 
 
 
 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 TJISTOEY is full of romance. There is a 
 peculiar fascination about it. It brings 
 sunshine into our lives, and seems to lengthen out 
 the thread of our existence. As we read the 
 record of what our fathers did in the old time 
 before us the " heart is strangely warmed," and the 
 imagination fired. The mind goes back to a time 
 long anterior to the birth of the body, and the 
 remote past is brought within the range of our 
 experience. We see the battles that our fathers 
 fought. We hear the song of praise and shout of
 
 2 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 victory. We see them grappling with difiicullies, 
 surmounting obstacles, till they have made the 
 rough places smooth, the crooked places straight, 
 and have burst asunder tlie bars of iron. 
 
 Many events in the history of a nation remind 
 us that " fact is stranger than fiction." It is so 
 in the history of the Church. Take the Methodist 
 Church, of which, in the course of the following 
 pages, we shall have to speak. Its history is a 
 modern Acts of the Apostles. It is a marvellous 
 record of the wonder - working power of God. 
 Again we see how God chooses " the weak things 
 of the world to put to shame things that are strong, 
 and things that are not, to bring to nought the 
 things that are." 
 
 Surely the Arminian Magazine had its genesis 
 in a Divine idea. To John Wesley, in London, as 
 to St. John the Apostle, in Patmos, there came the 
 command : " What thou seest, write in a book." 
 The pages of that book are before us. We are 
 grateful to God for the record they contain. Often 
 has the soul expanded, the spiritual vision become 
 clearer, and tlie intangible more real when study- 
 ing the record made by our Methodist Fathers of
 
 INTRO D UCTOR V 3 
 
 what God has wrought. Here we see souls trans- 
 figured and lives transformed. Here is the record 
 of men and women, in humble spheres of life, who 
 exerted a powerful influence for good. Here we 
 see great issues growing out of small beginnings. 
 " Five chase a hundred, and a hundred chase ten 
 thousand." Here we see the mysterious operations 
 of Providence more fascinating (at least to the 
 Christian) than any fictitious romance. " The 
 appearance of the wheels and their work, was like 
 unto the colour of a beryl ; . . . and their appear- 
 ance and their work was as it were a wheel within 
 a wheel." In our Methodist " Acts of the Apostles " 
 is the experience of men and women who could 
 say : " We are ambassadors, therefore, on behalf of 
 Christ, as though God were entreating by us, we 
 beseech you, on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled 
 to God. ... In everything commending ourselves, 
 as ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, 
 in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprison- 
 ments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in 
 fastings. ... As deceivers, yet true ; as unknown, 
 and yet well known ; as dying, and behold we live ; 
 as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet
 
 4 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 always rejoicing ; as poor, yet making many rich ; 
 as having nothing, yet possessing all things." As 
 the result of this apostolic spirit, and devoted 
 labour, multitudes became "obedient unto the 
 faith." 
 
 The canonical " Acts of the Apostles " came to 
 an abrupt close, not so the Methodist record. 
 The work begun by Wesley is still going on, and 
 so is the record of that work. 
 
 We said, at the outset, that " fact is stranger 
 than fiction " ; we now give a different rendering : 
 " fact is often more fascinating than fiction." 
 Methodism is full of romance — full of stirring 
 incident, strange surprises, and remarkable events. 
 That such is the case we believe some of our pages 
 will show. 
 
 The foundation of this Colony, and the formation 
 of the Methodist Church therein, run parallel. 
 They are strangely interlinked. Both will come 
 under review. It is our intention to give — not an 
 up-to-date history of the Colony, nor of the Church, 
 but a vivid picture of early colonial life, and of 
 the romantic circumstances under which a Church 
 was formed, and the pleasing rate at which it grew.
 
 INTR OD UCTOR Y 5 
 
 It is not of the whole of Australia that we have 
 to speak ; but of ^oidli Avstralia. A caution here 
 is necessary. We are so far away from the Old 
 World, and our history, comparatively speaking, 
 is so recent, that our kindred in the Old Land are 
 apt to fall into error. Australia is a vast island- 
 continent, divided into Colonies. Each Colony has 
 an independent existence ; it administers its own 
 affairs, and has a Governor appointed by the Crown. 
 It is of the early history of one of these Colonies 
 that we have to speak. A good map of Australia 
 will add much to the instruction and enjoyment of 
 the reader as we show — 
 
 "How A Colony was Founded, and a 
 Methodist Chukgh was Fokmed."
 
 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAX (iCEXE. 
 8
 
 T' 
 
 CHAPTEE II 
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS 
 
 rriHE first known discovery of any part of South 
 Australia was made in 1672. The discoverer 
 was a Dutch navigator. He sailed along the south 
 coast. The new land was called Nuyt's Land. It 
 was so called after a person on board named Peter 
 Nuyt. The honour of a practical discovery of the 
 country belongs to Captain Flinders. In 1802 he 
 surveyed the southern coast, and named its several 
 points. Flinders' Eange, at the foot of which these 
 lines were penned, was named after the illustrious 
 navigator. 
 
 The first wliite man to get a glimpse into the 
 interior of South Australia was Captain Sturt. In 
 1829 the Government of New South Wales com- 
 missioned him to trace the course of the Murrum- 
 
 9
 
 10 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 })i(k'eG. A whale - boat was secured, and llie 
 necessary provision made. At the head of a party, 
 Captain Start set sail. Tlie trip must have been 
 a most fascinating one. They were gliding down 
 a stream on which no white man's boat had ever 
 been launched ; they were passing through country 
 that no white man had ever 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 possibility of 
 being upset. These added romance to the trip. 
 
 After sailing some time down the Murrumbidgee 
 the boat suddenly shot into a noble river, flowing 
 from east to west. This proved to be what is now 
 known as the Murray. It was so named by 
 Captain Sturt in honour of Sir George Murray, 
 Secretary of State for the Colonies. This must 
 have indeed been a surprise. The excitement of 
 the party must have been intense. On the adven- 
 turers 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
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS n 
 
 the kangaroo bounded. Occasionally they got a 
 glimpse of some of the natives of the soil. At 
 times they were very hostile. Covered with war 
 paint, brandishing their spears, and sounding their 
 battle-cry, they rushed down to the water's edge. 
 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. This 
 body of water Captain Sturt called Lake Alex- 
 andrina, in honour of the Princess who now, as 
 Queen, sits upon the throne. 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 corroberies, chanted to his picca- 
 ninnies, taught them how to swim, to throw the 
 spear, and to track emus, kangaroos, and enemies. 
 Here he caught his fish, and noosed and netted 
 wild fowl. No wonder that he was both awed and 
 angry when he saw his territory invaded by 
 mysterious whites. The Eev. George Taplin, who 
 spent many years amongst the blacks, in the early 
 days, says : " I know several men who remembered
 
 12 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 the arrival of Captain Sturt, and they tell 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. 
 
 It was the discoveries made on the coast by 
 Captain Flinders, and in the interior by Captain 
 Sturt, that lay at the basis of the schemes for 
 South Australian colonisation. 
 
 As all roads led to Rome, so the history of the 
 Anglo-Saxon race everywhere leads to a national 
 centre. For the colonisation scheme of this vast 
 territory we must turn to England. We have to 
 go back to the time when the " Iron Duke " was 
 taking an active part in politics, and when the 
 great men of Methodism — Bunting, Newton, and 
 Watson — were at their zenith. 
 
 In 1829 a " National Colonisation Committee" 
 was formed in London. Its object was to " explain 
 to the public the plan of colonisation on which the 
 new province of South Australia was to be founded." 
 This came to nought. In 1831 a second committee 
 was formed. This also had to be disbanded. 
 
 An old print that lies before the writer, pub-
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS 13 
 
 lished by Eidgwaj & Sons, Piccadilly, in 1834, 
 gives " the outline of the plan of a proposed Culony 
 to be founded on the south coast of Australia, with 
 an account of the soil, climate, rivers," etc. It 
 gives the prospectus of an Association, the object 
 of which " is to found a Colony under Eoyal 
 Charter, at or near Spencer's Gulf, on the south 
 coast of Australia." The public is informed that 
 " a Committee sits daily at the office of the Associa- 
 tion, 8 Adelphi Chambers, for the purpose of giving 
 information to persons disposed to settle in the 
 Colony." 
 
 The " whole of the purchase-money of public 
 land," in the new Colony, " after defraying the 
 necessary cost of survey and sales," was to be 
 " employed in conveying British labourers to the 
 Colony." Emigrants conveyed to the Colony were 
 to be " young people, of the two sexes, in equal 
 number." Preference was to be given to " young 
 married couples without children." 
 
 Among other reasons why this part of the world 
 should be colonised by English people, the follow- 
 ing are stated : — " There is every reason to believe 
 that the whole of extra-tropical Australia is free
 
 14 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 from endemic disease. The seaboard ad van luges 
 of South Australia were great. The magnificent 
 harbour of Port Lincoln would be the chief empo- 
 rium for the trade of that region, and Coffin's ]'>ay 
 would eventually receive all the produce of the 
 line of the 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 Hour would find a market in 
 the Isle of France, the Cape, Ifio Janeiro, and 
 probably China. Tobacco, Hax, hemp, and cotton 
 were to be grown." 
 
 In the light of more than sixty years' experience 
 it is refreshing to read the glowing anticipations 
 of those who drew up the colonisation plan. The 
 " magnificent harbour of Port Lincoln " is so far of 
 little use. It was to be the " chief emporium of 
 trade for that region." Unfortunately, all the trade 
 transacted there can be done with a few small 
 boats. Coffin's Bay, which was " to receive all 
 the produce of the west," remains much as it was 
 sixty years ago. The " export of salt fish to Peru, 
 Chili, and the Isle of France," will be one of the
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS 15 
 
 surprises of tlie future. We have done something 
 in the direction of exporting wheat and flour, but 
 the " cultivation of tobacco, flax, hemp, cotton," are 
 parts of the original plan that generations to come 
 must fulfil. 
 
 We leave No. 9 Adelphi Chambers and go to 
 Exeter Hall. It is June the 30th, 1834. A 
 great number of people are making their way to 
 the historic building. Carriages are driving up and 
 dropping their occupants. In the manner and 
 address of the people there is great animation. 
 It is a meeting of the promoters and friends of 
 the projected Colony in South Australia. About 
 two thousand five hundred persons, including many 
 Members of Parliament, are present. There is 
 excitement inside as well as out. A man who 
 has caught the radical spirit of the times desires 
 to speak. He rises. " I wish to ask a question." 
 There are cries of " No ! No ! " and great uproar. 
 " What is the gentleman's name ? " the chairman 
 asks. The reply is: "I am Thomas Goode, of 
 Kettering, Northamptonshire, and I repeat that I 
 have a question to ask." (lleuewed uproar.) " I 
 am in the hands of the meeting," the chairman
 
 1 6 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 says ; " it is for you to determine what would be 
 
 the more convenient course." Thomas Goode sits 
 
 down. Robert Owen is present, and no doubt 
 
 feeling an interest in his radical friend, steps into 
 
 the breach. " I beg to ask," he says, " whether 
 
 this is to be considered a public meeting, or a 
 
 meeting of the friends of the system ? " " Most 
 
 unquestionably," the chairman replies, " this is a 
 
 public, meeting; and I may add that it is the object 
 
 of all who are interested in the undertaking to 
 
 make the proceedings partake as much of a public 
 
 character as possible; but in order tliat a fair 
 
 opinion may be formed, will it not be better for 
 
 the subject to be fully before the meeting prior to 
 
 any gentleman entering into a discussion of its 
 
 merits ? " The chairman has evidently voiced the 
 
 opinion of the meeting. There are cries of " Hear ! 
 
 hear ! " and applause. Several addresses in favour 
 
 of colonisation are delivered. The meeting is now 
 
 thrown open. The stranger, who describes himself 
 
 as " Thomas Goode, of Kettering," again rises, and 
 
 walks to the front. There are cries of " Off! Off ! " 
 
 and much uproar. " I am one of the productive 
 
 classes," he says, " who work early in tlie morning
 
 DRAWING THE PLANS ij 
 
 and late at night for the rich." Cries of "Question ! 
 Question ! " "I congratulate the gentlemen who 
 have formed themselves into a Committee for the 
 purpose of advancing this Association, on their 
 success. I would say to them in the language of 
 Scripture : ' Be not weary in well-doing, for in due 
 time ye shall reap if ye faint not.' . . . Colonel 
 Torrens has said that the gentlemen who sought 
 the advancement of the Colony worked not for 
 their own benefit, but for that of others. If this 
 be true it is certainly a new feature in the plan. 
 (Laughter.) ... I am glad to know there is a 
 prospect of success in the Colony. ... I hope that 
 the success of this Association will stir up the 
 energies of the Government to make improvements 
 at home. I contend that there is ground enough 
 at home for all the people it has to support. . . . 
 Capital does much evil as well as good. . . . 
 Though the labourer produces wealth, the rich man 
 puts it in his pocket. The poor labourer is left to 
 starve." Thomas Goode continues in this strain, 
 airing his socialistic views, till the patience of the 
 meeting is exhausted. There are cries of " Question ! 
 Question!" "Off! Off!" and hisses. "Why,
 
 1 8 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 gentlemen," Thomas says, " I am ashamed of you ; 
 you put me in mind of the geese in my country." 
 
 Another person rises in the body of the hall : " I 
 will move the adjournment of tliis meeting if order 
 is not restored." 
 
 Again the pertinacious Thomas attempts to speak, 
 but there is groaning and hooting. 
 
 The chairman rises : " It is my wish, and the 
 wish of all connected with the management of this 
 Association, that the freest scope should be given 
 to every gentleman to express his opinion on the 
 subject; and if the gentleman who is addressing 
 the meeting will put his remarks in moderate 
 limits, I am sure that he will be patiently attended 
 to." (Applause.) 
 
 " Thomas Goode, of Kettering," proceeds to un- 
 burden his soul, and concludes by saying, " I have 
 worked hard. I have a large family. We had 
 twenty children. (Loud laughter.) If I go to 
 Australia I will take two of them with me. I 
 know how to plough, and to mow, and to sow, 
 and to reap, and all other agricultural operations. 
 Besides that I can dig, and I understand well- 
 digging, and the feeding of pigs and poultry, and
 
 DRAWING THE FLANS 19 
 
 if the Colony wants such a man as me, I am the 
 man to go." 
 
 Thomas sits down, apparently well satisfied. 
 Whether he came to the Colony or not, history 
 does not record. 
 
 The chairman puts the final resolution to the 
 meeting : " That amongst the unoccupied portions 
 of the earth which form part of the British 
 dominions, the south coast of Australia appears 
 to be a spot peculiarly suitable for founding a 
 Colony." This is unanimously carried. 
 
 The labours of the South Australian Association 
 were successful. Much credit is due to Eobert 
 Gouger, secretary of the Association, after whom 
 one of the streets in Adelaide is named. In 1834 
 a Colonisation Bill passed both Houses of Parlia- 
 ment. 
 
 Theory is easy ; practice often difficult. It is 
 one thing to draw a plan, and quite another to 
 make the plan effective. So the promoters of the 
 new Colony discovered. It was probable that all 
 their efforts would be abortive. The draughtsmen 
 had been very exacting. One of the provisions of 
 the Bill was that the British Government should
 
 20 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 not be in any way financially responsible. The 
 Board of Commissioners, in wbnm tlie interests of 
 the proposed new Colony were t<» be vested, had to 
 raise the necessary funds. A lar^'e sum of money 
 liad to be borrowed; — £3o,0U0 worth of land had 
 to be sold before the plan could be made oj.orative. 
 This was the difficulty. It was not likely that 
 shrewd capitalists would invest money in a Colony 
 which, as yet, had no real existence. Some were 
 afraid of a second South Sea lUibble. The land 
 would not sell. Wreck seemed inevitable. On 
 every hand there were rocks, and the winds were 
 adverse. It was here that George Fife Angas 
 — one of the Board of Commissioners — came to 
 the rescue. To give the Colony a start he proposed 
 the formation of a company. It was to purchase 
 the necessary amount of land, and to send out 
 implements and workers. The " South Australian 
 Company " was formed ; the necessary amount of 
 capital subscribed. In this way initial difficulties 
 were overcome, and the way was opened up for 
 giving tangibility to the colonisation plan.
 
 JOHN ClIAllLES WHITE : A PIONEER WESLEYAN LOCAL PREACHER 
 
 IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA 
 22
 
 CHATTER III 
 
 PREPARING TO BUILD 
 
 TT is the year 1835. Sheffield, in an ecclesiastical 
 -^ sense, is astir. There has been a clerical in- 
 vasion. ]\roimted on horses, by stage-coaches, and 
 on foot, a great number of strangers have entered 
 the town. They are cleanly shaven ; rolls of white 
 linen are round their necks ; and each wears a dark 
 coat, with a ponderous collar. They are travel- 
 stained. The faces of many are weather-beaten. It 
 is a gathering of Methodist preachers. They have 
 come up to Sheffield, from all parts of the kingdom, 
 to attend the Annual Conference. There are four 
 hundred and eighty-eight in the town. The 
 Napoleon-like Joseph Taylor is there, of whose 
 preaching Adam Clarke said, " It is hot, and heavy, 
 like a tailor's goose." The tall form of the 
 
 23
 
 24 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 scholarly Thomas Galland may be seen sauntering 
 through the streets. The oldest preacher in the 
 body, James Wood, has put in an appearance. 
 For sixty-two years he has been a preacher in the 
 Methodist Connexion. The erect and dignified 
 Eichard Eeece is on his way to Carver Street 
 Chapel. Eobert Newton and Jabez Bunting again 
 clasp each other by the hand. No wonder that 
 some of the preachers look anxious, and some 
 are sad. We see them in groups, discussing the 
 situation. The Connexion is in a disturbed state. 
 Methodism is being weighed in the balance. No 
 heart is sadder than the heart of the gifted and 
 able John Stephens. His son, Joseph Eayner, has 
 resigned his position as a preacher, and has not 
 "quietly withdrawn." The Christian Advocate, 
 edited by another son, is blowmg a militant blast. 
 Dr. Warren has taken up arms against the Con- 
 nexion. A revolutionary body has met in Sheffield 
 to demand certain changes at the hands of the 
 Conference. Methodism is "beset behind and 
 before," and heavy hands are laid upon her. Is 
 it any wonder that the minds of many of the 
 preachers are perplexed, and their hearts sad ?
 
 PREPARING TO BUILD 25 
 
 The Conference is a long one. It is no time of 
 jubilation. For twenty - one days the brethren 
 sit in solemn conclave, and then depart. 
 
 Not many days after, another meeting, of a very 
 different character, is held. It is not to consider 
 questions of spiritual, but of political import. It is 
 not to bind up the wounds of a stricken Church, 
 but to give a new Colony a start — a Colony in 
 which three sons of the Eev. John Stephens, to 
 whom we have just referred, are to take a promi- 
 nent part. The locality is London, and the place 
 of meeting Exeter Hall. Colonel Torrens, M.P., is 
 in the chair. The Duke of Wellington is not able 
 to attend. His apology is read. There are no 
 anxious faces here, nor sad hearts. It is a jovial 
 gathering. A dinner is being given to Captain 
 John Hindmarsh, E.N., whose ''• appointment as 
 Governor of the new Colony of South Australia 
 His Majesty has most graciously approved." 
 Amongst those present is George Fife Angas,^ to 
 whom South Australia owes much. The " health 
 of the Duke of Wellington, and other members of 
 the House of Lords who supported the Soutli 
 
 1 See Life of George Fife Angus, by Edwin Hodder.
 
 26 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 Australian Colonisation Bill," is proposed. The 
 members who supported the IJill in tlie Lower 
 House are honoured in the same way, with " three 
 times three." It is a most enthusiastic gathering. 
 The cheering is " immense." All present seem to 
 be of opinion that the new Colony about to l3e 
 established in South Australia will be a great 
 success. The chairman speaks of South Australia 
 as a land " wliere the climate of Paradise appears 
 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 
 forest. ... 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 Colony of South Australia may be considered 
 as now 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 depart-
 
 PREPARING TO BUILD 27 
 
 ing from these shores ; they will go to eat pleasant 
 bread in a pleasant land, — at all events the prayers 
 of the present company will go with them. . . . 
 Let their ways he ways of pleasantness, and all 
 their paths be peace." 
 
 After the lapse of more than sixty years, the 
 descendants of the first emigrants can smile at 
 some of these post-prandial remarks. If Colonel 
 Torrens (after whom our city river is named) had 
 been caught in a South Australian dust-storm, or 
 had sat in a shepherd's hut with the temperature 
 114 degrees in the shade, he would have had 
 grave doubts as to whether " the climate of South 
 Australia had survived the Fall." Probably he 
 would think that it had come under a double 
 curse. 
 
 But we are in Exeter Hall, sixty-three years ago. 
 Another speaker rises. He tells the company that 
 the first batch of emigrants are " a body of men 
 who, in numbers, in intelligence, in respectability, 
 in everything which constitutes religious and moral 
 worth, far surpass any body of Englishmen who 
 ever thought of settling in a distant Colony since 
 the davs of William Penn. . . . Gentlemen," he
 
 28 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 exclaims, " 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 greatness of the 
 parent country, unaffected by any of those evils 
 which are inseparable from old societies." 
 
 Another speaker is i\lr. John Morphett. He 
 rose to distinction in the new land, and lived to a 
 grand old age. The writer remembers him as a 
 tall, aristocratic-looking man. He became President 
 of the South Australian Legislative Council, and 
 was knighted by the Queen. He has gone the way 
 of all flesh, but his memory is perpetuated in 
 Morphett Street and Morphett Vale. 
 
 He responds on behalf of the emigrants. "In 
 heart," he says, " 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 quick. He had 
 fought under Xelson at the Nile and 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
 
 PREPARING TO BUILD 29 
 
 Australia," he says, " I will continue to do my 
 duty." The Aborigines are not forgotten. " My 
 power as Governor," he says, " will be of little 
 avail without being seconded by the exertions of 
 the colonists. I therefore call upon them to 
 second me in this good work, and, above all things, 
 to prevent the Aborigines from imbibing from 
 them a taste for that bane of humanity — spirituous 
 liquors ; and I consider the most effective way the 
 colonists can do this will be by setting them an 
 example in forming one vast temperance society." 
 
 Alas ! such good advice, in relation to some of 
 the colonists, was thrown away. The Aborigines 
 suffered much from their contact with 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 - day they are a weak, 
 degraded, decimated race, doomed to speedy 
 extinction. 
 
 The first batch of emigrants did not leave
 
 30 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROAfANCE 
 
 England so soon as Colonel Torrens anticipated. 
 It was not till February 1836 that the two first 
 vessels — the John Piric and the Uakc of York — 
 left the old land for these shores. These vessels 
 were sent out by private enterprise. They 
 belonged to the newly-formed South Australian 
 Company.
 
 PROCLAMATION TREE, HOLDFAST BAY, 1898 
 32
 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS 
 
 "OEFORE 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 civilisation they 
 led a lawless life. The conscience was seared ; the 
 spiritual instincts blunted. Apparently, they had 
 
 3
 
 34 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 no higher ambition in life than to gratify their 
 material instincts. In a epiritual sense they must 
 have descended almost to the level of the kangaroos. 
 Their time was spent in whaling, 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 183G, has left on record a description of one of 
 these marauders. She says : " We next proceeded 
 around 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 appear- 
 ance, I thought, was more like that of a savage than 
 an Englishman. This man, by some mischance, 
 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
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS 35 
 
 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 none to dispute." But a change M'as coming. 
 
 In 1836 a vessel hove in sight. We can 
 imagine how curiously some of the natives on the 
 mainland may have watched her as she mysteriously 
 tacked along the coast of Kangaroo Island, making 
 for Nepean Bay. At length she dropped anchor. 
 This was on the 29th of July 1836. It was the 
 Duke of York, commanded by Captain E. G. Morgan. 
 She had brought the first contingent of emigrants 
 to the new land. In addition to officers and 
 sailors (who went back with the ship) there were 
 thirteen passengers on board : nine adults and four 
 children. As this event will ever have historical 
 value, we give the names of the passengers : Mr. 
 
 ^ Diary of Mrs. Robt. Thomas, wife of first proprietor of South 
 A ustralian Register,
 
 36 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 Samuel Stephens (first manager of the South 
 Australian Company) ; Mr. Thomas Hudson Beare, 
 Mrs. Lucy Ann Beare, and the following four 
 children — Lucy, Arabella, Elizabeth, and William 
 L. Beare ; also Charlotte Hudson Beare (afterwards 
 Mrs. Samuel Stephens); and Messrs. Thomas 
 Mitchell, Charles Powel, 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 a 
 
 rose." 
 
 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 amongst 
 the passengers of the Duhe 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. Amid the 
 cheers of the emigrants one of the sailors carried 
 her through the surf, and planted her feet on the 
 shore.
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS 37 
 
 What was the first act of the settlers on reach- 
 ing shore ? To go on an exploring expedition ? 
 To attend to their material wants ? Ko. 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 builders — 
 met on the shores of a country practically unknown. 
 Before them is the ocean. Eiding 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 uplifted while the Captain con- 
 ducts a short service, concluding with extempore 
 prayer. Are not these the " deeds that have won 
 the empire " ? the memory of which should never 
 die. 
 
 After spending a few hours on shore the emi-
 
 38 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 grants returned to the vessel. Here they spent 
 the night. Next day they made preparations to 
 build huts, and pitched their tents. It was on 
 Kangaroo Island tliat the first settlement was to be 
 formed. Such were the instructions that the South 
 Australian Company gave to Samuel Stephens. 
 Shops were to be erected, and cottages for shep- 
 herds and herdsmen built. This proved to be a 
 mistake, as further on we shall see. 
 
 What a strange experience the first emigrants' 
 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 ? What a sense of loneliness 
 at times must have come over them ! They had 
 lived in a land of villages and towns ; a land 
 where myriads hurried through the streets. Here 
 neither street, village, nor town could be seen. It 
 was an empty laud. 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
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS 39 
 
 the wind, or the sough of the ocean, no sounds 
 could be heard. The solitude at times must have 
 been oppressive ; the silence intense. On the one 
 hand, far as the eye could reach, there was in- 
 terminable scrub ; on the other, the trackless sea. 
 
 But there were gleams of sunshine amid the 
 gloom. They were in a new world. Here 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 glad the heart, and the weird laugh of the 
 jackass first caused alarm, and then provoked a 
 smile. They saw the wallaby hopping in the scrub ; 
 the emu running along with her chicks ; and, 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 tore 
 away the seal. Ah ! there was the old familiar 
 hand, but changed. The letter was blotched and 
 the writing: blurred. Here and there was a stain.
 
 40 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 What did it mean ? A tear — a soul's travail — the 
 liquified 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 w^ould 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 ecstasy upon a sweet 
 but intangible face. But duty calls. The log fire 
 must be renewed ; the kettle must be himg. 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 is in 
 Old England now. The snow is falling. A little 
 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 sw^eeping 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 a hungry dingo. The soul may have seen 
 Old England, but the body is in a tent or reed-hut 
 on the shores of an Australian bay. 
 
 Shortly after the arrival of the Duhe of York the
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS 41 
 
 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 Piric, laden with stores, carrying fourteen 
 passengers and fourteen officers and men. All 
 these vessels belonged to the South Australian 
 Company. It was private enterprise that fitted 
 them up and sent them out. No emigrant vessel 
 despatched by the Government Commissioners had 
 yet arrived. The Cygnet was the first to set 
 sail, followed by the Piaijid, having on board the 
 Surveyor-General, Colonel Light. 
 
 There were two questions exercising the emi- 
 grants' 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. In the way of surveying the 
 country, of fixing the site, nothing could be 
 decided until he came. 
 
 It was on the 19th of August 1836 that the 
 Rapid rode into Nepean Bay. At once the Colonel
 
 42 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 set to work. Kangaroo Island, as a suitable place 
 for settlement, was condemned. The land was 
 poor. Port Lincoln could not be recommended. 
 The waterway was not sufficiently safe. Much 
 was to be held in favour of Holdfast Bay. The 
 Colonel's position was a most responsible one. 
 It was not a temporary question that he had to 
 settle, but one the effect of which was to continue 
 for all time. It was not for the present genera- 
 tion that he had to decide, but for generations 
 unborn. Posterity must either applaud or con- 
 demn. 
 
 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 diffi- 
 culties that Colonel Light had to face. For 
 some time he could neither find suitable port 
 nor stream. After a careful examination of the 
 coast both these difficulties were met. An arm 
 of the sea was discovered running several miles 
 inland, offering an admirable shelter for ships.
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS 43 
 
 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 
 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 condemned, most of the passengers 
 were landed at Holdfast Bay. On Christmas Day, 
 1836, there must have been about 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 some- 
 thing 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 Goyeenok Come ? 
 
 would be an oft-repeated question. Frequently 
 the eyes of the emigrant scanned the ocean. What
 
 44 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 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 Iward, the Eesident Commissioner, 
 J. H. Fisher, and the Colonial Chaplain, the Kev. 
 C. B. Howard. What excitement there must have 
 been amongst the emigrants ! What demonstra- 
 tions of joy ! Paish - huts and tents would be 
 vacated. Down the emigrants would run, young 
 and old, to the edge of the water. What a motley 
 assemblage ! The tall hat would be in evidence, 
 so would the smock - frock and gaiters. The 
 Governor and party would either have to submit 
 to the orthodox style of transhipment — " pick-a- 
 back " — or take off boots and socks, 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 meet- 
 ing in the tent of Eobert Gouger, Colonial 
 Secretary. An adjournment was then made to 
 a larcje gum-tree. The Proclamation was read ! 
 The British Hag unfurled ! A royal salute was
 
 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS 45 
 
 fired ! The air rang with hurrahs ! A cold hinch, 
 consisting chiefly of cold pork and a hara, was 
 served up in a very primitive style. The Governor 
 mounted a chair, and gave the first toast, " The 
 King," which was received with " three times three." 
 The national anthem followed. Other toasts were 
 given. " Eule, Britannia " was sung. The emi- 
 grants were well-nigh wild with joy, and the 
 shades of evening brought to a close the most 
 exciting day (save the day of their landing) that 
 they had seen. Is it any wonder that the children 
 of the first emigrants, to this day, on the anni- 
 versary of the Colony, travel to Holdfast Bay in 
 tens of thousands, where patriotic speeches are 
 still delivered, old colonists are honoured, and 
 royal salutes fired ? 
 
 In the Governor's Proclamation the spirit in 
 which English people set about the work of 
 colonisation, and the basis on which they build, 
 are to be seen : — 
 
 In announcing to the colonists of His Majesty's 
 province of South Australia, the establishment of 
 the Government, I hereby call upon them to con- 
 duct themselves, on all occasions, with order and 
 quietness, duly to respect the laws, and, by a course
 
 46 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 of industry and sobriety, by the practice of sound 
 morality, and a strict observance of the ordinances 
 of reUgion, to prove themselves worthy to be the 
 founders of a great and free Colony. 
 
 The Proclamation also stated that the Governor 
 would take every lawful means to secure to the 
 Aborigines all the rights of British subjects. 
 
 The foundations were now well and truly laid. 
 How the superstructure was reared we must 
 leave for the next chapter.
 
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 CHAPTEK V 
 
 RAISING THE SUPEKSTEUCTURE 
 
 rriHE foundations of the Colony had been laid, 
 now came the work of raising the super- 
 structure. 
 
 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 con- 
 ditions that the pioneers had to work. Says 
 one of the most worthy of them : " Men generally 
 laboured from earlv morn till dusky eve. Eest- 
 less 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 those 
 early days that is no longer possible. If colonists 
 
 4
 
 50 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 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 rude 
 huts made of rushes and boughs. " Hutting " 
 themselves was the term they used. Some, for 
 the first evening or two after their arrival, had 
 to sleep in the open air. They made for them- 
 selves beds among the bushes on the beach, just 
 above high-water mark. One of the pioneers, 
 who 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. 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
 
 RAISING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE 51 
 
 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 Christ- 
 mas Day, and Sunday, divine service was held 
 for the first time in the hut of the principal 
 surveyor, a short distance from our tents. We 
 attended, taking our seats with us ; the signal 
 for assembling being the firing of a gun. The 
 congregation numbered twenty-five persons, includ- 
 ing the two gentlemen who conducted the service, 
 the thermometer standing at 100 degrees, and 
 most of those assembled lieing in the open air. . . . 
 We kept up the old custom of Christmas as far 
 as having a plum-pudding for dinner was con- 
 cerned, 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 good." It appears that the captain of
 
 52 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 one of the emigrant vessels (the A/ricane) had a 
 cow and a calf on board. Whilst the vessel was 
 lying at anchor, for change of scenery and food the 
 cow and calf were transhipped 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 
 so much injured that death had to be decreed. 
 She was killed. In this way some of the emi- 
 grants were supplied with a little Christmas beef. 
 
 There is one sentence in Mrs. Thomas' diary 
 that is very suggestive: they went to the rush- 
 hut of the principal surveyor for divine service, 
 " takinn; their seats with them." Comment is not 
 necessary. Two laymen conducted the service, 
 because no minister of the gospel had yet arrived. 
 
 From the letter of another lady pioneer ^ we got 
 a very good idea of the pioneer settlement at 
 Holdfast Bay, the settlers, and their surround- 
 ings : " 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 
 
 1 Miss Chauncey, published by the South Auetralian Advertiser.
 
 RAISING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE 53 
 
 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 scattered over 
 it, looking very green, also some shrubs, although 
 at the end of a hot summer. The stores, and a 
 few huts and tents, are erected at the entrance of 
 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 she-oak, 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 plentiful, and 
 very good eating ; also the bronze-winged pigeon ; 
 cockatoos — black and crimson, and white and 
 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 any time. There was a 
 woman buried last night who came in the Coro-
 
 54 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 mandel. 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 
 tliey have a dance, or merry-making they call 
 ' corrobery.' 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 found giving spirits or wine to the 
 natives ; the reward was £5 for the discovery of a 
 person who had already transgressed the orders. 
 There were several others posted about on the gum- 
 trees. . . . There was a dance in the evening, under 
 a large tent, or rather made of one of the sails of the 
 ship, which Captain Chesser put up for the purpose 
 of inviting Coromandel emigrants from ' Coromandel 
 village,' as they call the assemblage of (tents) they 
 are in, till the wooden ones are built in Adelaide. 
 . . . 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
 
 RAISING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE 55 
 
 cooking is on the ground close by. The fresh 
 branches of gum-trees burn like dry wood ; firing 
 will cost us nothing for many 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 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. Tlie ubiquitous rat had also made its ap- 
 pearance, and was making inroads on scanty stores. 
 
 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 were neither roads nor conveyances. The 
 emigrants had to walk through the woods 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
 
 56 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 of a small luind-cait. Some had to carry furniture, 
 as well as children, in their arms. 
 
 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. 
 
 The settlers had few of the advantages of 
 civilisation. There was neither slate, shingle, board, 
 nor galvanised iron depot. Some of the huts were 
 comi^osed 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 it was 
 a difficult matter to keep rain out. The " hut-wife " 
 had to resort to various expedients. Sometimes 
 umbrellas were propped up to keep 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 Adelaide, she struck on a sand bar, and
 
 RAISING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE 57 
 
 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 into 
 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, etc., to 
 keep off the drenching rain, no other means being 
 available at the time." 
 
 These privations were not without their advan- 
 tages. They developed thrift, determination, self- 
 reliance. The early settlers did not " run to the 
 Government " when they wanted a bed or a new 
 broom. Tradition says there was a time when the 
 Government Treasury contained but eighteenpence. 
 
 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
 
 58 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 the spot where whhn or choice pointed out, or 
 where material was easiest got ; the consequence 
 was, that a collection of as primitive-looking wig- 
 wams as can be well imagined soon lined the banks 
 of the Torrens — some of them facing the east, some 
 the west ; in fact, every point of the compass might 
 have claimed one or more facing it. They stood 
 just as though a mad bull had been playing his 
 antics among them, and had tossed them hither 
 and thither. Nor was the appearance of the dwell- 
 ings less amusing or extraordinary than their 
 general positions. 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 deprived of the ends, to serve as a 
 chimney. A great portion of the emigrants, how- 
 ever, contented themselves without a fire, except 
 outside, where it might be seen blazing, with a pot 
 hung over it a la gipsy." An old colonist (J. W. 
 Bull) says : " It was not an unusual thing, in hot 
 or showery weather, to see a lady watching a kettle 
 or camp-oven under an umbrella."
 
 RAISING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE 59 
 
 Here and there, in the temporary 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 fugitive settlement on the 
 banks of the Torrens there was a " Buffalo Eow " 
 and a " Coromandel Eow." Evidently, the emigrants 
 who had come by the Buffalo and the Coromandel 
 had pitched their tents in a line together. "Buffalo 
 Eow " stood between the Torrens and the present 
 site of Trinity Church ; " Coromandel Eow " a little 
 eastward. 
 
 There was a great deal of romance about these 
 far-off times. Everything was new. There was 
 no snobbery. The settlers led a free, unconven- 
 tional kind of life. Servants were difficult to get. 
 Those who came out soon got married. Ladies had 
 to do what is termed menial work. A pork barrel, 
 end up, or a packing case, served as a table ; boxes 
 and trunks did duty as seats ; rushes made a com- 
 fortable 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
 
 6o A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 funn of wallaby or native birds. The settlers 
 liad their social gatherings in tents and 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. Says one of our lady 
 pioneers : " The few people here were like a happy 
 family out for a lengthened picnic. . . . Xo 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 false shame troubled us. If friends came in 
 they were welcome. "We might be ironing, cook- 
 ing, or working at any menial occupation, and it 
 made the occupation pleasanter to have a friend 
 to chat to. The first wedding I attended was in 
 winter. It being too muddy to walk, we went in a 
 bullock-dray. . . . No one appeared to fear for the
 
 RAISING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE 6i 
 
 future, although, of course, no one could anticipate 
 what the future might bring forth." 
 
 Judging from some of the letters written home 
 by the emigrants, they seemed to be quite satisfied 
 with their lot. The following is a copy of 
 one : — 
 
 To- 
 
 I write to you according to promise, hoping, 
 at the same time, yourself, wife, and children are 
 well, as we are at present. I did not write before, 
 for I wished to send you some particulars of the 
 place. We sailed from England the 25th of Sep- 
 tember 1837, and had a most beautiful voyage, for 
 we could have come the whole distance in a long- 
 boat. We were four months on our passage. . . . 
 This is one of the loveliest countries ever seen. The 
 town is on a rising ground about seven miles from 
 the sea, . . . with high mountains in the rear. It is 
 a lovely black soil, and capable of producing any- 
 thing. The trees are green the whole year. Things 
 grow here with astonishing rapidity, and finer than 
 ever were seen in England. The Colony is increas- 
 ing very fast, and all manner of trade is fiourishing, 
 especially the builders'. . . . John, if you were out 
 here you would do well, for you could start in 
 business for yourself. . . . This is the land of plenty. 
 A steady man, who is industrious, in a few years 
 may make a comfortable fortune. ... I should like 
 very much to see you out here. . . . Come as soon 
 as you can, for the early - comers get the best 
 chance.
 
 62 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 No wonder that there was a fascination for 
 English folk about letters like this, especially when 
 they were garnished with references to black- 
 fellows, kangaro(js, and emus. The " comfortable 
 fortune," of which the emigrant above quoted 
 speaks, was more imaginary than real. 
 
 After Colonel Light had fixed the site for the 
 city there was considerable dispute. Some wanted 
 it in one place, and some in another. Governor 
 Hindmarsh was pleased with the surroundings, but 
 thought that the city would be too far from the 
 harbour. He expressed a preference for Encounter 
 Bay. Fortunately, Colonel Light's power in the 
 matter was absolute. He manfully stood his 
 ground. Experience has demonstrated the wisdom 
 of his choice. A more suitable site for the city 
 (after more than sixty years' experience) it would 
 be 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 denselv covered with scrub. Such
 
 RAISING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE ^2> 
 
 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.i Fifty years after the site for the city had 
 been fixed, when celebrating the Colony's Jubilee 
 (1886), Sir Henry Ayers, one of the most worthy 
 of the old colonists, said : " Can any one at this 
 time, after fifty years' experience, 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 criticisms of others, 
 Colonel Light . . . fearlessly acted on his own good 
 judgment, leaving it, as he said, to posterity to 
 decide whether I am entitled ' to praise or blame.' 
 Posterity speaks out to-night, as succeeding genera- 
 
 ^ The nature of some of the suburban country is evident from 
 the names given to it by the early emigrants : " Goodwood Park," 
 "Unley Park," "Black Forest." These places have lost their 
 park-like appearance, but the writer, as a lad, roamed over them 
 when they were studded with trees. The picture, "A Primitive 
 Australian Scene," will give the reader some idea of the virgin 
 character of the country on which Adelaide and suburbs are now 
 built.
 
 64 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 tions will through all time to come, loudly in praise 
 of the man who, by the exercise of his ability, was 
 indeed the founder of Adelaide, and whose dying 
 wish to be so regarded has been so singularly 
 fulfilled." 
 
 The same wisdom displayed in the choice of the 
 city site was manifested in laying it out. The city 
 lies foursquare. Provision was made for wide 
 streets, public squares, and a park around the 
 town. At the request of King William iv. it was 
 called " Adelaide," in honour of the Eoyal Consort. 
 In his important work Colonel Light was ably 
 assisted by the Deputy- Surveyor, George S. King- 
 ston (afterwards Sir George), father of the present 
 Premier of South Australia. The Colonel's life in 
 the Colony soon came to a close. Hard work and 
 worry undermined his constitution. He died of 
 consumption in 1839. His heart was always in 
 the city, and his body is buried in one of its 
 squares. A monument marks his resting-place. 
 No such monument, however, is necessary. Prom 
 the top of the Post Office tower to-day a vaster 
 monument — -the creation of his genius — may be 
 seen.
 
 RAISING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE 65 
 
 To the new Colony the dark figure of dissension 
 came. It appeared in official circles. There were 
 disputes between Governor Hindmarsh and Colonel 
 Light over the city site. There was some wrang- 
 ling over the naming of the squares and the 
 streets.^ In a previous chapter we stated that 
 the interests of the Colony were vested in Commis- 
 sioners appointed by the Crown. A Eesident 
 Commissioner was sent out. This dual arrange- 
 ment — Eesident Commissioner and a Governor — 
 did not succeed. It led to divided authority. They 
 came into conflict. The result was, that before 
 Governor Hindmarsh had spent two years in the 
 Colony he was recalled. On the whole, he had 
 served the Colony well. He made himself one with 
 the people, and was highly esteemed. His farewell 
 words recall the lofty tone of his Proclamation : 
 " If the colonists do themselves justice ; if they 
 respect the laws, and attend to the ordinances of 
 religion ; if they continue the same habits of tem- 
 perance and industry which have so happily pre- 
 vailed. South Australia must . . . realise the most 
 
 ^ The main streets and squares are named after men wlio took an 
 active part in founding the Colony. 
 
 5 .
 
 66 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 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." 
 
 The next representative of the Crown to take up 
 his residence at "Government Hut" — still a mud 
 cottage — was Colonel George Gawler. He had 
 been in the Peninsular Campaign, in which he was 
 wounded, and had fought with great gallantry 
 under Wellington at Waterloo. He arrived on the 
 12th of October 1838. The Colony had now to 
 pass through a very critical time. Various causes 
 contributed to this : the tide of emigration was too 
 strong ; the money received by sale of public lands 
 was not employed in reproductive works ; the 
 Colony was ruled by a body of Commissioners 
 the other side of the world. In spite of depression, 
 great improvements were made. The city and 
 Colony grew. Huts were superseded by well-built 
 houses, bridges were constructed, and macadamised 
 roads made. 
 
 These improvements were made in the face of 
 great difficulties and dangers. A great deal of 
 labour had to be spent in clearing ground. The 
 means of transit were slow, and very defective.
 
 RAISING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE 67 
 
 Nature was not always propitious. The blacks 
 were often a source of trouble, and so were a class 
 of men termed " Bushrangers." These were 
 desperate dare-devil fellows. Some of them were 
 ticket-of-leave men, or convicts who had escaped 
 from some of the older settlements. They were 
 handy with firearms, and sometimes were well 
 mounted on stolen horses. They " stuck up " 
 travellers and out-stations. They made raids upon 
 horses and cattle. Sometimes, under the cover of 
 night, they would visit the city, and commit 
 depredations. " Bail up ! " was the demand, en- 
 forced at the point of a pistol. There was nothing 
 to do but to surrender. Their rendezvous, near 
 Adelaide, was the " tiers " in the hills. Here they 
 lurked in densely-wooded and almost inaccessible 
 gullies. They knew the country well, and police, 
 in the early days, trying to thread their way 
 through the " tiers," would be at the bushrangers' 
 mercy. 
 
 Fortunately, in those early days, there were two 
 or three police officers as bold as lions. Two of 
 them deserve special mention. Tlieir names were 
 Alexander Tolmer and Henry Alford. They passed
 
 68 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 through some thrilling experiences. In his 
 Reminiscences of an Adventurous and Chequered 
 Career, Alexander Tolmer describes how himself 
 and others captured a party of bushrangers on 
 Kangaroo Island. They were living in the bush, 
 in a wurley, some blacks being with them. " Hav- 
 ing obtained all the necessary information I re- 
 quired respecting the kind of wurley, its position 
 and surroundings, and it being dark, we again 
 moved forward cautiously, to avoid stepping on 
 any dry twig, for fear of giving an alarm, by which 
 means we reached within twenty yards of the 
 camp, and heard the men laughing and talking. 
 Considering the position of the open wurley, the 
 darkness of the night, and the dense scrub that 
 surrounded the place, I deemed it expedient, upon 
 reflection, to defer the capture until morning, 
 which would give us a better chance of success, 
 and accordingly made a sign to the police and our 
 guides to fall back, and we then retraced our steps 
 to where we had left our blankets, etc., under a 
 bush, and there passed a wretched anxious night, 
 supperless and without fire, the only solace being 
 our pipes. At dawn we again approached the
 
 RAISING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE 69 
 
 camp of the ruflfians with cat-like silence, and, 
 when near enough, crouched behind a bush — not a 
 moment too soon, however, as one of the fellows 
 got up and threw a log on the fire. After waiting 
 until everything was silent, we once more moved 
 forward, r.nd then rushed simultaneously upon the 
 fellows. They struggled desperately, however, and 
 endeavoured to get possession of their weapons ; 
 but we were too nimble for them, and soon had 
 them secured and handcuffed. They turned out 
 to be two men of the 50th Kegiment who were 
 transported to Van Diemen's Land, and made their 
 escape from the Vixen. Our approach to the 
 wurley was so noiseless that the pack of fierce 
 kangaroo dogs (twelve in number) did not hear us ; 
 but when we rushed in they commenced such a 
 furious barking, that, added to the screaming of the 
 native women, the imprecations and deep anathemas 
 of the convicts, the noise was perfectly deafening." 
 The financial position of the Colony, during 
 Governor Gawler's term, became so depressed that 
 he was recalled. His expenditure may have been 
 lavish, but he was an able and energetic officer, 
 beloved by the people. Out of their reduced
 
 
 55 
 
 
 o
 
 RAISING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE 71 
 
 resources the colonists contributed £500 as a 
 testimonial. Such was Colonel Gawler's regard 
 for the Colony, and faith in it, that he left the 
 sum to be invested in land on his own account. 
 Captain George Grey (afterwards Sir George) 
 took up his residence at what was now " Govern- 
 ment House." During his administration — wise 
 and effective as it was — the Colony reached its 
 lowest ebb. A policy of retrenchment was put 
 into practice. Valuable mines were discovered. 
 The British Government came to the rescue. A 
 tide of prosperity set in. The success of the 
 Colony was assured. It had now — at the close 
 of Governor Grey's term — been established nine 
 years.
 
 
 RE\^ JOHN STEPHENS 
 
 72
 
 CHAPTEE VI 
 
 THREE BUILDERS OF METHODIST FAME 
 
 rriHE year 1827 was an eventful one in 
 Methodist history. In the nation at large a 
 revolutionary spirit prevailed. There was a tend- 
 ency to defy law, and to set at nought authority. 
 
 A revolutionary spirit is contagious. Its influ- 
 ence cannot be restricted. All institutions, more 
 or less, are affected. It creeps into Church as 
 well as into State. It demands ecclesiastical as 
 well as political change. It was so in connection 
 with the Methodist Church in the year 1827. A 
 lawless spirit — a spirit that resented authority — 
 had crept into the Connexion. The erection of 
 an organ in one of the large chapels of Leeds, 
 sanctioned by the Conference, was made the pre- 
 text for a rebellion. The characters of noted 
 
 73
 
 74 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 jNIethodist ministers were traduced. A secession 
 took place. The malcontents boasted that they 
 had taken away, from the Leeds societies alone, 
 " twenty-eight local preachers, seven exhorters, 
 fifty-six leaders, and nine hundred members." 
 
 It was fortunate that the Conference of 1827 
 had a strong man in the chair — one who stood 
 at least on a par with any of his illustrious 
 predecessors. John Stephens had been elected 
 President. " A noble person ; fine temper ; 
 superior mind ; an excellent preacher " ; such was 
 his character as given by a contemporary. John 
 Stephens was born in Cornwall. He had great 
 natural ability. From a youthful miner he 
 became a distinguished preacher, had charge of 
 some of the most important Circuits, and, in 1827, 
 was elected President of the Conference. 
 
 This was the man who had to deal with the 
 Leeds secession. He did so in a very effective 
 manner. In an address, delivered at Leeds, speak- 
 ing of the leading spirits in the unhappy division, 
 he said : " Would to God that I could have intro- 
 duced these persons to the deathbed of an old 
 friend of mine, who got to heaven by the skin of
 
 THREE BUILDERS OF FAME 75 
 
 his teeth. He had been an active agent in a 
 division in a certain town ; and, soon after the 
 separation, he found that he could not have every- 
 thing his own way because they all wanted to be 
 masters. His head was sick, and his heart faint ; 
 and he begged permission to return to the old Con- 
 nexion. He was received ; but he never lifted up 
 his head again among his brethren with confidence. 
 God had forgiven him, but he never could forgive 
 himself. ' Oh, sir ! ' said he, ' I was instrumental 
 in taking away two or three hundred souls, but I 
 could not keep them together; they were there- 
 fore turned adrift, and many of them got into the 
 world. When I think of these souls my heart is 
 almost fit to break.' This man came to his death- 
 bed. It fell to my lot, as it accorded with my 
 inclination, to visit him. The blood of souls was 
 in his skirts, and he sank deeper and deeper into 
 despair. ... I talked with liim, and prayed with 
 him ; but the heavens were as brass. ... It 
 seemed as if God had shut up His bowels of tender 
 mercy against him. He continued so till near 
 midnight, when one glimmering ray of light darted 
 into his mind. . , . The little ray brightened into
 
 76 A SOUTH AUSTRALIA A^ /ROMANCE 
 
 a Hood of light, and the next day he died happy in 
 God." ^ 
 
 In view of the stoi-y that we have to tell, these 
 el(jquent words have increased pathos. 
 
 Three sons of this " remarkable man " (as Dr. 
 Smith terms him) in the early days came to South 
 Australia, Their names were Samuel, John, and 
 Edward. In different ways they helped to lay the 
 foundations of the Colony. Samuel represented the 
 pastoral and agricultural interests; John, the press; 
 and Edward, commerce. 
 
 Samuel Stephens 
 
 Samuel Stephens was the first adult colonist to 
 put his foot on South Australian soil. He came, 
 as w^e have seen, by the Dulx of York in 1836, 
 and landed at Kangaroo Island. On the voyage 
 out, service was conducted by him each Sunday, 
 and on Wednesday evenings. He was sent out by 
 the South Australian Company as its first manager, 
 and was the leading spirit at the Kangaroo Island 
 settlement. 
 
 Samuel Stephens married Miss Charlotte Hudson 
 ^ Smith's History of Methodism.
 
 THREE BUILDERS OF FAME 77 
 
 Beare, a fellow-passenger. In this way he became 
 related to Mr. William L. Beare, who, as a lad, 
 came out in the same vessel, and who " continues 
 to this day." 
 
 Every detail in relation to the pioneers and 
 their mode of life is of value, and will become 
 increasingly so as the years roll by. 
 
 From the letters of early emigrants we get 
 glimpses of the son of the Eev. John Stephens 
 and his new surroundings. 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 Ijoat 
 is being rowed from an emigrant vessel to the 
 shore. Presently depth of water fails. The 
 passengers are either carried by the sailors or 
 wade through the water 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 Cash-
 
 78 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 mere goats, imported by the South Australian Com- 
 pany, browsing the herbage. Some poultry are 
 busy examining tlie nature of the new country. 
 Cattle there is none. Mr. Stephens and his party 
 go for a 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 very 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. Fare- 
 well 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 Holdfast Bay. 
 
 After Colonel Light had pronounced against 
 Kangaroo Island as a place of settlement, Samuel 
 Stephens and other settlers removed to the main- 
 land. He imported the first horse into the new 
 Colony. One of the pioneers (Jacob Abbott), who 
 will occupy a prominent position in these pages, 
 describes his first meeting with the horse and its
 
 THREE BUILDERS OF FAME 79 
 
 owner. Samuel Stephens was walking down the 
 North Terrace of the embryo citj, 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 ! " 
 
 Alas ! the noble-spirited Samuel Stephens soon 
 came to an untimely end. About 1840 (four 
 years after his arrival in the Colony), riding down 
 one of the hills between Mount Barker and Adelaide, 
 his horse fell. The rider was thrown ; picked up 
 in an unconscious state ; and died a few hours 
 later. He was esteemed by all, and general regret 
 was felt among the emigrants. He has been 
 described to the writer as " a perfect gentleman 
 and model husband." His remains lie (far from 
 the burial-place of his honoured father) in the 
 West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, 
 
 It was Samuel Stephens who granted the use 
 of the South Australian Company's store for the
 
 8o A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 first Methodist service conducted on Kancraroo 
 Island. Shortly afterwards liis name appears as 
 contributing two guineas towards the erection of the 
 first Methodist chapel in Hindley Street, Adelaide. 
 These are the only references that we can find to 
 him in C(jnnection with Methodism in this Colony. 
 
 Joseph Eayner Stephens 
 
 Before dealing with John Stephens, passing 
 reference must be made to his brother, Joseph 
 Eayner. Though he did not come to this Colony, 
 yet indirectly he had some connection with it. 
 Strange that a father, who apparently w^as con- 
 servative in his instincts, should have at least 
 two sons who became ultra-radical. The President, 
 who had to deal with the unhappy strife at 
 Leeds, had the mortification, a few years later, 
 of seeing two of his sons in a position of 
 antagonism to the Connexion. 
 
 Like his father, Joseph Eayner Stephens was a 
 man of great ability — energetic and eloquent. 
 He was received on trial in 1825. In 1832 he 
 was appointed to Ashton-under-Lyne. Here a 
 society was formed to agitate for the disestablish-
 
 THREE BUILDERS OF FAME 8i 
 
 ment of the Church of England. The young 
 Methodist preacher was asked to give the move- 
 ment his sympathy and support. To this he 
 consented. At the inaugural meeting a very able 
 address was delivered by him in favour of Dis- 
 establishment. He went further, taking an official 
 position in connection with the society, and giving 
 the weight of his energy and ability to secure 
 the end for which it had been formed. 
 
 To say the least, his action was unwise and 
 unfortunate. It had a tendency to stir up strife 
 and division. The Methodist Church, as a body, 
 was not unfriendly to the Establishment. There 
 was a tacit understanding that Methodist preachers 
 would not ally themselves to the movement for 
 separation. Complaints were made to the Chair- 
 man of the District (Eobert Newton), The case 
 was tried at the District Meeting. Joseph Eayner 
 Stephens was requested to resign his position as 
 secretary of the Church Separation Society, and 
 to cease working in its interests. The verdict 
 of the District Meeting was supported by the 
 Conference. Not willing to give the pledge, Mr. 
 Stephens retired from the Connexion.
 
 82 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN- ROMANCE 
 
 John Stephens 
 
 The preceding sketch brings John Stephens, who 
 took a prominent part in the founding of South 
 Australia, on the scene. 
 
 In Chapter III. reference was made to the 
 Christian Advocate and its editor. That editor 
 was John Stephens, so named after his ilkistrious 
 father. 
 
 Originally the Christian Advocate claimed to be 
 a Methodist paper, though not officially connected 
 with the Conference. Some of the leading preachers 
 wrote for it, The editor became enamoured of the 
 radical spirit of the times. Multitudes read the 
 paper. Dr. Smith (no mean authority) says : 
 " The paper was conducted with ability. Its 
 articles were exceedingly plausible ; and, in the 
 absence of any counteracting agency, few were 
 able to detect its fallacies." It sat in severe 
 editorial judgment upon Dr. Bunting. It is only 
 fair to say that it dealt out to other religious 
 bodies that incurred its displeasure much the 
 same treatment that was meted to Methodism. 
 The paper was condemned by the Conference of
 
 THREE BUILDERS OF FAME 83 
 
 1833, and the discussion that took place has been 
 put on record : " Theophilus Lessey spoke witli 
 great ability against the course pursued by the 
 Christian Advocate. William Atherton, in very 
 strong terms, condemned the conduct of those 
 preachers who wrote for it. George Marsden 
 reminded preachers who contributed to its columns 
 that their writings were frequently read in pot- 
 houses by drunkards and scoffers. James Dixon 
 spoke of Dr. Bunting as being too great to be 
 injured by things so little ; yet his happiness 
 might be affected by it, and the Conference ought 
 to express some censure upon the paper. Eichard 
 Reece expressed the hope that all the preachers 
 who had in any way given their names to the 
 support of the paper would withdraw them." ^ 
 These critics were some of the most eminent men 
 in the Conference. Such sweeping condemnation 
 would neither curb the impetuous spirit of the 
 editor, nor make the tone of his articles less 
 acrid. 
 
 The judgment of the Conference on the " Joseph 
 Rayner Stephens Case " added fuel to editorial 
 ^ Dr. Smith's History of Methodism.
 
 84 A SOUTH AUSTKALIAX ROMANCE 
 
 fire. Under the impression that his brother Joseph 
 liad a grievance, John Stephens took up the cudgels 
 on his behalf. lie was a hard liitter, and, Methodist 
 history says, sometimes very unfair. We state 
 the case in the most charitable way. Dr. Smith 
 says : " The Christian Advocate, impelled alike by 
 the principles that it had adopted, and the interest 
 that the editor felt in his brother, exerted its 
 utmost influence to rouse the members of the 
 Methodist Society to rebellion." He further says 
 that the members and congregations who were 
 influenced by the paper were " beyond calcula- 
 tion." 
 
 The paper took a prominent part in the 
 " Warrenite Agitation," after which both it and 
 editor pass away from view. 
 
 It is in connection with the founding of South 
 Australia that John Stephens somewhat abruptly 
 rises again. That he was known to George Fife 
 Angas, one of the founders of this Colony, is 
 evident from a passage in Mr. Angas' published 
 life. He says : " I went over to Blackfriars to see 
 John Stephens." 
 
 The next we meet with him is in connection
 
 THREE BUILDERS OF FAME 85 
 
 with the publication of a book. The title is 
 The Land of Promise. It was written in the 
 interests of the new Colony of South Australia, 
 and published in 1838. A second edition was 
 soon called for, and published under the title <jf 
 The Bisc and Progrefni 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 instinct. 
 
 In 1843 John Stephens is in Adelaide. He 
 established the Adelaide Observer. Later on, the 
 Register came into his hands. The same charac- 
 teristics that were so marked in England were 
 manifested here. He was an Ishmaelite 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 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 adver-
 
 86 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 tisemeuts were withdniwn from his paper. He i.s 
 represented us having " decision of character, in- 
 domitable pluck, and untiring energy in an eminent 
 degree." He was a staunch teetotaler. In the 
 various actions that were brought against him, it 
 was his conviction that he suffered for righteous- 
 ness' sake. One wlio 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." It is probable that this free Colony to- 
 day owes much to the powerful pen of John 
 Stephens. He died in 1850. A contemporary 
 says: "The victim of the severity of his own 
 discipline and labour, but not until he had 
 established, on a permanent basis, the reputation 
 and success of the Register." Business worries, 
 and the death of a beloved son, helped to break 
 him down. 
 
 His portrait, in oils, hangs in the library of 
 the Register office. The face is a striking one, 
 animated and intellectual. It gives the impression 
 of a man surcharged with nervous energy.
 
 THREE BUILDERS OF FAME 87 
 
 What a remarkable career ! All that is mortal 
 of John Stephens, — once editor of the Christian 
 Advocate — the man who moved multitudes — who 
 sat in bitter editorial judgment upon Jabez Bunting, 
 Eobert Xewton, and other eminent ministers of 
 the Methodist Connexion — the brother of Joseph 
 Eayner Stephens, and son of one of the ablest men 
 who sat in the chair of the British Conference, — 
 all that is mortal of this remarkable man lies, with 
 the remains of his brother Samuel, in the West 
 Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia. 
 
 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 28th, 1850, 
 Aged 44 Years. 
 
 The memory of his worth sliall never cease. 
 Upright in all his ways : liis end was peace ; 
 But tliough sincere, affectionate, and just. 
 His Saviour's merits were his only trust.
 
 88 ./ SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 Edwai;i) SxKriiENS 
 
 Of his early history in England we are not in 
 a position to speak. We believe that he came to 
 this Colony from Hull. 
 
 Joseph and John Stephens forsook the Church 
 of their fathers. Edward carried his Methodism 
 over the sea, and, as the next chapter will show, 
 was a powerful factor in laying the foundations of 
 a great and influential Church. He was an early 
 emigrant. Samuel came by the first vessel, in 
 1836. Edward and his wife arrived by the Coro- 
 mandcl about five months later. 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. When 
 he arrived the site for the city had not been fixed, 
 consequently he had to take up his abode in a tent, 
 not far from the beach, at Holdfast Bay. From a 
 private letter, written by a niece of Mrs. Edward 
 Stephens, and published in the Methodist Recorder 
 (20th January 1898), we take the following: — 
 
 I remember Aunt Stephens telling me that she 
 and her husband went out in the second ship of
 
 THREE BUILDERS OF FAME 89 
 
 emigrants:^ he in charge of the first gold for the 
 currency of the new Colony. They took out a house 
 witli them ; that is to say, the material for a house 
 ready prepared. But it was so difficult to fix a site 
 for the town (afterwards Adelaide), that the material 
 lay on the shore until at last it became unsuitaLle. 
 . . . Meanwhile a camp of tents was formed, and, as 
 theirs was the largest tent, service was held in it 
 every Sunday. Aunt used to describe the pretty 
 sight, — the settlers wending their way, at the sound 
 of the bell, from the long line of tents, and under 
 the green trees, to morning service. 
 
 Also, I remember her speaking of those most 
 anxious days when her husband was away prospect- 
 ing for a suitable site for the new^ town, and rumours 
 were brought to the camp from time to time of the 
 dark deeds of the natives, and how often she sank 
 upon the chests containing the gold in fear and 
 trembling, lest a raid upon the treasure in her 
 husband's absence should be made. 
 
 We may remark, in passing, that Mrs. Stephens' 
 fears respecting the natives were not groundless. 
 About three years after the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Stephens, 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 
 
 ^ Here there is a slight error. The ComnancM, in which Mr. 
 and Mrs. Stephens sailed, ^vas not the second ship.
 
 90 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 Bay. The country at this time was little known. 
 However, under instructions from the Government, 
 a search-party was organised, amongst whom were 
 three blacks of Encounter Bay. The country was 
 scoured, and a ghastly discovery 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 
 dreadfully bruised, and stripped of every rag. In 
 some of the native wurlies male and female 
 garments were found, drenched with blood ; also 
 letters, newspapers, the leaves of a Bible, and part 
 of the wrecked ship's log. Other bodies of the 
 murdered people were discovered. 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 into the interior. They were 
 induced to separate into two companies, and then 
 killed. As the search-party followed up the tracks,
 
 THREE BUILDERS OF FAME 91 
 
 they noticed that occasionally the marks of the 
 children's feet disappeared. It was evident that 
 the little ones became tired with their long journey, 
 and were carried by their friends. The native 
 women who had been captured said the white 
 people had been divided into two parties, then some 
 of the natives rushed upon them and held them, 
 while others beat them upon the heads 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 guilty, but took revenge on any who 
 came in their way. 
 
 The search-party rounded up as many of the 
 natives as they could, got evidence against the 
 leaders, and hung them in the she-oak trees, over 
 the graves of their victims. The bodies were left 
 hanging in the trees, and the natives 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.
 
 92 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 Some of the natives were treaclierous, ferocious, 
 and revengeful, especially the great Murray tribe. 
 No wonder that Mrs. Stephens, who had been 
 delicately brought up in the Old Land, was some- 
 times afraid as she sat in her tent amongst the 
 trees at Holdfast Bay. 
 
 In public matters connected with the young 
 Colony, Edward Stephens took a prominent part. 
 He became manager of the Bank of South Aus- 
 tralia. 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. He was also a Member of Parliament, 
 and, judging from a specimen of his oratory that 
 the author has seen, must have been a very effective 
 public speaker. The influence that he exerted 
 amongst the early emigrants was evidently great. 
 There was a saying amongst them to the effect 
 that he had " more power than the Governor." So 
 far as the writer has been able to ascertain, he 
 resigned his position as manager of the Bank of 
 South Australia in 1854, returned to England, and 
 died a few years after. Like his brother John, his 
 nervous system broke down. " Able and clever "
 
 THREE BUILDERS OF FAME 93 
 
 is the description that an old colonist gives of 
 him. 
 
 Edward Stephens was brother-in-law to the gifted 
 Methodist preacher, Eichard Treffry, jun., who died 
 in Penzance in 1838. No doubt he owed much 
 to his excellent wife, of whom the editor of the 
 Methodist Recorder (20th January 1898) says: 
 " She was the daughter of the late Mr. Baron, of 
 Hull, whose tablet may be seen on the walls of 
 Waltham Street Chapel. Mrs. Edward Stephens, 
 in later life, was often seen in London Methodist 
 circles. She and her sisters, Mrs. Eichard Treffry 
 . . . and Mrs. Edward Corderoy, were a trio of 
 sweet saintliness, walking ever more in light and 
 love."
 
 PA.STOE JACOB ABBOTT, ONE OF THE FUUXDERS OF THE WESLEYAX 
 
 METHODIST CHURCH IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA 
 
 96
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 HOW A METHODIST CHURCH WAS FORMED 
 
 rriHE early emigrants were not without the 
 means of grace. A chaplain for the Colony 
 (the Eev. C. B. Howard) had been appointed by 
 King William iv. He arrived with Governor 
 Hindmarsh in the BitffaJo. The appointment 
 proved to be a wise one. Mr. Howard was a 
 man of catholic spirit. His name appears as one 
 of the contributors to the Pioneer Methodist 
 Chapel in Adelaide, erected in 1837. 
 
 The first Episcopalian service was held under a 
 sail. It was borrowed by Mr. Howard from a 
 captain in 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 
 
 7
 
 98 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 hand-truck was borrowed. The Colonial Treasurer, 
 Mr. Osmond Gilles, w'as 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) was a reed-hut. 
 
 It will be a revelation to many to learn that 
 amongst the early emigrants was David AI'Laren, 
 father of the famous preacher of Manchester. 
 Though he did not stay long in the Colony, in more 
 ways than one he has left his mark upon it. A 
 beautiful little village in the hills, and a wharf at 
 Port Adelaide, are named after him. He was sent 
 out as General Manager of the South Australian 
 Company ; Samuel Stephens taking charge of the 
 agricultural department. 
 
 David M'Laren was a Baptist. It will be in- 
 teresting to know that he was a preacher of 
 considerable ability. A gentleman who was in the 
 Colony a year after its foundation, and who pub- 
 lished his reminiscences in England, has put on 
 record the following : — " Mr. M'Laren, the Colonial 
 Manager of the South Australian Company, preaches 
 on Sunday to a small but very attentive audience, 
 and it is to be lamented that the very excellent
 
 JIOJF A CHURCH WAS FORMED 99 
 
 discourses of this gentleman are not widely ap- 
 preciated. A remarkable earnestness attaches to 
 his style, and his eloquence is sometimes very 
 forcible." He returned to England in 1841. 
 
 Thomas Quinton Stow, pioneer Congregational 
 minister, came out in 1837. The first Congre- 
 gational service was conducted in a tent. Governor 
 Hindmarsh attended, and was accommodated with 
 a seat on a box. The pioneer Congregational 
 church consisted of gum-posts for uprights, and old 
 sailcloth canvas for walls. It was thatched with 
 reeds. Mr. Stow helped to build it with his own 
 hands, felling timber and cutting down reeds. One 
 of the early colonists expressed surprise that a man 
 of Mr. Stow's talents should ever have left the Old 
 Country. But the good man was more than satis- 
 fied. Writing to the Missionary Committee, who 
 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." He died in 1862. A fine 
 church has been erected to his memory.
 
 loo A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 'J'he first inini«ter of tlie United Presbyterian 
 Church was the Rev. Kalph JJrummond. He came 
 out in 18:^9. 
 
 But it is of tlic Miithodist Churcli that we liave 
 more especially to speak. Its history is a stirring 
 one, and is coeval with that of the Colony. 
 
 In the early history of the Methodist Church of 
 South Australia three names will ever prominently 
 stand out : Edward Stephens, John C. White, and 
 Jacob Abbott. 
 
 The latter is still alive — a grand old Christian 
 man, with clear intellect, aged eighty-five years. 
 He lives at Glenelg (Holdfast Bay), and to him 
 the writer is indebted for many historical facts. 
 " Pastor Jacob Abbott " (as he has been known for 
 many years) came by the Jolm Rcmvich, which 
 arrived in the early part of 1837. About sixty- 
 five years ago he was consciously " born again " in 
 the Wellingborough Circuit, England. His name 
 was put on the local preachers' plan, and shortly 
 after he left for the newly-proclaimed Colony of 
 South Australia. For more than half a century he 
 has been preaching the gospel During 1897, 
 though in his eighty-fourth year, he preached fifty-
 
 HO IV A CHURCH WAS FORMED loi 
 
 seven times, besides taking part in week-evening 
 work and attending committee meetings of benevo- 
 lent institutions. Yes, a grand old man is Jacob 
 Abbott, as his face will show. 
 
 John C. White was born in 1813. Was ac- 
 cepted by the British Conference as a candidate 
 for the ministry. His health failed, and he had 
 to give up all thought of entering the itinerant 
 work. Before leaving England for the new Colony 
 of South Australia he was a local preacher in the 
 City Eoad Circuit. Just before leaving London for 
 these shores he supplied an appointment for one of 
 the City Eoad ministers in the Morning Chapel. 
 In the Methodist roll of honour for South Australia 
 he will always occupy the foremost place. He con- 
 ducted the first Methodist service on the mainland 
 of this Colony, and until the arrival of an ordained 
 minister, as we shall see, he was the first super- 
 intendent of a South Australian Circuit. 
 
 For more than sixty years spent in these Colonies 
 he has been an influential worker in the Methodist 
 Church, He now lives in New South Wales, aged 
 eighty-six. 
 
 Edward Stephens' history (so far as it it avail-
 
 I02 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 able) we have already given. He came out in the 
 same vessel as John C. White. 
 
 In the letter from which we have previously 
 quoted, written by Mrs. Stephens' niece, reference 
 is made to the service held at Holdfast Bay in Mr. 
 Stephens' tent. By the second Sunday after his 
 arrival (about 19th January 1837) Mr. Stephens 
 had a large tent erected. In this Mr. John 
 White was invited to preach. Whilst he has the 
 honour of preaching the first Methodist sermon 
 on the mainland, to Edward Stephens belongs 
 the distinction of providing the first place of 
 worship. 
 
 There is another name that South Australian 
 Methodists must ever gratefully remember — the 
 name of Samuel East. At this distance of time 
 the writer has not been able to glean much re- 
 specting him. He arrived by the Africane on 2nd 
 November 1836. It is more than probable that 
 he was the first Methodist local preacher to reach 
 these shores. With his wife, two sons, and four 
 daughters, he landed at Nepean Bay, Kangaroo 
 Island. Here he preached the first Methodist 
 sermon within the boundaries of the new Colony.
 
 HOJV A CHURCH WAS FORMED 103 
 
 Through the kindness of Samuel Stephens, the 
 service was conducted in the South Australian 
 Company's store. 
 
 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 
 city site. 
 
 In Methodism there is a freemasonry of a very 
 decided type. We fear that it is not so ardent as 
 it once was. To a very large extent it lias been 
 called into existence and developed by our dis- 
 tinctive means of grace. The prayer-meeting, class- 
 meeting, and love -feast have a tendency to create 
 a family feeling. They give birth to spiritual 
 affinities of a very powerful type. The world over, 
 Methodist people feel that they are " members one 
 of another." Heart is drawn to heart. Mutual 
 sympathy is felt. It finds expression in the words 
 of Charles Wesley — 
 
 Help us to lielji each otlior, Luid, 
 
 Each other's cross to bear ; 
 Let each his irieudly aid afford, 
 
 And ietil his brother's care.
 
 I04 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 It was so with our pioneer Methodists in this 
 Colony. Edward Stephens migrated from the shores 
 of Holdfast Bay to the banks of the Torrens. A 
 wooden house was speedily erected. It stood near 
 the present House of Parliament. In the kitchen 
 of this house the pioneer Methodists met for con- 
 versation and prayer. They felt that they must 
 be doing something. The harvest of emigrants was 
 a growing one, and the labourers were few. Open- 
 air services were begun. They were held not far 
 from the banks of the Torrens, near a series of 
 huts termed " Buffalo Eow." The men who con- 
 ducted these services ought to be held in perpetual 
 remembrance. They were : John C. White, from 
 London, North; Jacob Abbott, from Wellingborough; 
 William Pearce, from London, North ; and William 
 Croxall. In addition to these open-air services, 
 service was also held in a small wooden hut. The 
 little band of worshippers then moved to a more 
 convenient room of which they had the loan. Here 
 they were assisted by David M'Lareu. On one 
 occasion, when Mr. M'Laren came to preach, he 
 was accompanied by His Excellency Governor Hind- 
 marsh. The Methodist worshippers were somewhat
 
 HOW A CHURCH WAS FORMED 105 
 
 surprised to see the preacher sit down to deliver 
 his address. 
 
 In April 1837 the pioneer Methodists took a 
 further step. They were without a minister, but 
 thought they ought to form a Church. On two 
 successive Sundays a notice was " given out " that 
 all who desired to unite in Church fellowship, and 
 who had tickets of removal from the Old Country, 
 should meet in the hut of Mr. John White, on 
 Monday evening, the 11th of May. The auspicious 
 evening came. Fifteen persons were present : 
 Edward Stephens, John White, Jacob Abbott, 
 Edward Burgess, Joseph Middleton, Thomas Abbott, 
 Isaac Jacobs, William Pearce, and William Croxall ; 
 Mesdames Stephens, White, Burgess, Pearce, Middle- 
 ton, and Jacobs. These unanimously decided to 
 form themselves into a Wesleyan Methodist Society. 
 Two classes were formed. Brother Jacob Abbott 
 was appointed leader of the men's class, and Brother 
 John White was elected to take charge of the 
 women's. The only survivors of the band who met 
 sixty- one years ago to form a Methodist Society 
 are Jacob Abbott and John C. White. 
 
 In more senses than one, " distance lends enchant-
 
 io6 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 ment to the scene ! " At this far-off date there is 
 something delightfully charming about this in- 
 augural meeting. It was the birthday of the 
 Methodist Society in South Australia. A few 
 emigrants had left the Old Country. They had 
 travelled sixteen thousand miles over the mighty 
 deep. Anchor had been cast on the shores of a 
 practically unknown land — a land the principal 
 occupants of which were blackfellows, dingoes, 
 wombats, emus, and kangaroos. They were carried 
 ashore, or waded through the water to the beach. 
 The vessel that carried them — the last tangible 
 link, as it were, that connected them with the Old 
 Land — sailed away. They fixed up tents or made 
 booths of rushes and boughs ; in these they dwelt 
 for a time by the seashore. Another migration 
 took place. Their tents were taken down ; their 
 bough - booths were deserted ; with household 
 utensils in their hands, and with little ones 
 toddling by their sides, they made their way 
 through the grass and gum-trees to the site of a 
 city that was to be. Again there was a temporary 
 encampment. They " hutted " themselves on the 
 banks of the Torrens, where, since creation, no
 
 HOW A CHURCH WAS FORMED 107 
 
 white man had ever dwelt. Civilisation, so far as 
 material surroundings are concerned, was in a state 
 of chaos. Pork casks, packing cases, trunks, and 
 boxes had to serve as chairs and tables. In the 
 midst of surroundings like these, with no President 
 of the Conference, Chairman of District, or Travel- 
 ling Preacher, a small band of Methodists met 
 together in a hut to form a Church. What vast 
 results sometimes grow out of small beginnings ! 
 Little did these Methodist emigrants know how 
 speedily they would realise the sentiment of one 
 of their hymns — 
 
 When He first the work begun, 
 
 Small and feeble was His day ; 
 Now the Word doth swiftly run, 
 
 Now it wins its widening way. 
 More and more it spreads and grows, 
 
 Ever mighty to jn-evail ; 
 Sin's strongholds it now o'erthrows, 
 
 Shakes the trembling gates of hell. 
 
 The first class-meeting in South Australia was 
 held on Friday evening, 15th May 1837. The 
 leader was Jacob Abbott, and the place of meeting 
 a hut occupied by Isaac Jacobs, on the banks of 
 the Torrens. At this meeting Edward Stephens 
 was present, and all the members, save John White,
 
 io8 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 leader of the women's class. This class he met 
 the following Sunday afternoon, at the house of 
 Edward Stephens. 
 
 The pioneer band set to work in earnest. A 
 plan was made out. The leading preachers were 
 John White and Jacob Abbott. They did not 
 labour in vain. The attendance at the service 
 grew. Souls were saved and added to the Church. 
 This was an additional inspiration. 
 
 Adelaide was now laid out, and the town lots 
 were available. The pioneer Methodist felt the 
 need for a more commodious place of worship. 
 The room in which they were worshipping became 
 too small. " And the sons of the prophets said 
 unto Elisha, Behold, now, the place where we 
 dwell ... is too strait for us. Let us go, we 
 pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every 
 man a beam, and let us make a place there, where 
 we may dwell." The monetary difficulty was 
 evidently not so great to the " sons of the prophets " 
 as it was to the early South Australian Methodists. 
 However, having pvit their hands to the plough, 
 they were not the men and women to turn back. 
 They had made up their minds to build a chapel
 
 HOJV A CHURCH WAS FORMED 109 
 
 that would hold about one hundred and twenty-five 
 persons. A piece of ground was secured m Hindley 
 Street, near the place where the Eagle tavern now 
 stands. A subscription list was drawn up, and 
 Edward Stephens appointed treasurer. Not far 
 from the site of the chapel there was an abundance 
 of limestone. The stone was raised, and carried 
 to the building site. The foundation was laid by 
 Mrs. Edward Stephens. When the walls were the 
 required height there was a delay. The carpenter 
 who had undertaken the contract for the roof, could 
 not get the timber. The pioneer Methodists were 
 equal to the occasion. They stretched a tarpaulin 
 from wall to wall. In this rough but, we think, 
 cherished building they sang their hymns " For 
 Believers Fighting " and " For Believers Eejoicing." 
 Here earnest prayer was offered, and the gospel 
 gave no uncertain sound. The first preacher to 
 conduct service in the embryo chapel was John 
 White. The Methodists have the credit of erecting 
 the first stone House of God in the city. From a 
 book published in England about 1838 by one of 
 the early emigrants w^e take the following : — " There 
 is also a Methodist chapel, built by Edward
 
 no A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 Stephens, the manager of the South Australian 
 Company's Bank, but, as yet, no regular minister 
 has been appointed. Mr. M'Laren preaches in it 
 in the morning, and it is occupied by the Methodists 
 in the afternoon and evening." 
 
 When a small garrison is holding the fort against 
 numerous foes, with what joy they hail the advent 
 of reinforcements ! In October 1837 such was the 
 joy of our early Methodists. During that month 
 three emigrant vessels arrived — the Lady Emma, 
 Katherine Stewart Forles, and the Hartley. They 
 brought a large contingent of settlers, amongst 
 whom were several Methodists who had credentials 
 from the Old Country. These vessels also brought 
 the tidings of the death of William iv. and the 
 accession of Queen Victoria. 
 
 We can imagine with what heartiness John 
 White and Jacob Abbott would give to the in- 
 coming Methodists the right hand of fellowship. 
 Edward Stephens and his godly wife would not 
 be lacking in Christian courtesy. 
 
 The first Sunday after dropping anchor, what a 
 strange experience theirs must have been ! We see 
 them meeting in the embryo chapel on the site of
 
 HOW A CHURCH WAS FORMED iii 
 
 a city that was yet to be built. No doubt some of 
 them had come from the large English towns, and 
 from the cathedral churches of Methodism. Here 
 they saw a few buildings of a very primitive type. 
 They were dotted about on a plain. Here and 
 there in the city bounds were large gum-trees and 
 numerous stumps. There were no macadamised 
 roads or nicely-formed paths. The little chapel 
 was in keeping with the city — roofless and window- 
 less, with a tarpaulin stretched over the top from 
 wall to wall. But 
 
 Jesus, where'er Thy people meet. 
 There they behold Thy mercy-seat ; 
 Where'er they seek Thee Thou art found, 
 And every place is holy ground. 
 
 How these Methodists would sing ! The " pioneer 
 band," because their number had been increased ; 
 the " new arrivals," for the mercies of a sixteen 
 thousand miles' voyage. Instinctively their minds 
 would revert to the Old Land. They would think 
 of the time — gone for ever — when in London, 
 Manchester, Sheffield, Camborne, or Hull, they went 
 up with the multitude to the House of God, with 
 " the voice of joy and praise." The old pew and 
 pulpit would rise before them, and loved faces they
 
 112 ./ SOUTH AUSTRALIAX JWMANCE 
 
 would never again see. We do not know what 
 text the preacher ti)ok, but a very appropriate one 
 would have been : " Why art tliou cast down, my 
 soul ? and wliy art thou disquieted witliin nie ? 
 Hope thou in God : for I shall yet praise Ilini, who 
 is the health of my countenance, and my God." 
 
 Among the Methodists who arrived in October 
 1 .^ '^y 7 were some local preachers : Messrs. Min- 
 cham, Lillecrapp, Sparshott, and Sleep. Later on, 
 the Royal Admiral brought two more workers — 
 Messrs. Breeze and Turner — and an accession to 
 the membership of the infant Church. 
 
 In March 1838 the windowless apertures 
 and tarpaulin roof were things of the past. The 
 little chapel was finished. What a glad day that 
 must have been ! As they faced their difiliculties 
 the pioneer i\Iethodists could say : " Who art 
 thou, great mountain ? Before Zerubbabel 
 thou shalt become a plain." And it was so. 
 They brought forth the " head-stone thereof with 
 shoutings, crying, " Grace, grace be unto it ! " At 
 the dedication service there was a " feast of fat 
 things." John White preached in the morning 
 from Psalm xxvi. 8 : " I have loved the habitation
 
 no IV A CHURCH WAS FORMED 113 
 
 of Thy house, and the place where Thine honour 
 
 dwelleth." In the afternoon William Mincham 
 
 conducted the service. His text was Haggai i. 7 : 
 
 " Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider your 
 
 ways." An eloquent sermon was preached in the 
 
 evening by the Rev. Thomas Q. Stow (Congregation- 
 
 alist). The subject was, " Redemption interesting 
 
 to the Angels": and the text, 1 Pet. i. 12: 
 
 " Which things the angels desire to look into." 
 
 The first printed plan was issued in 1838. 
 
 No travelling preacher had yet reached the new 
 
 Colony, so John White was elected Superintendent. 
 
 There were two preaching places : the chapel in 
 
 Hindley Street, and " Forbes' Square," — this was a 
 
 temporary settlement on the West Parklands. It 
 
 lay between where the Catholic Cemetery and the 
 
 Observatory now stand. A Sunday school had 
 
 also been established. There were five accredited 
 
 local preachers, and three brethren on trial One 
 
 of the local preachers was deputed to give special 
 
 attention to the blacks. But this was not all. 
 
 Said one of the pioneer Methodists : " The services 
 
 had to be kept up, prior to the advent of our 
 
 pastor, by persons who had to work liard for the 
 
 8
 
 114 -i SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 maintenance of their households ; and it was con- 
 sidered a bounden duty to visit the sick and poor, 
 who, compared with the population, were not a 
 few." How this duty was attended to, the follow- 
 ing will show : — An elderly Methodist, with wife 
 and family (some of whom were married), came 
 from Cornwall. One of the married daughters 
 was ill of consumption. A request came to 
 Jacob Abbott that he would visit her. " I went," 
 he says, " and when I beheld her, a feeling of 
 sadness and awe thrilled my very being. A 
 beautiful yet sorrowful face, giving expression 
 to anguish of spirit, was before me. In conversa- 
 tion it came out that, prior to her marriage, she 
 had known Christ, and had, with her parents, 
 been connected with the Wesleyan Connexion. 
 Her husband made no profession, and she soon 
 became careless and worldly, neglecting prayer, 
 and losing first-love. Now, death approaching, 
 remorse and dread filled her soul. Counsel given, 
 prayer offered, she exclaimed, amid tears — 
 
 ' Oh, how could I my Saviour leave, 
 So soon unfaithful prove ? 
 How could I Thy good Spirit grieve, 
 Or siu against Thy love?'
 
 JIOIV A CHURCH WAS FORMED 115 
 
 More prayer followed, and I left her with a gleam 
 of hope. On visiting her again, in a day or two, 
 I found there were some doubts lingering in her 
 mind on account of what she called her back- 
 sliding. After assuring her that God had said, 
 ' I will heal their backslidings ; I will love them 
 freely,' and speaking cheeringly of the wonderful 
 love of our Heavenly Father, and of the fulness 
 and freeness of the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 
 she burst into tears and said, ' Now I see. Now 
 I do believe.' Her heart was filled with peace 
 and joy in believing. After a few days of acute 
 suffering, borne with much patience and holy 
 confidence, she died, triumphing in redeeming 
 love." This is the Christlike work that the 
 pioneer Methodists, in the absence of a pastor, 
 did. The record is beautiful. 
 
 From the printed plan we gather that these 
 early Methodists were true to old traditions, 
 — they worked upon old lines. Provision was 
 made for a love-feast and watch-night service. 
 Not the service with which we are familiar (jn 
 the last evening of the old year, but a monthly 
 meeting, established by John Wesley. It usually
 
 ii6 ./ SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 began with a sermon in the evening, and continued, 
 by singing, prayer, and exhortation, until just after 
 midnight. 
 
 The honour of conducting the first love-feast in 
 South Australia belongs to Jacob Abbott. It was 
 held on 3rd June 1838. A sermon was preached 
 from John xv. 2G : "But when the Comforter is 
 come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, 
 even the spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the 
 Father, He shall testify of Me." A good time 
 followed. Among the early Methodists were a 
 few warm-hearted members who had come from 
 Gloucester, Cornwall, and the Isle of Wight. At 
 this love-feast several testified, with tearful eves 
 and grateful hearts, of peace with God through our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. Soon after, a glorious revival 
 took place. 
 
 The names of the South Australian pioneer 
 Methodists, and the work they did for God and 
 the Methodist Church, deserve to be put on per- 
 petual record. With others, they had come to 
 colonise a knew and unknown land. The cir- 
 cumstances in which they were placed were peculiar, 
 — it was a transition indeed. They might have
 
 HOW A CHURCH WAS FORMED 117 
 
 been so absorbed in the material as to lose sight 
 of the spiritual. An Episcopal and (Congregational 
 minister had reached the new land. These had 
 formed Churches. The pioneer Methodists might 
 have thrown in their lot with them. But no : 
 " If I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right 
 hand forget her cunning." In the absence of 
 ordained minister, quarterly meeting, district meet- 
 ing, or Conference, they began to preach, formed a 
 society, built a chapel, established a Sunday school, 
 made out a plan, visited the sick, and deputed one 
 of their number to give special attention to the 
 blacks. But they sadly needed — as Jacob Abbott 
 said sixty years later — " a pastor to lead and to 
 guide." They applied directly and indirectly to 
 the Missionary Committee, but no answer came. 
 The Society was now in troubled waters. John 
 White desired to be relieved of his responsibility. 
 What could the members of the little Church do ? 
 They made their position a matter of earnest 
 prayer. How that prayer was answered we must 
 reserve for the next chapter.
 
 \ 
 
 
 r 
 
 I;KV. WlhMAM LOXGBOTTOM, FIRST WESLEYAX MISSIOXAT.Y 
 TO SOrXH AUSTRALIA 
 
 120
 
 Tl^^-:<'^>^.^^^- 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE TRAVELLING PREACHER AND HOW HE CAME 
 
 A T the close of the last century there was a 
 ■"^^ Methodist class leader living near Bingley, 
 in the West Eiding of Yorkshire His name was 
 Thomas Longbottom. To this worthy man and 
 his wife, in 1799, a son was born. They named 
 him William. That son was to travel far and 
 wide, and to do important work in connection 
 with Methodism. From his infancy he was taught 
 the fear of the Lord, 
 
 To Methodists living in a Conference town and 
 its vicinity the gathering of the preachers was 
 always an event of great importance. It was 
 then that they had an opportunity of hearing 
 the leading men of Methodism. The Conference 
 of 1818 was held at Leeds. Joseph Benson was 
 
 121
 
 122 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAX ROMANCE 
 
 appointed to preach. Of him it is said that, in 
 spite of a weak, shrill voice, the effect of his 
 ])reaehing was overwhelming. " Ilis weeping and 
 trembling congregations were a[)t to iliink of him 
 ... as an Elijah, surrounded by invisible hosts. At 
 tlie close of his sermons there would be a strain 
 of appeal so cogent, and inspired from above, that 
 every word was like an arrow of the Almighty." 
 
 Thomas Longbottom travelled to Leeds to hear 
 Joseph Benson, taking with him his son William. 
 •It was a memorable journey. The word came 
 with power to William's heart, and he earnestly 
 sought salvation. 
 
 About this time there was a spiritual awaken- 
 ing at Bmgley. A special unction attended the 
 ministry of James Blackett and Joseph Beaumont. 
 William Longrbottom began to meet in class. 
 Here he became associated with Thomas Cryer, 
 \vho married the saintly Mary Burton, with the 
 memoir of whom Methodists were once well familiar. 
 There is no record of any special time when peace 
 came to his soul. He took an active part in 
 Sunday-school work and in the Friday evening 
 prayer-meeting. In this meeting three generations
 
 THE TRAVELLING PREACHER 12 
 
 J 
 
 of his family were represented — Matthew, Thomas, 
 and William Longbottom : grandfather, father, and 
 son. Frequently their prayers followed in suc- 
 cession. 
 
 In 1824 William removed to Wakefield. Here 
 he was placed on the plan as a local preacher. 
 Next year he was recommended as a candidate 
 for mission work. While at Wakefield, it was 
 his privilege to be associated with two noted 
 Methodist preachers : William Atherton and James 
 Dixon. 
 
 In 1826 he was advised by the Missionary 
 Committee to hold himself in readiness to go to 
 Van Diemen's Land. The summons to leave was 
 forwarded, but, through some miscarriage, he did 
 not receive it. Another preacher took his place, 
 and the letter was returned to the Mission House. 
 He was then sent by John Stephens, President of 
 the Conference, to supply in the Otley Circuit, 
 and a few months afterwards was appointed to 
 Newcastle-under-Lyne. 
 
 The Missionary Committee decided that he 
 should labour in Madras. In 1828 he was 
 stationed at Reading, so that he might take lessons
 
 124 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 from Thomas H. Squance, in the Tamil language. 
 At the ensuing Conference he married Miss 
 Eagland, of Bingley, and shortly after left England, 
 in company with Thomas Cryer and other mission- 
 aries, for Madras. 
 
 As they sailed away from their native land, 
 little conception did William Longbottom and his 
 young wife have of the varied experiences through 
 which they were to pass, or of the important work 
 they were to do in a Colony not yet constituted. 
 
 In the list of stations for 1831-32 we read: 
 " Negapatam — William Longbottom." Next year 
 he was stationed at Madras Second ; the year 
 following, Negapatam and IMeluattam. His last 
 station was Madras. In the list of stations for 
 1836-37 there is a great change. Now we read: 
 " Cape District. — Capetown and Somerset — William 
 Longbottom." The explanation is (as every Indian 
 missionary will surmise), failure in health. He 
 entered into his work, shall we say, with such 
 indiscreet zeal that his constitution was under- 
 mined, and the foundation of a chronic and life- 
 long malady was laid. 
 
 A sliort residence at the Cape made a temporary
 
 THE TRAVELLING PREACHER 125 
 
 improvement in his health. But his heart was in 
 India, and to that field he returned. Meanwhile 
 the Missionary Committee, in consideration of his 
 health, had appointed him to Swan Eiver, a convict 
 settlement on the western coast of Australia. 
 
 Himself, wife, and child set sail from India viA 
 Mauritius. In one sense the voyage was a disas- 
 trous one. The missionary and family were 
 ultimately landed in a Colony that, as yet, had no 
 place on the Minutes of Conference. They were 
 detained at Mauritius nine weeks. From Mauritius 
 they reached Van Diemen's Land. This was the 
 Colony to which he had been appointed in 182G, 
 an appointment that was not then effected through 
 the miscarriage of a letter. At Van Diemen's 
 Land they had to remain five months, awaiting an 
 opportunity to reach Swan Eiver. 
 
 On the 9th of June 1838 the Fanny, a small 
 vessel of thirty-five tons, set sail for King George's 
 Sound. By this vessel Mr. Longbottom, with his 
 wife and child, had taken passage. Along the 
 Australian coast terrific weather is sometimes 
 experienced. It was so on this occasion. The 
 vessel had not cleared Van Diemen's Land before
 
 126 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 rough weather set in. Twice she put back for 
 shelter. For a time fine weather was experienced. 
 On Sunday, the 17th of June, the wind blew a 
 perfect hurricane. On the following Thursday the 
 water changed colour, and soundings were taken. 
 The captain, not being able to take observations for 
 several days, and not knowing how near the vessel 
 had drifted to land, thought she was passing over a 
 sandbar. It was now about nine o'clock at night. 
 Having had no rest for several nights, Mr. Long- 
 bottom and wife tried to get a little sleep. About 
 half-past one in the morning the sea broke on 
 board in all directions. The captain found himself 
 in only seven fathoms of water. All attempts to 
 sail were fruitless. The vessel struck. " About 
 one," 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 
 w^ere too well grounded, and, throwing on his rough 
 jacket, was in the act of reaching his cap to go on 
 deck when the vessel struck. No time was to be 
 lost. Providentially, we had lain down in our 
 clothes. I hurried on little William's shoes and
 
 THE TRAVELLING PREACHER 127 
 
 cap, and, after commending ourselves to God, we 
 endeavoured to get on deck. We found the hatches 
 down, and it was some time before we could mal<e 
 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 distance saw a low, dark 
 ridge. It was land. Mrs. Longbottom proceeds : 
 " The sailors cut away the boat ; but it diifted 
 away the moment it was lowered. The captain 
 had swum ashore with a rope. He lost his hold, 
 and w^as unable to return. At length a sailor 
 succeeded in reaching shore with a rope, which he 
 made fast, and then returned to render assistance 
 to us. 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. You may form 
 some idea of what our feelings were when we knew 
 that our only child was safe. 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. My dear William, 
 seeing my situation, instantly plunged in after me,
 
 128 ./ SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 and laid hold of my dress. We were mercifully 
 preserved, and all got safely through that dreadful 
 surf ; but I was extremely exhausted, and unable 
 to stand when I reached the beach. All went 
 behind a sandbank and lay down among the bushes 
 to await the morning light. We were dreadfully 
 cold, being in our wet clothes, and unable to make 
 a fire." The cold must have been intense. In 
 addition to wet clothes it was winter-time, and one 
 of the coldest months of the year. 
 
 The day after the shipwreck a party of blacks 
 came upon the scene. It must have been with 
 mingled feelings 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 firestick, created a fire, and 
 pointed out their water holes. 
 
 Strange to relate, the same tribe of natives that 
 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. The Maria was on her way to the same 
 port from which the Fanny had set sail. The
 
 THE TRAVELLING PREACHER 129 
 
 murders took place not far from the spot where 
 ^Ir. and Mrs. Longbottom were wrecked. About 
 seven weeks the party were at the mercy of the 
 blacks. The captain says : " They were well 
 disposed, and the most inoffensive race that he had 
 ever met." 
 
 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 pre- 
 servation from a watery grave. 
 
 The captain decided that the better plan would 
 be to attempt to find a way to some station over- 
 land. ]\Irs. Longbottom says : " We had no alter- 
 native but either to accompany the ship's party 
 or be left behind in the bush. Accordingly, Mr. 
 Longbottom prepared for our departure by packing 
 up a pair of blankets, a few biscuits, and a little 
 wine and water ; the whole of which he fastened on 
 his back, 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 had brought on such rheumatism, that 
 I could scarcely walk at all. I dragged on about 
 five miles, when I could go no farther. 1 felt our 
 
 9
 
 130 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 situation peculiarly trying at this time ; the temper 
 of our captain was very odd, and the whole party 
 was likely to be detained on my account. After 
 resting for a few hours, Mr. Longbottom proposed 
 that we should all return to the tent, and endeavour 
 to gain fuller knowledge of our situation, and 
 prepare ourselves better for travelling. I believe 
 that it was the Spirit of God that dictated this 
 proposal, for all agreed to it and immediately 
 prepared to return. I walked back in much pain, 
 and about midnight we arrived at the tent, and 
 found everything just as we left it." 
 
 A quantity of provisions had been obtained from 
 the wreck, and the dingy had drifted ashore. 
 Captain Gill then set to work to lengthen and 
 repair it. About half a mile inland the ship- 
 wrecked 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 labouring 
 at the dingy, they met with a strange surprise. A 
 few white men were seen coming down the coast
 
 THE TRAVELLING PREACHER 131 
 
 in the direction of the wreck. They proved to be 
 companions in misfortune. Another vessel (the 
 Elizahcth) had Ijeen wrecked about fifty miles east- 
 ward. The leg-weary travellers were the ship- 
 wrecked captain and his crew. Although met 
 together under unfortunate circumstances, it was, 
 "Hail, fellow! Well met!" Captain Tindall, of 
 the Elizabeth, had with him both chart and compass. 
 This was a great comfort, as Mr. and Mrs. Long- 
 bottom and party now knew in what direction to 
 seek help. The two captains laboured together. 
 The dingy was finished. It was too small to carry 
 the whole party. The captains decided to leave the 
 missionary, wife, 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 a truly anxious time. We felt that.
 
 132 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 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 whaleboat for us. We waited several days 
 after the time appointed, but, seeing no captain or 
 boat, we started in the little boat, taking with us 
 our blankets, a change of linen for each of us, and 
 a small case with a few of my husband's most 
 valuable papers, with a supply of provisions. We 
 left the bush on the 7 th of August, 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. Long- 
 bottom steered ; and I baled 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
 
 THE TRAVELLING PREACHER 133 
 
 boat. We changed boats, aud about one o'clock 
 crossed the Murray Eiver. Here we landed, and 
 stayed until sunset, when we again set sail in the 
 boat." 
 
 Eventually the party reached Encounter Bay. 
 Here they were kindly entertained by Captain 
 Wright and his good lady. The whole trip was 
 indeed providential. To 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 Blinkinsopp lost their lives. Sir John 
 Jeffcott was the first judge of the new Colony. In 
 opposition to Colonel Light, he thought that the 
 city should be at Encounter Bay. To prove that 
 the mouth of the Murray was navigable, in com- 
 pany with Captain Blinkinsopp 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 frum En-
 
 134 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 counter Bay to Adelaide, carrying with him tidings 
 of the wreck of the Elizabeth and the Fanny. 
 
 What a flutter there must have been amongst 
 the Uttle band of pioneer Methodists ! One of the 
 shipwrecked people was a Methodist preacher ! 
 Was his advent an answer to prayer ? Would 
 they be able to secure his services ? How could 
 negotiations be opened up ? Already their hearts 
 went out in sympathy towards him. A wife and 
 little child made the position more pathetic. 
 Through Edward Stephens, communication was at 
 once made to the shipwrecked minister. He re- 
 quested them to come to Adelaide, offered them 
 a home and every assistance in his power. 
 
 A vessel, the Lady Wellington, was on lier way 
 from Sydney to Adelaide. The passage had been a 
 stormy one. She called at various ports for refuge ; 
 amongst others. Encounter Bay. This was a fitting 
 opportunity for i\Ir. Longbottom, his wife and child, 
 to reach Adelaide. Again there was a reverse. 
 As the vessel tried to cross the outer bar, at the 
 entrance to Port Adelaide, she ran aground. Here 
 the imssengers and cargo had to be discharged. 
 But kind friends were at hand. Edward Stephens
 
 THE TRAVELLING PREACHER 135 
 
 arranged for a boat to bring the Methodist preacher 
 and his family up the port river. A conveyance 
 was then provided in which they could travel to 
 Adelaide. 
 
 What a strange and bitter experience ! As we 
 read it we seem to hear the shriek of the w^ind, 
 the fall of the rain, and the roar of the breakers. 
 Detained nine weeks at Mauritius ; five months 
 at Van Diemen's Land ; wrecked on the South 
 Australian coast ; escaping through the surf by 
 means of a rope ; spending about seven weeks in 
 the Australian bush — this in the depth of winter, 
 at the mercy of black savages ; sailing down the 
 Coorong in a leaky boat — the missionary's wife 
 baling out the water ; sitting all night in the boat 
 on the Coorong, wet and half frozen ; crossing the 
 mouth of the Murray ; setting sail in another vessel 
 for Port Adelaide ; finally running aground at the 
 entrance to the port river. Verily, in the service 
 of God the Apostle Paul had no monopoly of vivid 
 and strange experiences. Little did the young 
 missionary and his wife, who set sail from Old 
 England in 1829, know of the strange vicissitudes 
 that lay before them.
 
 t36 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 " Weeping may endure for a night, but joy 
 Cometh in the morning." The storm ceased. The 
 waves subsided. The dark clouds were dissipated. 
 Soon the missionary and his wife and child ^ were 
 safely anchored in the little wooden residence of 
 Edward Stephens. Here they received a warm 
 English welcome. 
 
 In a temporal sense the shipwrecked missionary 
 had lost his all. The library and papers could not 
 be replaced, but kind friends came to their rescue, 
 and all their material wants were supplied. 
 
 Is it matter for surprise that the Methodist 
 pioneers looked upon Mr. Longbottom's advent as 
 a godsend ? Said one of them, some time after: 
 " We could not get on, for we could not agree who 
 should be superintendent ; but God pitied us, and 
 sent us a minister by wrecking one on our coasts." 
 
 The Colony had not been founded three years. 
 It had no place on the Minutes of Conference, but 
 Mr. Longbottom found a Methodist chapel erected ; 
 a Sunday school formed ; several local preachers ; a 
 printed plan ; and a society consisting of about 
 
 ^ The son is with lis to-day. One of the leading' niercdiants of 
 our city.
 
 THE TRAVELLING PREACHER 137 
 
 sixty members. Verily, to-day we owe a debt of 
 gratitude to Edward Stephens, John C. White, 
 Jacob Abbott, and the other local preachers whose 
 names stand on the first printed plan. 
 
 There came another eventful day in the ex- 
 perience of the early Methodists. It was when the 
 shipwrecked minister stood up in their little lime- 
 stone chapel and preached the gospel. His text 
 was 2 Peter iii. 18: " Grow in grace." As he 
 talked to them about the necessity and importance 
 of practical piety, the tears of gratitude fell from 
 many eyes, and hearts were made glad. The desire 
 of their souls had been fulfilled. The end they 
 had long tried to compass had now been attained. 
 The Episcopalians and Congregationalists had their 
 pastor, and so had the Methodists. " AVell do I 
 remember," says Jacob Abbott, " him presiding at 
 our first love-feast after his arrival. The tears ran 
 down his cheeks while he exclaimed : ' I was 
 hungry, and ye gave me meat ; thirsty, and ye 
 gave me drink ; naked, and ye clothed me " ; and 
 how devoutly he thanked the Lord for having 
 spared him, and allowed him again to blow the 
 gospel trumpet in the land of the living."
 
 138 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 But Mr. Longbottom's station was Swan Paver. 
 Could he remain in South Australia ? The claims 
 and persuasions of the friends were urgent. There 
 was no immediate means for reaching Swan Eiver. 
 In Adelaide he had to remain, awaiting instructions. 
 Meanwhile the Society was busy. They were not 
 going to let so favourable an opportunity slip. 
 Negotiations were opened up with the Rev. Joseph 
 Orton, Chairman of the Van Diemen's Land Dis- 
 trict. A memorial from the Adelaide trustees was 
 sent to the Missionary Committee in London. It 
 may be seen in the Methodist Magazine for 1839. 
 The memorialists say : " On Mr. Longbottom's arrival 
 amongst us we were enabled to introduce those 
 parts of the regular discipline which had not been 
 previously brought into operation; and the results 
 are already cheering and satisfactory ; and we feel 
 quite confident that if he be permitted to remain 
 with us, we shall be fully competent to meet the 
 expenses required for the maintenance of himself 
 and family, without troubling the Committee at all 
 on the subject of funds. Since his arrival we have 
 enjoyed much prosperity and peace ; we have raised 
 £500 for a new chapel: our Society is increased
 
 THE TRAVELLING PREACHER 139 
 
 and our prospects brightened ; and we hope that 
 the unanimous appeal of the stewards, leaders, 
 local preachers, and trustees of the Methodist 
 Society in South Australia will meet with that 
 kind attention which we think the circumstances 
 of our case require." The appeal was granted. 
 Who could resist so eloquent and graceful a plea ? 
 In the English Minutes of Conference for 1839 a 
 fresh line appears : " Adelaide, South Australia — 
 William Longbottom." 
 
 For a time Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom resided 
 under the roof of Edward Stephens. Finally 
 a cottage was rented in Grenfell Street. The 
 settlement was still in a very rude state. Many 
 of the houses were of a temporary character, and 
 rents were high. The Methodist missionary and 
 his wife liad to content themselves with two small 
 rooms and a smaller kitchen. There was no ceiling. 
 The building did not keep out heat in summer nor 
 rain in winter. For this indifferent shelter they 
 had to pay £50 per year. 
 
 Before concluding this chapter we notice a very 
 singular circumstance. Before his appointment to 
 India in 1829, William Longbottom was sent, one
 
 I40 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 Sunday morning, by the Missionary Committee to 
 preacli at City IJoad Chapel. He arrived early. 
 Several questions were put to the caretaker as to 
 the order of the service. The worthy man's sus- 
 picions were aroused. " Why do you wish to 
 know ? " he asked. Said the youthful preacher : " I 
 am to preach here this morning." " You going to 
 preach ?" was the rejoinder ; " it is a downright shame 
 to send such raw-boned fellows to preach here. I 
 tell yoU; the congregation will be terribly dis- 
 appointed." Amongst the early emigrants was 
 this caretaker, his wife and family. They formed 
 a part of the pioneer Methodist band. Imagine 
 the good man's surprise when the shipwrecked 
 missionary proved to be the young man whom he 
 had so discouraged a few years before at City Eoad 
 Chapel.
 
 
 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 HOW THE CHURCH GREW 
 
 TTNTIL the arrival of a preacher appointed by 
 the British Conference, there was something 
 lacking in the constitution of the pioneer Church. 
 With the romantic arrival of Mr. Longbottom that 
 want was supplied. Jacob Abbott describes his 
 preaching as " fervent, animated, winning." Souls 
 were converted. The chapel was filled. Tt became 
 too small. The Church was not only in a healthy 
 condition, but was fast growing. The General Super- 
 intendent of Australian Missions (John Water- 
 house) was delighted. Writing to the Missionary 
 Secretaries in London, in 1839, he says: "From 
 Adelaide the report of the work is most cheering. 
 I have seen a letter from Mrs. Longbottom to a 
 friend wdiich has greatly delighted me." 
 
 143
 
 144 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE . 
 
 The memorial addressed to tlie Missionary Com- 
 mittee, quoted in our last chapter, speaks of " niueli 
 prosperity and peace," " bright prospects," an " in- 
 crease in membership." There is also a very 
 sucwestive line: "We have raised £500 for a new 
 chapel." At this time Mr. Longbottom had only 
 been in Adelaide a little more than two months. 
 
 A new chapel had become imperative. In 
 addition to a contribution of £55, Edward Stephens 
 gave a piece of land for a site in Gavvler Place. 
 On 27th November 1838 Governor Gawler laid 
 the foundation-stone. It would seat five hundred 
 persons, and cost about £2000. At the opening 
 services, early in 1839, Mr. Longbottom preached 
 in the morning from Luke xxiv. 46 : " Thus it is 
 written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and 
 to rise from the dead the third day." In the 
 afternoon an address was given to the children. 
 The evening service was conducted by the Eev. 
 Thomas Q. Stow (Congregationalist), 
 
 The joy of the early Methodists in the erection 
 of this large and beautiful chapel must have been 
 tinged with sadness. Could they forget the little 
 pioneer building in Hindley Street ? "Would not
 
 HOW THE CHURCH GREW 145 
 
 the windowless walls and tarpaulin roof rise 
 before them ? Would they not remember the pew 
 in which they sat, and the pulpit in which Mr. 
 Longbottom first stood before them ? Yes ; there 
 were associations connected with the firstborn of 
 their zeal and love that could never be forgotten. 
 If the opening of the new chapel in Gawler Place 
 was like a resurrection, the closing service in the 
 old must have been something like a burial. If 
 the one meant the realisation of greater possibili- 
 ties in a grander tabernacle, the other meant 
 "putting off" the old body that had been so 
 serviceable. However, we may well leave the 
 clay tabernacle to enter a house not made with 
 hands, eternal in the heavens. So our pioneer 
 Methodists could well afford to leave their little 
 building, with its dear associations, to enter a 
 larger and more perfect structure, in which they 
 would do a nobler work for God. So lono- as 
 change means progress, all is well. To the early 
 South Australian Methodists such was its meanino- 
 New preaching places were taken up. The first 
 service at North Adelaide was conducted by Mr. 
 Longbottom in a hut near Pennington Terrace. 
 
 10
 
 146 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 Suburban openings followed, and new classes were 
 formed. Jacob Abbott's class was divided into 
 two — the minister taking one, and William Collins 
 the other ; whilst the old leader formed a new class 
 at North Adelaide. 
 
 In October 1839 there came another gala day 
 in the history of the pioneer Methodist Churcli : 
 this was the centenary of Wesleyan Methodism. 
 
 • , ■ • • • • 
 
 During the reign of the second George the 
 moral decline in Eno-land reached its lowest ebb. 
 Drunkenness, profanity, sensuality, and infidelity 
 abounded. The Puritan revival was spent. Its 
 collapse proved how impossible it is to make a 
 nation righteous by Act of Parliament. Methodism 
 had not yet come into existence. Everywhere 
 there was licentiousness and extravagance. It 
 seemed as though the Sun of Piighteousness in 
 England had set, and the nation was sitting in 
 darkness and the shadow of death. But brighter 
 and better times were dawning. The Sun of 
 Eighteousness was to arise with healing in his 
 wings. It was indeed a " crooked and perverse 
 generation " ; but in the providence of God a band
 
 HOJV THE CHURCH GREW 147 
 
 of men were raised up who were to " shine as 
 lights in the world," holding forth to others the 
 Word of life. At the head of these men were 
 John and Charles "Wesley. At the same time the 
 Spirit of God moved upon the hearts of the people. 
 In the latter part of 1739 several persons, who 
 felt the burden of sin, came to John Wesley in 
 London for guidance and instruction. They asked 
 him to spend some time with them in prayer, and 
 to advise them how to flee from the wrath to come. 
 He arranged to meet them every Thursday even- 
 ing. The number grew. This was the origin of 
 the Methodist Society — a Society that was to exert 
 a powerful influence for good, not only in Great 
 Britain, but throughout the world. 
 
 The centenary of the birth of this Society fell in 
 October 1839. It was right that the British Con- 
 ference should make it an occasion for special 
 thanksgiving to God. The Conference of 1838 
 recommended the " members and friends of the 
 Wesleyan Methodist Societies throughout the 
 Connexion to unite in grateful and devout 
 acknowledgment of the great and numerous bless- 
 ings involved in the commencement and progress
 
 148 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 of Methodism by holding simultaneous religious 
 meetings on Friday, October 25th, 1839." 
 
 The Society in South Australia was not yet 
 three years old, but it was loyal to the recom- 
 mendation of the British Conference. It did not 
 stay to inquire, " By whom shall Jacob arise, for 
 he is small ? " Whilst the Methodists in the Old 
 Land were rejoicing together, and giving their 
 thousands, the pioneer Methodists in the youngest 
 British offshoot were not wanting in charity or 
 zeal. On Friday, 25th October 1839, meetings 
 were held in the newly-erected chapel in Gawler 
 Place. In the afternoon the foundation-stone of a 
 chapel to be erected in North Adelaide was laid by 
 Mrs. Edward Stephens. Over £600 was raised. 
 This was devoted to the extension of Methodism in 
 the new Colony, 
 
 Mr. Longbottom's constitution had been under- 
 mined in India. Shipwreck, exposure in the bush 
 for several weeks, discomforts incidental to a new 
 settlement, and hard work in connection with the 
 establishment of Methodism in South Australia, 
 enfeebled him. One Sunday evening, preaching on 
 " the great white throne," suddenly he had to stop
 
 no IV THE CHURCH GREW 149 
 
 and sit down. Edward Stephens and Dr. Lich- 
 field (who was in the congregation) went to his 
 assistance. The service came to an abrupt termi- 
 nation. The congregation were alarmed, but were 
 somewhat comforted when Dr. Lichfield told them 
 that there was no immediate danger. It was weak- 
 ness of the heart. The mental and physical strain 
 in connection with the mission was too much, and 
 the climate was trying : to the great grief of the 
 people, the pioneer preacher who had been so 
 mysteriously cast upon their shores, had to seek a 
 removal. He was transferred to Tasmania. 
 
 On 4th September 1838 an important meeting 
 was held at City Eoad Chapel. The President of 
 the Conference (Thomas Jackson) was in the chair. 
 John Hannah, Eobert Alder, Edmund Grindrod, 
 Jabez Bunting, Iiichard Treffry, sen., John Beecham, 
 and Elijah Hoolc were present. Long before the 
 time appointed for the meeting the chapel was 
 crowded. It was an ordination and valedictory 
 service. Peter Jones (the Indian chief) was about 
 to return to his native land. John Waterhouse, 
 an esteemed minister, who had travelled twenty-
 
 i;o 
 
 / SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 iiino years at home, was about to sail to Van 
 Uiemen's Land. He bad been appointed Superin- 
 tendent of Wesleyan Missions in Australia and 
 Polynesia. No doubt, in his ollicial capacity, he 
 had been on the lookout for men of special 
 promise. Two or three of such were about to set 
 sail with him. There was the gifted and devoted 
 Joliii II. r.umby. 1'here was also Samuel Ironside, 
 whose long and laborious life spent in Colonial 
 work deserves more than a passing record. Seated 
 next to John 11. lUimby was a young brother who 
 was to make his mark in Australian missionary 
 work. It was John Eggleston — a name that will 
 long be remembered and revered in this part of 
 the world. At the call of Thomas Jackson this 
 young missionary came forward to give " an account 
 of his conversion and call to the ministry." Said 
 he : " Until the Conference, I had no idea of 
 leaving mv native land. There Mr. Waterhouse 
 pressiugly requested me to accompany him to 
 Hobart Town. I felt such a consciousness of the 
 presence of God, and that in His presence I could 
 be happy in any part of the world, that I did not 
 see any strong objections. I knew that I had a
 
 HOJV THE CHURCH GREW 151 
 
 mother who loved me dearly, and that even my 
 leaving her to go into the ministry at home had 
 cost her many a pang. I wrote to her, however, 
 and I received an answer of assent, which over- 
 whelmed me. I saw clearly the finger of God in 
 this dispensation, and that a blight would be 
 brought on my ministerial character if I resisted 
 this call. I therefore yielded to the impression; 
 and I present myself before you this evening, feel- 
 inff more than I have ever felt of the missionarv 
 spirit, entreating an interest in your prayers, and 
 trusting that the blessing of Heaven will continu- 
 ally rest upon you." 
 
 A few days after this meeting, Messrs. Water- 
 house, Bumby, Ironside, Eggleston, with two other 
 missionaries, went down to Gravesend, accompanied 
 by Jabez Bunting and two of the Missionary Secre- 
 taries, and set sail for the Foreign Mission Field. 
 
 John Eggleston's appointment was to Van 
 Diemen's Land. In 1840 he was transferred to 
 Adelaide to take the place vacated by Mr. Long- 
 bottom. Writing to the Missionary Committee, 
 he says : " I arrived at this place last Sabbath 
 morning. We had a stormy, uncomfortable passage
 
 152 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 of 80vcnteeii days from licdjart Town. The vessel 
 ill whicli we came has not been able to reach the 
 port, in consequence of the wind being unfavour- 
 able for coming iij) the creek. We anchored on 
 tlie outside of the bar, a distance of thirty miles 
 from the port, on Saturday evening. The captain, 
 knowing that I was an.xious to be in .Vdelaide on 
 the Sabbath, kindly offered to send his boat the 
 next morning to the pilot's station, which was 
 abreast of us, six or eight miles off; from thence 
 we were to walk through the bush two miles, 
 procure a boat to convey us across the creek to the 
 port, and then proceed by land to the city, which 
 is six miles in the interior. I thankfully enjbraced 
 the opportunity ; left Mrs. Eggleston and child to 
 come up in the vessel ; and arrived in the chapel a 
 little before twelve o'clock. The local preacher 
 who was officiating recognised me, and beckoned 
 me into the pulpit. I introduced myself to the 
 congregation, and concluded the service. In the 
 evening we had the chapel nearly full, and I felt 
 myself much comforted while preaching." 
 
 John Eggleston was well received by the people. 
 Said one of the early Methodists : " AVe found that
 
 HOW THE CHURCH GREW 153 
 
 we had one in our midst who, though young, was 
 strong — so renewed our efforts in the work of the 
 Lord, regretting, at the same time, the removal of 
 our first beloved and devoted pastor." 
 
 The characteristic zeal of the young preacher 
 comes out in his anxious endeavour to reach his 
 appointment. It was Saturday evening when the 
 vessel dropped anchor off what is now known as 
 the Semaphore. Nothing could be done till Sun- 
 day morning. Leaving his wife and child on board, 
 he was rowed to the beach. A walk of two miles 
 through the bush (now a popular watering-place) 
 brought him to Port Adelaide. A journey of seven 
 miles was then before him. Weary and travel- 
 stained, he reached the Gawler Place Chapel. 
 John White was conducting the service. Soon 
 the young missionary was by his side in the 
 pulpit. Looking round the church for a moment, 
 taking in his new surroundings, he offered prayer, 
 and then announced his text (1 Cor. xiv. 1) : 
 "Follow after Charity." 
 
 When John Eggleston arrived, the Colony had 
 only been founded a little more than four years. 
 Adelaide was still in an embryo condition. The
 
 154 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 young missioimry liad liis (loniestic difficulties and 
 discouragements. To the Ccjmniittee in T>ondon he 
 writes : " I am perplexed to know how to act with 
 regard to the rental and furnishing of a house. . . . 
 The cottage Mr. Lungbottom has occupied has two 
 small rooms and a smaller kitchen, all open to the 
 roof (without ceiling), and it atlbrds very little 
 shelter, especially from tlie heat ; and yet it is a 
 favour to have this at £50 a year. The rents are 
 fearfully high, furniture of all kinds is excessively 
 dear." 
 
 No doubt tlie Missionary Committee would be 
 sympathetic, but we do not think it could do much, 
 in a practical way, to help the y<nuig preacher in 
 his domestic trials. How he finally settled down 
 we are not in a position to say. It is more than 
 probable that he had to put into practice the 
 teaching of Scripture : " Be content with such 
 things as ye have." 
 
 John Egglestou, like other young pioneer 
 preachers, apart from domestic discomforts, had 
 some peculiar experiences. The orthodox custom, 
 in the early days, was for a rider to wear spurs. 
 In fact it has been said that in those unconven-
 
 HOW THE CHURCH GREW 155 
 
 tional times, if a man wore a pair of trousers and 
 spurs he was well dressed. So far as the wearing 
 of the spurs is concerned, the young Methodist 
 missionary conformed to custom — with what effect 
 we shall see. One of the " preaching places " was 
 at Willunga, thirty miles from Adelaide. A horse 
 had been purchased for the use of the preacher. . . . 
 The rider put on his spurs, took his seat in the 
 saddle, and started for Willunga. Eiding down 
 one of the main streets of the city, he was accosted 
 by a friend. Leaning over the saddle, for a little 
 conversation, one of the spurs got into action. 
 Unaccustomed to such treatment, especially from 
 a Methodist preacher, in a most determined manner 
 the steed rebelled. It began to caper. To fall off 
 in one of the leading streets of the city (Rundle 
 Street) would indeed be humiliating. No doubt 
 each leg of the rider would grip the horse firmly. 
 In this way both spurs got into action. The 
 consequence was, that very soon there was a 
 divorce between the steed and its rider. John 
 Eggleston found himself prostrate in Eundle Street, 
 with bruised face and sprained ankle, whilst the 
 liberated steed quietly made its way back to the
 
 156 A SOUTH AUSTIN ALIA A' ROMANCE 
 
 stable. The congregation at Williniga were dis- 
 appointed. We get wisdom by experience, some- 
 times of a very ])ainful character. No doubt in 
 every way the steed reaped the advantage. He 
 had one journey the less, and next time the rider 
 mounted him we expect the spurs would be left 
 behind. 
 
 Mr. Eggleston's stay in the Colony was not long. 
 He returned to Tasmania, travelled subsequently in 
 Mctoria and New South Wales, occupied some of 
 the highest positions that the Connexion could 
 give, and died in 1879, aged sixty -six years. 
 
 In the infant Colony of South Australia he did a 
 good work. Tnder his ministry many souls were 
 convinced of sin, and converted to God. Often 
 he would be at Jacob Abbott's house, in North 
 Adelaide, by daybreak, tapping at the window or 
 door. " Come on, brother ! " he would exclaim. 
 In a few minutes the two would be on their knees, 
 pouring out their souls before God for the salvation 
 of sinners, and the fulness of blessing upon the 
 Church. In an unmistakable way prayer was 
 answered. There were " showers of blessings." 
 Says one of the Methodist pioneers : " Great
 
 HOW THE CHURCH GREW isi 
 
 numbers were brought to God, and believers 
 experienced a deeper measure of divine grace." 
 The " Church quickly extended her borders, and 
 rapidly increased in numbers through conversions, 
 and accessions from England." There were now 
 nearly three hundred members in Society, four 
 chapels, and about twenty-one other preaching 
 places. 
 
 It was during Mr. Eggleston's time that Jacob 
 Abbott was called upon to give up his secular 
 employment, and work as a lay assistant in con- 
 nection with the Methodist Church. He was the 
 first Methodist Home Missionary in South Aus- 
 tralia. His appointment came about in this way. 
 Amongst the Methodist pioneers was a man who 
 has immortalised himself. His name stands in the 
 same category as that of Eichard Arkwright and 
 James Watt. To John Eidley, Methodist miller 
 and local preacher, belongs the honour of inventing 
 the reaping and threshing machine. This was 
 about seven years after the Colony was founded. 
 It has revolutionised agriculture, and reduced the 
 cost of production to a minimum. The machine 
 strips the heads of wheat from the stalk, and
 
 15S .1 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 tlireshes them, whilst the horses are drawing it to 
 and fro in the Held. It can only be used in a dry 
 climate, where the head will easily break off. 
 
 Jacob Abbott was keeping a store at North 
 Adelaide. One day the Methodist miller called 
 upon him. The following dialogue took place : — 
 Said the ]\Iethodist storekeeper to the Methodist 
 miller : " You seem busy carting flour into Ade- 
 laide. I have a horse and dray doing very little 
 just now. Could I assist in any way ? " " What 
 would you wish for the use of them ? " was the 
 response. Said Jacob Abbott : " About thirty 
 shillings a week ; you to find horse-feed and 
 driver." " Agreed," said the Methodist miller ; 
 " but I would rather pay you that to go about 
 the country to preach and visit the people, and 
 render help to our minister." Jacob Abbott was 
 taken by surprise — a very agreeable one. The 
 matter was laid before the overwrought John 
 Eggleston : he hailed the proposal with joy. For 
 nearly two years this arrangement was continued, 
 the Methodist miller, John Eidley, meeting all 
 expense. 
 
 Jacob Abbott had some amusing experiences.
 
 BOW THE CHURCH GREW 159 
 
 In turn he had to conduct service at Wilhinga. 
 During one of his visits the brother who usually- 
 entertained him was not able to do so, but he had 
 very kindly made arrangements for the preacher 
 elsewhere. He was to stay with an old Scotch 
 couple. The welcome was a very hearty one. 
 After the preacher was seated, the good wife came 
 in with a pan half-full of warm water. He was 
 asked to take a seat on the sofa. The pan of 
 water was placed in front of him. " Now, sir," 
 said the old lady, " let me take off your butes." 
 Jacob Abbott was quite disconcerted. He must 
 have felt as abashed as Peter. There was the 
 same indignant remonstrance. " Oh dear, no," said 
 he ; " what do you wish to do ? " The reply was : 
 " Ye dinna ken we Scotch Methodees do always 
 obey the Lord's bidding to wash the saint's feet, 
 and it's vary refreeshing ; and ye'll get a cup o' 
 tea after it." Jacob Abbott looked inquiringly at 
 the husband. He nodded assent ; and the washing 
 took place. After well drying with a clean, 
 white towel, the old lady said : " Now, we'll take 
 tea, and ye'll be right for your Master's work 
 to-morrow."
 
 i6o A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 Other early emigrants showed their regard ff»r 
 the Methodist Home ^Missionary in a less self- 
 humiliating way. At the Meadows, about thirty- 
 f(jur miles from Adelaide, two gentlemen (Messrs. 
 Stanford and Hurley) had established a dairy farm 
 and cattle run. As soon as the Methodist 
 missionary came, himself and horse were well 
 provided for, and a stock-boy was told to mount 
 a horse and inform the surrounding settlers of 
 his arrival. At M'Lareu Vale he was well cared 
 for by ]\Ir. and Mrs. Col ton, parents of Sir John 
 Colton, of whom w'e shall liave to speak. They 
 were engaged in sheep and dair}' farming, and the 
 son, who rose to distinction in the new Colony, 
 tended his father's sheep. 
 
 Some of the pioneer services were held under 
 peculiar circumstances. At one " preaching place," 
 a few miles from Adelaide, some gum-planks served 
 as seats, a flour cask for a pulpit, and a small 
 pannikin suspended from the roof, and furnished 
 with oil and wick, gave light to preacher and 
 people. Materially it may have been a " dim 
 religious light," not so the illuminating power of 
 the Holy Spirit. At a place called Mount Barker
 
 IIEV. JOHK EGGLESTON, SECOND WESLEYAN METHODIST MISSIONARY 
 V TO SOUTH AUSTRALIA 
 
 II
 
 1 62 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 (now the site of a fine town), a few miles from 
 Adelaide, service was held in a blacksmith's shop. 
 The anvil did duty as pulpit, and the huljs of 
 dray wheels, with planks laid thereon, served as 
 seats. If the blacksmith's anvil, during the 
 week, gave " no uncertain sound," we are sure 
 that the same might be said of the Word of 
 God as proclaimed from the anvil on the 
 Sunday. 
 
 John Eggleston was succeeded by John Weather- 
 stone. 
 
 Writing to the Missionary Committee in London, 
 in 1840, Mr. Eggleston said: "The state of the 
 Aborigines here is most deplorable. I passed by 
 a tribe as I came from the port to the city. The 
 children were running about in a state of nudity, 
 and the adults had a kind of blanket thrown 
 carelessly around them. They are friendly, and 
 spend the day in strolling about the town, begging 
 provisions. From what I have heard, there is 
 much prospect of success, could missionaries be sent 
 out to labour amongst them." Mr. Weatherstone 
 took a great interest in the blacks. He collected 
 about nine hundred and fifty of the words spoken by
 
 HOW THE CHURCH GREW 163 
 
 the Murray Eiver tribe, with their equivalents in 
 English. It was his earnest desire and prayer that 
 the Missionary Committee would relieve him from 
 English work, and allow him to go as a missionary 
 to the Aborigines. The request was not granted. 
 It may have been well for both Mr. Weatherstone 
 and the Aborigines if his desire had been fulfilled. 
 Evidently, he was an enthusiastic in missionary 
 work amongst the South Australian blacks, and 
 had a genius for it. Mr. AVeatherstone was a 
 minister of ability, but his stay in the Colony 
 was not a happy one. There were financial 
 reverses, as we have pointed out, in the young 
 Colony, and there were spiritual reverses in the 
 Methodist Church. Perhaps, to a certain extent, 
 one was the reflex of the other. The Church 
 (still in its infancy) had to pass through a time 
 of trial and trouble. There was a secession, in 
 which, unfortunately, Jacob Abbott took part. 
 The seceders formed a new organisation, termed 
 "The Australian Methodist Society." It was 
 not long-lived. Jacob Abbott became pastor of 
 a Christian Disciple Church, and continued in 
 that capacity until obliged to resign through
 
 1 64 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 weight of years. Ultimately, Mr. "Weatherstone 
 was recalled to England, became Superintendent 
 of Missions in Sierra Leone, and finally resigned 
 his position as a Methodist preacher. 
 
 After an absence of about four years, Mr. 
 Longbottoni returned to Adelaide. His second 
 advent was hailed with joy, but his life's work 
 was drawing to a close. In the Minutes of the 
 British Conference for 1846 the following occurs: 
 — " Adelaide — Jonathan Innes. William Longbot- 
 toni returning home for recovery of his health." 
 The trip to England' was not taken. Gradually 
 he became weaker, and on the 29th of July 1849 
 he finished his course with joy. To his wife he 
 often said : " The great Atonement was made for 
 me. I have an interest in the great sacrifice, 
 and in the living Mediator. I have no fear of 
 death ; all will be right at last." One morning he 
 said : " That verse has been on my mind all night : 
 indeed it is always with me — 
 
 'Tis love ! 'tis love ! Thou diedst for me, 
 I hear Thy whisper in my heart. 
 
 The morning breaks ! The shadows flee ! 
 Pure universal love Thou art. 
 
 To me, to all, Thy bowels move. 
 Thy nature and Thy name is love."
 
 NOW THE CHURCH GREW 165 
 
 The hymn from which he quoted these glowing 
 lines, and the one beginning, " The God of 
 Abraham praise," he often requested to have 
 read to him. So especially our Lord's words 
 in John xiv. " The great truths of the Gospel," 
 he solemnly observed, " are registered in heaven ; 
 my confidence in them is unwavering. I believe 
 that I have preached the truth as it is in 
 Jesus ; but, should I be spared to preach again, 
 I would be more simple," 
 
 The ^outli Australian Register gave the following 
 testimony to his worth : — " Mr. Longbottom 
 was very highly beloved by his own immediate 
 connections, and enjoyed, in a high degree, 
 the respect and esteem of all classes of the 
 colonists, to whom he endeared himself by his 
 amiable and kind deportment, maintaining, to 
 the hour of his death, a consistent uprightness 
 of character, both as a Christian minister and 
 a gentleman." It was not long after that the 
 editor of the Register (the able John Stephens) 
 followed him to the grave. The dust of both 
 lies in the West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide. 
 A tablet to Mr. Longbottom's memory has been
 
 1 66 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 erected in the Pirie Street Church. It reads 
 as follows : — 
 
 Sacked 
 
 TO THE Memory of 
 
 THE REV. WILLIAM LONGBOTTOM, 
 
 First Wesleyan Missionary to South Australia. 
 
 Died 29th of July 1849, 
 
 IN the 50th year of his age. 
 
 Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. 
 
 This chapter ought not to close without some 
 reference to Mrs. Longbottom. Amongst the 
 pioneer Methodists, and throughout her life in 
 South Australia, she was known as " A Mother 
 in Israel." One of the pioneers says : " The wife 
 of our first pastor was an excellent helpmeet to 
 her husband, very usefully engaged in service for 
 Christ." She visited the sick and poor, and took 
 charge of a class. 
 
 Mrs. Longbottom was born in Wakefield, in 
 the year 1796. Her conversion took place under 
 the preaching of the Eev. Joseph Benson. She 
 joined the Methodist Society in 1812, and at
 
 HOW THE CHURCH GREW 167 
 
 once entered npon Christian work. In 1822 she 
 was appointed a leader by the Eev. Eichard Watson, 
 and a few years later was married to Mr. Long- 
 bottom. She shared the strange vicissitudes that 
 we have described, and survived her husband about 
 twenty-four years. 
 
 Mrs. Longbottom had remarkable skill in acquir- 
 ing languages. In six months after her arrival in 
 India she conducted classes in Tamil and Portuguese. 
 During the short time she spent with her husband 
 at the Cape she acquired such a knowledge of the 
 Dutch language as to be able to pray in public 
 and to lead a class in that tongue. Her long life 
 was devoted to good works. About a week before 
 her death she felt that a change was coming. She 
 asked to be raised in bed, and said : " "What is this 
 I feel ? Can it be death ? 
 
 Oh, let me have one smile from Thee 
 And drop into eternity." 
 
 Turning to her daughter she said : " All is right. 
 I have no fear beyond the grave. Oh no; my 
 trust is in Christ. But I have never yet been 
 delivered from the fear of the article of death."
 
 1 68 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 A friend remarked to her that she was nearly 
 home. " Yes," she replied ; " nearly home," and 
 added : " Christ in me, the hope of glory." With 
 peace and calmness she waited for the end. With- 
 out one sign of suffering she fell asleep.
 
 KKV, DANIEL J. DKAPEK 
 
 170
 
 
 CHAPTEli X 
 
 AN ABLE ADMINISTKATOR 
 
 A BOUT the year 1820 there was a Methodist 
 chapel in the village of Farehani, in Hamp- 
 shire. Methodist preaching, at this time, was of 
 a very stirring character. Itinerant and local 
 preacher " cried aloud, and spared not." They 
 lifted up their voices " like a trumpet," and showed 
 villagers their transgressions, and citizens their sins. 
 The trumpet in the village of Fareham gave no 
 uncertain sound. There was a lad living in the 
 adjoining village, named Daniel. Sometimes he 
 would stop at the chapel door to listen. Tliis gave 
 offence. Some of the good people wanted to know 
 why he did not come in or stay away. The reason 
 may have been that his parents were regular 
 attendants at the parish church. On one occa- 
 
 171
 
 172 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 sion, as Daniel was gathering up the crumhs that 
 fell from the Master's table, he got a very sharp 
 rebuke. " I will not go there any more," said he. 
 The resolution was made, but it could not be 
 kept. There was a strange magnetism about that 
 Methodist chapel door in the village of Fareham. 
 Daniel felt like Jeremiah when he said : " I will 
 not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in 
 His name ; but His word was in my heart as a 
 burning fire shut up in my bones." He w^as found 
 at the chapel door again, and over the threshold. 
 The word reached his heart. Daniel saw the truth, 
 and grasped it. His parents, as we have affirmed, 
 were members of the Church of England; but it 
 was the stirring blast of the Methodist trumpet 
 that aroused Daniel's conscience and troubled his 
 soul. It was under the Methodist ministry that 
 he found peace. Is it matter for surprise, then, 
 that he should say : " This people shall be my 
 people, and their God shall be my God"? The 
 little Methodist society at Fareham received Daniel 
 into its fold. His parents were not pleased, but we 
 believe that they were too wise to throw any 
 serious obstacle in his w^ay.
 
 AN ABLE ADMINISTRATOR 173 
 
 In a short time the Methodists decided to build 
 a chapel in the adjoining village of Wickham. It 
 was in this locality that Daniel lived. His father 
 was the chief carpenter and builder in the district, 
 and the work of building was intrusted to him and 
 his son. In this chapel, ere long, the father had 
 the privilege of hearing the son preach the gospel. 
 
 When about twenty-two years of age Daniel 
 James Draper removed to Brecon. Here he 
 worked hard in his own mental and spiritual 
 interest, and in the interests of the Methodist 
 society. He gave attention to " reading, exhorta- 
 tion, and doctrine." One of his favourite verses in 
 the prayer-meeting was — 
 
 Happy if with my latest breath 
 
 I may but gasp His name ; 
 Preach Him to all, and cry in death, 
 
 Behold ! Behold ! the Lamb. 
 
 Little did he anticipate how truly and tragically 
 the desire expressed in this verse would be ful- 
 filled. 
 
 While at Brecon he was recommended to the 
 Conference as a suitable candidate for the ministry. 
 The recommendation was sustained, and Daniel 
 James Draper was sent to the Chatteris
 
 174 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 Circuit, Cambridgeshire. But there was a wider 
 sphere in which he was to labour. Several 
 Australian Colonies had been formed. The hive 
 in the Old Land was swarming. Thou.sands were 
 flocking over the sea. " The world is my parish," 
 said John Wesley, and his sons in the gospel had 
 been true to the maxim. Provision had to be 
 made for the spiritual wants of the emigrants. 
 There were men in the Australian Colonies crying 
 to their Methodist fathers and brethren in England: 
 " Come over, and help us." The harvest is great; 
 the labourers few. Strong men are wanted — 
 strong in body, mind, and soul. Such a man was 
 Daniel James Draper. He had a splendid physique; 
 his mental gifts w^ere considerable, and his life con- 
 secrated to God. The eyes of some in the British 
 Conference were directed to him. When asked if 
 he would offer for mission work, after a brief con- 
 sideration he expressed his willingness to obey the 
 call of duty, and to do the will of God. Amongst 
 others who spoke to him words of encouragement, 
 was Dr. Bunting. Said he : " Years of labour may 
 be before you, but success is certain ; it must come." 
 It was about the middle of October 1835 that
 
 AJV ABLE ADAIINISTRATOR 175 
 
 a vessel sailed away from Old England, having on 
 board John M'Kenny, Daniel James Draper, and 
 Frederick Lewis. Their destination was New 
 South Wales. John M'Kenny had already spent 
 about twenty years in Foreign Mission work, chiefly 
 in the island of Ceylon. Daniel James Draper and 
 Frederick Lewis were new to the work. The latter 
 part of their voyage was full of peril. The prospect 
 of shipwreck attended the beginning of Daniel 
 James Draper's work, and actual shipwreck brought 
 it to a close. 
 
 Says the Kev, John M'Kenny, in a communica- 
 tion to the Missionary Secretaries : " Our passage 
 round was attended with great danger. We 
 experienced a heavy gale from the east. ... It 
 was indeed an awful night, and brought us all care- 
 fully to examine the ground on which we hoped 
 for heaven, having eternity in view. It was now 
 that we felt the infinite value of the gospel, and 
 the exceeding preciousness of Jesus, our glorious 
 Eedeemer. Such was the state of things from 
 the violence of the ship's motion, and tne sickness 
 of most of the party, that we could not be together ; 
 but all were engaged in continued prayer. . . . We
 
 176 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 did not pray in vain. About one o'clock a.m. our 
 kind captain came round to our cabins and said, in 
 a full voice : ' The wind is changed, and is blowing 
 us off the land, and all danger is over.' Those only 
 who have been in our condition can enter into the 
 exquisite nature of our feelings. An unutterable 
 sensation passed through our minds on finding that 
 the Lord had heard our prayers, and rescued us 
 from destruction and death." 
 
 There was a work for John M'Kenny, Daniel 
 James Draper, and Frederick Lewis to do. 
 
 Mr. Draper spent about ten years in New South 
 Wales and Victoria. In every station he was 
 successful. Part of his time was spent under a 
 cloud of sorrow, a young wife and child being 
 removed by death. 
 
 In the English Minutes of Conference for 1846 
 the name of Jonathan Innes stands opposite the 
 Adelaide Mission. The appointment did not take 
 effect. In place of Jonathan Innes, Daniel James 
 Draper came. It is to this " man of God " that 
 Methodism in South Australia owes much. The 
 Colony and the Methodist Church were still in their 
 infancy when he arrived — both were but ten years of
 
 AN ABLE ADMINISTRATOR 177 
 
 age. From communications made to the Missionary 
 Secretaries in London we see the spirit in which he 
 entered upon his work. " There is only one Circuit," 
 he says, " in the whole of South Australia." That 
 Circuit was one hundred and fifty miles long, and 
 should be divided into three — Adelaide, Willunga, 
 and North Mines Circuits. Two more missionaries 
 were required. There had been fin increase of thirty- 
 three full members on the quarter ; the total number 
 was three hundred and fifty. The congregations were 
 exceedingly good. Classes met in private houses. 
 The people, considering their circumstances, were 
 exceedingly liberal. He concludes his letter thus : 
 " If two more ministers can be appointed, we soon 
 shall have a glorious cause in South Australia. 
 Ministerial influence is absolutely necessary." 
 
 Be they many or few, my days are His due, 
 And they all are devoted to Him. 
 
 Alas ! there came another " rift within the lute " ; 
 
 fortunately for Methodism, it did " not make the 
 
 music mute." In 1846 the Government of South 
 
 Australia decided to give State aid to religion. 
 
 Grants-in-aid were to be made available for the 
 
 Churches. This legislation, as we shall see, had 
 
 12
 
 178 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 a serious effect upon Methodism. The radical 
 tendencies of Joseph llayner Stephens and his 
 brother John have ah-eady been noticed. They 
 were men with faults, no doubt, but men of bold 
 independent spirit, and as able as bold. Edward 
 Stephens, apparently, was more calm and judicial ; 
 still there was the same spirit nf independence. 
 The bank manager, no less than the preacher, or 
 editor, was able, energetic, and determined. As 
 soon as the Government decided to give State aid 
 to religion, a number of colonists formed themselves 
 into a League to resist what they considered to be 
 " a dangerous and disgraceful " innovation. At the 
 head of this League was Edward Stephens. In 
 opposition to the grant, public meetings were held ; 
 petitions were presented ; deputations waited upon 
 the Government. State aid to religion was 
 denounced as a " violation of the rights of con- 
 science." It compelled individuals to pay taxes 
 in support of doctrines and forms over which men 
 differed. It was a misappropriation of public 
 money. In all this justifiable agitation Edward 
 Stephens was the leading spirit. 
 
 IsIy. Draper, personally, w^as not opposed to the
 
 AN ABLE ADMINISTRATOR 179 
 
 grant. Apparently, he remained neutral. The 
 quarterly meeting decided to accept the same, 
 consequently Edward Stephens and several others 
 severed their connection with Wesleyan Methodism. 
 It is worthy of remark that when a body of 
 men secede from the Methodist Church, as a rule 
 they do not unite with other organisations. In- 
 variably, they endeavour to establish an independent 
 body, and to work it on Methodist lines. What 
 an eloquent testimony this is to the tenacious grip 
 that Methodist doctrine and discipline has npon 
 the hearts of those who come under its influence ! 
 As we have observed, ere the Methodist Church 
 in South Australia was seven years old there was 
 a secession. The disaffected party were asked to 
 join other Churches, but asked in vain. The mag- 
 netism of Methodism was too strong. They formed 
 themselves into a separate body, termed " The 
 Australian Methodist Society." Fortunately, it had 
 an ephemeral existence. When the division on the 
 question of State aid to religion occurred, the 
 seceders established an independent society. It 
 was called the " Eepresentative Methodist Church." 
 Its life was verv limited, as was also the obnoxious
 
 i8o A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 law that called the new organisation into existence. 
 Throughout the Colony there was such a cry raised 
 against the grant-in-aid that the Government were 
 forced to repeal the Act. So effectual and deter- 
 mined was the opposition, that the spectre of State 
 aid has never again appeared to disturb the minds 
 of our people. Great credit is due to Edward 
 Stephens for the prominent part that he took in 
 the agitation. No doubt the Rerjister, under the 
 able editorship of John Stephens, thundered out its 
 telling anathemas. 
 
 In connection with the question of State aid to 
 religion, we find three sons of one of the Presidents 
 of the British Wesleyan Methodist Conference in 
 conflict with their father's Church. It was this 
 subject in the Old Country that led to the retire- 
 ment of Joseph Eayner Stephens. His brother 
 John, then editor of the Christian Advocate, looked 
 upon that retirement as tantamount to expulsion ; 
 hence his attacks upon the ]\Iethodist Conference 
 — or certain members of it — became increasingly 
 bitter. In the new Colony of South Australia, 
 when the quarterly meeting accepted the Govern- 
 ment grant, Edward Stephens retired from the
 
 AN ABLE ADMINISTRATOR i8t 
 
 Connexion. We are all wise after the event. At 
 this length of time it occurs to the writer that 
 there might have been (as Dr. Warren suggested ^) 
 a " more excellent way " of dealing with Joseph 
 Eayner Stephens, and in this Colony it would have 
 been well if the pioneer Methodist Church had not 
 accepted money from the State coffers. 
 
 The withdrawal of Edward Stephens was a heavy 
 blow to the young Methodist Church in South 
 Australia. He was an able and energetic worker, 
 and liberal supporter. Even at this length of time 
 we cannot but regret the circumstance. 
 
 But the good work went on. At the close of 
 the year 1847 Mr. Draper posted another letter 
 to the Committee in London. Again there was an 
 increase in members. He speaks of new chapels 
 being opened, and of considerable sums of money 
 being raised. He expresses gratitude that the 
 Circuit had been divided into three Circuits. He 
 says : " I am left alone in Adelaide with sixteen 
 places to attend to, at eight of which we have 
 
 ^ See Smith's History of Methodism, vol. iii. p. 209. There 
 may have been a Aviser way of dealing with Joseph Rayner 
 Stephens, but discipline must, at all costs, be maintained.
 
 i82 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAX ROMANCE 
 
 chapels. I shall have to work excessively hard, 
 iiiilil I am assisted hv another young man. . . . 
 lint such is my convicliou ul' the importance of 
 taking possession of these places, tliat I am willing 
 to exert myself to tlic utmost, and to make sacri- 
 fices that their case may be met. The Colony 
 requires five ministers at least, in order that our 
 Society may exert its legitimate infiuence. 1 
 rejoice that at so early a period there are three 
 of us here. ... I cannot, iiowever, be satisfied 
 till we have five in South Australia — Adelaide, two ; 
 Willunga, one ; North Klines (l^>urra), one ; Mount 
 Barker, one. ]\Iy heart would rejoice if, on the 
 arrival of the Stations of the Conference of 1848, 
 the above scheme should be fixed, and a reinforce- 
 ment sent out to enable the district to arrange it. 
 Should I be permitted to witness this, I shall indeed 
 rejoice in the assurance that I have been sent to 
 this Circuit for a most important and valuable end." 
 Mr. Draper makes a special appeal to the 
 missionary authorities in London, based upon the 
 special relationship that many of the emigrants 
 sustained to the Methodist Church at home. It is 
 an appeal that ought to have touched the hearts
 
 AA^ ABLE ADMINISTRATOR 183 
 
 of the missionary scribes who dwelt at Bishopsgate 
 Street Within. " Numbers," he says, " of those 
 who are scattered up and down this Colony are 
 from your own congregations in England. Their 
 condition is awful. Our hands are full — improperly 
 so ; as to our health, dangerously so. (" I speak 
 as a fool.") "We work as hard as any preachers 
 under heaven ; but still there are many places that 
 cannot be reached. Do, I beseech you, use every 
 means to supply our wants, and generations yet 
 unborn, in one of the most important of the British 
 Colonies, will bless you. We have now about four 
 hundred and sixty members in Society." 
 
 The good man's heart yearns over Zion. The 
 fields are white, but the labourers few. In the 
 interests of " generations unborn " he urges his plea ; 
 but apparently " Bishopsgate Street Within " gave 
 no immediate sign. " My heart would rejoice," he 
 says, "if, on the arrival of the Stations of 1848, 
 my scheme should be fixed, and a reinforcement 
 sent out." The good man must have been dis- 
 appointed. The English Minutes for 1848 do not 
 show that his desire was met. However — 
 
 To patient faith the prize is sure.
 
 i84 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 The English list of stutioiis for 1849 gives the 
 
 following : — 
 
 South Austkalia. 
 
 Adelaide — Daniel .). Draper, Thomas X. Hull, 
 William C. Currey, William Longbottom, super- 
 numerary. 
 
 Burra (North IMines)— John C. Thrum. 
 
 Willunga — William Lowe. 
 
 The Eev. Thomas N. Hull, who arrived from 
 England early in 1850, deserves a passing remark. 
 He was a gifted man. No mean authority (the 
 late Eev, James Bickford) says : " As a preacher 
 he gained celebrity for his logical acumen, refined 
 taste, exalted eloquence, and impressive appeals." 
 After about five years' service he returned to 
 Ireland. 
 
 In 1848 Mr. Draper sent statistics of the 
 Methodist Church in the new Colony of South 
 Australia to the missionary authorities in Loudon : 
 — Chapels, 12 ; other preaching stations, 18 ; mis- 
 sionaries, 4 ; Sunday-school teachers, SH ; local 
 preachers, 35 ; class leaders, 30 ; members, 500 ; 
 Sunday schools, 12; Sunday-school scholars, 8 ; 
 attendants upon public worship, 2200.
 
 AA^ ABLE ADMINISTRATOR 185 
 
 This is a very creditable record for a Colony only 
 then twelve years old. 
 
 The great event of Mr. Draper's administration 
 was the building of the cathedral of South Aus- 
 tralian Methodism. The church in Gawler Place, 
 in the erection of which Edward Stephens and his 
 wife had taken such interest, became too small,^ 
 It was decided to build a large church in a central 
 position. The foundation-stone was laid by the 
 Governor (Sir H. E. Young) on the loth of July 
 1850. It was a national event. The entire cost 
 was more than £6000. Without galleries there 
 was sitting accommodation for 800 people. 
 
 The church was opened on 19th October 1851. 
 This was another gala day in the early history of 
 the Methodist Church. There was a prayer-meeting 
 at seven o'clock in the morning. The record is : 
 " A good time. Many present." The day was 
 oppressively hot, but the people attended in crowds. 
 Many came in from the country. The Eev. John 
 Eggleston came from New South Wales to conduct 
 
 1 The Gawler Place Chape], in the early days, was a fine 
 structure, but it has long since disappeared. Where it once stood 
 a large business house now stands.
 
 1 86 A SO mi AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 the opening services. Long before the time for 
 beginning the morning service arrived the chapel 
 was crowded. Mr. Draper conducted the first part 
 of the service, and ^Tr. Eggleston preached the 
 sermon. The text was Ephesians ii. 18. The Rev. 
 J. Gardiner (Presbyterian) preached in the after- 
 noon. The text was Zechariah vi. 13. The chapel 
 was again crowded in the evening, when the Rev. 
 J. Eggleston preached from Isaiah xxvii. 4-G. The 
 Governor, Judge, and several ^Members of Parliament 
 attended the opening services. The collections 
 were: morning, nearly £G8 ; afternoon, £28, 10s.; 
 evening, £47, 10s. Mr. Draper remarks: "Im- 
 mense excitement. Good done." On the following 
 Monday there was a tea-meeting on a magnificent 
 scale, realising £46. The opening services were 
 continued on the following Sabbath. The entire 
 amount raised at the services (including a bazaar) 
 was £1250 — a noble sum for a Colony and a 
 Church only fifteen years old. 
 
 One cannot but regret that in the building of 
 this magnificent chapel Edward Stephens had no 
 prominent part. However, another name was 
 coming to the front — a name that will always
 
 AN ABLE ADMINISTRATOR 187 
 
 be honoured in South Australia, and in South 
 Australian Methodism — John Colton (afterwards 
 Sir John), treasurer of the Pirie Street Chapel 
 Trust. He arrived in the Colony in 1839, and for 
 a great number of years was a leading spirit in 
 Parliament, in philanthropic circles, and in the 
 Wesleyan Methodist Church. His name is on the 
 trust deeds of many of our churches, and it was 
 his hand that laid many of the foundation- 
 stones. 
 
 In 1855 Mr. Draper left the Colony. It had 
 not yet reached its majority, but the success and 
 permanence of Methodism was assured. Mr. Draper 
 saw the membership grow from three hundred and 
 fifty members to over a thousand. The finest of 
 any of the churches yet built in the city of Adelaide 
 by any denomination was erected in his time. In 
 addition, a number of chapels had been built in the 
 suburbs and country. He was the principal factor 
 in extending and consolidating the Methodist Church 
 in the new settlement of South Australia. 
 
 We close this chapter with an account of the 
 last days of this noted man. We have spoken of 
 " The Piomance of Methodism." That there is such,
 
 1 88 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 the record we have given amply testifies. But 
 romance has a sad side as well as a joyous one ; its 
 dark shades as well as its bright ones. We saw 
 the pioneer Methodist Church in the new Colony in 
 need of a pastor. The need was made the subject 
 of prayer. By the ministry of the winds and the 
 waves an ideal Methodist missionary was cast upon 
 South Australian shores. But in more senses than 
 one, as the sequel will show, the winds and the 
 waves do strange work. 
 
 When Mr. Draper left South Australia he re- 
 turned to Victoria. In 1859 he was elected 
 President of the Australian Conference. After an 
 absence of about thirty years from Old England he 
 felt a strong desire once more to see his native land. 
 The little Methodist chapel in the village of Fare- 
 ham still attracted him. It would be such a joy 
 to see it once more, and again to tread the lanes 
 that he had so often trodden in his youth. His 
 parents were dead, and many of his early friends 
 were gone, but the village, with the memory of its 
 associations, remained. The buttercups and cow- 
 slips would still bloom, the honeysuckle would be 
 as sweet as ever, and there would not be any
 
 AlV ABLE ADMINISTRATOR 189 
 
 change in the song of the skylark or the homely 
 note of the cuckoo. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. and Mrs. Draper were in the Old 
 Land. He had been appointed Eepresentative to 
 the British Conference. It was held at Birming- 
 ham. The fathers and brethren gave him the right 
 hand of fellowship, and he won the esteem of all. 
 He preached in Great Queen Street Chapel, at St. 
 James's Hall, and in the village of Fareham. Here 
 he had the graves of his parents renovated, little 
 thinking how soon he would follow them to the 
 eternal world. 
 
 After a short and happy holiday in England he 
 was anxious to return : as he remarked to the Hon. 
 W. M' Arthur, " I could spend another year in 
 England very pleasantly, and should like to do so 
 if my conscience would allow me, but I feel that 
 I must get back to my work." 
 
 He engaged a berth for himself and his wife in 
 the S.S. London. She sailed from Plymouth on 
 6th January 1866. There were more than two 
 hundred persons on board ;— amongst others : G. A^ 
 Brooke, the eminent tragedian, and his sister ; also 
 the Eev. Dr. Wooley, an able scholar, who was
 
 I go A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 on his way out to his professorial duties at Sydney. 
 There a wife and six cliildren were waiting to 
 receive him. Alas ! they waited in vain. 
 
 A day after they sailed the wind increased in 
 violence. There was a very heavy sea. The 
 following day (Monday) some of the passengers 
 became very anxious. The wind was blowing with 
 great violence. Monday night was a night of 
 distress. Many of the passengers read their Bibles 
 together and engaged in prayer. On Tuesday the 
 large vessel was tossed about like a cork, and 
 whole seas dashed over her. The lifeboat was torn 
 away by the winds and the waves. The masts 
 were broken and the ship dismantled. It seemed 
 as though the raging elements were venting 
 their fury upon what was a noble work of 
 man. 
 
 Daniel James Draper was not idle. It was not the 
 first storm at sea that he had experienced. About 
 thirty years before, in his first voyage to Australia, 
 in company with John M'Kenny and Frederick 
 Lewis, he had been nearly wrecked. It seemed as 
 though what was once probable would now become 
 actual. No time was to be lost. Now, more truly
 
 AN ABLE ADMINISTRATOR 191 
 
 than ever, he must have felt the inspiration of the 
 words of Christ : " I must work the works of Him 
 who sent Me, while it is day." He began to point 
 the anxious and distressed to the sinner's refuge — ■ 
 Christ. 
 
 During the whole of Tuesday night some of the 
 passengers read the Bible in turns. 
 
 Early on Wednesday morning the captain tried 
 to run back to Plymouth. The storm increased in 
 fury. The sea ran mountains high. Both life- 
 boats were swept away. During Wednesday night 
 one disaster after another overtook the ill-fated 
 London. The engine-room was flooded with water. 
 The vessel was now so damaged that it seemed 
 impossible to keep out the sea. Various expedients 
 were tried. Passengers and crew worked inces- 
 santly at the pumps. Still the water in the 
 engine-room rose higher. The fires were put out. 
 The eno-ines ceased to work. In the midst of all 
 these appalling disasters the noble-hearted Captain 
 Martin remained perfectly calm and collected, never 
 forsaking the post of duty. All that skilful sea- 
 manship could do had been done. He now ordered 
 the maintop-sail to be set ; but the wind tore it to
 
 192 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 shreds. " You may now say your prayers, boys," 
 said he. 
 
 Thursday morning came. The gale was as fierce 
 as ever. The vessel rolled helplessly in the sea. 
 A tremendous body of water stove in four win- 
 dows of the upper or poop cabin. The passengers 
 and crew had worked nobly at the pumps, but the 
 vessel was now half-full of water. The remaining 
 boats were got ready. The starboard pinnance was 
 lowered, but was almost immediately swamped and 
 sunk. Captain Martin went down into the saloon. 
 " Ladies," said he, " there is no hope for us, I am 
 afraid ; nothing short of a miracle can save us." 
 Said Mr. Draper, very calmly, " Let us pray." The 
 vessel was now settling down. 
 
 Mr. Draper was constant in his ministrations. 
 Ah ! there were grief-stricken fathers and mothers 
 and little children to be comforted and encouraged. 
 The only comfort now was the hope of meeting 
 in heaven. The passengers were urged to " flee 
 for refuge to the hope set before them." " Pray for 
 me, Mr. Draper ; pray for me," was the cry. What 
 cries went up to heaven from that doomed vessel ! 
 Mr. Draper pleading for the salvation of souls, and
 
 AN ABLE ADMINISTRATOR 193 
 
 passengers seeking pardon ! " Prepare to meet thy 
 God ! " was the cry of the Methodist preacher. 
 " My friends," said he, " our captain tells us there 
 is no hope, but the great Captain above tells us 
 there is hope, and that we may all get safe to 
 heaven." Prayer was heard and answered. Before 
 the vessel went down there was wonderful calmness 
 on board — a spirit of patient resignation. Hus- 
 bands, wives, and children clung to each other, 
 going simultaneously — not down into the deep, 
 but into the eternal joy and peace of heaven. 
 
 A boat was launched. Ah ! there were deeds of 
 heroism on board the sinking vessel. A husband 
 was offered by a friend a place in the boat. 
 " No," said he ; " I promised my wife and children 
 to stay with them, and I will do so." ..." Help 
 me," he said, " to move the children to the other 
 side, out of the water." He did so. They then 
 parted — the friend to escape in the boat to tell 
 the tale ; the husband, wife, and children to pass 
 into the eternal world. " They were lovely and 
 pleasant in their lives, and in death they were not 
 divided." The men in the boat wished Captain 
 Martin to join them. " No," said he ; "I will go 
 
 13
 
 194 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAX ROMAXCE 
 
 down with the passengers. Your course is E.N.E." 
 "J'hen, throwing them u compass, he added: " I wish 
 you God-speed, and safe to land." Soon after, the 
 vessel went down stern foremost. Nineteen per- 
 sons escaped in the boat, and were ultimately picked 
 up by an Italian barque. " "When I left the ship," 
 said one of the survivors, " the passengers had given 
 up all hope, but there was a remarkable composure 
 among them, and no loud sounds to be heard. I 
 heard voices engaged in preaching and praying." 
 The last words that the survivors heard Daniel 
 James Draper say were : " Those of you who are 
 not converted, now is the time ; not a moment to 
 be lost, for in a few minutes we shall all be in the 
 presence of our Judge." It is said that he was 
 calm and self-possessed, his wife standing by his 
 side. 
 
 "When a local preacher in Brecon he had often 
 sung — 
 
 Happy if with my latest breath 
 
 I may but gasp His name ; 
 Preach Him to all, and cry in death, 
 
 Behold ! Behold ! the Lamb. 
 
 How tragically the sentiment of the verse was 
 realised !
 
 AN ABLE ADMINISTRATOR 195 • 
 
 From that dark and dreadful scene in the Bay 
 of Biscay there come to us rays of light. Said the 
 heroic Methodist preacher : " Those of you who are 
 not converted, now is the time." ..." There is 
 hope that we may all get safe to heaven." It is 
 probable that that hope was fulfilled. Said the 
 dying thief at the last hour : " Lord, remember me 
 when Thou comest in Thy kingdom." The cheer- 
 ing response was : " To-day shalt thou be with Me 
 in paradise." To the penitent, perishing, praying 
 men and women on board the doomed London, 
 would there not come the same blessed assurance ? 
 Hence the absence of panic — the " peace that 
 passeth all understanding," the trustful resigna- 
 tion. As a person was about to leap into the 
 boat, a young girl put a piece of paper into his 
 hand. On it was written : " Dear mother, you 
 must not grieve for me. I am going to Jesus." 
 
 If we keep our eyes fixed on the dark aspect of 
 the wreck that we have depicted, our hearts will 
 be inexpressibly sad. To see fathers, mothers, and 
 children locked in each other's embrace, and going 
 down into the angry deep, with a love that was 
 quenchless, is almost too much for human reason.
 
 196 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 Alas ! we are the slaves of our senses. The most 
 real and abiding things on earth are the things that 
 are invisible. Tlie most real thing about the 
 person who is writing this sketch is not the 
 visible and tangible hand that holds the pen, but 
 the invisible and intangible agent that conceives 
 the thoughts, translates them into words, marshals 
 the sentences, and compels the hand to do its 
 bidding — the mysterious " I " that knows itself 
 as distinct from the body. Don't look merely at 
 the lost bodies on the ill-fated London, but at the 
 saved souls. " And the Lord opened the eyes of the 
 young man ; and he saw : and, behold, the mountain 
 was full of horses and chariots of fire round about 
 Elisha" (2 Kings vi. 17). "And Lazarus died, 
 and was carried by the angels into Abraham's 
 bosom." Not the corruptible body, but the living, 
 energising, intelligent soul, by the eye of faith, in 
 the light of Divine revelation, crosses the boundary 
 line of sensual experience. See the spirits of the 
 shipwrecked passengers escorted to paradise — 
 fathers, mothers, and children entering simul- 
 taneously into one of the palaces of the great 
 King. Yes. " In My Father's house are many
 
 AN ABLE ADMINISTRATOR 197 
 
 mansions : if it were not so, I would have told 
 you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if 
 I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, 
 and receive you unto Myself ; that where I am, there 
 ye may be also." Grasp this comforting assurance, 
 and our wail of sorrow becomes a shout of victory. 
 As South Australian Methodists, we thank God 
 for the work of consolidation and extension that 
 Daniel James Draper did in the young Colony, and 
 for his comforting, encouraging, and soul-saving 
 ministry on board the doomed London. A fine 
 church in Adelaide has been erected to his memory.
 
 200
 
 
 CHAPTEE XI 
 
 AFTER SIXTY YEARS 
 
 II /TORE than sixty years ago South Australia 
 was a terra incognita. Its interior was as 
 little known as the back side of the moon. No 
 white foot had trodden its vast plains nor climbed 
 its lofty hills. It was like 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 there 
 was something awanting and amiss. There was 
 no lowing of oxen, nor bleating of sheep ; no 
 ploughman's whistle, nor milkmaid's song; no long, 
 freshly-turned furrows, nor fields of waving corn. 
 The air had not 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 
 
 201
 
 202 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN J^O MA NCE 
 
 roads, bridges, fences, nor houses surrounded with 
 Howers and fruit-bearing trees. Save the loud 
 laugh of the jackass, the howl of the dingo, or the 
 war-whoop 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 Adelaide now stands serpents glided 
 and kangaroos fed. 
 
 The blackfellow held undisputed sway. His 
 was a free-and-easy kind of life. Except the 
 fear of sorcery, and an occasional tribal fight, 
 there was little to trouble his soul. The day was 
 spent in eating and drinking, making weapons or 
 canoes, netting wild fowl, hunting the kangaroo, 
 and spearing fish. At night there was the mystic 
 corrobery. It consisted of a wild, weird song and 
 dance. Sometimes the dance was very lewd. As 
 a rule, the men danced. The women sat on the 
 ground, and kept time by the knocking of waddies 
 together, or striking rolls of skins with the fist.
 
 AFTER SIXTY YEARS 203 
 
 Infanticide was a common practice. Often a 
 child was killed as soon as it was born. 
 
 But there were good as well as evil traits. We 
 have spoken of a few wild white men (whalers and 
 sealers) who had found their way to the South 
 Australian coast before colonisation took place. 
 The Eev. George Taplin, who spent many years 
 among the natives, tells a story that he had heard 
 of those early days. " Some white sealers, on 
 Kangaroo Island, stole from the mainland, near 
 Cape Jervis, three native women, and took them 
 to the island. When the prisoners had stayed 
 with their captors a few weeks, they began to 
 cast about for means to get back to their husbands 
 and friends. At last they found a small dingy 
 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 two childless 
 lubras took the dingy and started for the mainland, 
 reaching it in safety. The poor mother, left be- 
 hind with her babe, must have pined sadly for 
 her country and friends ; but nothing was heard 
 of her for some time. One day the natives found 
 her body on the beach, just above high-water
 
 204 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 luaik, witli her baby lied on her back. She had 
 swum Backstairs Passage (about nine miles in tlie 
 narrowest part, and infested with sharks), and 
 then, in a state of utter exhaustion, crawled uji 
 the shore, and died." 
 
 We have seen the first colonist (Samuel Stephens) 
 put his foot on Australian shore. We have seen 
 the early emigrants' tents pitched amongst the 
 trees and rushes that skirted the shores of Hold- 
 fast 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 
 yet to be, have passed before our view. Where 
 those tents, sixty-two years ago, were pitched, 
 the large and aristocratic town of Glenelg now 
 stands, which has some of the finest streets 
 that the Southern Hemisphere can show, and 
 its system of deep drainage is unsurpassed. 
 Trams are running in all directions. Through 
 country that sixty years ago was unexplored and 
 unknown, trains now rush, laden with passengers, 
 wheat, wool, sheep, cattle, and mineral wealth. 
 There is a beautiful park round the city : outside 
 are crowded suburbs. The population in and
 
 AFTER SIXTY YEARS 205 
 
 around Adelaide alone has been estimated at 
 about one hundred thousand. Dotted over the 
 country are towns, villages, gardens, and farms. 
 It seems like a fairy tale. All has been accom- 
 plished in less than threescore years and ten. 
 Sixty-two years ago the population was about five 
 Imndred ; to-day it is more than three hundred 
 ami twenty thousand. 
 
 In 188G we celebrated our Jubilee. Speaking 
 on that occasion, Sir Henry Ayers, one of the early 
 emigrants, said : " Something must be said of the 
 country we have been in the possession of for 
 tifty 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 some seven millions of sheep, three 
 million head of cattle, and over 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 tele-
 
 2o6 A SOUTH AUSTRALIA X ROMANCE 
 
 yiiiphic coiiimiinicatiuii acrosa the continent, and 
 thus brought Australia within speaking distance of 
 all parts of the world. "We have constructed over 
 a thousand miles <if railway and many thousands 
 of miles of macadamised road. We have erected 
 various l)uildings, and built bridges, docks, wharves, 
 jetties, and other works required for our wants. 
 We have made ample provision for educating the 
 people, including the establishment and endowment 
 of a university. We have founded hospitals and 
 asylums for the insane, the sick, the incurable, the 
 blind, the dumb, the deaf, the orphan, and the 
 necessitous 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 
 breadstuffs to the value of some thirty-five millions 
 sterling. We have clothed them with some forty 
 millions' worth of wool. . . . We have sent them 
 nearly twenty millions sterling of minerals and 
 metals. Could the greatest optimist among the 
 early settlers have predicted such results ? " 
 
 The natives have not been forgotten. During 
 the last sixty years several mission stations have
 
 AFTER SIXTY YEARS 207 
 
 been established. The most successful has been the 
 mission at Point :\rLeay. For many years it was 
 under the able superintendence of the Rev. George 
 Taplin, who deserves a niche in South Australian 
 history. ]\lissionary efforts among the Aborigines 
 in this Colony have been very much neutralised by 
 the conduct of lecherous whites. 
 
 We saw the early emigrants at Holdfast Bay 
 leaving their bough-booths and canvas tents, and 
 wending their way to the tent of Edward Stephens, 
 in which John White preached the first Methodist 
 sermon on the mainland. Later on (when the 
 site for Adelaide had been fixed) we saw a few 
 Methodists assembled in a hut, on the banks of the 
 Torrens, to consider the advisability of forming a 
 Methodist Society. The number of names was 
 fifteen. They had neither church nor travelling 
 preacher. What do we see to-day, after the lapse 
 of sixty years? In addition to many preaching 
 places, there are — 
 
 Churches 271 
 
 Ministers J^ 
 
 Local preachers . ■ • * otoR 
 
 Sunday-school workers . • ^,oyo
 
 2o8 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 Suiulay-scliool scholars . . 22,886 
 Churcli members .... 8,527 
 Adherents 49,204 
 
 Our returns would ])e lurger, but several of our 
 members and ministers, of late years, have removed 
 to Western Australia. There are results that we 
 cannot tabulate, such as the number of souls who, 
 during the sixty years of our history, have gone 
 from the Methodist Church militant to join the 
 Church triumphant. 
 
 We have only given the statistics for the 
 Wesleyan Methodist Church. Two other vigorous 
 ]\Iethodist Societies have been established — the 
 Primitive Methodist and the Bible Christian. 
 
 The first Primitive Methodist service in the 
 new Colony was held in the open air. This was 
 one Sunday afternoon, in June 1840. The place 
 of meeting was Light Square, Adelaide, and the 
 service was conducted by a few laymen. A few 
 years later the pioneer preachers arrived. The 
 Revs. J. Long and J. Wilson came out in 1844, 
 and the Rev. W. Storr in 1846. These have all 
 " entered into rest." To-day the Primitive Metho- 
 dist body number —
 
 AFTER SIXTY YEARS 
 
 209 
 
 Churches .... 
 
 118 
 
 Ministers . ' . 
 
 29 
 
 Local preachers . 
 
 220 
 
 Sunday-school workers 
 
 886 
 
 Sunday-school scholars 
 
 7,021 
 
 Members .... 
 
 3,181 
 
 Adherents .... 
 
 14,291 
 
 The pioneer preachers of the Bible Christian 
 body arrived in 1850. They were the Eevs. 
 James Way and James Eowe. The former has 
 passed away. He was the father of the Eight 
 Hon. S. J. Way, Chief Justice and Lieutenant- 
 Governor of South Australia. The venerable 
 James Eowe is still with us. These brethren 
 established the Bible Christian Society. To-day 
 that Seciety numbers — 
 
 Churches .... 
 
 131 
 
 Ministers .... 
 
 38 
 
 Local preachers . 
 
 253 
 
 Sunday-school workers 
 
 980 
 
 Sunday-school scholars 
 
 8,176 
 
 Members .... 
 
 4,007 
 
 Adherents (about) 
 
 16,000 
 
 This makes a grand total of Methodist progress, in 
 South Australia alone, for sixty years as follows : — 
 
 Churches 
 Ministers 
 
 520 
 133 
 14
 
 2IO A SOUTH AUSTRALIAX ROMANCE 
 
 Local preacherK . 89 o 
 
 Stiiidiiy-school workers . . 4,462 
 
 Sunday-school scholars . . .S8,083 
 
 Mciiihers ..... ir»,7ir> 
 Adlicrents ..... 79,495 
 
 Yet some say that Methodism is dying, or is in 
 a very decrepit state. Surely such critics must 
 move in a very circumscribed sphere, or be subject 
 to some strange hallucination. Still we need to 
 keep our armour bright, tenaciously to grasp the 
 shield of faith, and vigorously to wield the sword 
 of the Spirit. The age in which we live is peculiar. 
 The struggle for existence is keen. The love for 
 amusement has become irrational. The " Higher 
 Criticism" has not been spiritually helpful. It is 
 a difficult matter to make men see and feel the 
 exceeding sinfulness of sin. Eeligious indifference 
 is widespread. ]\Ieii say : " Where is the promise 
 of His coming ? for since the fathers fell asleep all 
 things continue as they were from the beginning 
 of the creation." " This worldliness " has become 
 predominant. A social gospel is being preached 
 that is merely the skeleton of the Christian 
 relisrion. The " man of sin " is at work amongst 
 the masses. There is a growing tendency to sub-
 
 AFTER SIXTY YEARS 211 
 
 vert social order, and to set at nought authority. 
 If we have our fathers' zeal we have not our 
 fathers' success. The vitality, permanence, and 
 extension of Methodism depends upon soul-con- 
 verting energy. 
 
 Sixty-three years ago one of the great men of 
 middle Methodism (Peter M'Owan) said : " While 
 other Churches regard revivals as gracious singu- 
 larities in their history, we ought to consider their 
 frequent occurrence as essential to our very exist- 
 ence. Few persons join our communion till they 
 are awakened from the sleep of nature ; for our 
 doctrines, as a whole, are such that natural men 
 cannot receive ; our discipline is such that they 
 cannot, for any length of time, brook ; and as the 
 chief term on which we admit to membership is a 
 ' desire to flee from the wrath to come,' it is not 
 to be expected that they will seek admission till 
 they feel themselves really exposed to wrath. If 
 conversion work, therefore, vrere to cease among us, 
 the extinction of our societies, or a radical change 
 in the spiritual character of our economy, would be 
 inevitable." These are wise words — true as they 
 are wise ; and we ought seriously to ponder them.
 
 2 12 A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE 
 
 If tlio soiil-oonvertini: power ceases — if intelleda- 
 alifnii takes the place of cvawjelicism — ^lethodism 
 must decline, and cease to be. 
 
 Let us lay other wise words of the same 
 Methodist preacher to heart. He says : " We 
 stand in the relation of fathers to the generations 
 yet to come, and it is our indispensable duty to 
 pray that the system whicli has proved in the 
 hands of the Spirit of God saving to ourselves may 
 not be deteriorated by our means. . . . We found 
 it distinguished by an evangelical creed, a heart- 
 searching and awakening ministry, and we must 
 pray that the spirit-stirring energy of our pulpit 
 ministrations may be preserved and increased. . . . 
 We found it spiritual in its economy and leading 
 design, and on no account must we prostitute it 
 to the purposes of party politics. We found its 
 genius aggressive and inspiring, so far as the 
 destruction of the kingdom of darkness is con- 
 cerned ; and if we would benefit mankind, we must 
 foster this thirst for conquest. . . . We found it, in 
 an especial sense, benignant to the poor, and divinely 
 fitted to benefit the outcast portion of our popula- 
 tion : and if we would escape the curse of those who
 
 AFTER SIXTY YEARS 213 
 
 rob the poor, we must not mar its happy adaptation 
 to enrich and save the thousands who still have 
 occasion to cry, ' No man careth for my soul.' . . . 
 Though I am neither a prophet nor the son of a 
 prophet, yet I venture to predict that if we thus go 
 on, enlarging and maturing the work at home, — if 
 we fearlessly preach the doctrines of the Cross, 
 and humbly depend upon the energy of the Holy 
 Spirit; if we continue to send out converted 
 missionaries to the heathen ; if we persevere in 
 fostering feelings of loyalty to our sovereign, of 
 charity to our brethren of other denominations, and 
 of love to each othef ; and if all this be done in 
 the spirit of prayer, and with a single eye to the 
 Divine glory, we shall then succeed in consum- 
 mating the lofty and benevolent enterprise which 
 our fathers commenced ; we shall prove that 
 Methodism is but in its infancy, not only in 
 respect of age, but of efiiciency ; we shall accelerate 
 the final victory, which is to place the sceptres of 
 the earth in the hand and the crowns of the earth 
 on the head of Immanuel."
 
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