Читать книгу Australian History For Dummies - Alex McDermott - Страница 57

In 1780s London, two decisions would have gob-smackingly enormous consequences for the sort of country Australia would become.

The first big decision is fairly obvious — deciding to establish a colony for trading, and for strategic and convict transportation purposes on the Australian continent. When you consider levels of subsequent impact from particular decisions, that’s about as big as it gets, really.

The second big decision, though, was also far-reaching, even if at first glance it seems more subtle. It was a decision made by the minister in charge of the arrangements for what sort of settlement this would be.

The government minister was Thomas Townsend — ‘Tommy’ to his mates, but known to history as ‘Lord Sydney’. He raised eyebrows when he decided, quite late in the day as it happened, that the penal colony in NSW would be run according to ordinary civil law rather than as a military society. What this meant was that the law that would operate here would recognise all the usual rights and liberties outlined in English law at home. In comparison to most places in the world at the time, an Englishman’s rights and liberties were something to brag about (and they did). This decision meant that NSW would be established as a free society, even if most of the new population arriving were convicts! (Ah, the irony.)

The first ever civil trial to take place after the arrival of the First Fleet, run according to the rules of an ordinary English court, was brought by a young convict couple, who sued one of the ship captains for losing their valuable luggage on the journey out. This couple was Henry and Susannah Kable.

They won, too. (See Chapter 4 for more on this couple’s continuing successes in the new colony.)