Читать книгу Early Australian History. Convict Life in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land - Charles White - Страница 7

Table of Contents

A WELL-MEANING MAN, BUT WEAK—PROGRESS OF SETTLEMENT—STIMULATING CULTIVATION—HIGH PRICES—RECOVERY OF THE LOST HERD—FIRST SCHOOL AND CHURCH—COASTAL EXPLORATION—ILLAWARRA AND THE HUNTER—POPULATION—LAND ALIENATION—THE GOVERNOR'S HUMANITY.

It was on the 7th September, 1795, that the new Governor-in-Chief, Captain John Hunter, arrived, and, as may be imagined, his arrival was hailed with joy by all the inhabitants of the settlement, excepting the military officers and their friends. He was a man of good judgment, benevolent character, and blameless private life, but he lacked that firmness which was necessary to enable him to successfully cope with the growing evils among the military, and keep the convict element free from fresh taint. He occupied the office until September, 1800, and during his administration agriculture made considerable progress, the prospects of the colony consequently becoming brighter. In order to stimulate the cultivation of the soil he allotted to each of the Government or military officers who had agricultural establishments ten convicts as farm-servants and three as house servants; to each free emigrant settler five convicts; to superintendents, constables, and storekeepers, four each; to mariners who had become settlers, two; to emancipated convicts, one; and to sergeants of the New South Wales Corps, one each.

Most of the cattle shipped from England had died on the voyage, but a number of horses, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry had been introduced successfully. In 1796 the price of a cow was £80, a horse £90, a sheep of the Cape breed £7 10s., a breeding sow £5, geese and turkeys £1 1s. each. Goat's flesh was sold at 1/6 per lb., butter at 3/-, and two years later as much as 22/- were paid for a common cup and saucer.

A small printing-press brought out in the First Fleet was used for the first time by Governor Hunter, in 1795, for printing public notices and Government orders, George Howe being the first Government Printer. This event, together with the discovery of the lost herd of cattle, the discovery of the Hunter River, and the establishment of a settlement at Newcastle, the erection of the first school and church (St. Phillip's), and further coastal exploration, formed the most noteworthy events of this epoch. The plan adopted by Governor Phillip of granting farms to emancipated convicts of good character, as well as to free settlers, was followed by Governor Hunter, and there can be no doubt that the number of good-conduct men was thus largely increased.

Maritime discovery received great impulse and encouragement from Governor Hunter, and he personally engaged in short voyages of research between the southern portion of Van Diemen's Land and Port Jackson. Collins states that he had been frequently heard to say that, with a few small vessels, perhaps three or four, if he could have obtained them, or if his instructions would have permitted his building them, he would in the course of a short period have gained some acquaintance with all that part of the coast which Captain Cook had not an opportunity of examining minutely. It was under his sanction and with his assistance that Messrs. Bass and Flinders entered upon their adventurous work of coastal exploration, resulting in the discovery of an inlet to the fertile district of Illawarra, and, subsequently, of the Shoalhaven River, Twofold Bay, and Wilson's Promontory. The first voyage of discovery was made in a small whale boat called the Tom Thumb, only about eight feet long, but the later voyages were made in a whale boat, manned by a crew of volunteers from the ships in harbour, and having only six weeks' provisions on board. But the adventurous explorers lengthened out their provisions to eleven weeks and returned safely at the end of that time, having covered a distance of 600 miles in an open boat. In the following year, 1798, Governor Hunter despatched these two enterprising sailors to follow up their discoveries, and they then completely circumnavigated Van Diemen's Land, Bass Straits being then found and named.

The Hunter River was discovered and proved navigable during Governor Hunter's rule, and it received its name from him, while the William and Paterson rivers were called after the Lieutenant-Governor, and the locality around the harbour was called Newcastle, from the abundance of pit-coal in its vicinity. The importance of these discoveries to the opening colony, in a commercial sense, was then but little understood.

It was only in after years that the fertility and extent of these northern districts became the subject of thought and conversation among the men in whose hands the work of settling the country was placed.

The population of the colony at the close of 1800, when Governor Hunter embarked for England, was 5,574 persons, including 776 children; in Norfolk Island (where a second settlement had been formed by Governor Phillip) there were 961; making a total of 6,535 souls. Of this population about one-third was located in Sydney, and the rest at Parramatta, Toongabbie and Castlehill, the land about which was being gradually brought under cultivation.

The following figures relate to this time also:—Horses in the colony 203, cattle 1,044, hogs 4,017, sheep, 6,124, goats 2,182, acres of land under cultivation 7,677. From February, 1792, to September, 1800, the extent of land granted was as follows:—

By Governor Phillip.................... 3,389 acres

By Lieut.-Governor Grose.......... 10,674 "

By Lieut.-Governor Patterson........ 4,965 "

By Governor Hunter....................28,650 "

Total.........................................47,678 acres.

Governor Hunter left the colony at the close of 1800, and shortly after his arrival in England he was appointed to the command of the Venerable, seventy-four. One event which happened while he was serving in that capacity will shew what manner of man he was. He was cruising with his vessel in Torbay when one of the seamen accidentally fell overboard. Captain Hunter ordered the vessel to be put about to pick the man up, but in executing the manoeuvre she missed stays, ran ashore, and was wrecked. Hunter was afterwards brought before a court-martial and tried for the loss of the vessel. During the trial, when asked what had induced him to put the ship about in such circumstances, he replied that "he considered the life of a British seaman of more value than any ship in His Majesty's navy." The brave man—not less brave because humane—was honourably acquitted, and was afterwards promoted to the rank of rear-admiral.

Hunter died in Scotland, the land of his birth, at an advanced age.