South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900)(about) |
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Wednesday 30 December 1857
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FOUNDATION Of THE COLONY.
In connection with the 'majority', pro ceedings it may not be uninteresting to our readers, and especially to old colonists,- to read two or three extracts relative to the proclama
tion of the colony by Governor Hindmarsh in December, 1836. The following is from the South Australian Gazette and Colonial Btguter of June 3, 1837, and was written by the late Mr. George Ste' venson : — ' ABUTTAL AKD - IKBTALIATION OP 1HE iQQVEBSOR. 'Since the month of March, 1836, vessels had been continually leaving England for our new colony. The Rapid, with Colonel Light, the Surveyor-General ; the Cygnet, Africaine, and Tam o' Shanter, with the rest of the sur veyors, Mr. Gouger, the Colonial Secretary, Mr. Brown, the Emigration Agent, and a strong party of labourers ; the South Aus tralian Compauy's ships the Duke of York, Lady Mary Pelham, Emma, and John Pine, with the Company's officers, servants, and stores had all arrived in safety, with the ex ception of the Tam o' Shanter, which met with an accident at the mouth of the harbour, the consequences of which, however, to the ship and cargo have not been so serious as at first they were expected to be. ''On the- morning of the 24th December H.M.S. Buffalo entered the magnificent har bour of Port Lincoln, and found the Cygnet at anchor in Spalding Cove. Captain 'Lipson, R.N., Naval Officer and Harbour-Master, camo on board with a letter from Colonel Light, the Surveyor-General, to His Excellency the Go vernor, announcing the most desirable location of our metropolis to bo on the eastern side of the Gulf St. Vincent, at the same time en couraging us with a most glowing description of that portion of the country. The Governor, accompanied by his Private Secretary, the Resident Commissioner, and the Harbour Master, landed at the head of Spalding Cove. There is no fresh water in the Cove, and the soil around its shores is barren. It is covered with scrubby wood, apparently a stunted variety of the eucalyptus. The view of the harbour of Port Lincoln itself, however, from Cape Donnington and the entrance to Spalding Cove, is beyond description fine. We, who had for our last port the splendid harbour of Rio de Janeiro, ; felt no difficulty in giving the preference to Port Lincoln. The ranges of beautifully-wooded hills rising behind Boston Island, extending on the one hand to the head of the harbour, and on the other along the western-shores of Spencer's Gulf, as far as the eye could reach, plainly indicated a rich and fertile country. In consequence, however, of the intelligence conveyed in Colonel Light's letter respecting the proposed location in St. Vincent's Gulf, and the knowledge that the officers of the Government who had preceded His Excellency were anxiously awaiting his arrival on the plains near Mount Lofty, it was determined to proceed thither without delay, and, in company with the Cygnet, the Buffalo came to anchor in St. Vincent's Gulf, Mount Lofty bearing due east, on the morning of the 28th. . ; 'At 2 o'clock of the same day, His Excel lency, accompanied by the ladies of his family ; Mr. Fisher, the Resident Commissioner ; Mr. Stevenson, His Excellency's Private Secretary ; the Rev. Mr. Howard, Colonial Chaplain j Mr. Gilles, Colonial Treasurer, and their fami lies, proceeded to the shore ia three boats, escorted by a party of marines, and landed on the beach at Sturt's River. They were re ceived and welcomed by Mr. Gouger, Mr, Brown, Mr. Gilbert (Storekeeper), Mr. King' ston (Deputy Surveyor), Mr. Morphett, Mr. Thomas, and the other gentlemen who had fixed their temporary habitations on the plain. ' His Excellency met the other members of Council in Mr. Grouper's tent, where His Majesty's Orders in Council, erecting South Australia into. a. province^ ; and appointing the colonial officers, and His Excellency's Com-' mission as Governor and Commander- in-Chief, were read, and the customary oaths adminis tered to the Governor, members of Council, and other officers present 'The Commission was afterwards read to the settlers, of whom about 200 were present. The British flag, was displayed -under a royal salute. The marines fired a feu de joie, and the Buffalo saluted the Governor with 15 guns. A cold collation, provided for the occasion, was laid out in the open air, of which the party partook. The healths of 'His Majesty,' *The Governor,' 'Officers,' 'Suc cess to South Australia,' and many other loyal and appropriate toasts wers given and drunk with great enthusiasm; and our National Anthem, combined with the circum stances under which it was sung, had more of grandeur in its simplicity than those who have only heard it in a theatre can conceive. 'Nothing could be more delightful or pro mising than the aspect of tlio plains named by His Excellency Glenelg, in which the Govern ment was constituted. They are of great extent, as nearly as oould be guessed 20 miles in length by about eight in breadth. The soil appeared to be of the richest quality, and was pronounced equal, by those who had seen both, to the prairies of Ohio and Indiana. Numerous splendid trees of the eucalyptus [genus, the Banksia rosa marinafolia, in full flower, studded the plain. The lupin, buttercup, and several of the wild Sowers of our own country, were met with and liailed with delight. Parrots, parroquets, and
quails were round in great variety. Every thing indicated, in short, the wild profusion which Nature delights to throw over her mos) favoured spots, and few of the agriculturists present but hoped 'their lines would fall in such pleasant places.' ' The proceedings of the day concluded hap pily as they had begun. Good feeling and good fellowship prevailed on all aides, and ' May South Australia flourish !' was the earnest prayer of every heart.' The following is from the diary of Mrs. Robert Thomas, written on the day after the proclamation of the colony : — ^ December 28, 1836. 'This was a proud and I hope will prove a happy day for South Australia. Early in the morning it was announced that the Buffalo had arrived from Port Lincoln, accompanied by the Cygnet, which had cone thither to escort the Governor to Holdfast Bay. This made us all alive, and soon after Mr. Thomas received notice to attend at the tent of Mr. Gouger, the Colonial Secretary, where His Ex cellency the Governor was expected to be at 3 o'clock to read his Commission and proclaim the colony. Mr. Thomas then went to the Company's store and soon returned with a request that he would procure a ham, as Mr. Gilbert was not provided with one, wluch was done, and a fine Hampshire ham was dressed for the occasion. It 'was also requested that we should prepare ourselves to meet the pro cession, as all who could were expected to attend. We went accordingly, and found the largest company assembled we had yet feen in the colony— perhaps 300 persons. The Gover nor's Private Secretary read the proclamation under a large gum tree, and a party of marines from the Buffalo fired a feu dejoie, and loud hurrahs succeeded. A cold collation followed in the open air, of which we partook. Tlie Governor was very affable, shaking hands with the colonists, and congratulating them on having such a fine country. After the repast he mounted on a chair and gave the first toast — ' The King,' which was received with tlires times three, and followed by the National Anthem, led by Mr. Gilles ; but the old royal appellation of Oeorga is so natural to English men after four successive reignB of kings of that name, that it was forgotten at the moment we have now a William on the throne, and the first line was sung as formerly-'— 'God save jfreat George, oar King,' which excited a smile, and yet I believe that William IV. has not more loyal subjects throughout his wide dominions than those who were there assembled to welcome the arrival of the first Governor of South Aus tralia. Tho health of His Excellency was then proposed and drunk witb loud and universal cheering, followed by 'Hule Bri tannia.' Then ' Mrs. Hindmarsb and the Ladies,' proposed 'by Mr. Gilbert, which alto received great applause, ait did several other toasts. The Governor then gave, the follow ing :— ' May tha present unanimity Continue as long as South Australia exist!,' which made the plain ring with acclamations ; and at about 5 o'clock His Excellency and Lady departed
to me snip, ana some omcers and others fol lowed in another boat. They all seemed highly delighted with our village, as I may call it, consisting now of about forty tents and huts though scattered about withont any regularity' as every family fixed their present abode wher ever they pleased, Jcnowing it would not ba of longf duration. We took coffee in Mr. King ston's hut, and returned home about 7 The evening, as well as the day and the preceding one, was very hot, and the night continued so insomuch that it was impossible to sleep, the thermometer having. be«n sometimes upward* of 100* in the. tent, and it seemed that some of the tolomatodid vat Men ,go,to bed, for we heard .amgxng, and- .hooting Ifrom* different i .jvuvva? ?ij\a4i'i:icii'.f .-.01 ' rr_*-ri
A11* here I may remark that from the exceed ? mg ibUness of the night, except when the wind disturbs the trees near us, we can distinctly hear almost every sound that occurs, though at a considerable distance. The following is an extract from a letter addressed to her aunt in England by Miss Fisher (now Mrs. Morphett), and dated Feb ruary 10, 1837 :— 'Wo arrived in Holdfast Bay (a name-given to part of St. Vincent's Gulf by Colonel Light the Surveyor-General) early on the morning of the 28th of December last, about five miles from shore. After searching a short time we descried a flagstaff, which had been erected near the shore by those persons already there. A boat was instantly lowered and sent on shore, and returned with Mr. Gouger, the Colonial Secretary, and some other gentlemen. After some consultation it was agreed that the proclamation should be read, for which pur pose it was necessary that all the officers belonging to the colony should go on shore, and it was afterwards determined that the ladies should accompany them. We — that is, all the passengers — left the Buffalo at 1 o'clock, and upon our arrival on shore we were met by some of the ladies and gentlemen already there; all the officers of the ship also attended in full uniform. We first proceeded to the Colonial Secretary's hut, and as soon as all the gentle men were assembled the ladies adjourned to another hut, belonging to Mr. Brown, the Emigration Agent, and remained there until the Governor had taken the oath of allegiance. When that ceremony was over we again joined the gentlemen, and Mr. Stevenson, His Ex cellency's Secretary, read the proclamation aloud after which a party of the marines (which had been sent on shore from the Buffalo) fired a 'feu de joie, and we pro ceeded to where a cold collation had been pre pared for us under a large gum-tree. Nume rous speeches were made and healths drunk, after which I took a short stroll with some others, in consequent of which we missed the boat, so that I was detained on shore till long alter dark ; but to tell you the truth I was not sorry for it, for Papa, James, Charles, and Fanny, and several others were with us, and we were very hospitably entertained by a gentleman who had pitched his tent there, and enjoyed ourselves very much. ' This was the first time I trod in South Australia, and on this day was laid the founda tion of a colony of which the most sanguine expectations have been formed, and which I sincerely trust will one day become the means of civilizing a tract of country hitherto in habited only by savages, and also in the course of time of introducing Christianity into a country that has never yet acknowledged a Divine Creator. 'You would smile if you were to see the way in which we get on. We have two cups and saucers, which have been lent us, and six plates, two spoons, and everything else in pro portion. ' I flatter myself we shall make as good colonists as any here ; for we can all do a little of everything, and are all willing and united, and can be happy with a little, although I shall certainly be glad when we get a little more settled, for at present it is not very com fortable ; but you must not think we are dis satisfied, for we are quite the reverse. ' We have had two cocks and hens given to us to begin our little farm with, and also a goose and a gander— the two latter, by the captain of the Coromandel. I feel as much at home here as if I had been here for years, and so independent— it is really, quite delightful. The rest of the children come to us next Tues day. It is very picturesque here to see the different, tents pitched about and the rush huts. I really think we ought to be thankful to the Almighty who has brought us thus far in safety, and who has conducted us to a land which answers everybody's expectations, and the soil of which is delightful; and we ought to demonstrate our gratitude to Him by making the best of everything — being cheerful and contented, assisting one another, and dwel ling together in unity, peace, and concord. That such may be the case is my earnest prayer, and that we may endeavour not only to be Christians outwardly, but to set in such a manner as to show forth the true spirit of Christianity; then, indeed, I doubt not we shall flourish. ' I am at present, to use a genteel expres sion, 'Jack-of-all-Trades' — first making a pud ding, then helping to eat it, then writing for Papa, then scolding the children, then working, then putting my cottage in order in fact I could fill a page with my different occupa tions.'