Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Saturday 12 September 1903, page 5


AN AUSTRALIAN CENTENARY. I

FOUNDATION OF HOBART.

A hundred years ago two Interesting ex I periments in colonisation were made by the British Government, the results of which were widely different One was the establishment of a convict settlement on the Derwent, in what was then known as Van Diemen's Land, and the other was an abortive attempt to found a similar settlement in Port Phillip These two schemes were so closely connected that their story can best be told together The year 1892 was a crucial time in the history of Europe, as well as of Australia The peace of Amiens, between France on the one part and England, Spain, and Holland on the other, was signed in March, but it was not expected to last long War, in fact, broke out again in May, 1869 France had lately been paying much attention to the newly discovered lands in the

South Seas, and in October, 1860, when Bonaparte was First Consul, a scientific expedition, consisting of two ships, Geo graphy and Naturaliste, under Commander Baudin, sailed from Havre, amidst great public demonstrations, on a voyage of discovery Although England and France were at war, the Admiralty granted Baudin a passport, on the ground that scientific expeditions should be exempt from hostilities It was, however, suspected that the real object of the expedition was to establish a French colony on the coast of New Holland as Australia was then called This expedition caused much perturbation in London and Sydney, and it was decided to occupy Van Diemen's Land, which in 1793 had been proved to be an island On August 31, 1803 Lieutenant John Bowen with the armed tender Lady Nelson and the whaler Albion sailed from Port Jackson and he arrived in the Derwent on Sunday, September 12 1865 in the Albion The Lady Nelson had arrived five days before, on September 7 The later date is regarded as the birthday of the colony (now state of Tasmania Lieutenant Bowen chose Risdon Cove on the left bank of the Derwent a few miles above Hobart, as the site for his settlement. Among the settlers were 21 male convicts and an overseer and three women, besides the officers and two free settlers. About two months later

the colony had! increased to 100 souls

PORT PHILIP EPISODE.

In the meantime events were in progress elsewhere that were ultimately to put an end to this the earliest, settlement in Tasmania On May 21, 1902, soon after the arrival of the French ship Naturaliste but before Commander Baudin in the Geo

graphy, had reached Port Jackson, Governor King sent a despatch to the British Go eminent, urging the importance of found ing a colony in Port Phillip which shortly before had been visted by Commander Murray and Lieutenant Bowen founder of the Risdon settlement), and the roughly surveyed by Flinders, who entered the harbour on April 27 1892 in the Investigator The British Government decided to follow Governor King's advice, and on April 24 1803 n AI S Calcutta, which was under orders to take to New South Wales 400 convicts and 50 free settlers, and the transport ship Ocean 481 tons sailed from Spithead for Port Phillip Lieut Colonel David Collins a native of Ireland, aged 47, who when Governor Phillip sailed for New Holland in 1788, accompanied him as judge advocate was placed in command as Governor of the intended settlement Collins seems to have been well fitted for his position. He was a remarkably handsome man, with delightful manners and no little tact in managing men. It was his fate to be the real founder of Tasmania and to narrowly escape being the founder of Victoria.

The Calcutta was commanded by Captain Daniel Woodriff who had been in New South Wales in 1702 3 his first lieutenant being Lieutenant J K Tuckey a young Irishman of much energy and ability who In 1895 published an account of the expedition

in the Calcutta went besides Governor Collins Lieutenant Sladden first lieutenant of marines the Rev. R Knopwood, chaplain, who wrote a diary of the voyage and Mr William I'Anson principal surgeon The vessel took 307 male convicts, and their military guard After an unevent-ful voyage in the course of which the expedition called at Teneriffe Rio de Janeiro and the Cape, the Calcutta entered Port Phillip Heads on October 6 the Ocean having

already arrived Both vessels anchored about a mile and a half east of the entrance Collins and A oodnfl immediately went on shore but returned in the evening report says that there was no water and that the soil was poor and sandy Two more days were spent in exploring the western side of the bay, but with no better result It was, however, necessary to unload the ships as the Calcutta had to go on to Port Jack son and the Ocean to China On October 13, the fourth day after their arrival. Collins went on shore with Woodnff at a bay on the east side of the harbour, near where Sorrento now stands, and here good water was found It was decided to remain here for a time, as the Governor had already made up his mind that Port Phillip was not suited for a settlement Lieutenant Tuckey and two others were sent in a launch to the north west, and reached Corio Bay near the site of Geelong They found plenty of snakes and insects, but water was scarce,

and the party was attacked by 200 blacks

Collins, in a despatch to Lord Hobart, dated November 14, wrote Were I to settle in the upper part of the harbour which is full of natives, I should require four times the force I have now to guard not only the convicts but perhaps myself, from attack ' He continued ' It may not have entered into your contemplation that there are at this time between 300 and 400 people sitting down cheerfully with no other or more certain supply of water than what is filtered daily through the perforated sides of six or eight cas! s which are sunk in the sand " In the basic letter Collins declares that the bay when viewed in a commercial light is wholly unfit for the purposes of a settlement, ' being situated in a deep and dangerous bight, between Cape Otway and Point Schanck, to enter which must even require a well

manned and well found ship a leading wind, and a certain time of tide " He adds

When all the disadvantages attending this bay are public!) known it cannot be supposed that commercial people will be very desirous of visiting Port Phillip ' Within 50 years from this date Her son's Bay won crowded with shipping and passengers were being landed at the rate of 1,000 a week from all parts of the world

VA ILU 234 UUCKLF J

The party remained on this spot between three and four months camped in tents Here the first white native of Victoria, M il ham James Hobart Thorne son of a marine was born on November 25 The first couple mained were Richard Gai Pitt, a convict and Hannah Harvey, a tree settler on November 28 and the first death was that of John Skilhorne a settler on October 10 Altogether there were 21 deaths but no more berths At first the general health was good, but in a few weeks sickness broke out and at one time there were 30 persons under medical treatment. The convicts soon began to cause trouble Three men deserted and within a week There were

12 missing Par ties started in pursuit, and 60 miles from the camp five of the deserters were captured and brought back The)

each received 100 lashes Still desertions

continued, though some of the runaways returned of their own accord, in a state of illness and exhaustion, having travelled over 100 miles, living on gum and shellfish Several were shot or captured but when

Collins left seven were left behind in the bush the history of one of them was re markable William Buckley an ex-soldier escaped from the camp on December 27, and nothing more was heard of him until, on July 12, 1853, he came upon the camp of John Batman, one of the founders of Melbourne for nearly 32 years he had lived among the natives without ever seeing a white man and ending innumerable hard ships he was pardoned, and settled in Tasmania. where he died in 1856 aged 70 years His huge ungainly) form" (he was nearly 6ft 6in in height) and heavy fact,

wrote Mr J B Walker in 1889, were familiar in the streets of Hobart in the me more of many of the ing "

MCWL TO THE DERWENT

At length, on January 27, 1804, Collins and his party embarked on the Ocean and the Lady Nelson and on January 30 sailed out of Port Phillip for the Derwent where it had been decided that a settlement should

be termed by Gov II nor Collins Lieutenant luck) writing of the departure makes the unlucky prediction, The kangaroo seems to go on undisturbed lord of the soil

a dominion valued by the evacuation of Port Phillip, he is likely to retain for ages ' It is remarkable that during his stay in Port Phillip Collins neglected to explore the head of the harbour This is the more inexplicable as the Calcutta actually anchored in Hobson's Bay off the site of a dliamstown, and took away 50 tons of water from the Yarra Yet no attempt was made to explore the river It was at first uncertain whether Collins would remove his party to Port Dalrymple, on the north coast of Tasmania, at the mouth of the Tamar, or to

the Derwent but after an examination of the northern port he decided in favour of the Derwent The two vessels entered the river on February 5 1864 and CORRIE. after inspecting Risdon decided that it was not a suitable site for a town With excellent judgment he chose Sullivan's Cove, and there a settlement was formed, the whole of the party landing on February 6. Xtw Button opfopj, which. had been

named Hobart, was abandoned, and the new settlement was called Hobart Town, a name which the city retained until 1881, when it was changed to Hobart The decision of Collins to abandon Port Phillip was fortunate for the future colony of Victoria and its capital, which were thus saved from becoming a convict settlement The date of his embarkation January 27 1804 is therefore deserving of being remembered by all A'lctoroins Mr J B Walker an authority on the early history of the island colony, writes -'The real history of Tasmania as an English colony begins with the departure from England in the spring of 1863 of the expedition of Lieutenant-Governor Collins the founder of Hobart

Collins's expedition Ins absolutely nothing to do with with the history of our Vir

woman neighbours The sandhills of Port Phillip merely served for a month or two as a resting place for the colonists on their way to the Derwent The story of those months is an essential part of the history of the first settlers of Hobart "