Birth of British Australia 1788-1829: What was extent and nature of colonial control in Australia 1803-29?

Question 1

How many convicts were transported to Australia 1788-1868?

Answer 1

168,000

Question 2

Give three reasons why the number of convicts transported to Australia rose steeply after 1815.

Answer 2

:
1. End of Napoleonic Wars so:
* more ships available and
* short-term economic problems in Britain so more crime
2. rapidly growing population in Britain (doubled 1801-1841)

Question 3

What was the approximate ratio of male to female convicts transported to Australia?

Answer 3

6:1

Question 4

As well as more convicts, what were two key reasons for population growth in Australia?

Answer 4

• soldiers sent to guard convicts often stayed
• very high birth rate among settlers/convicts

Question 5

When did British start to settle Van Diemen’s Land?

Answer 5

1803

Question 6

Give two reasons why Van Diemen’s Land was chosen as second settlement after NSW?

Answer 6

1. strategic value as sailing through Bass Strait took weeks of the journey England to Sydney
2. key area for whaling, which NSW economy depended on

Question 7

Who governed Van Diemen’s Land 1823-37?

Answer 7

Sir George Arthur

Question 8

How could convicts in Van Diemen’s Land earn their freedom?

Answer 8

working through seven levels of punishment devised by Arthur

Question 9

How did Arthur control the free settlers in Van Diemen’s Land?

Answer 9

by withholding their assigned labour

Question 10

What were Arthur’s views on friendly relationships between convicts and free settlers?

Answer 10

banned (he thought convicts needed to be punished not helped)

Question 11

When did the British start whaling and sealing off Australia?

Answer 11

after arrival of Third Fleet in 1791

Question 12

What were the three key products from sealing and whaling that were exported from Australia?

Answer 12

whale oil, whalebone, sealskins

Question 13

Where were the two key spots for whaling?

Answer 13

Sydney harbour and the estuary in Van Diemen’s Land

Question 14

What sort of boats were used for whaling?

Answer 14

open-bottom dories

Question 15

Why were open-bottom dorries used for whaling?

Answer 15

cheap to build (as simple and lightweight) and designed for estuaries and harbours

Question 16

How and where were seals killed for their skings?

Answer 16

clubbed to death on beaches

Question 17

By which year did the colony grow enough grain to feed itself, allowing it to start production to sell/export?

Answer 17

1805

Question 18

Who was the key person in driving the growth of the Australian wool industry?

Answer 18

John Macarthur, who came out with Second Fleet

Question 19

What were two key achievements of John Macarthur?

Answer 19

imported merino sheep
took first wool bale back to Britain

Question 20

Why was John Macarthur sent back to Britain?

Answer 20

To stand trail for his part in the Rum Rebellion

Question 21

When was the first crossing of the Blue Mountains?

Answer 21

1813

Question 22

Who carried out the first crossing of the Blue Mountains?

Answer 22

Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth, led by an Aboriginal guide

Question 23

What did Blaxland report back to the governor after crossing the Blue Mountains?

Answer 23

enough grazing land west of the mountains to support the colony for 30 years

Question 24

What did Macquarie commission in 1814?

Answer 24

road across Blue Mountains

Question 25

How long did it take for convict labour to build the road over the Blue Mountains?

Answer 25

six months

Question 26

When was the Australian Agricultural Company established by Royal Charter?

Answer 26

1824

Question 27

How much land was the Australian Agricultural Company given in 1824?

Answer 27

1 million acres

Question 28

Give three reasons why Western Australia was settled?

Answer 28

1. to stop the French from settling there 2. to trade with India and China 3. on recommendation of Captain James Stirling

Question 29

When was the first British settlement established in Western Australia?

Answer 29

1826

Question 30

When was the Western Australia coast claimed for Britain?

Answer 30

1791

Question 31

What was the first British settlement in Western Australia?

Answer 31

small military outpost at Albany

Question 32

When was the Swan River Company established?

Answer 32

1828

Question 33

How was the settlement in Western Australia different to that in NSW and VDL?

Answer 33

free settlers rather than convicts

Question 34

How many settlers did the Swan River Company undertake to send to Western Australia in return for a large land grant?

Answer 34

10,000

Question 35

How many acres were each of the settlers given?

Answer 35

40 acres for every £3 they had in assets

Question 36

When did the first non-military settlers arrive in Western Australia?

Answer 36

1829

Question 37

What did Captain Freemantle lay claim to in May 1829?

Answer 37

all of Australia except NSW

Question 38

How many colonists were there in Western Australia by 1832?

Answer 38

only 1,500

Question 39

Why was the Western Australia important even if initially small?

Answer 39

Change in thinking of Australia as an oen prison to a source of potential wealth and opportunity

Question 40

Who was appointed in 1819 as commissioner of an inquiry to report on whether transportation to Australia was still an effective punishment?

Answer 40

John Thomas Bigge

Question 41

What were the four main conclusions of the inquiry into effectiveness of punishment of being sent to Australia?

Answer 41

1. convict labour should be used mainly on sheep farms not on public works programmes. 2. Early pardone and ticketst of leae granted under Macuqarie should stop. 3. Land grants for Emancipists should stop. 4. Positions of responsibility should not be given to Emancipists.

Question 42

What did the 1823 New South Wales Act do?

Answer 42

Altered power of governors in existing colonies, eg independent justice system, legislative council to advise governors, VDL to officially become separate colony

Question 43

What change was made to legislative councils in 1828?

Answer 43

enlarged from 7 to 15 members, with 7 nominated by governor and 8 being government officials