The birth of British Australia 1788-1829 Flashcards
Who was the first Governor of Australia?
Arthur Phillip
Why did the American War of Independence affected the role of Australia?
Because as a result Britain couldn’t send her prisoners felons there, and therefore they were rotting in hulks in the Thames
Why was Botany Bay chosen for settlement?
Joseph Banks had described the place as fertile to the Transport Committee in 1779 and James Matra mentioned flax could be grown there
What was the geopolitical reason for settling in Australia?
It meant the French could not, the British could claim all the territory for themselves
Why was Norfolk Island a factor in settling in Australia?
It had pine and flax which could be used for building ships
Why had crime increased by the 1780s?
Urbanisation and slum poverty drove many to crime
Why were there more prisoners let in the 1780s than there previously had been?
Laws such as the Waltham Black Act made many minor offenses liable to hanging, so many juries let people off and the King (in particular George III) gave pardons
How many people and, of them, convicts, went on the first voyage?
1,420 went of whom 775 were convicts
What proportion of First Fleet convicts were repeat offenders?
Half to two-thirds
Which military group came on the First Fleet and under who’s watch?
The marines, lead by Major Robert Ross
Why were the marines useless in early Australia?
They didn’t wish to take part in any non-military action, so seamen had to act as overseers and police
What did Phillip do while in power?
Build the colony in terms of housing and food supply, gave land grants to ex-convicts, respected the Aboriginals, and was tough but fair in discipline
How and when did Thomas Brisbane change the governance of Australia?
Less paternalistic style, with less government spending and more consolidation of power of the freeborn settlers
Why was Botany Bay inadequate for settlement?
Lack of fresh water supply and uncultivable land
What happened to the livestock of the First Fleet?
It was eaten or had disappeared by 6 months
What were the issues of Sydney to the First Fleet?
No ploughs and thin soil made cultivation of crops impossible and little ability to create bricks and mortar
Why were the convicts of the First Fleet useless at work?
They were mainly townies who were not used to working in teams and with farming tools
What did the government expect of the First Fleet?
To be self-sufficient in 4 years at a grand total of £70,000
What was set up by Phillip?
The Government Farm at Parramatta
How much land was under cultivation publicly and privately by the time Phillip left in 1792?
1,000 acres of public land and 516 of private land
What is an example of Phillips good thinking (spending)?
In 1788 he spent money buying supplies to tide the colony over till new supplies arrived
How did Phillip help the success of the venture before it had begun?
He spent an extra 6 months in meticulous planning of the supplies and ships he took with him
What did Phillip do in 1790 to extend the life of the colony?
He sent 183 convicts and others to Norfolk Island, which had a mutton bird which helped with rations
How many people starved to death under Phillip’s governance?
1, Joseph Owen
How did Phillip’s control of food stores aid the colony?
From April 1st 1790 the rations were equal for all, so no revolts over more marine food. Also the day was cut short as people couldn’t work hard on these meagre rations
How did Phillip relieve food issues in his policy of land grants and example?
He gave ex-convicts land grants so they could come off government stores, starting with 30 acres for James Ruse in 1791
What shows the lack of luck of the early colony?
2 ships which meant to bring food, Sirius and the Guardian, were shipwrecked
What proportion of the Second Fleet population died in transit?
A quarter
Which firm organized the Second Fleet and to what effect?
Camden, Calvert and King, who cut corners in terms of health which led to many deaths
When did the Second Fleet arrive?
Mid-1790
How did Phillip aid food issues once the Second Fleet arrived?
He sent the Atlantic to obtain rice in Calcutta once it arrived
Which group made up the most substancial group in Australia?
The Irish
Why were the Irish feared?
Overall fear of Catholics and the fact some were political dissidents
What did some frightened prisoners do in Sydney in the beginning of the colony?
They ‘bolted’ to walk to China, but died on the way
What was the time between 1792-1809 called?
The Rum Years, for the New South Wales Corps or Rum Corps had much power
How long was Lachlan Macquarie Governor for?
1809-1921
What occurred in 1812 to greatly improve the economic situation of the colony?
First sterling silver coins were landed, removing the early mess of currencies, IOUs, promissory notes and rum
What happened in 1815 and what was it’s effect on the colony?
End of Napoleonic Wars, economic depression, increase in crime, more prisoners, more ships available for transporting them
What percentage of prisoners arrived in Australia post-1815 and what was it’s effect?
75%, which meant that Macquarie had many men to play with in creating his public works programme
What occurred between 1794-95 and what was the effect?
Phillip had gone, Hunter had not arrived, so the Rum Corps took power which they held till 1809
What occurred in 1808 and what was it’s effect?
Rum Rebellion, which lead to Macquarie removing them in 1809
What occurred in the early 19th century which limited governors powers?
As contact between London and Australia grew faster, free settlers could undermine the governor by writing letters to the British Government i.e. Bligh failures
Who were the gentry?
Group whose wealth came from agricultural landownership, often ex-Rum Corps
Who were the emancipists?
Ex-convicts, usually at the bottom of the pile, aka government men
Who were the currency?
Children of emancipists, respected more than parents and often law-abiding
Who were the exclusives?
Free settlers, also Rum Corps members who chose to stay
Who were the sterling?
The children of the exclusives
What occurred to the Rum Corps in 1809?
They were dismantled, some stayed, the rest were garrisoned in Guernsey, but they were not blamed as Bligh was seen as inadequate
Who were 3 important emancipists for Macquarie?
George Crossley (lawyer), William Redfern (doctor who delivered Mrs Macquarie’s baby) and Frances Greenway (architect)
What was Macquarie’s view of Australian societal members which was different to before?
He was sympathetic to the emancipists, shown by the way he gave a speech to all new arrivals about the opportunity emancipist life could offer
How did Macquarie change the role of the governor?
It became more paternalistic in style, and kinder in terms of giving land grants
How did society change under Macquarie?
It became more respectable, with less drunkenness (public houses closed during religious services) and for example only cohabitation after benefit of clergy
How did the role of the convict change by 1810?
They started to be assigned to masters who controlled them in the wool industry
How many hours a week did a convict work during Macquarie’s time?
9 hours a day, and 5 on Saturdays
How did punishment become fairer under Macquarie?
Before punishment, all cases had to be heard before a magistrate, and all convicts still had food, drink and rum
What was the proportion of men to women in the early colony?
6 to 1
What was the desire of women in the colony?
Find a protector to avoid rape, also as a steady supply of food, often in domestic service for officers
What happened to many unlucky women in the colony?
They were returned pregnant to Government Store
What occurred in 1806?
Samuel Marsden’s Female Register, where those not married in an Anglican way were counted as concubines (around 1,000 out of 1,400)
Who were the specials?
Those convicts with skilled labour, who were often uses as artists to draw the life of the colony or as skilled workers (i.e. the literate ones)
Which practise did King begin?
Granting tickets of leave, which he did to all gentlemen convicts when they Arizona
How did Macquarie work with the tickets of leave?
He handed them out quite liberally, but unlike King, everyone had to do some time - he also gave quite a few pardons
Which new area expanded it’s growth post-1800 and why?
Hawkesbury River, for it had fertile land and the mouth had a good source of oysters
What occurred in 1816 and why did it annoy the exclusives?
Macquarie sent a punitive mission to secure control of the emancipist-land Hawkesbury River, which represented his favouritisim to this group
What were the Macquarie towns?
5 planned out settlements on the Hawkesbury River, each with an inn, church and a school
How did Macquarie fund the Sydney hospital?
By selling the license to for trade in spirituous liquor to the builders of it
Which road did Macquarie build which was of great importance?
The Blue Mountain traversing road
Why were the aboriginal people treated so badly by Cook on first arrival, and therefore subsequently?
They did not farm, so had no claim to the land they lived on
Who were the local New South Wales aboriginal tribe?
The Eora
What occurred between the aboriginals and convicts almost immediately?
Convicts robbed aboriginals, aboriginals then robbed convicts, ended up in 1788 with 2 dead convicts
Why was it hard to make the aboriginals feel safe even if Phillip wanted to?
When he punished those convicts who stole from the aboriginals, all they saw was injustice
What percentage of the aboriginal population was wiped out by smallpox?
At least 50%
Why could the smallpox epidemic be blamed on the First Fleet?
Perhaps deliberate biological warfare by Surgeon White who brought vials of the disease with him, or maybe through clothes and goods brought with them
Why could the smallpox epidemic be not blamed on the First Fleet?
Perhaps it was Makassan sailors from Indonesia, or the disease was a strong form of chickenpox
Why were the aboriginals way of life destroyed by First Fleet expansion?
Their fishing waters were taken over
Why did the violence against the aboriginal people begin in Van Diemen’s Land?
The convict bushmen created for killing kangaroos to eat turned their weapons onto the ‘vermin’ aboriginals
What caused so much confrontation between aboriginals and Van Diemen’s Land exclusives?
The merinos who arrived used lots of the land for wool production since 1804 (there was 436,256 sheep on the island in 1827)
What occurred in 1828 in VDL?
Governor Arthur put out a proclamation of martial law forcing aboriginals to move to the Settled Districts of the island
Why did it only take until 1928 for there to be more free settlers than convicts?
High-birth rate, 1/4 of free population were children
Why was VDL settled and when?
1803 for strategic and whaling reasons
How did George Arthur change VDL for settlers?
He instituted police districts which controlled settlers, and also black/red-listed settlers, withholding convict labour from them
How did George Arthur change VDL for convicts?
He instituted the 7-Level system to reach freedom
What was the main source of income for Australia until the 1830s?
Whaling and it’s products: whalebone, whale oil and seal skin
What did Robert Campbell do in 1805 to change the whale industry in the colony?
He broke the EIC monopoly by sailing directly to London with whale stocks
What was used for whaling in terms of transport?
Open-bottom dories
What occurred during the early 1800s in terms of VDL’s production of goods?
Wool trade grew more important (1805, 20,000 sheep) alongside whaling
What did John Macarthur do to revolutionize the wool industry?
He imported merino sheep to the colony, starting a new exclusive group of Exclusives, the merinos
What were wool exports worth by 1830?
£2 million
When did the Blue Mountain road begin it’s construction and how long did it take?
1814, 6 months
What was created in 1824 by Royal Charter?
Australian Agricultural Company which was given a million acres of land to farm using convict labour
Why was Western Australia settled?
Forestall movements by French, trading with India and China and for ‘agricultural’ reasons
What was set up in 1828 and what was it’s role?
Swan River Company, to send out 10,000 free settlers to Western Australia
What happened originally to the Swan River colony?
Even though £3 gave you 40 acres, merely 1,500 were there by 1832 due to famine
What does the nature of settlement in Western Australia show us about government thinking?
That Australia was no longer for convicts only, but also useful for industry
Who was sent by the government in 1819 to Australia and to do what?
John Thomas Bigge was sent to report on the governorship of Macquarie
What was the results of the Bigge Report?
Macquarie’s rule was questioned, as it recommended changes to the system, and the New South Wales Act of 1823 was passed limiting governor power
What did the Bigge report recommend?
Less convicts on public works, more on farming, less early pardons/tickets of leave and no positions of responsibility to Emancipists
What did the New South Wales Act of 1823 do?
Created a legislative council with Exclusives chosen as members, and separated governor from judiciary, and NSW from VDL
What occurred during the 1820s to do with local politics?
The governor lost much power, as frequent contact with London and legislative assembly was needed
What was set up in 1825 by Royal Charter?
The VDL Company
Number of land grants made in by Phillip and how many were for ex-convicts?
66 grants, 53 for ex-convict
Original name for Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson
How did the aboriginals play a key part in the food stocks of the early colony?
Colonists traded food with them
How many died in the First Fleet and Death Fleet?
48 v 278
What did the aboriginals do between 1790-1810 to fight back for their land?
Made a number of raids on the colony, led by Pemulwuy of the Bidjigal clan
What happened in July 1788 which showed the different law system in Australia?
A convict couple successfully sued a First Fleet captain for the loss of a parcel in transit, something which would not have occurred in English law
What is the 26th of January?
Celebration Day of the first settlement, and a day of protest and mourning for the aboriginal community
Who cut a path to the Blue Mountains how far and how long did it take?
Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were given permission by Macquarie to carry out an expedition to the Blue Mountains which took 21 days across 50 miles to Mount Blaxland
How did the aboriginals aid the whaling community?
They worked in Twofold Bay giving advice to the British
How was whaling more than just an Australian affair?
American ships also used the waters around Australia
Why was Phillip so keen on whaling?
He began his maritime career as a whaler
How did the Third Fleet help whaling?
5 out of 11 ships were whalers with whaling captains
When did whale oil income equal that of wool?
1836
