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The Scottish who came to Australia. By Malcolm
D. Prentis
(Extracts from his 1983 book, The Scots in Australia, selected by
Annette Ross)
Pride of place as Australia's
first Scotsman goes to Captain John Hunter, who arrived with Phillip in
1788, and became his successor as Governor of New South Wales in 1795.
Hunter set the pattern for a Caledonian influence in the colonial
administration.
As New South Wales was under military rule, early Scottish influence
arrived as Royal Marines. Major Robert Ross was the commanding officer
from 1788 to 1791, he was also Lieutenant Governor. Also with the marines
when they arrived was Lieutenant George Johnston from Dumfriesshire, he
later transferred to the New South Wales Corps, as acting Administrator
briefly in 1808 after his overthrow of Bligh.
It is difficult to know whether to describe Lieutenant John Macarthur as a
Scot : he was born in England to Alexander and Katharine MacArthur,
Jacobite refugees from Argyll. Captain of the NSW Corps was William
Paterson, he arrived in 1791, & administered the government in 1794 to
1795 & in 1809. He clashed with Macarthur, who wounded him in their
infamous duel in 1801.
In the colonial period, three
Scottish regiments served in Australia. First was Macquarie's unit, the
73rd Regiment of Foot, later known as 'the Perthshires'. The second from
1833 to 1839, the Royal North British Fusiliers, the 21st Regiment of
Foot, after six years of duty they departed for India. Thirdly, the famous
King's Own Scottish Borderers, the 25th Regiment of Foot. The regiment
that relieved the 73rd was the 46th, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel
George James Molle from Chirnside, Berwickshire. The 46th was relieved in
1817 by the 48th Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel James Erskine,
a Scotch-Irishman, who also succeeded Molle as Lieutenant-Governor. The
3rd Regiment relieved the 48th in 1821 Colonel William Stewart taking its
command and the Lieutenant-Governorship in 1825.
Three of the first six governors of New South Wales were Scots, two of
them occupied the post for fifteen years, from 1810 to 1825. John Hunter
was born in Leith, the port of Edinburgh, in 1737 and rose to the position
of Vice-Admiral of the Red. Lachlan Macquarie's father, also Lachlan, was
a cousin of the sixteenth and last chief of the Maquaries of Ulva, a small
clan on a small island in an area dominated by Macleans and clan Campbell.
Maquarie's mother was the only sister of Maclaine of Lochbuie. His second
wife, Elizabth Campbell, was related to the Earl of Breadalbane. His
father was a tenant of the chief of clan Campbell, the Duke of Argyll.
Thomas Brisbane was Governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825.
Of the four Deputy Commissaries-General (the highest rank in the colony)
from 1813 to 1835, three were Scots. The first, David Allan 1813 to 1819.
During the term of William Wemyss from 1821 to 1827, William Lithgow
arrived in 1824 and commenced the accounts branch of the Commissary, and
he became the first Auditor-General from 1827 until 1852. Another
Commissariat officer was Stewart Ryrie. Wemyss's successor was James
Laidley 1827 to 1835. Colonel William Stewart was succeeded as Garrison
Commander and Lieutenant- Governor in 1827 by Colonel Sir Patrick Lindesay
from Midlothian, he served for nine years. Lieutenant-Colonel Kenneth
Snodgrass from Paisley was appointed Commandant of Mounted Police and
officer in charge of the Ordnance Department in 1829, acting as
Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land and administrator of New South
Wales from 1837 to 1838. Major Joseph Anderson, a Sutherlander serving
with the 50th Regiment, was commandant from 1834 to 1839. Alexander
Maconochie, a paid-off navel officer, became Superintendent on Norfolk
Island, and implemented his humane ideas of prison discipline.
Lieutneant Charles Menzies, RM, was the first Commandant at Newcastle
secondary penal establishment. The first Commandant at Moreton Bay, was
Captain Patrick Logan, from Berwickshire, arrived with the 57th Regiment
in1825 and commanded the Moreton Bay settlement from then until his death
at the hands of Aborigines in 1830. Logan was succeeded by Captain James
Olipant Clunie of the 17th Regiment, son of a Midlothian manse.
Apart from John Hunter, there were few Scots of the Royal Navy who made
much impact in New South Wales. However two Scottish navel lieutenants
made important contributions to the early sea-borne exploration of the
colony: John Murray and James Grant. Scottish navel officers also made a
marked contribution to medicine, several navel surgeons and surgeons of
convict ships were Scots. Most of then became noted landowners: three
examples were William Balmain from Rhynd in Perthshire, who arrived on the
First Fleet, David Reid of Aberdeen and Peter Miller Cunningham of
Dumfriesshre.
The first Chief Justice and the first Puisne Judge of New South Wales were
Scottish. Sir Francis Forbes and his deputy, John Stephen who also became
the first Solicitor-General. Colonial botany was almost a Scottish
monopoly, as far as the official position of Colonial Botanist was
concerned. William Paterson, Sir Patrick Lindesay and Commissariat officer
George Harper had been keen amateur naturalists. Robert Brown from
Aberdeen was one of the great botanists of the nineteenth century, he came
to Australia in 1800 as naturalist on Matthew Flinder's Investigator.
Charles Frazer from Blair Atholl, Perthshire, was Colonial Botanist from
1819 to 1831, accompanying Oxley on three expeditions. His two successors,
Richard and Allan Cummingham, who held the post from 1832 to 1839, both
knew Robert Brown and were influenced by him to work in Australia.
The colossus of the Survey Department was Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell,
Surveyor-General from 1828 to 1855 from Craigend in Stirlingshire, rose to
the rank of Major at the age of thirty-four. Mitchell's fame rests on his
explorations.
Scotland has a long tradition of producing engineers, two of the most
significant were David Lennox, the master mason from Ayr. He was appointed
Superintendent of Bridges in 1833. From 1844 to 1853 he was Superintendent
of Bridges for Port Phillip. John Busby was employed on coal mine works
and water supply engineering in Sydney 1824 to 1837, his legacy being
'Busby's Bore', the water pipeline into Sydney. Also an important
contribution was made by Andrew Petrie, Clerk of Works 1837 to 1839 and
later private builder.
Two Scotts held the Colonial Secretaryship from 1825 to 1856 and another
was Colonial Treasurer from 1830 to 1856. The first Colonial Secretary was
Alexander McLeay, from Ross-shire. MaLeay's successor was
Edward Thomson, from Edinburgh.
The Colonial Treasurer from 1830 until responsible government in 1856 was
Campbell Drummond Riddell, the grandson of Sir James Riddell of
Ardnamurchan, baronet.
Scottish Convicts.
There were 8,207 Scottish convicts among nearly 150,000 transported to
Australia. Interesting enough only 4.8 per cent of male convicts were
Scottish, and 9.3 per cent were female. A relatively large number of
Scottish convicts were transported for larceny (burglary and break and
entering) committed in or around Glasgow and Edinburgh. Often, also, they
were multiple offenders. John Flynn was gaoled for theft, escaped,
committed another theft while free, and was transported to Van Diemen's
Land in 1843. Robert Gilchrist was convicted in January 1834 in Glasgow of
housebreaking with aggravation and transported to NSW for seven years. The
famous Andrew Thompson was convicted of burglary at Jedburgh in 1790 and
transported for fourteen years. William Highat was sentenced to fourteen
years for sheep stealing in Ayshire in 1816. James Ried was a young
apprentice who absconded, and was later reported to have been an old
offender and escapee. Thomas McGovan was a larcenous soldier from the 88th
Regiment who was handed over for trial to the civil courts for sentencing
: he and two others were transported for stealing 3 pounds 10 shillings at
a tollgate.
Elizabeth McGuire, had been convicted over twenty times for drunkenness.
And a very high proportion of the Scottish women convicts were
prostitutes, many had been on the streets a long time, up to fifteen years
in some cases. Estimates for later in the nineteenth century place the
number of Glasgow street-walkers at six to seven thousand.
The two best known Scottish convicts in the earlier years were Thomas
Watling, 'the limner of Dumfries', transported for forgery. The second,
was Andrew Thompson who died in 1810 a wealthy man, the pall-bearers at
his funeral were Cox, Lord, Arndell and Gregory Blaxland. Mrs McLeod
of Skye was transported in the 1810's for burning down a neighbor's house
in a fit of jealousy.
Even more interesting were two batches of Scottish political prisoners
sent out in 1793 to 1795 and 1820. The so-called 'Scottish Martyrs' of
1792 are far better known than the radicals of 1820. Their case inspired
Robert Burns's patriotic effusion 'Scots Wha Hae'. The martyrs numbered
five, strictly speaking: Thomas Muir, an advocate; Thomas Fyshe Palmer, a
Unitarian cleric; Maurice Margarot, a wine merchant; Joseph Gerrald, a
planter & barrister; and William Skirving, a tutor. A sixth man, a
weaver of Dundee called George Mealmaker, was sent out in 1800 and is
sometimes included among the Scottish Martyrs because he was connected
with their sedition in 1792. In fact, only two of the Martyrs, Muir and
Skirving, were Scottish, or three if we count Mealmaker. Their cases were
notorious, their exile was famous, and Muir's escape, subsequent
adventures and death were bizarre and more than sensational.
The ' Scottish Radicals' transported in 1820 were very different, lacking
the social status of the Martyrs, they were hardly known at all, yet made
a far greater contribution to New South Wales. Nineteen were transported
as a result of the affray at Bonnymuir near Stirling on 5th April 1820.
Two others, Baird and Hardie, were executed. James Clelland, one of the
radicals, had been saved from execution. John Anderson was from 1823 to
his death in 1858 at the age of sixty-five, schoolmaster at the
Presbyterian school held in the little old church at Ebenezer on the
Hawkesbury. Another Thomas McCulloch prospered from stocking-maker to
convict to publican to landowner. John McMillan exploited his trade of
blacksmith and gradually diversifying into ship work, tool-making and
scale-beam making.
Scottish Immigration
On 18 May 1798 the Barwell arrived carrying two Scottish families destined
to make modest but worthy contributions to the colony. Andrew and
Elizabeth McDougall. A John and Honor Bowman and sons George and William
came from East Lothian, where John had experience building corn mills.
Walter Stevenson Davidson of Aberdeenshire arrived on the Argo in 1805 and
was granted 2,000 acres in the Cowpastures. William Howe, a Scottish
borderer, left the army after Waterloo, and settled in New South Wales, he
was granted 3,000 acres at Minto. One who had a much more spectacular
career was ex-Royal Marine officer, James Mudie, who arrived in 1822. His
partner was John Larnach, who arrived from Caithness in 1823. Among the
immigrants a number of tacksmen and other well-to-do Highlanders were,
Donald Mackay, brother of the clan chief Lord Reay in 1821 & Alexander
Macrae, tacksmen of Glenshiel in 1822. The majority were Lowlanders, many
from prominent families, Francis Irvine, son of Irvine of Drum, head of
the name in 1822 and Peter Hay of Melrose in 1825 who received a grant of
6,000 acres. One of the best examples was George Ranken, third of eight
sons of Ranken of Whitehill in Ayrshire, who was recommended to the
Colonial Secretary by local notable Sir Alexander Boswell of Auchinleck.
Apart from straightforward settlers there was a small group drawn to
Australia by the prospects of trade. William Douglas Campbell of Elgin
came in 1797. Robert Campbell, his family has been lairds of Ashfield and
Duntroon and Alexander Berry became Laird of the Shoalhaven. Charles Hook
from Argyll and Fife-born William Walker were other early merchants
arrivals, along with Benjamin Boyd and A.B. Spark.
Assisted Immigrants first arrived on the 350-ton ship Stirling Castle,
chartered from Messes Alan Ker and Company, Greenock. There were two
ministers, the Reverend John Cleland and Thomas Thomson, and three
professors for the Australian College, Henry Carmichael, John Anderson
& William Pinkerton along with their wives or sisters. The famous
'Scottish Mechanics' comprised fifty-four adult men plus their families:
stonemasons and bricklayers, carpenters and joiners, blacksmiths,
plasterers, etc., and all members of Christian churches &
congregations. The Reverend J.D. Lang made many other trips, bringing more
tradesman & their families to Australia. Between 1832 and 1850 approximately
88,988 assisted immigrants arrived in Australia, about 14,000 were
Scottish, or 15.11 per cent.
Scottish unassisted immigrants from 1832 to 1850 were about 25,000, or
about twenty to twenty-five per cent. Janet Templeton, a widow from
Glasgow, brought her nine children, employees, some merino sheep and a
considerable amount of capital on the chartered Czar in 1830, she settled
in Parramatta, but later moved to Melbourne in 1840 where she had a 10,000
acre run. Other settlers in the 1830's were the Imlay brothers, Alexander
Hunter of the Monaro and Gippsland. John 'Tinker' Campbell in 1833, and
Ernest G.B.E. Dalrymple in 1839 were Darling Downs squatters.
A number of members of a Scottish-Norwegian family, the Archers, arrived
in 1834 and 1838. The wide-ranging pastoralist author Gideon Scott Lang
arrived in 1841. Some of the Vandiemonian Scots who emigrated to Port
Phillip were Philip and George Russell of the pastoral Clyde Company,
Thomas and Somerville Learmonth later of Ericildoun station and Dr
Alexander Thomas who was involved in the pastoral, political, religious
and economic affairs of early Geelong and Melbourne.
A less reputable Vandiemonian was the Scottish bushranger, Captain
Melville. Their were about 4,860 Scots who found their own way to
Australia.
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