Australia Notes - Empire PDF

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Summary

A level notes on the british empire//australia. ...

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Australia Notes Intro

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1788 First Fleet sailed into Botany Bay. – those onboard were not free settlers looking to establish a home, but British Convicts under the command of Arthur Phillips, a retired naval officer. Having landed and following instructions from London, they discovered Botany Bay lacked both water and fertile soil so they sailed out again on 26th January to Port Jackson, landing at Sydney Cove a mores suitable venue for settlement. And the new colony was founded.

Why did Britain set up a penal colony in Botany Bay

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The cook expedition reported favourably as to the fertility and emptiness of the land. The American war of independence meant that felons could no longer be transported to the American colonies and so the PITT GOVERNMENT judged that this new continent would be a suitable destination for felons currently crowded into frigates moored on the Thames. Botany bay was picked on the suggestion of banks a botanist on the cook expedition.

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Another reason was that the British gov believed setting up a colony in Australia would prevent any French territorial claim to the territory.

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The fundamental reason for transporting convicts to Australia was the crisis in the prison system in Britain. By the late 1780s, the prisons in Britain were filled to bursting point with convicts.

Background

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By the 1780s, the penal system was in crisis – urbanisation and slum poverty resulted in more and more crime undeterred by severe punishments. The introduction of transportation of felons to the American colonies in the early 18th century had provided a temporary stop gap to ease the crisis. – Transportation provided a 3rd and more merciful option to death and allowed the system to continue unreformed in its fundamentals . Pitts government opted for transportation to the new continent of Australia as opposed to attempting to overhaul and reform the prison and justice system.

Who were the first British Settlers 1.) Convicts  Existing records suggest that 732 convicts landed (543 men, 189 women and 22 children)  2/3rds of convicts had been sentenced for minor theft and the average age was under 30  The majority of women were listed as domestic servants and sentenced for theft (although more likely they were prostitutes) 2.) Others  Remaining personel ( more than 600 in number) were marines, their wives and families, seamen and their families, and civil officers Initial Settlement

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Botany Bay lacked fresh water supply and the soil was obviously unsuitable for cultivation. The move to Sydney cove was a matter of immediate survival. However Sydney itself proved a challenging environment in itself. It was not beyond the realm of possibility that the entire settlement could have collapsed. There was no plough available to till the soil or animal suitable to plough and the thin soil around Sydney cove did not yield much of crop to the miserable hand-hoed efforts of the non-farming convicts. The settlement existed on supplies that had been brought with them and whatever fresh fish or birdlife they could kill. The settlers traded with the aboriginal people whose superior hunting skills enabled them to kill kangaroos.

Philip was tasked with; 1.) Ensuring subsistence for all in the colony 2.) Control the convicts 3.) Build adequate shelter and housing 4.) Command the marines 5.) Manage smooth relations with the aboriginal peoples 6.) Encourage respectable and godly behaviour thereby reforming the convicts, encourage settlements once convictions were spent, build a township and develop economic life. - The Convicts were not skilled enough (ill-equiped) to achieve what was required.

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Phillip often had to resort to harsh punishments to maintain control and lashings were commonplace and hangings frequent.

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London initially envisaged the colony to be self-sufficient within 4 years

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In many ways, credit for the survival of the colony in its first few yeas must be given to Governor Phillips. He had pulled off one of the greatest sea journeys ever undertaken by transporting the first fleet with such tiny loss of life The survival of the British in the first two years after the departure of the ships was the result of 4 main reasons. 1.) Prep for journey  Phillips preparation for equipping the first fleet had been thorough and painstaking, evidenced by the high level of survival of those sailing in the first fleet.

2.) Establishing a second colony at Norfolk Island.  Phillip decided in 1790 to send 183 convicts, 28 children and 81 marines to Norfolk island, where there appeared to be a better chance of survival. – although the island later became synonymous with the extreme hardship and was largely evacuated.  Norfolk was the softer option to Sydney cove in 1790 due to the presence of the “Mutton Bird” until most were eaten by the colony.  The removal of the 183 convicts from Sydney cove meant that the miserable rations were enough to ensure the survival of the remaining people. 3.) Phillips control of food stores.  Phillips insistence that rations be shared equally from April 1790 was hugely resented by the marines but it was a critical part of the community survival. It meant that while the food was very meagre, there was enough to tide everyone over until the arrival of the second fleet.  As rations were completely fair, there were no riots over rations, as would have been the case had the marines got extra rations. 4.) Relocation to better farmland  Phillip decided to relocate the colony 16 miles from Sydney Cove in Parramatta, renamed rose hill, which appeared to be more fertile, and to grant lands to former convicts in that area.  Phillips decided that in the absence of free settlers, the best thing to do was to get men off Government stores and enable them to be able to subsist from their own land, as quickly as possible. If this meant making former convicts landowners then so be it. The second fleet

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The arrival of lady Juliana, the ship devoted to transporting the female convicts of the second fleet in June 1790, with letters and 222 female convicts and provisions for those who they carried onboard, was solid evidence that the colony had not been forgotten and that further help was on its way. The rest of the horrific second fleet arrived two weeks after the store ship “Justinan” arrived. The rest of the second fleet carried cargoes of suffering and dying convicts Government had hired the job out to a private company to do as opposed to using a first officer and it had devastating outcome. Despite the human tragedy, the arrival of the second fleet dramatically increased the chances of the colony’s survival as it brought essential supplies. Of livestock and crops on the store ship Justianan.

As the years went on, regulation for transportation became more and more proscriptive, particularly under the governship of Maquarie, and although the conditions remained grim, they were never as inhumane again. Importance of Macquarie

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Macquarie’s mark on Sydney was enduring and his exploration into the blue mountains hastened the economic growth of the colony.

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His tenure wad fruitful and productive, and a distinct turn for the better compared to the rum years (when the New South wales corps dominated the colony 1792 – 1809) that had preceded his arrival.

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His tenure coincided with; 1.) The British Gov sending the first shipment of sterling silver coins to the colony. 2.) The end of the Napoleonic war in 1815, which saw an increase in the amount of prisoners sent to the colony as economic conditions worsened and led to increased crime.

How did Macquarie change the colony -

First change that Macquarie did to the colony was the removal of the NSWC. THE NSWC were an army regiment formed in 1789 to replace marines who had first accompanied the first fleet.  Governors had almost limitless powers within the colony but could only exercise them with the support of their officers, and in the hiatus between Phillips and Hunter’s arrival in 1975, the corps had assumed significant power within the colony which they maintained until 1809.  They were assigned up to 10 male convicts and three female convicts for their farms and had taken control of the import of alcohol into the colony using their wages in london as credit with the merchants captain.  The NSWC effectively controlled economic life of the colony. – it is impossible to undermine the importance of alcohol in the colony. Everyone drank. Rum became the currency until coins were dispatched.  Under Macquarie’s governership, the colony ceased to operate as a cartel run by the freeborn officers....