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58-825: The origins of the Royal Society are related to the South Australian Literary and Scientific Association , founded in August 1834, before the colonisation of South Australia , and whose book collection eventually formed the kernel of the State Library of South Australia . The Society had its origins in a meeting at the Stephens Place home of J. L. Young (founder of the Adelaide Educational Institution ) on

116-483: A book about the colonisation of South Australia in 1835) was first approached by a group of emigrants, while the Colonial Office was considering Sir John Franklin . Franklin withdrew in favour of Napier, but Napier quarrelled with the emigrants and made two requests (for access to Treasury funds, and for troops to act as police) which were not met, and he resigned. Napier favoured Light as Governor; however,

174-624: A company to be established for the purpose of founding a colony in Southern Australia, purchasing land therein and preparing the land so purchased for the Reception of Immigrants", and the South Australian Land Company ( SALC ) was formed in 1831 to establish a new colony in the area of South Australia. The SALC sought a Royal Charter for the purchase of land for colonisation, which would raise funding for

232-672: A group led by the Colonial Secretary , Robert Gouger , and solicitor Richard Hanson and a number of prominent colonists, including Ernest Giles , Edward Gibbon Wakefield , John Morphett , Robert Torrens Snr , and John Hindmarsh formed the South Australian Literary Association in Adelphi Chambers , London. Within a month, the title was changed to the more inclusive South Australian Literary and Scientific Association. Its aim

290-528: A huge public meeting at Exeter Hall in London on the 30 June 1834, to spread awareness about the proposal for the new province and emigration scheme, chaired by Wolryche-Whitmore. The meeting was attended by more than 2,500 people, including well-known philosophers and social reformers , and the speeches and discussions continued for seven hours. Afterwards the association received hundreds of enquiries from people interested in emigration. The Association lobbied

348-701: A new Governor ( George Gawler ) appointed, who would also act as Resident Commissioner. The procedure for the founding of the South Australian province was unclear to the Board of Commissioners, so Letters Patent , specifically Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom erecting and establishing the Province of South Australia and fixing the boundaries thereof , were presented to

406-738: A proposal less radical than previous ones, which was finally supported and a Bill proposed in Parliament. The British Province of South Australia was established by the South Australia Act 1834 in August 1834, and the South Australian Company formed on 9 October 1835 to fulfil the purposes of the Act by forming a new colony financed by land sales. The first settlers arrived on Kangaroo Island in July 1836, with all of

464-582: A term in prison for abducting a minor, Wakefield turned his mind to social problems caused by over-population . In 1829, he wrote a series of anonymous "Letters from Sydney" to a London newspaper, The Morning Chronicle , in which he purported to write about his own experiences as a gentleman settler in New South Wales (completely fictitious), outlining his various ideas as a new theory of colonisation. He proposed an "Emigration Fund" payable by landlords' taxes and land sales, which would fund labour for

522-499: Is named in honour of Joseph Verco . The first award of the medal was to Prof Walter Howchin in 1929. Previous winners include: Notable members of the Royal Society of South Australia have included: South Australian Literary and Scientific Association The South Australian Literary and Scientific Association , formerly the South Australian Literary Association and also known as

580-528: Is to found a Colony, under Royal Charter , and without convict labour, at or near Spencer Gulf , on the south coast of Australia, a tract of country far removed from the existing Penal Settlements... ...The South Australian Association consists of three classes of members, First, Persons who propose to settle in the Colony. Secondly, Persons willing to aid the Association without taking a responsible part in

638-494: The South Australia Act 1842 changed the form of government to a Crown colony . Ideas espoused and promulgated by Wakefield since 1829 led to the formation of the South Australian Land Company in 1831, but this first attempt failed to achieve its goals, and the company folded. The South Australian Association was formed in 1833 by Wakefield, Robert Gouger and other supporters, which put forward

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696-537: The Buffalo on 28 December. The foundation of South Australia is usually considered to be Governor Hindmarsh's Proclamation of South Australia at Glenelg on 28 December 1836. Colonel Light was given two months to locate the most advantageous location for the main colony. He was required to find a site with a harbour , arable land , fresh water , ready internal and external communications , building materials and drainage . Light rejected potential locations for

754-612: The City of Adelaide Municipal Corporation was the first municipal authority in Australia. At its time of establishment, Adelaide's (and Australia's) first mayor, James Hurtle Fisher , was elected. However, the new corporation suffered financial woes, after several of its actions were unauthorised or reversed by the British government, leading to considerable debt and, so it wound up as insolvent in 1843. The office of Colonial Architect

812-678: The Colonial Office . Administrative power was divided between a Governor , John Hindmarsh , who represented the Crown , and the Resident Commissioner, who reported to the Colonisation Commissioners and who was responsible for the survey and sale of land as well as for organising migration and funding. The first Resident Commissioner was James Hurtle Fisher . The Commissioner of Public Lands

870-571: The Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and Lake Frome areas of South Australia , which were estimated to inhabit the area for 25 million years before becoming extinct about 140,000 years ago, most likely from drought . There were also penguins measuring about 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) tall, which lived between about 60 million and 30 million years ago, dying out in the Oligocene . Royal Society of South Australia Presidents: The medal

928-623: The South Australia Act 1842 repealed the earlier Act, made South Australia a Crown colony , provided for the formation of an appointed Legislative Assembly and passed greater powers to the Governor of South Australia (then Sir George Grey ). There were moves towards representative self-government in the mid-nineteenth century, and South Australia became a self-governing colony in October 1856. The French Nicolas Baudin and

986-722: The South Australian Association was established and began to lobby the government for the establishment of a colony in South Australia, with Crown-appointed governance. Robert Gouger started setting up the South Australian Association from November 1833. Between that time and August 1834, he corresponded with George Grote , Sir Edward Smith-Stanley, Earl of Derby , William Wolryche-Whitmore , Joseph Hume , Liberal MP Sir William Clay , and Charles Shaw-Lefevre . The aim of

1044-695: The South Australian Literary Society , was active in London before the British colonisation of South Australia after its establishment on 29 August 1834. The Association played a part in the foundation of the South Australian Museum , the State Library of South Australia and the Royal Society of South Australia . On 29 August 1834, a couple of weeks after the passing of the South Australia Act 1834 ,

1102-565: The Act, to control sales of land and the administration of revenue: thirteen Commissioners were based in London (at 6 Adelphi Terrace in 1840 ), with a Resident Commissioner appointed by the board and stationed in the colony. Those first appointed, on 5 May 1835, were Colonel Robert Torrens (Chairman), Rowland Hill (Secretary), G. Barnes (Treasurer), George Fife Angas , Edward Barnard, William Hutt , J. G. Shaw-Lefevre , William Alexander Mackinnon M.P. , Samuel Mills, Jacob Barrow Montefiore , Lt Col George Palmer , and John Wright, representing

1160-610: The British Matthew Flinders had both made exploratory voyages along the central southern coastline. On 8 April 1802, the vessels of the two explorers met off South Australia, at what is now called Encounter Bay . They each gave names to various places around Kangaroo Island and the two gulfs: Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf . The British Government, not wanting to be pre-empted by the French, sent out expeditions to Port Phillip and northern Tasmania , and set up

1218-605: The British colonisation of Canada and North America. Other key people in the foundation of Southern Australia were also involved: Rowland Hill , Edward Furniss and John Brown . It attracted 40 members within its first 16 months of meetings in London, many of whom became prominent colonists. Fortnightly meetings were held in which the conquest of the area could be planned. The members of the association were radical reformers , holding ideals of social equity and separation of church and state , and were all wealthy, well-educated gentlemen . Their ideals overlapped to some degree with

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1276-515: The British government for years, taking part in numerous negotiations and submitting plans that underwent many modifications. Finally, after intervention by the Duke of Wellington , the bill drafted by the Association and presented by Wolryche-Whitmore was presented to Parliament , which passed the South Australia (Foundation) Act on 15 August 1834. The Act provided for the settlement as

1334-702: The Governor Sir Henry Young was elected president, with Benjamin Herschel Babbage and Matthew Moorhouse as vice-presidents. T. D. Smeaton has also been credited with helping found the Society. Its aim was "the diffusion and advancement of the Arts and Sciences", and one of its earliest subjects of discussion was the formation of a museum showing the natural history of the Colony . At

1392-586: The Province of South Australia, for the sale of lands, for funding of the venture, and for governance. The South Australia Act 1834 set out the governance of the new colony by a new body known as the South Australian Colonization Commission , also known as the Colonization Commissioners for South Australia (and variant spellings ), which would be based in London. However, the Act gave control of

1450-818: The Province of South Australia. The first migrant ship, the John Pirie , set sail for the colony three days later. An amendment to the 1834 Act (the South Australia Government Act 1838 ( 1 & 2 Vict. c. 60), passed 31 July 1838) incorporated the changes. Under the emigration scheme, "worthy" labourers and their families received free passage. They had to be between 15 and 30 years of age, preferably married, and needed two references. Steerage passengers paid £15-20, middle berth £35-40, and cabin class £70. Children under 14 years were charged £3 while those under 1 year were free. Montefiore and Lt-Col Palmer helped Colonel Light to prepare two of

1508-449: The Royal Society of South Australia. This South Australia article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . British colonisation of South Australia British colonisation of South Australia describes the planning and establishment of the colony of South Australia by the British government, covering the period from 1829, when the idea was raised by the then-imprisoned Edward Gibbon Wakefield , to 1842, when

1566-559: The South Australia Company arrived at Nepean Bay on Kangaroo Island : the Duke of York on 27 July, Lady Mary Pelham on 30 July, John Pirie on 16 August and Emma on 5 October. More ships left in the coming months, making a total of at least nine, which for convenience can be regarded as the First Fleet of South Australia . Apart from the last one, HMS Buffalo , all went to Nepean Bay first. A settlement

1624-659: The South Australian Company imported pure merinos from the German region of Saxony , and cows and goats were also shipped over. Sheep and other livestock were brought in from Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales. The wool industry was the basis of South Australia's economy for the first few years, with the first wool auction held in Adelaide in 1840. The settlers were mostly British, but some German settlers , mainly " Old Lutherans ", also emigrated in

1682-617: The Wakefield Scheme was that the land price should be set high enough to prevent land speculation . In 1831 a "Proposal to His Majesty's Government for founding a colony on the Southern Coast of Australia" was prepared under the auspices of Gouger, Anthony Bacon , Jeremy Bentham and Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey , but its ideas were considered too radical, and it was unable to attract the required investment. After his first proposal failed, Wakefield published his "Plan of

1740-644: The ambitious John Hindmarsh had got wind of the forthcoming appointment, and set out first to see Napier, then woo some powerful supporters in London, including the Lords of the Admiralty before approaching the Colonial Secretary (Gouger). Light was appointed Surveyor-General on 14 December 1835, and on 21 January 1836 Captain Hindmarsh was appointed the first Governor of South Australia . Hindmarsh

1798-549: The association was to bring to fruition the idea of "systematic colonisation", as proposed by Edward Gibbon Wakefield , in the creation of a new colony in South Australia by the British government. The proposal was for a colony that belonged to the Crown but with its administration run by trustees. The aim of the Association and details of the planned administration of the proposed colony were published on 11 January 1834 in The Spectator : The object of this Association

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1856-473: The colonies. Gouger, an enthusiastic supporter, edited the letters and published them as a book, helping to distribute Wakefield's document. Wakefield saw the colonies as "extensions of an old society"; all classes would be represented among the settlers. In addition, the colonies would be more or less self-governing. His ideas were not original, but Wakefield was the one who synthesised a number of theories into one plan of systematic colonisation, and who spread

1914-533: The decline of the sealing industry, the island's population had dwindled significantly by 1836. Several farms were established at Three Well Rivers , with poultry and pigs being reared and barley, wheat and vegetables under cultivation. Many residents lived with Aboriginal women – either from mainland South Australia or Aboriginal Tasmanians from the sealing colonies on Bass Strait – who were often violently abducted from their homelands and made to work as slaves. Influenced by prison reformer Elizabeth Fry serving

1972-649: The early years. The first large group of Germans arrived in 1838, with the financial assistance of the Emigration Fund. Most moved out of Adelaide and to the Barossa Valley and settlements in the Adelaide Hills such as Hahndorf , living in socially closed communities, by 1842, and did not participate in government until responsible government was granted 15 years later in 1857. Established in 1840, with its first meeting held on 4 November 1840,

2030-412: The evening of 10 January 1853. Members inducted to the new "Adelaide Philosophical Society" were Messrs. John Brown , John Howard Clark , Davy, Doswell, Charles Gregory Feinaigle , Gilbert, Gosse, Hamilton, D. Hammond, W. B. Hays, Jones, Kay, Mann, W. W. R. Whitridge , Williams, Wooldridge and John Lorenzo Young. J. Howard Clark was elected secretary. On 15 September rules were adopted and His Excellency

2088-493: The first free settlement, the Swan River Colony , in 1829. Historian Geoffrey Dutton suggests three clear phases in the foundation of the colony: first, the practical men, with their discoveries, second, the theorists, in particular Wakefield and Gouger, who had not seen Australia, and, lastly, the settlers, who had to marry fact with ideals. Prior to the establishment of a formal British colony, Kangaroo Island

2146-466: The government on 19 February 1836, and with its adoption along with an Order-in-Council on 23 February 1836 the foundation of the South Australian province was achieved. The main changes in the Letters Patent were to amend the wording in the 1834 document which referred to the land as "unoccupied", and to recognise the rights of the "Aboriginal Natives" to live unhindered within the lands of

2204-699: The ideas among the British public and urged the Colonial Office to push forward with such a plan. After his release from prison in 1830, he funded the National Colonization Society , with Gouger as secretary and a large number of enthusiastic members. Wakefield's ideas caused much debate in Parliament . After Charles Sturt discovered the River Murray in 1830, more interest in Wakefield's scheme followed. One key component of

2262-619: The journal partnered with the South Australian Museum in the Southern Scientific Press, amalgamating their two journals. From 2005, the journal has been available in electronic form only, via Taylor & Francis Online . In June 2020 an annotated list of 95 Australian bird fossils was published in the Transactions , the first such list since 1975, contributing to the documented knowledge of bird extinctions . The list includes three species of huge flamingos from

2320-474: The land. Land could be bought at a uniform price per acre, but it would go to auction in the case of more than one potential buyer. Leases of up to three years could be granted "for pasturage" on unsold lands. All proceeds were to go to the Emigration Fund, set up to help poorer people to migrate to the colony. These regulations were of great significance; the success of the Wakefield scheme to populate and fund

2378-410: The lower-brow Mechanics' Institute movement, with both originating in the huge increase in industry, printed matter, knowledge and ideas in the early 19th century. They all wanted to use this new knowledge to improve themselves and society, using lectures, classes and libraries. Although the Association lapsed and meetings ceased, a collection of books donated by members was intended as the basis of

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2436-426: The new Province hinged on land development, so land law and regulations governing it were fundamental. Sales of land had proved difficult; buyers did not rush to buy an acre of wild land for 20 shillings . It was left to the South Australian Company (formed on 15 October 1835, after talented businessman George Fife Angas resigned as Commissioner ) to purchase the remaining portion of the £35,000 worth of land that

2494-524: The new colony to the Colonial Office as well as the Commissioners, which led to tension between the two and caused problems later. The Act provided that three or more persons could be appointed as Commissioners to be known as Colonization Commissioners for South Australia, to carry out certain parts of the Act. The Commissioners formed a Board, which had responsibilities for: The British government appointed Commissioners to oversee implementation of

2552-712: The new colony's library, and the colonists brought the collection to the Colony of South Australia aboard the Tam O'Shanter , which arrived on 18 December 1836. It played a part in the foundation of the South Australian Museum, the State Library of South Australia (via a merger with the Adelaide Mechanics' Institute , creating the Mechanics' Institute and South Australian Library), and

2610-788: The new main settlement, including Kangaroo Island, Port Lincoln and Encounter Bay . Light decided that the Adelaide plains were the best location for settlement. The River Torrens was discovered to the south and Light and his team set about determining the city's precise location and layout. The survey was completed on 11 March 1837. Light's poorly paid and ill-equipped surveying team were expected to begin another massive task of surveying at least 405 square kilometres (156 sq mi) of rural land. Light, despite slowly succumbing to tuberculosis , managed to survey 605.7 square kilometres (233.9 sq mi) (or 150,000 acres (61,000 ha)) by June 1838. The settlement grew steadily. In 1836

2668-435: The proceedings. Thirdly, Persons who may take an active part in the preliminary proceedings of the Association, and may become, under the proposed Charter, Trustees for carrying its provisions into effect. The members of the South Australian Association were men of varied backgrounds, from philanthropists to merchants, including Wakefield, Robert Gouger, Robert Torrens Sr and George Fife Angas . The association organised

2726-567: The ships later sailing north soon afterwards to anchor in Holdfast Bay on the advice of Surveyor-General , Colonel William Light . The foundation of South Australia is usually considered to be the proclamation of the new Province by Governor Hindmarsh at Glenelg on 28 December 1836. However, after the government under the Colonisation Commission set up by the 1834 Act failed to achieve financial self-sufficiency,

2784-407: The ships, Rapid and Cygnet . They proposed a new code for emigrant ships carrying more than 100 passengers, which meant having a minimum deck height and including a medical practitioner on board. These reforms reduced mortality and were later adopted by all British emigrant ships. Four ships chartered by the South Australia Company set sail for South Australia in early 1836: All four ships of

2842-678: The time of its first Annual General Meeting membership had risen to 35, and in 1859 the Society was incorporated under the South Australian Institute Act . The establishment of the University of Adelaide in 1875 revitalised the Society, which had flagged for some years before. It received royal patronage , becoming the Royal Society of South Australia late in 1880, following the nomenclature used in other Australian colonies, and perhaps hoping to emulate their success. The Field Naturalists Society of South Australia

2900-587: The transport of immigrants, and for the governance of the new colony to be administered by the SALC. The company anticipated that the centre of government would be on Kangaroo Island or at Port Lincoln on the western side of Spencer Gulf , based on reports from Matthew Flinders . However, the scheme, which included free trade, self-government and the power to select the Governor, was not approved as these ideas were considered too radical and republican. In 1833

2958-407: Was "the cultivation and diffusion of useful knowledge throughout the colony by all means which may lie in its power", in particular literature, the arts , history and natural science ". Gouger played a key role in the society. He had been working with Hanson and Wakefield in developing a research library in which they gathered material not just as regards Australia, but also from the experiences of

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3016-603: Was appointed to act under the orders of the Commissioners. All monies were to be submitted to the Lord of His Majesty's Treasury , and be audited in the same manner as other public accounts. A report was required to be submitted to the Secretary of State at least once a year. Robert Gouger was Colonial Secretary to the Commission, John Hindmarsh was appointed Governor and William Light Surveyor-General. The Commission

3074-429: Was formed as a section of the Society in 1883. In 1943 Constance Eardley became the first woman to be elected to the Council of the Society. There are five classes of members: The society awards: The RSSA has published the journal Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia since 1879, previously (from 1877–1878) Transactions and proceedings and report of the Philosophical Society of Adelaide . From 2004,

3132-489: Was inhabited by sealers more or less continuously from 1803, when American sealing captain Isaac Pendleton established an outpost at what was named American River . The island soon became a target for sealers based in the British colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land . In 1826, The Australian estimated that Kangaroo Island had a population of around 200 people, who in addition to sealing also traded in salt and wallaby and kangaroo skins. However, following

3190-423: Was required for settlement to proceed. The South Australian Company acted as a "third power" in the control of the colony and the one which saved it. The South Australia Act was finally ratified on 19 February 1836 and the first appointments made. The appointment of Governor of South Australia , as the most well-paid position and the most important one, proved complex. Sir Charles Napier (who had written

3248-438: Was responsible for land sales and for land surveying , including choosing the site for the capital city. However, the Act did not clarify the powers of the Commission vis-à-vis the Governor, which led to discord for some years. The South Australian Commission Land Sale Regulations 1835 , authored by the Colonization Commission in 1835, stipulated that surveys were to be undertaken and maps to be made available prior to sale of

3306-526: Was rewarded handsomely, while the salaries for the other men were small. Hindmarsh reported to the Colonial Office, while James Hurtle Fisher , Resident Commissioner, was paid far less, despite having practical control of the colony. Not only did Fisher head up the board of Commissioners, but the Treasurer, Emigration Agent, the Surveyor-General and the storekeeper were responsible to him. Hindmarsh and Fisher quarrelled frequently and could not work together harmoniously, so in 1838 both were recalled to London and

3364-477: Was started at Kingscote , at Reeves Point on Kangaroo Island (now a heritage-listed site, as the earliest formal European settlement in South Australia), on 27 July 1836, but this was soon abandoned in favour of a settlement on the mainland. Some of the original ships sailed on to Holdfast Bay in November and December, with Gouger, now Colonial Secretary and Chief Magistrate, arriving on the Africaine on 8 November 1836. The settlers set up camp, to be joined by

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