Level 3 Mortlock Wing State Library of South Australia North Terrace Adelaide SA 5000
admin@rgssa.org.au
MEMBERSHIP
DONATE

Conditions in the early days and a voyage to South Australia

Handasyde Duncan, The Colony of South Australia and W. B. Brown. Narrative of a Voyage from London to South Australia, 1850.  These two pamphlets, published in the early days of the colony of South Australia, were influential in advising potential emigrants of conditions they could expect both on the voyage and on arrival. They were collected and bound together by Thomas Gill.

Duncan and Brown 2

These pamphlets are rare and important historical records describing conditions in the early days of South Australia. These two pamphlets were collected and bound together by Thomas Gill. 

The following are extracts from Duncan's The Colony of South Australia-

  • The following pages are written, more with the view of exciting, than of fully satisfying inquiry, respecting the Colony of South Australia.
  • I have limited myself to four subjects, which I believe to be most interesting to respectable persons who propose to emigrate. 1st, The climate. 2nd, The mode of investing money. 3rd, The means of educating the young : 4th, The provision made for the public service of religion.

The following are extracts from Brown's Narrative of a Voyage -

  • I have written the following account of my voyage, with ocurrences, from my leaving home to the time of my safe arrival here. I trust it will prove interesting to you, and give you some idea of the voyage to Australia.
  • I left home on Wednesday, the 16th of May, and joined the vessel at Gravesend, after bidding farewell to my relations and friends, as well as my native parish, for at leatst a few years to come.
  • I rose at four in the morning , and enjoyed a salt water bath -very refreshing I can assure you in a hot climate, for on that day we entered the Tropics, and began to feel a great increase in the heat of the weather.
  • Some of the first parties I met on leaving the quay (on arrival in Adelaide) were the Aborigines and strange looking creatures they are, some of the lowest in the scale of human nature; average height 5ft 3 inches with yellow ochre and other paints.
  • As to the success of the colony, there can be no doubt it will prove a rich country, and will be the first nation of the South Seas. I do not think it can ever export more wool than it present does.
Duncan and Brown

Extract from Narrative of a Voyage by W. B. Brown.

rgsp 919.423042 S 726 1850

The Duncan pamphlet is held by eight other libraries including SSL which published a facsimile in 1962 (the copy held in the ANL). The Brown is held by only two other Australian libraries, SSL and NSL.

Handasyde Duncan (1811-1878) was a medical practitioner who emigrated to South Australia for health reasons in 1839. Initially he took up 80 acres on the Sturt River but was not successful as a farmer so registered as a consulting surgeon and physician and eventually set up practice in Port Adelaide.

Duncan was a staunch Anglican and Freemason, was a member of the first Board of Education and helped establish St Peters College. In 1849 he was appointed health officer and assistant colonial surgeon at Port Adelaide and a short time later became immigration officer. In 1850 he summarised his experiences and views in this pamphlet The Colony of South Australia.

Duncan, Handasyde (1811 - 1878), Australian Dictionary of Biography On-line edition.

© The Royal Geographical Society of South Australia

Privacy