Colony of Tasmania

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Colony of Tasmania
1856–1901
Anthem: 
Victoria
Governor 
• 1856-1861
Henry Young first
• 1901
Arthur Havelock last
LegislatureParliament
• Upper house
Legislative Council
• Lower house
House of Assembly
History 
• Responsible self-government
1856
1 January 1901
Area
• Total
20,215 sq mi (52,360 km2)
Population
• Census
115,705 (1881)
• Density
4.387/sq mi (1.7/km2)
CurrencyPound sterling
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Van Diemen's Land
Tasmania
Today part of

The Colony of Tasmania (more commonly referred to simply as "Tasmania") was a

bicameral parliament of Tasmania sat for the first time, establishing Tasmania as a self-governing colony of the British Empire
. Tasmania was often referred to as one of the "most British" colonies of the Empire.

The Colony suffered from economic fluctuations, but for the most part was prosperous, experiencing steady growth. With few external threats and strong trade links with the Empire, the Colony of Tasmania enjoyed many fruitful periods in the late nineteenth century, becoming a world-centre of shipbuilding. It raised a local defence force which eventually played a significant role in the

.

History

Self-government

A campaign for self-government in Van Diemen's Land had first begun in 1842. A growing resentment against penal transportation to the colony, and a lack of effective legislation led to agitators lobbying for better representation. on 31 October 1845 the 'Patriotic six' walked out of the Legislative Council, leaving it without a quorum, but by 23 March 1847 they had been restored. In 1849 the Australasian Anti-Transportation League was established in Launceston, and had soon established branches in the other Australian colonies. The Australian Republican Association (ARA) was founded at this time, but failed to gain much support.

On 5 August 1850, the

Privy Council granted the application to change the colony's name from "Van Diemen's Land" to "Tasmania", and on 24 October 1855, a tumultuous crowd gathered in Hobart to hear that the Tasmanian Constitution Act had been granted royal assent. On 8 February 1856, the old Legislative Council met for the last time, and between September and October, elections were held across the state for the new Tasmanian Legislative Council, and Tasmanian House of Assembly.[1]

On 1 November 1856, Governor Sir Henry Fox Young proclaimed former British Army officer, William Champ as the first Premier of Tasmania, and the new bicameral parliament met for the first time on 2 December 1856, marking the beginning of self-government for the Colony of Tasmania.

End of transportation

Flag of the Australasian Anti-Transportation League

In 1849 the

Lieutenant Governor William Denison
.

The beginning of the Victorian gold rush provided further argument, as it was felt that the opportunity of free passage aboard convict transports and the chance of escaping to the gold fields would provide an incentive to would-be offenders. The last convict ship to be sent from England, the St. Vincent, arrived in 1853, and on 10 August 1853 Jubilee festivals in Hobart and Launceston celebrated 50 years of European settlement with the official end of transportation. Celebratory medallions were minted and distributed to school children.

Growth of Tasmania

The era immediately following the granting of responsible self-government brought a new confidence to the colony. Whilst Tasmania suffered a setback with a large loss of working-age males to the Victorian gold-fields, many social and cultural improvements soon developed. Horse-drawn buses between

telegraph line between Hobart and Launceston was laid, and coal gas became available for private use, and illuminating Hobart's street lamps. Tasmania continued to be a centre of shipbuilding excellence, however growing competition, and later, a shift towards steel-constructed vessels soon threatened Tasmania's place as a world-leader.[2] The late 1850s also saw the Hobart Savings Bank and a Council of Education formed, and the new Government House
opened.

The 1860s saw a period of stagnation and economic

royal visit, by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Albert. Compulsory education was introduced in 1868, making Tasmania one of the first colonies in the British Empire
to adopt such an enlightened policy.

Withdrawal of British forces

The

Childers reforms. One of Cardwell's major proposals to increase troop numbers was the withdrawal of British garrisons from the self-governing colonies (to be replaced by locally raised units) which would save money and allow for more troops to be available for deployment in times of war, which he announced in 1869. By 1870 the troops were being withdrawn, and by 1871, more than 26,000 men had returned to Great Britain from all over the British Empire.[citation needed
]

This meant that at short notice the Government of Tasmania was given the responsibility of raising its own defences. At the time of the announcement, the 2nd Battalion, the

14th (Buckinghamshire, The Prince of Wales's Own) Regiment of Foot was stationed in Tasmania. In March 1870 the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Irish Regiment arrived in Hobart from New Zealand to oversee the withdrawal of the Buckinghamshires, but by 6 September 1870 they were also departing, leaving the colony completely bereft of defence forces.[3]

Although earlier attempts to establish locally raised volunteer defence forces had been made, such as the establishment of the Hobart Town Volunteer Artillery Company in 1859, and a similar company in Launceston in 1860, and twelve companies of "volunteer" infantry were also raised.[4] In 1867 the infantry companies were disbanded, and the artillery increased by one battery,[5] but most of these units were short-lived. The arrival of three Imperial Russian Navy warships, the Africa, Plastun, and Vestnik in 1872 caused a great deal of alarm in the colony, and led to vigorous discussion about the colony's defences.[citation needed] The threat of war with Russia in 1876 further hastened the establishment of both locally raised defence forces, and the modernisation of coastal defences, and in 1878 the Volunteer Act was passed, which established the Tasmanian Volunteer Force.[6] The following year, controversial Canadian Priest Charles Chiniquy visited Hobart to lecture on religion, but his second lecture descended into rioting when Catholics broke into the Hobart Town Hall. It took 150 constables and 400 armed volunteers to break up the rioting in what became known as the 'Chiniquy Affair',[7] and this added weight to the argument that the colony desperately needed a permanent military presence.[8]

In 1878 the Tasmanian Volunteer Rifle Regiment was raised in both the north and south of the colony.[6] By 1880 a defence force of 600 men had been established, and consisted of 200 artillery, 350 infantry and about fifty mounted infantry. In 1883 the Tasmanian Engineers were formed, and trained as a Torpedo boat crew for the newly acquired TB1.[9] By 1885 the strength of the Tasmanian Military Forces was 1200 men, the maximum permitted by law at a time of peace. However, by 1893, and additional "auxiliary" force of 1500 had also been raised. By 1896, the Regiment had three battalions. They were 1st battalion in Hobart, 2nd battalion in Launceston, and 3rd battalion in the North West.[5]

Consolidation

The

Union flag and the British ensign were primarily used on state occasions.[10]

The population of the colony began to rise quite rapidly in the period immediately following the discovery of gold. In 1880 the colony's population was 114, 762, but by 1884, it had reached 130,541. The period of growth also created a substantial improvement in the standard of living for Tasmanians. In the period from 1875 to 1884, the total value of personal saving in the colony's five existing banks increased from £1,227,585, to £4,022,077 - nearly a fourfold increase. The total valuation of owned property also rose from £604,347 to £837,916.[11]

Boer War

In 1899 the Colonial Tasmanian Military Forces responded to the request for military assistance in South Africa. The war had been expected in both Britain and the Australian colonies, and planning had begun as a result. The initial request from Britain was made for two of the colony's three Ranger Infantry units. Colonel William Vincent Legge, the commander of the Colonial Tasmanian Military Forces, sought to also establish a mounted reconnaissance unit, and toured the colony. He was very impressed by the shooting and riding skills of many of the colony's wealthy young farm boys, and formed a Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen unit from them.[citation needed]

A Tasmanian colonial contingent was sent to the Second Boer War, consisting of the 1st and 2nd Tasmanian Bushmen. These mounted infantry units were primarily made up of volunteers who had good bushcraft, riding and shooting skills. The first contingent, known as the First Tasmanian (Mounted Infantry) Contingent, consisted of approximately 80 men under the command of Captain Cyril St Clair Cameron.

Cape Town on 31 March, and were sent to Beira, where they formed part of General Carrington's column, operating in Rhodesia and Western Transvaal. A third Tasmanian contingent, the Third Tasmanian (Imperial Bushmen) Contingent, departed on 26 April, and the Fourth Tasmanian (Imperial Bushmen) Contingent followed soon after. A branch of Tasmanian Special Service Officers also accompanied the Tasmanian contingents.[citation needed] In total, 28 officers and 822 other ranks were sent from the colony.[12]

The first two

Boer Commando, but fought exceptionally well. Bisdee and Wylly received their VCs for heroically recovering wounded and un-horsed men under fire from the enemy.[13]

Federation

The Colony of Tasmania and its citizens played a prominent role in the move towards federation for the six British colonies in Australia.

Tasmanian lawyer and politician

United States of America in 1890, where he learned an appreciation of both the federal system of government, and grew to appreciate republicanism. He represented Tasmania at the 1890 Constitutional Convention where he presented a draft constitution that he had written on a previous trip to London. At the Constitutional Convention of 1891, by then the Attorney-General of Tasmania, Clark spoke as the leading authority on the American constitutional system, which was highly influential in the development of the bicameral system in Australia. Clark also spoke effectively of creating a federal system which provided for the protection of the smaller and more vulnerable economies of Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. By 1891 Clark had completed his final draft constitution which he sent copies of to Alfred Deakin, Edmund Barton, and Thomas Playford, and although it was never intended to be a final version, 86 out of the original 128 sections from his draft made it into the final version of the Constitution of Australia.[14]
.

In the 1898 constitutional referendum, 11,797 voted in favour of federation, and 2,716 opposed, a majority of nearly 4 to 1. Tasmania held their final constitutional referendum on 27 June 1899, and in that referendum to opposition vote had further reduced to 791, and with 13,437 voters in favour of federation, the Colony of Tasmania had provided the highest percentage of support shown in any of the Australian colonies.

Society

Following the raucous years of the 1830s and 40s in which the

Governor John Franklin, and his wife Jane had done much to provide that sense of refinement, Tasmania had previously been lacking. They had promoted culture and education, Jane Franklin had created the Lady Jane Franklin Museum, including replicas of the Elgin Marbles, and John Franklin has established the Royal Society of Tasmania - the first outside of the United Kingdom
.

Religion

Religion played an important part in the lives of European Tasmanians in the colonial era. This is evidenced by the large number of isolated churches that survive from that period. Following the

traditional religion, but had been forcibly converted to Anglicanism.[15]

Moral and religious reform played a very important role in the education and rehabilitation of the

Baptist
churches had all established themselves in the Colony of Tasmania to lesser degrees.

The

St David's Anglican Cathedral, seat of the Bishop of Tasmania, and administrative centre of the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania, was designed by George Frederick Bodley, in high Gothic style
and completed in 1868.

By 1861, 52 percent of Tasmanians were

Congregationalist, with smaller numbers of Jews, Quakers and other faiths. By 1891, the number Catholics had fallen to 18 percent, Methodists had risen to 12 percent, Presbyterians had dropped to 7 percent, Congregationalists had dropped to 3 percent, Anglicans were just over 50 percent, and Baptists registered at 2 percent.[15]

Recreation

As soon as the first British settlers had established themselves in the colony, they had begun to enjoy similar forms of recreation as they had enjoyed in Britain.

Victoria and Tasmania in Launceston at the Launceston Racecourse. The game was billed as 'The Gentlemen of Port Phillip versus the Gentlemen of Van Diemen's Land'. The game featured four-ball overs and no boundaries, attracted a crowd of about 2,500 spectators, and it was a timeless match, but only lasted for two days. Tasmania emerged victorious by 3 wickets.[17]

By the 1860s the popularity of rugby and football was diminished by the arrival of

inter-colonial match was held against Victoria.[18] Yacht and boat racing had quickly taken off, as the colony was located on an island, most people were familiar with sailing, and enjoyed it as a pastime. In 1838 the Royal Hobart Regatta had begun, and celebrated many forms of aquatic competitions.[19] Horse racing was also quickly established as a popular pastime, with organised racing first held in Van Diemen's Land in 1814 at Newtown, near Hobart. The Tasmanian Turf Club (TTC) was formed in 1871 but the major club, the Tasmanian Racing Club (TRC) was not established until 1874.[20]

The

cock fighting and dog fighting were also popular in Tasmania in the late nineteenth century.[23]

Government

The Colony of Tasmania had responsible achieved self-government in 1856, after a long and difficult campaign. The Tasmanian Constitution had been ratified by

Westminster System, a form of parliamentary government based on the model of the United Kingdom. Legislative power rested with the Parliament of Tasmania, which consisted of the Crown, represented by the Governor of Tasmania, and the two Houses, the Tasmanian Legislative Council and the Tasmanian House of Assembly
.

Economy

Demographics

According to the 1881 Census, males were counted at 61,162 compared to 54,543 females for a combined total of 115,705 people. The birth to death rate was 896 births to 481 deaths in 1881. The majority of the population were born in Tasmania and constituted 69.13% (79,991). Other places of birth include other Australian colonies (3987 or 3.44%), England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland (28,243 or 24.41%), other

British possessions
, and at sea (872 or 0.76%), Foreign countries (2223 or 1.93%) and not specified counting for 389 people or 0.33%.

Religion

The majority of the Tasmanian population adhered to Anglicanism under the British Church of England. However there was also a sizeable Roman Catholic minority. In addition to this, there were also small populations of Protestants which notably included Lutheranism and Presbyterianism as well as non-Christian faiths and Irreligious people also constituting a very small proportion of the population.

Largest Towns

  1. Hobart, City (Population in 1881: 21,118)
  2. Launceston (Population: 12,752)
  3. New Town (Population: 1720)
  4. Longford (Population: 1286)
  5. Westbury (Population: 1156)
  6. New Norfolk (Population: 1036)
  7. Campbell Town (Population: 948)
  8. Waratah (Population: 874)
  9. Deloraine (Population: 836)
  10. Queenborough (Population: 795)

Legacy

See also

References

  1. ^ Townsley, Wilfred Asquith (1956). The struggle for self-government in Tasmania, 1842–1856. Hobart, L.G. Shea Printers.
  2. ^ Roe, M. "The History of Tasmania to 1856" pp. 40
  3. ^ a b Wyatt 1990, p. 55.
  4. ^ Nicholls 1988, pp. 25 & 31.
  5. ^ a b Festberg 1972, p. 5.
  6. ^ a b Wyatt 1990, p. 19.
  7. ^ Wyatt 1990, p. 22.
  8. ^ E Dollery,'The Chiniquy riots, Hobart', THRAPP 9/4, 1962.
  9. ^ Wyatt 1990, pp. 25–26.
  10. ^ "Tasmania, flag of". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  11. ^ New York Times, 24 August 1885
  12. ^ a b Wyatt 1990, p. 52.
  13. ^ Wyatt 1990, p. 53.
  14. ^ Andrew Inglis Clark. by Neasey, F. M.; Neasey, L. J. (2001).
  15. ^ a b c d The Companion to Tasmanian History by Alison Alexander. (2002)
  16. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ^ "Cricket". www.utas.edu.au.
  18. ^ "Australian Football".
  19. ^ "Yachting". www.utas.edu.au.
  20. ^ "Horseracing". www.utas.edu.au.
  21. ^ "Theatre". www.utas.edu.au.
  22. ^ "Literature". www.utas.edu.au.
  23. ^ "Tasmanian Poultry Society".

Sources