Presses roll as city blossoms

Capital was maturing when The Hobarton Mercury began in 1854, says Reg Watson

HOBART in 1854 had made enormous strides in its short 50year history from when it was founded by David Collins in February, 1804.

What was, and for many years afterwards, a raw penal settlement, even a decadent society, blossomed into a respectful progressive city in all aspects of social endeavour.

The city in 1854 (declared so in 1842) had grown to 23,000 souls with more than 4000 buildings, two-thirds of which were of stone or brick.

It was at that time the third largest city in Australia and, until the Victorian goldfields rushes, was the second mostpopulous colony.

Hobart’s boundaries extended from New Town (still very rural) down to Sandy Bay and expanding to the foothills of Mt Wellington.

Among the outlining established settlements were Kangaroo Bay, Sorell, Glenorchy, Browns River and along the Midland Highway plus Bothwell.

Gone were the days of bushrangers, conflict with the indigenous population and convict transportation.

Indeed it was the year before the last batch of convicts arrived in Van Diemen’s Land. There were to be no more.

It was also the year that convict labour was banned from the streets of Hobart. Respectability was on the rise.

The port was teeming with overseas vessels, many of them whalers, and locally 219 vessels belonged to the port.

Early historian John West described Hobart’s streets as “regular and well-made, many of the buildings — some of freestone — are commodious and handsome.

“The wharves are extensive and well-constructed and are lined with numerous stone warehouses.”

The first mayor of Hobart (not yet lord mayor) gentleman and merchant William Carter, was in office from 1853-1854, and the first Town Clerk, Andrew Crombie resigned in 1854.

This was also the year the municipal council allowed the press to attend its meetings.

At this time there were 10 journals serving the city, quite apart from the newcomer on the block, The Hobarton Mercury.

News of disturbances on the Victorian goldfields was being published in the island colony’s southern press.

John Davies, the Mercury’s founder, and Feltham Bold Watson were the first lessees of the Victoria Theatre (today’s Theatre Royal) and at the time Hobartians were being entertained with the drama, Rob Roy.

The theatre wasn’t the only entertainment available. Horse racing at Moonah was established and there were numerous boisterous inns and taverns and, to counteract this aspect, a strong temperance movement.

At the time, the colony was administered by Lieutenant-Governor Sir William Denison.

Denison had accepted his friend’s William Stanley Sharland’s recommendation that the name of Van Diemen’s Land be changed to Tasmania.

Denison “put and passed” the motion, sending it off to London. In 1856 the new name was adopted together with responsible government with a bicameral system.

This incredible achievement was a major step in the colony’s overall development and coming just so soon after original settlement it has to be admired.

The population of the colony was 64,874, with 53,156 free and 11,718 convicts. Because transportation had ceased, the Australasian AntiTransportation League dissolved in 1854.

It was also a year of severe floods throughout the colony with the Hobart Rivulet doing its part in causing damage and great concern.

Explorer James Kelly had just published a journal of his log sailing around the island, while our first Anglican Bishop, Francis Nixon, published his Cruise of the Beacon dealing with his exploits around the islands of Bass Strait.

The churches were well represented with Church of England, Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Congregational and Baptist denominations, and a synagogue.

There were a number of charitable organisations, four banks and three Masonic lodges, as well as a female factory and several orphanages.

Education experienced great strides. A good public high school thrived and there were a number of state-run primary schools.

The Hutchins School was now established, besides a number of other smaller

private schools. It was also the year when teacher salary scales were introduced.

Thomas Arnold, brother of the famous Headmaster Arnold of Rugby School and hero of Tom Brown’s School

Days, had been appointed Inspector of Schools.

The Hobart Gas Company was founded and the Royal Society of Tasmania had also been established.

There was a public library and a post office, and St Mary’s Hospital was in Davey St.

In medical matters, in 1854 it was calculated there had been 3449 hospital cases in the colony, 604 of which were stomach and bowel diseases. By the time of the

Mercury’s birth, Hobart was an established and well-ordered city.

It had come a long way in a short period and continued to make great strides before Federation.

This all occurred before the availability of electricity and one wonders how dark our streets would have been.

Artist Knut Bull painted in this year his famous picture of Hobart Town, showing the original Customs House (now Parliament House), the first St David’s Church, and the old Government House on what is now Franklin Square.

Each generation inherits the previous generation’s efforts, good or bad or in between.

Modern Hobart was built on those who lived and worked 164 years ago.

Reg A. Watson is a Hobart author and historian.