Colonial Events 1838

January 2	Arrival of convict ship Neptune II Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the Neptune
January 6	Captain Richard Tasker Furlong appointed Assistant Engineer and Superintendent of Ironed Gang at Newcastle
January 9	Site fixed upon for village of Mudgee, district Wellington. Ł2 per acre
January 16	520 women and 130 children in the Parramatta Female Factory
January 23 Rev Eipper	Arrival of Minerva with immigrants; quarantined after typhus fever broke out. Read about Rev. Christopher Eipper and other passengers who arrived on the Minerva. Find the names of passengers on the Minerva who died:
January 23	Joseph Hawdon overlanded 335 cattle 1,000 miles in 10 weeks on the route that became known as The Sydney Road
January 23	Tenders called for construction of small court house and lock up at Seaham, N.S.W.
January 26	Waterloo Creek massacre of 100 - 300 indigenous Australians at Snodgrass Lagoon, Waterloo Creek. Find out more about Major James Nunn
January 26	50th Anniversary of the Colony celebrated with a regatta on Sydney Harbour and a Public Holiday
January	Mr. Middleton appointed Clerk to the Bench at Raymond Terrace
February	Miner employed by the Australian Agricultural Company at Newcastle sentenced to 50 lashes for refusing to go down into the mine Find out who it was here
February	Tenders called for building Court House at Muswellbrook
February 6	George Boyle White appointed surveyor
February 8	Arrival of the convict ship Waterloo > Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the *Waterloo*
February 9	Arrival of the convict ship Emma Eugenia from London Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the Emma Eugenia
February	Application for purchase of town allotments at Raymond Terrace approved by the acting Governor, Colonel Snodgrass
February 23	Arrival of Sir George Gipps on the vessel Upton Castle.
February 24	Sir George Gipps took up his Appointment as Governor of the colony on 24th February 1838
March 5	Death of Lieutenant-colonel Henry Dumaresq at Port Stephens (Read the obituary of Henry Dumaresq here)
March 8	Dinner in honor of Colonel Snodgrass
March	Bushrangers Patrick Cuffe and John Toole to be executed in Newcastle in the presence of the Stockade men
March 20	Royal Victoria Theatre opened
March 20	Foundation stone of St. Peter's Church laid
March 20	Arrival of the convict ship Diamond. Master James Bisset Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the *Diamond*
April	Arrival in Adelaide of the first of the 'Overlanders' Joseph Hawdon
April 11	Arrival of the convict ship William Jardine Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the *William Jardine*
April	Failed expedition by Lieut. Lushington & Sir George Grey to North West coast of Australia
April 27	Death of colonial surgeon John Harris. John Harris took part in the expedition to Hunter's River in 1801
April	Loss of the coasting vessel Delight off Newcastle Select here to read the account in the Sydney Gazette
April 30	Botanic Gardens thrown open to the public by order of Governor Sir George Gipps
May 12	Death of Rev. Samuel Marsden at Parsonage House, Windsor
May 24	Opening of David Jones store in Sydney
June	Robert Barrington Dawson appointed Magistrate of the Territory
June 9 / 10	Myall Creek Massacre.
June	Cutter Rover's Bride constructed at Cabbage Tree Point, Norah Head. Built by Korff from the wreck of the Ceres.
June 1	Departure from Port Jackson of the Minerva for Liverpool. The Sydney Gazette reported that the steerage passenger on the Minerva was Mr. Crawford. Crawford was the claimant of the Earldom of Crawfurd and Lindsay with the estate attached valued at 20,000 per annum (SG 2 June 1838) In 1812 John Lindsay Crawford was sentenced to 14 years transportation for committing forgery in an attempt to make claim to the Estate. He arrived in Port Jackson on the Earl Spencer in 1813 and later returned to England. After his death Crawford's heirs continued to make claims to the estate.
June 27	Arrival of the Westminster with 251 agricultural labourers and tradesmen & their families from Kent
July 21	Arrival of convict ship Bengal Merchant Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the Bengal Merchant
July 21	Arrival of the the Ship Magistrate from Ireland with immigrants
August 8	Arrival of the convict ship Lord Lyndoch. Master William Stead Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the Lord Lyndoch
August 22	Arrival of the convict ship Westmoreland. . Master John Brigstock. Surgeon George McClure Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the Westmoreland
August 27	Arrival of the convict ship John Renwick. Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the John Renwick

September	Reward offered for apprehension of John Fleming, native place NSW, wanted in connection with the Myall Creek murders
September Caroline Chisholm courtesy of the State Library of Queensland	Arrival of Philanthropist Caroline Chisholm in Sydney Caroline Chisholm Cottage - Maitland
September 10	Arrival of convict ship Clyde Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the *Clyde*
September 18	Arrival in Hobart of ornithologist John and Elizabeth Gould, their son J.H. Gould and nephew Henry Coxen on the Parsee, having departed London 16th May 1838 Visit Treasures from the National Library - John Gould's birds of Aust Elizabeth Gould was a sister of Stephen Coxen. Select here to find the location of of Coxen's estate in the Hunter Valley
September 26	*Emigrant ship Palmyra* detained in quarantine.**
October 2	Arrival of the Coromandel carrying Bounty Immigrants. Search State Records of New South Wales Online Microfilm of Bounty Ships
October 3	*Arrival of the John McLellan* carrying Bounty Immigrants**
October 16	Court of Petty Sessions to be established at Raymond Terrace
October 26	Settlement at Port Essington formed by James Bremer
November	Influenza prevalent in colony causing many deaths. - Long lists of burials in the newspapers, events cancelled.
November	System of pre payment for letters introduced by the colonial Postmaster General in Sydney
November 2	Proclaimed a General Day of Fasting by Governor Gipps
November 2	*Arrival of the immigrant vessel 'Maitland' . Forty passengers died after scarlet fever and typhus broke out shortly after departing*
November 12	Reward offered for bushranger Opossum Jack (John Hobson) who had absconded from the Iron Gang at Newcastle
November 19	Tarban Creek Mental Asylum established. First patients arrived 19th November Select here for a description of Tarban Creek Asylum in 1849
November 21	Arrival of convict ship Earl Grey. Master James Talbot. Surgeon Alexander Nisbett, Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the Earl Grey
November 28	Death of pioneer Solomon Wiseman
December	Patrick Grant appointed Police Magistrate at Newcastle
December 11	George Augustus Robinson appointed Chief Protector of Aborigines in NSW
December 18	Arrival of convict ship Portsea Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the Portsea
December 29	Arrival of the convict ship **Elphinstone, Captain Thomas Flemlin Select HERE to find out more about the voyage of the Elphinstone**
December 31	Arrival of the barque Francis Spaight from London; 370 tons; Captain Sayers. Passengers Rev. Dr. Ullathorne R.C. Vicar General; Rev. P.B. Gloghegan, Rev. Richard Marvin, Rev. Thomas Butler + Sisters of Charity