Francis Nicholas Rossi : the Ambivalent Position of a French
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Francis Nicholas Rossi : The Ambivalent Position of a French Nobleman in 19th Century New South Wales A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Australian National University Neville Arthur Potter March 2017 © Copyright by Neville Arthur Potter 2017 All rights reserved Declaration This thesis is my own original work, and contains no material which has been previously submitted or accepted for a degree or diploma in any university or other institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text of the thesis. Neville Potter March 2017 Word count: 90,474 iii Acknowledgments For the initial encouragement to embark on this thesis, and for his helpful advice and ongoing interest, I would like to thank my Supervisor, Dr Peter Brown FAHA, Honorary Member of Staff, French Studies, Australian National University. I would also like to thank the other members of my Supervisory Panel, Dr Edward Duyker OAM FAHA , Honorary Senior Lecturer, Department of French Studies, University of Sydney, and Professor Ann McGrath, Professor of History and Director of the Australian Centre for Indigenous History, Australian National University. Mr John Dunmore’s encouragement to undertake this thesis is also greatly appreciated. I gratefully acknowledge too the friendship and hospitality shown to me and my wife by M. Olivier Roulhac de Rochebrune and his wife Dorothée, who generously gave me access to the Rossi family’s records. Similarly, I owe a debt of gratitude to M. Paul de Sornay for making available to me the history of the de Sornay family of Mauritius. Dr Francis Geronimi and his wife Monique have also greatly assisted me with their friendship and advice on Corsica and its history. Both Dr Danielle Tranquille of the University of Mauritius and Mme Lionèle Renda also helped me in the early stages of my work. I am especially grateful too to Michael and Mary Allan for their ongoing help and interest in my endeavours and for their friendship. I would like to express my appreciation of the staff of the many institutions who have facilitated my research, particularly the staff of the National Archives at Kew, the British Library and the India Office Library, the Bibliothèque nationale de France , and the Archives nationales in Paris. Closer to home, the Mitchell Library in Sydney, State Archives and Records NSW, and the National Library of Australia are also in my debt. I would particularly like to acknowledge the efficient, helpful and pleasant service I received from the Director and staff of the National Archives of Mauritius. Finally, I thank my wife Michelle for her encouragement, forbearance and invaluable assistance in helping me complete this research. This research is supported by by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship. v Abstract This thesis is the first study of the life and career of Francis Nicholas Rossi (1776–1851), a French nobleman born in Brittany and raised in Corsica, who achieved the singular distinction of occupying senior positions in the British Imperial administration of Mauritius and of New South Wales during and after the French Wars (1792–1815). Rossi joined the British Army in Corsica during the British occupation of that island, and fled into exile when the French revolutionary government retook the island. Rossi’s career is examined in terms of the historical and social contexts of the various theatres in which he served— Corsica, Holland, Gibraltar, Ceylon, Mauritius and New South Wales—using Bourdieusian analysis to examine the influence of these various environments on Rossi, and his reciprocal influence on them. The thesis also draws on the approach developed by Subaltern Studies scholars to analyse the mocking response of the general populace to Rossi’s appointment as Superintendent of Police in NSW, as well as the more antagonistic reaction of the liberal press. At the same time, the ambivalence of Rossi’s position is shown by his acceptance as a member of the colony’s ruling elite, and the praise heaped upon him by successive Governors. Historians and popular writers have privileged the response of the populace over the more accurate portrayal of him by the press, and the thesis examines how both these responses have in more recent times been overtaken by Rossi’s representation in modern popular accounts as a trope of the old convict regime. Finally, the thesis places Rossi in the context of other French settlers of noble background in the colony, as well as other Frenchmen (particularly Corsicans) who also rose to international prominence in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. vii Table of Contents List of Illustrations ............................................................................................... 3 List of Abbreviations............................................................................................ 5 Notes .................................................................................................................. 7 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 1 Rossi’s Reception in Sydney ............................................................ 39 Chapter 2 The Rossi Family of Ajaccio, Corsica ............................................... 53 Chapter 3 A Junior Officer in the European Theatre and in Ceylon, 1799–1811 ................................................................................................................... 97 Chapter 4 Mauritius......................................................................................... 127 Chapter 5 Appointment as Superintendent of Police NSW, London 1824 ...... 187 Chapter 6 Career in Sydney, 1825–1829........................................................ 205 Chapter 7 Personal Life and Retirement in Goulburn, 1829–1851 ................. 257 Chapter 8 Conclusion ..................................................................................... 309 Bibliography .................................................................................................... 323 Appendix A “Hints for A. Rossi” Instructions to the teenage Alexander Philip Rossi ........................................................................................................ 355 1 List of Illustrations Figure 1.1 North View of Sidney [sic] New South Wales 1825 .......................... 40 Figure 2.1 Street sign in Ajaccio commemorating Lazare Rossi ....................... 55 Figure 2.2 Rossi Family, Ajaccio : 16th–19th centuries .................................... 57 Figure 2.3 Map of Corsica ................................................................................. 63 Figure 2.4 The Rossi coat of arms at Rossiville, Goulburn ............................... 71 Figure 2.5 The Gulf of Ajaccio .......................................................................... 76 Figure 2.6 The modern commune of Coti-Chiavari’s traditional links with Frasseto, Campo, Quasquara and Zevaco. ............................................... 84 Figure 2.7 The citadel at Corte ......................................................................... 89 Figure 3.1 Gibraltar from the North Bastion 1828 ............................................. 99 Figure 3.2 Map of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) ............................................................. 101 Figure 3.3 Bird’s eye view of the fort of Batticaloa 1672 ................................. 115 Figure 3.4 The fort at Batticaloa today ............................................................ 119 Figure 4.1 Mauritius—”pointed rocks, overhanging eminences and unnatural shaped mountains” ................................................................................... 133 Figure 4.2 The entrance to the bazaar at Port Louis ....................................... 134 Figure 4.3 Street scene in Port Louis .............................................................. 135 Figure 4.4 The race course at Port Louis ........................................................ 138 Figure 4.5 Le Réduit ....................................................................................... 145 Figure 4.6 The staff living quarters at Le Réduit ............................................. 146 Figure 4.7 Plan of Grand River North West 1834 ........................................... 150 Figure 4.8 Grande Rivière Nord-Ouest ........................................................... 150 Figure 4.9 Grande Rivière Nord-Ouest, looking out to sea ............................. 151 Figure 4.10 Grande Rivière Nord-Ouest—the former convict barracks .......... 156 Figure 4.11 Tantia Bhil, a “dacoit” (robber) in the Madhya Pradesh state of India 1890 ............................................................................................ 162 Figure 4.12 The Le Clézio family home at Moka ............................................. 175 Figure 4.13 The drawing room at Le Réduit .................................................... 178 Figure 4.14 The verandah at Le Réduit .......................................................... 180 Figure 6.1 The Police-office, Sydney .............................................................. 218 Figure 6.2 Convict arrivals and offences heard by the Supreme Court 1824-1833 ................................................................................................ 232 3 Figure 7.1 Portrait of Francis Nicholas