Benevolent Colonizers in Nineteenth-Century Australia Quaker Lives and Ideals
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Benevolent Colonizers in Nineteenth-Century Australia Quaker Lives and Ideals Eva Bischoff Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies Series Series Editors Richard Drayton Department of History King’s College London London, UK Saul Dubow Magdalene College University of Cambridge Cambridge, UK The Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies series is a collection of studies on empires in world history and on the societies and cultures which emerged from colonialism. It includes both transnational, comparative and connective studies, and studies which address where particular regions or nations participate in global phenomena. While in the past the series focused on the British Empire and Commonwealth, in its current incarna- tion there is no imperial system, period of human history or part of the world which lies outside of its compass. While we particularly welcome the first monographs of young researchers, we also seek major studies by more senior scholars, and welcome collections of essays with a strong thematic focus. The series includes work on politics, economics, culture, literature, science, art, medicine, and war. Our aim is to collect the most exciting new scholarship on world history with an imperial theme. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/13937 Eva Bischoff Benevolent Colonizers in Nineteenth- Century Australia Quaker Lives and Ideals Eva Bischoff Department of International History Trier University Trier, Germany Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies Series ISBN 978-3-030-32666-1 ISBN 978-3-030-32667-8 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32667-8 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the pub- lisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institu- tional affiliations. Cover illustration: Givenworks This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft within the framework of the project on “Siedlerimperialismus in Nordamerika und Australien: Gouvernementale Ordnungsansätze, Kleinstereignisse und Mikropraktiken an der Frontier in der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts,” a Postdoc Scholarship on “Colonialism & Colonial History” granted by the German Historical Institute London, and a Postdoctoral Fellowship granted by the Martin Buber Society of Fellows in the Humanities and Social Sciences at the Hebrew University Jerusalem. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the generous support of my research. In addition, I hereby would like to thank all the librarians and archivists across the globe, who supported my research with great competence, end- less patience, and valuable advice. Many of them put in extra hours to assist the travelling historian. This book would be impossible without their dedication and help! I also would like to thank my colleagues at home and abroad for being such supportive and wonderful kindred spirits, especially Ulla Lehmkuhl and Norbert Finzsch. Also, a big shout out to my students in Trier for putting up with my almost constant jet lag and archive- induced absences. And, of course, many thanks to the Incredible Bold! v CONTENTS 1 Introduction 1 2 Violence and Pacifism: Writing the History of the Anglo- world from Within 9 2.1 Playing Scales or Writing the Microhistory of the Anglo- World 13 2.2 Connecting Research Contexts and Conversations 16 New Imperial History and the British World 16 Settler Colonial Studies 21 Imperial Humanitarianism 24 Genocide Studies 27 3 A Peculiar People: Quakers and the Atlantic World Around 1800 37 3.1 Inner Light and Worldly Matters: Quaker Abolitionism 42 From Germantown to London: Becoming an Abolitionist Movement 44 The Caring Power of Evangelical Quakerism 45 3.2 Strategies of Conflict Resolution: Between Peace Testimony and Diplomacy 49 From Revolutionaries to Law-Abiding Subjects 50 The Lamb’s War and Its Consequences 51 vii viii CONTENTS Quaker Peace Principles and Settler-Indigenous Relations in Colonial Pennsylvania 54 3.3 A Translocal Community: Quakers and Migration 59 Travelling under Concern: Ministers Abroad 60 Flows of Books and Friendly Affection: The Circulation of Knowledge 63 Friends Overseas: Certificates and Networks 66 4 Quakers in Early Nineteenth-Century Van Diemen’s Land 79 4.1 Those Assembled for Worship and Discipline: Founders of Hobart MM 83 Quakers of Convict Background 92 Free Quaker Settlers 96 4.2 Practices of Belonging: Quaker Identity in the Antipodes 109 Particular Colonists: Everyday Questions of Practising Quakerism 110 Finding a Suitable Companion: Marriage Networks 113 Living in a Masculinist Society: Quaker Men 119 4.3 Transferring the Quaker Way to the Antipodes 122 Establishing a Familiar Discipline: Organisation and Structure 123 Nourishing Minds and Teaching Principles: Quaker Books and Schools 124 5 The Case of James Backhouse and George W. Walker: Quaker Ministers and Colonial Governmentality, 1834 145 6 Being at Home: Van Diemen’s Land as a Quaker Settler Space 159 6.1 Taking the Land: Material Practices and Production of Settler Colonial Knowledge 162 Transforming Palawa Country into Settler Agricultural Space 163 Producing Settler Colonial Knowledge: Botany and Anthropology 173 Settler Architecture: Improving the Land and Building Prestige 177 CONTENTS ix 6.2 Colonial Governance and Quaker Domesticity 180 The Quaker Home and the Vandemonian Penal System 182 The Quaker Home and Cultural Genocide 188 7 The Case of Francis Cotton and George F. Story: Quaker Settlers and the Tasmanian Frontier, 1829–1831 201 8 Removal, Reform, Protection: Building a Humanitarian Empire 217 8.1 Transmissions: Settler Experiences and Humanitarian Discourse 221 Journals and Committees: Quaker Routines 227 Quaker Settler Experiences Converted 229 Establishing the Cornerstones of Humanitarian Discourse 236 Filters and Nets: Transmitting and Connecting Knowledge 238 8.2 Imagined Common Grounds: William Penn in Australia? 241 An Example to Follow: Penn in Humanitarian Discourse 244 Becoming Quaker: Imagining Settler Space|Time in 1830s Van Diemen’s Land 250 9 Tasmanian Lessons: Translation of Quaker Experiences and Concepts, 1836–1843 261 9.1 A Second Pennsylvania? South Australia and Quaker Settlers 266 9.2 A Slender Basis: Quaker Settlers and Aboriginal People 272 Coming in But Staying Out: The Etiquettes of Interaction 274 Local Politics: Between Retaliation and the Prevention of Extinction 280 9.3 South Australian Quaker Voices in Quaker Humanitarian Discourse 289 The Benevolent Coloniser Speaks: John Barton Hack 291 Shifting from Amelioration to Anthropology: William May 299 x Contents 10 Conclusion 315 10.1 Building the Anglo-World from Within 316 10.2 The Benevolent Coloniser 318 10.3 Sounds of Silence or Narrating Genocide the Quaker Way 322 Bibliography 331 Index 387 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Eva Bischoff teaches International History at Trier University, Germany. Her research interests include Colonial and Imperial History, Postcolonial Studies, Settler Colonial Studies as well as Gender/Queer Studies. xi ABBREVIaTIONS AKJV Authorised (King James) Version of the Bible APS Aborigines Protection Society CEN Census Commission CMS Church Missionary Society CON Convict Department CSO Colonial Secretary’s Office CUS Customs Department DL Dixon Library FHL Friends House Library Gov. Governor HRA Historical Records of Australia IOR Independent Order of Rechabites LMS London Missionary Society LSD Land and Surveys Department Lt. Lieutenant Lt.-Col. Lieutenant-Colonel Lt.-Gov. Lieutenant-Governor MfS Meeting for Sufferings ML Mitchell Library MM Monthly Meeting MP Member of Parliament NL Canberra National Library of Australia, Canberra NSW New South Wales POL Launceston Police PYMIC Indian Committee of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting QM Quarterly Meeting RGD Registrar-General’s Department xiii xiv ABBREVIATIONS RS Royal Society of Tasmania Collection RSA Royal Society of Tasmania SL NSW State Library of New South Wales SL South Australia State Library of South Australia SRSA State Records South Australia TAHO Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office TUA Tasmania University Archives Utas University of Tasmania VDL Van Diemen’s Land WMS Wesleyan Missionary