Colonial Collectors

Colonial collectors Colonists did not spend all their time engaged in reptiles, the plants, the trees, the flowers are scandal and debauchery. From the very first days all new – so beautiful and grotesque that no of settlement Europeans collected and sketched naturalist would believe the most faithful Australian natural history. drawings, and it requires uncommon skill to The sentiments behind the Reverend Thomas class them.50 Fyshe Palmer’s enthusiasm and wonder at Australian natural history were a much repeated Government officials compiled extensive leitmotif for all that was good about the colony: collections of plants and animals for much of the 1790s, reflecting not only the European To a philosophic mind, this is a land of urge to document and classify, but also the sheer wonder and delight. To him it is a new wonder at this new natural history. Governor creation; the beasts, the fish, the birds, the Phillip had commissioned some 200 drawings of To a philosophic mind, this is a land of wonder and delight. To him it is a new creation … White-naped Honeyeater Next page Letter from (Melithreptus lunatus), John Lewin to Dru 51 1800, watercolour Drury, 7 March 1803 Mr JW Lewin, Painter & Naturalist Colonial collectors 52 53 Mr JW Lewin, Painter & Naturalist Colonial collectors plants by December 1791; Captain John Hunter Thus, in 1791, a bored Elizabeth Macarthur was filled up his own sketchbook with botanical drawn to the study of botany as ‘some easy Science and bird drawings (as well as tipping in drawn to fill up the vacuum of many a Solitary day’. drawings by Lewin), an interest he shared with But her interest soon waned. ‘On my first landing midshipman George Raper. Surgeon General everything was new to me, every Bird, every Insect, John White commissioned a number of artists, Flower, &c. in short all was novelty around me, including the convict Thomas Watling, to create and was noticed with a degree of eager curiosity, an extensive archive of natural history and and perturbation, that after a while subsided into Aboriginal subjects.51 Captain William Paterson, calmness’.54 of the NSW Corps and Fellow of the Royal and Indeed this ‘calmness’ had largely descended Linnean Societies, was also an active collector on New South Wales by the time the Lewins and a hopeful author. He unsuccessfully arrived in 1800. Officer interest in collecting petitioned Sir Joseph Banks to support a had dissipated or been diverted into commercial publication on the natural history of Norfolk undertakings. It was left to professional Island, which he proposed to illustrate with collectors, supported by Sir Joseph Banks, to drawings by his convict servant John Doody.52 initiate a more systematic approach to collecting. While Governor Phillip, White and In the early 1800s his collectors included George Paterson attempted to collect within some Caley, botanist Robert Brown and illustrator kind of system, most colonial collectors were Ferdinand Bauer (both on Matthew Flinders’ enthusiastic amateurs whose interests were Investigator voyage), and later, Allan Cunningham. limited to the most curious or colourful For many, collecting mixed genuine personal specimens, and intended principally as gifts to interest with deliberate political gain. Major patrons or friends in England. Linnaeus and his George Johnston, an influential officer of the complex tabulations of nature did not figure NSW Corps, who played a leading role in the in their world view. Indeed, as one English overthrow of Governor Bligh in 1808, was naturalist noted, apart from a few ‘Cognoscenti, an assiduous and astute distributor of natural it is very certain that the Majority of the World history collections. His collecting was strategic, are not Methodists. They love Variety more than calculated and completely self-interested. His Order … ’53 collections were distributed judiciously and Peter Mazell, Clapper 54 Rail (&) Semipalmated 55 Snipe, engraving Mr JW Lewin, Painter & Naturalist Colonial collectors diplomatically to a wide range of his patrons I cannot contrive what he wants such and friends. In 1804 he sent the Duke of articles for unless they are designed as Northumberland three emus, four boxes of presents, whereby his name may be plants including waratahs and tree ferns, and accorded in the annals of natural history, a collection of birds. He regularly supplied the or for the public’s benefit. But he has Duke with shells, skins, wood specimens and plenty of other people at his call without seeds, while the Duchess was presented with bothering me. There is a person here by the live birds. This gendered division of gifts was name of Lewin whom the Governor has made by many colonists.55 had collecting for him, but I believe they Ships returning to Europe were full of now disagree, as he has not been able to animals and plants: James Hardy Vaux collect him as much as he expected.58 describes the Buffalo, with Governor and Mrs King on board, as returning to London in Caley noted that another private collector, 1807 so full of animals that it resembled James Gordon, was working in Sydney for ‘Noah’s Ark. There were kangaroos, black London naturalist and army officer Emperor swans, a noble emu, and cockatoos, parrots, Woodford, at £8 a month. Woodford was and smaller birds without number.’56 aware of Lewin’s presence in Sydney, Somewhere in the hold, too, was a cabinet and asked Gordon to make ‘a few of 6000 insects and another of shells that purchases of Lewin’s drawings’.59 belonged to Mrs King. Aylmer Bourke There were clearly a number of people – Lambert saw the cabinets in London and many apparently of dubious expertise – who reported that ‘I believe she intends parting serviced this high demand for specimens. with [the insect cabinet]’, but was going to Robert Anderson complained in 1805: keep the shells.57 It is very likely that Lewin helped her compile her insect collection. I am … extremely sorry that I cannot Caley sensed mercenary motives in send any more valuable curiosities to you Governor King’s collecting, telling Banks … every person almost you meet with is in August 1801 that he himself would not either an Insect Hunter or a Shell Collector collect for or give collections to him: or Botanist – more or less – directly they The Gymea Lily (Doryanthes excelsa ), 57 1807, watercolour Mr JW Lewin, Painter & Naturalist Colonial collectors … every person almost you meet with is either an Insect Hunter or a Shell Collector or Botanist … Arnold’s only source of specimens was in 1818, in commissioning a decorated chest Aboriginal people: ‘We only can get things to house his actual specimens, was shaped cheaply off the Indians, who bring coral, shells instead by a real delight and surprise in their etc, and who are glad to take old clothes, biscuits encounter with a natural history that they …’ Caley noted that the Rosehill Parrot (or never doubted was part of the British Empire, Eastern Rosella) and the King Parrot, colourful as well as distinctly colonial. Skottowe told and good at surviving long sea voyages, were the readers of his Select Specimens from Nature that most valuable birds for selling to ships returning Richard Browne’s drawings of butterflies were to Europe.61 not the ‘Visionary subjects of a traveller’ but The nationalism that underpinned much of ‘true copies from nature’. the pursuit of natural history in America was Colonists like Arnold or Skottowe represent not at all evident in Australia. Americans viewed the sort of market that surely suited Lewin’s arrive they get hold of some scientific moon’, also complained that he was priced their natural history with pride, its uniqueness capacity and talents. He was never accepted as Book & get a few hard names and then out of the market and recorded some of the a virtue of their new Republic, and a point of part of the milieu of Robert Brown or Caley assume the Character of Botanists etc prices: ‘a parrot, a kangaroo, a few shells, or distinction with the old world. Australian natural (who maintained a cordial friendship when as suit their fancy – & to support these an oppossum with cash £5, [or] a gallon of history, while also celebrated for its uniqueness, they had both returned to England). Lewin was characters they give high prices for every rum …’ He was jealous of a colleague who was never used as a point to argue in favour of a practical collector and illustrator rather than a curiosity …60 had purchased a hogshead of rum at the Cape separation from the British Empire. The pleasure taxonomist and seems to have had little respect of Good Hope, and therefore was well in of collectors like Lieutenant Thomas Skottowe, from Banks’ men. Lewin’s market was the Joseph Arnold, who famously declared in 1810 the market, piling the ‘ship with kangaroos, the commandant at Newcastle in 1813, in private trade, and commissions from governors that Australian natural history was ‘as strange parrots of different kinds, opossums, flying commissioning an illustrated record of his and senior officers were largely for personal to me as if I had become an inhabitant of the squirrels, shells etc.’ collection, or Captain James Wallis, in Newcastle collections. 58 Two wombats, 1801, 59 watercolour Mr JW Lewin, Painter & Naturalist Moving to Parramatta By September 1800 Lewin had removed to Parra- myself for a great while, not knowing their matta, from where he sent Drury an apologetic manners … but I have got such an insight letter explaining his difficulties: into their manners that I have no doubt but that I shall procure you some of the most I had scarce got myself settled after writing to Beautifull and rare moths.

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