Colonial Conflicts 1792-1810

Book excerpt: On the 28th June 1790 a Lieutenant Macarthur arrived in the HM “Scarborough” as a member of the New South Wales Corps, a unit specially recruited, to replace the Marines, which had arrived with the first fleet. It was the 13th February 1792, almost two years later, before Richard Atkins arrived on the transport ‘Pitt’. Both men were destined to play leading roles in early colonial history and from the beginning there was obvious hostility between the two, culminating in the 1808 rebellion with the associated deposing of the Governor. Compiled after several years’ research, covers the period from 1788 up to and including Col.Johnston’s Court Martial and attempts to draw the reader’s attention, to the various misinterpretations by early historians and writers concerning both Richard Atkins and John Macarthur and their roles in the founding of this country. In particular, it refutes long-held beliefs concerning both men. Research for this book has revealed that many of the writings of the past are inaccurate thus giving a misleading view of the events of the period. Most early writers have neglected to portray negative material readily available in the Historical Records of NSW concerning Macarthur; indeed the editor of the HRNSW has shown a definite bias in his interpretation which favors Macarthur but ignores much of what he himself collated. Colonial Conflicts endeavors to relate a more accurate picture of the events of those times while relying heavily on quotations from the period.