Sunday, March 20, 2011

DEATH OF ALFRED AUSTRALIA HOWE


Article written in The Sydney Gazette.31 January 1837
At the M'Leay River, on Wednesday evening, the 17th January, Master Alfred Australia Howe, aged 12 years, second son of the late Robert Howe, Esq., Printer, of Sydney. This unfortunate youth whilst washing his feet in shallow water, on the banks of the stream, in the charge of a man servant, was suddenly seized by a large shark, near fifty miles from the harbour, and dragged into the current. The man rushed in and grasping the boy at the hazard of his own life, pulled him out of the monster's month and swam to land, just as the fish pursued them furiously to the shore, The effusion of blood was instantly stopped, but symptoms of mortification exhibiting themselves.  The Surgeon in attendance peremptorily ordered a removal to Port Macquarie, for amputation of the limb, but death terminated his sufferings by locked jaw, in a litter on the road.
Eight years ago this unfortunate boy was miraculously saved from a watery grave, at the time his equally unfortunate father was drowned by the upsetting of a boat off Pinchgut. The good qualities and high promise of the youth are justly appreciated by all who knew him ; and time itself can never efface from his unhappy relatives, the dreadful catastrophe which  has deprived a mother of her fondest hope, and two sisters of their dearest brother. He will be removed to Sydney for interment in the vault of his family, so that the bodies of the father and son may mingle in dust together. 

Friday, November 5, 2010

ATTEMPTED MURDER OF SARAH BIRD

Article from the Sydney Gazette 1804 
John Morris, who went a Respite to Norfolk Island, remained for trial when the Union sailed, for inhumanly attempting the Murder of Edward Garth and Sarah Bird. He had been confined in the Gaol owing to his desperate character and conduct, and at 5 o'clock in the morning of Jan 8, he had some conversation with Garth, who acted as  Gaoler for the time being but suddenly drawing from his sleeve a knife 7 inches blade several times stabbed him in the chest then rushing from the prison bolted violently into the house of Sarah Bird, with whom he had for many years cohabited, then in bed, and with the same instrument made a horrible and ghastly incision across her throat from ear to ear. Endeavouring to ward off the monstrous attempt she also received a wound in the left arm, which extending downwards in an oblique direction across the wrist, cut the sinews through : the Surgeon was confidently of opinion, that the resistance by which the latter wound was occasioned had alone saved her life.  Her shrieks brought the constables and neighbours to her assistance, who obliged the villain to take refuge in a morass, where he for some minutes brandished his mischievous weapon, and breathed vengeance on the host that dared approach him ; but when overpowered sank into a timidity that always succeeds an act of brutal violence. From the diligent attention of the officiating Surgeon the wounded persons were declared not likely to die of their wounds, shortly before the Union's departure from the Island, soon after which the Offender was to be brought to trial.

ROBERT HOWE 1795-1829

Robert Howe was born 1795 in London the son of Mary McLeay & George Howe a convict who started Australia's first newspaper.  Robert & his mother Mary were able to embark with George Howe on the convict ship The Royal Admiral. Mary died on the way just before reaching Sydney  George & Robert arrived at Sydney in November 1800.
Robert was dissipated as a young man and in 1819 fathered an illegitimate son with Elizabeth Lee. Next year, however, he experienced a spiritual awakening and, in his own words, was 'wonderfully and mercifully visited by God and snatched from infamy in this world and Hell in the next'.  In the meantime, in 1821 Robert Howe had married the colonial-born Ann Bird, who finally agreed to rear Robert's natural son as her own. She bore him four more children, Robert Mansfield, Alfred Australia, Ann Wesley and Mary McLeay, whose names commemorated the strongest influences in Howe's life.
In 1827 he made a will in which he left most of his estate to his natural son and £100 a year to his wife. Next year he revoked this and left his wife an 'equal division' of his effects which amounted to over £10,000. Contemplating retirement, he installed Mansfield as co-editor of the Gazette.  After Robert died his widow Ann became the proprietor of the paper.
Robert Howe drowned 29 Jan 1829 near Pinchgut Island now known as Fort Denison in Sydney Harbour. He had gone fishing with his son Alfred Australia Howe & a servant named William. A strong wind overturned the boat. Robert tried to save Alfred, but became exhausted. William was able to swim for help. The crew of the brig "Alice" found Alfred floating senseless, but still alive. Robert`s body was recovered later. The fishing lines had become entwined around his body like a net, his wrists tightly laced together and a small food basket had attached itself to his head with the handle passing under his chin

GEORGE HOWE - PRINTER BORN IN ST. KITTS


HOWE, GEORGE (1769-1821), printer, editor, publisher and poet, was born on the island of St Kitts in the West Indies, the son of Thomas Howe, government printer at Basseterre on St Christopher's Island. George and his brother were both apprenticed to the printing trade. His later work indicates that his education was thorough along the classical lines of the eighteenth century, and that he was well read in European literature.
In 1790 Howe went to London and worked on The Times and other newspapers. He married and his son Robert was born in 1795. In March 1799, together with a companion, Thomas Jones, and under the name of 'George Happy alias Happy George', he was tried at the Warwick Assizes for shoplifting at Alcester; he was sentenced to death but this was commuted to transportation for life. Robert Howe later referred to Alexander McLeay as 'the benefactor of myself and my poor mother', and it was probably McLeay who enabled Howe's family to embark with him in the Royal Admiral. He arrived at Sydney in November 1800, but his wife died on the voyage. Howe himself recovered from a serious illness in 1801 and attributed his survival to D'Arcy Wentworth.
Almost immediately Howe became government printer, and the range of his printing far exceeded the broadsheets and orders of his predecessor, George Hughes. In 1802 he issued the first book printed in Australia, New South Wales General Standing Orders, comprising Government and General Orders issued between 1791 and 1802. On 5 March 1803 he began the publication of the first newspaper, the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser. Robert helped in the printing office when the paper began and 'had the honour, even in those infant days, of gaining the smile and eliciting the astonishment of the King's Representative when he saw us perched on a stool'. According to Robert the old printing press was worth only £2 and they had to manage with a mere 20 lbs. (9 kg) of type; but Howe was an 'ingenious man' and managed in spite of the inadequate press, a chronic shortage of ink and paper, and the refusal or inability of many of his subscribers to pay their debts. He was conditionally pardoned in 1803, and fully emancipated in 1806.
Howe formed an irregular alliance with Elizabeth Easton and between 1803 and 1810 she bore him five children, one of whom, George Terry Howe, later became the first newspaper editor in Launceston. To add to his income he opened a stationery shop and became a private tutor. He offered to teach reading, writing and mensuration and 'the Grammar of the English tongue upon the principles of Drs Lowth, Johnson, Priestly and other celebrated writers who have united their efforts in improving the Grammatical structure of their own beautiful and comprehensive language, which every Englishman ought to be acquainted with, but few attain that have not had the advantage of a classical education'. Howe's shop and his tutoring enabled him to survive between 30 August 1807 and 15 May 1808, when because of the quarrel between Governor William Bligh and his enemies the Gazette ceased publication. The reason given was lack of paper, but Robert Howe later revealed that the government stores had large stocks of paper. After Bligh's arrest Howe had to threaten to publish the names of his debtors unless they paid him within a fortnight.
In 1810 Howe's printing office was almost destroyed by lightning, but the newly-arrived Governor Lachlan Macquarie renewed his appointment as government printer, and next year granted him a salary of £60. Howe's economic position improved still further when in 1812 he married Sarah, the widow of Edward Wills, who had inherited a profitable store from her husband. Of her five existing children, Sarah married Dr William Redfern in 1811 and Eliza married Major Henry Antill in 1818; a son, Horatio Spencer Wills, became editor of the Gazette and published the first paper edited by a native-born Australian, The Currency Lad, which first appeared in August 1832.
After his marriage Howe became more active in commerce. In 1813 he joined Mrs Mary Reibey in a speculation in sandalwood. In 1817 he became one of the fourteen foundation subscribers to the Bank of New South Wales. In 1813 he published the first natural history and art book printed in the colony, Birds of New South Wales with their Natural History, a collection of eighteen coloured plates of Australian birds with short descriptions of their habits and environment. The artist was John Lewin. In 1819 First Fruits of Australian Poetry, containing two poems by Barron Field, the first book of poetry published in Australia, came from his press. Howe was preparing to publish the first periodical magazine when he died on 11 May 1821. He left property worth £4000.

FIRST FLEET CONVICT SARAH BELLAMY

Housemaid and washerwoman of Sydney, NSW. Sarah was, at the age of fifteen years, convicted at the Summer Assizes held at Dudley WOR ENG in 1785 on the indictment of "feloniously stealing money and property belonging to one, Benjamin Haden, a weaver by trade in the township of Dudley, County of Worcestershire, consisting of a linen purse, valued 2d. 15 guineas, 1 half guinea, one promissory note signed under the hand of Wm. Jackson for the Governor and Co. of the Bank of England bearing the date 11th April 1785 value 10 pounds, one promissory note signed under the hand of Thomas Hill junr for Hill Waldron & Co. promise to pay the bearer 5 guineas on demand at the parish of Dudley 29th May."
 The charge was only brought against Sarah because her employer, Haden, blamed her for his bankruptcy. He was supported in court by his wife Sarah. The bankruptcy indictment was dated 25 May, but Sarah Bellamy was not committed to trial until 9 July.
Sarah was sentenced to seven years transportation, the order of which was signed at St James Court in Dec 1786, when she was seventeen years old. On being found guilty, Instead of transportation Sarah "publically prayed to be whipped on two successive market days", but her plea was ignored. On arrival in Sydney, she was assigned to Lt Faddy as a housemaid.
In 1789 Sarah was charged with disturbing the peace, but supported by strong witnesses, namely Matthew Everingham and John Harris, had the case dismissed. It had happened that Captain Meredith of the marines and Mr Kiltie, master of the Sirius, somewhat under the weather, departed from the governor's house at about one o'clock in the morning, made a lot of noise outside Sarah's house. She became alarmed and screamed "murder". Subsequently Captain Meredith tried to have Sarah arrested but was restrained by John Harris, the nightwatchman.
After this time, Sarah began living with James Bloodworth in South Street, now 19 O'Connell St. She had eight children by him but four did not survive infancy. After James died in 1804, Sarah lived by herself with her children in South Street.
Sarah was described as a spirited girl with an abundance of bright red hair which has been passed onto her many descendants.
Sarah settled James' insolvency, received a 20 acre grant at Petersham NSW and schooled her children. She received her certificate of emancipation on 23 Feb 1811. In 1823 she petitioned the governor for the release of her son-in-law, Robert Carver, husband of her daughter Elizabeth, who had been falsely accused of a crime he did not commit and was sent to Port Macquarie NSW.
She died in Sydney on 24 Feb 1843 and was buried in the Devonshire Street cemetery then later it is believed, was transferred to Botany Cemetery.
In May 1987, the Belbroughton Historical Society unveiled a memorial plaque to commemorate the 200 years since Sarah left her home town for Australia and to mark the occasion when her descendants visited Belbroughton.