Memorial of Thomas Raine of Sydney in the Colony of New South Wales to the Right Honourable Viscount Goderich, His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, [1830 or 1831?]

MLMSS 9973

fonds

[1830 or 1831?]

1008940

1 item of textual material - manuscript, on vellum - 151 x 76 cm (framed)

Thomas Raine (1793-1860) made six voyages to Australia in the convict transport Surry, the first in 1814 as junior officer and the remainder between 1816 and 1823, as captain. Between voyages he engaged in a variety of mercantile enterprises, He made his last voyage in the Surry in 1827 by which time he had become increasingly involved in the colony’s affairs, further extending his business interests to include the timber trade, pork and coconut oil from Otaheite, sugar, spices and rum from Mauritius and the East, and flax and ships' spars from the establishment he formed at Hokianga, in the north-west of New Zealand.

Reference:
Library correspondence file
Australian Dictionary of Biography, http://adb.anu.edu.au/ (accessed 2 August 2017)

By descent from Thomas Raine to the donors

Memorial addressed to the Secretary of State for the Colonies outlining Thomas Raine achievements in mercantile trade of wheat, elephant sea oil, wood and cedar in Macquarie Island, Valparaiso, and New Zealand, as officer and Captain of the Surry between 1814-1823, and later trade procuring flax and ships spars in New Zealand in 1828. The testimonial ends with a request for a reward for his services to the colony by appointment to His Majesty's Government or by a grant of land.

Out of copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Transcript of original mauscript available

Manuscript is framed.

Between 1830 and 1833. The document is undated but has been dated from the time Viscount Goderich was Secretary of State for the Colonies. In a despatch dated 9 January 1831, Goderich instructed that no more free grants (except those already promised) be given and all land was thenceforth to be sold at public auction (Historical Records of Australia 1.16.22). The new regulations were not notified in a Government Notice until 1 July 1831 and published in a Government Order dated 1 August 1831. Thus a more accurate date for the memorial may be 1830 or 1831.

The memorial has suffered some damage, mainly in the lower section, which has not affected the writing with the exception of some of the supporting signatures and although the ink has faded it is clearly legible. The memorial is accompanied by a typescript transcript.