The poor wages and living conditions of the industrial revolution had resulted in a lot of disease and malnutrition, causing many premature deaths. Food prices, had soared especially cereals,. His aunt, Mary’s sister Emma had suffered from these problems. She lost several children to disease, so they left their little farm situated near Liverpool in Lancashire, from which they earned a pittance. They packed up their home such as it was, having made the decision to cross the Atlantic for a better life, and it was here she lost even more children, and eventually, her own life as a doctor could not reach her in time, due to flooding. This was also the time when the starving Irish and Scots were doing the same thing, fleeing Britain for a new life.
Mary had written a book about the conditions in the Nottingham lace mills, entitled “Little Coin, Much Care”. Her life long friend, Elizabeth Gaskell, had written “Mary Barton”, and from another angle, in “North & South”. No such conditions applied out in America. People had to look after themselves, tas he time for industrialization of the American colony was still in the future.
Accidents were common place as well as they were in Australia, not just in the gold industry, but in farming, especially as some men were trying new skills, many never having been in a rural landscape before. A new land, where conditions were different from the countries they had left, drought, heat, getting lost in a terrain unfamiliar to them, so they could no longer read the countryside as they had at home in England. Alfred’s survival in this new land, particularly his early years on his own, had a lot to do with the time he had spent in Australia with his father and brother. They had helped, supported and cared for one another, finding out the best way to do things in this strange environment.
Australia was one of the British Colonies, so with the stories of new gold, people’s thoughts soon turned to the Antipodes as a place for a new life, adventure and wealth. It was also the place that the British Government turned its thoughts to when George III had lost the Americas, at the time of the Boston Tea Party. They made the decision to send criminals, who had previously been deported to the Americas to Australia instead. Amongst these early settlers were starving men and women, many of them having a trade, a trade they could no longer use. Whatever their standard of skills they helped in no small way in the establishing the early settlement of the new colony.
“How do you find a ship you can rely on when you go around the world Joe? asked Alfred. “I had great difficulty finding a sound ship to come out here. I got one through Elizabeth Fry’s brother, but I did not think much of him as a businessman. The ship had previously carried guano, you know those bird droppings they bring from breeding grounds, to spread on the fields as manure. The trouble was, the ship had not been cleaned properly, and we had to endure three months of it.” Alfred could imagine the smell Joe must have endured, so replied by saying “Nasty smelly stuff. But we expect you got used to it”.
“Now that you have got here, and you said you wanted to see the area in which I work, I don’t think you will be here long enough to travel all that area, so I would suggest as a start to show you the areas I visited with Pa and Charlton in 1854” said Alfred. “We have passed along some of the route on the way back from Melbourne, because that is where we started back then” Alfred explained.
This sounded alarming to Joe, so he said “Just a minute, don’t get carried away with ideas, I am here on business as well.” A surprised Alfred replied saying “Yes, but when and where is your business?”
“Well, I was wondering about setting up a business out here”. Joe said calmly, but Alfred trying to think why in his head. “What sort of business, something like at home, but importing what?” queried Alfred.
“No, no, no” Joe said frustratedly. “From the letters you have sent me, telling me what you have done, and explaining about the climate, I would like to try to grow my own Indigo, you know the blue dye I was importing into London from India and Ceylon”.
“I see,” replied Alfred. “I need an area where the ground is well drained, your sandy soil should do well,” continued Joe. “Then I need it very hot, it does better the hotter it is, it will also need good transport or access to a port, Melbourne or Adelaide, and the latter could suit, for the treatment of the leaves, to extract the dye. I would also need a water source for that. It grows well in America in areas where the cotton grows.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t know about that, I have never been to America.” Alfred interrupted”.
“You know it belongs to the legume family,” continued Joe “so it could have uses towards the fertility of your soil, should its roots contain the nitrogen blisters that our culinary beans contain.” Said Joe.
“Wow, you do think big. I hope it works out for you.” Alfred replied.
Chapter 8 – Joe’s New Zealand plans
“You know I have plans for Charlie in New Zealand too.” Joe continued. “We are a global family concern. My grandparents have made a good living in America, but I am the eldest of my family, and I have the rest of them to support. Charlie needs something, as up to now, I have had to keep him. Then I have my sisters to keep, and my favourite aunt, Aunt Eliza, and I still have a brother to educate. Schooling is not cheap in England. “
“I know that,” said Alfred, “It was the reason my parents took us to Heidelberg as children. Mother thought education would be cheaper, but it turned out it wasn’t because it was a university town. I shall never be able to keep up with you, work wise anyway, that would not be my life style. You like to make money; I like peace and quiet. I like to think and ruminate. I think it has done me good to get away from London, just to leave the bustle.”
“What, leave the bustle when you have it here too” retorted Joe. “Men shouting, because they feel they have been out done. Others are just noisy from drinking excess and those brawls, and all those ‘working class’ who come from poor areas, and just do not know how to behave. We might as well be in the East End of London down by the docks. No I would not like what you call peace and quiet here either”.
“You do realize don’t you, that we have native people all over Australia, and they are very primitive to our way of thinking. To undertake such operations, you would have to get them on your side. They are very good at hiding in the bush, leaving you alone, but knowing all about you and what you do. They can get very upset you know, if what you are doing, interferes with their culture and beliefs. Do bear that in mind. I get on well with some of the tribes, and they can be very helpful, once they get to know you, and realize you are trying to understand them too” said Alfred.
“I hadn’t thought of that” replied a surprised Joe.
He had been in the habit of going to countries, which were already in the British Empire, who already experienced British culture and understood our ways of doing things, even if they disapproved.
“I am very interested in the Aborigines”, Alfred explained their way of life, how they survive in this difficult climate, and their stories of “The Dream Time”. I have a lot to learn about them and from them. I love some of their art, which you need to understand, before you can fully appreciate it.”
Alfred did spend much of his life studying them, and he was making a significant contribution to the infantile study of anthropology, especially in respect of the Australian Aborigine. He was also to become the only white man to be taken and ritually initiated into one of the tribes.
Cooper’sCreek Australia
Darwin River