Colonial Secretary's papers 1822-1877

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, Governor of New South Wales
• Frederick Goulbourn, Colonial Secretary
• Alexander Macleay, Colonial Secretary,
• Captain Patrick Logan, Commandant, Moreton Bay Penal Settlement,

Many of the letters are requests from Commandants of the Moreton Bay Settlement for supplies; petitions for work from free men; transportation and management of prisoners, and the establishment of facilities to support the settlement.

Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
The correspondence documents the daily activities of a penal settlement; supplying returns of prisoners, the nature of their employment; transfers and runaways; requests [petitions] of wives of prisoners to join their husbands; and possible employment for them along with their children. Plans for the establishment a gaol and hospital for the prisoners were drawn up and provisionally approved.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

In May 1826, Captain Bishop reported local Aboriginal people assisted in capturing bushrangers, receiving tomahawks and blankets, and noted their distrust of cattle. In 1827, Captain Patrick Logan reported an Aboriginal man shot while soldiers protected a corn crop.

European Exploration
In July 1827 Allan Cunningham proposed an exploration and botanical collection expedition, of the Moreton Bay region, correspondence details his requests for supplies and a number of prisoners to accompany him. His successful journey included climbing to the top of Mt Dumaresq, near Maryvale, and the discovery of the pass now known as Cunningham's Gap.

Refer to the Index for further detail

Items in this series include correspondence to:

• Alexander Macleay, Colonial Secretary
• Sir Ralph Darling, Governor New South Wales
• Patrick Logan, Commandant, Moreton Bay Penal Settlement

As well as Commandants of penal settlements in Norfolk Island, and Port Macquarie.

Correspondence comprising supply requests, petitions, travel permits, and Commandants’ reports, including items on the Western Port Bay settlement (Victoria, 23 Jan 1828) and an inquiry into relations with Aboriginal people

Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
Included in this series are several petitions from wives of prisoners at Moreton Bay, others begging mitigation of sentences. Captain Logan filed returns of prisoners held and returned, and requests for supplies and tools to continue the establishment of suitable facilities for his men and their charges.

Norfolk Island Penal Settlement
Norfolk Island penal settlement reopened June 1825; commanded by Major Turton, Captain Vance Young Donaldson (1826), then Captain Thomas Edward Wright; includes reports and supply requests.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

In January 1828, Captain Patrick Logan reported two men killed by Mulrobin clan Aboriginals while guarding a cornfield on the Brisbane River; one suspected killer was shot, another detained for trial. In February 1828, Captain Henry Smyth at Fort Wellington, Raffles Bay described a skirmish between five soldiers and Iwaidja people, including the capture of a child, intended to broker peace. Following Captain Collett Barker’s appointment, he reported deteriorated relations and submitted a confidential report and soldier depositions from the enquiry.

European Exploration
In April 1828 Allan Cunningham, HM Botanical Collector requested passage to Moreton Bay to collect botanical specimens.

Refer to the Index for further detail

Includes extracts from Special Bundle No. 4, 1100.3 (Ships Manifests, 1827 and 1828)

Items in this series include correspondence to:

• Alexander Macleay, Colonial Secretary
• Sir Ralph Darling, Governor, New South Wales
• Patrick Logan, Commandant, Moreton Bay Penal Settlement

As well as Commandants of other penal settlements under the direction of the Colonial Secretary NSW.

Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
Correspondence includes prisoner wives’ petitions at Moreton Bay, requests for sentence mitigation, Captain Logan’s return of prisoners and supply requests, and reports on works at Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah).

European Exploration
In December 1828 Colonial Botanical Collector, Alan Cunningham with Charles Fraser, Colonial Botanist, reported on their expedition to a region south west of the Moreton Bay settlement.

Regular Vessels
Correspondence relating to cargo and passenger vessels relaying prisoners, supplies and passengers to and from the Moreton Bay settlement. They include: the Lucy Ann, Isabella, Mary Elizabeth, City of Edinburgh, Governor Philip, and the Alligator as well as HM prison hulk the Phoenix.

Refer to the Index for further detail

Items in this series include correspondence to:

• Alexander Macleay, Colonial Secretary
• General Sir Ralph Darling, Governor, New South Wales
• Captain Patrick Logan, Commandant, Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
• John Burnett, Colonial Secretary, Van Diemen's Land

As well as Commandants of other penal settlements under the direction of the Colonial Secretary NSW including: Norfolk Island, Fort Wellington, Melville Island and Port Essington [Northern Territory].

Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
Included in the correspondence are several petitions from prisoners at Moreton Bay, Captain Logan filed Returns of Prisoners held and returned, and requested supplies, livestock and tools to support the settlement.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

This series comprises letters concerning interactions between settlers, government officials, and the traditional owners of the land. The correspondence includes discussion of the recruitment of Aboriginal people to assist in apprehending bushrangers on Norfolk Island. It also records a report by Captain Logan regarding the loss of equipment and supplies from the lumber yard, attributed to local Aboriginal people in the region.

European Exploration
This series includes reports by botanical collectors and colonial botanists. Allan Cunningham documented 1827 and 1829 expeditions from Liverpool Plains and west/northwest of Moreton Bay to collect plants and seeds for England’s Kew Gardens. Colonial Botanist Charles Fraser reported on seeds sent to Port Essington and plants suited for a botanic garden at Brisbane.

Regular Vessels
Correspondence concerning cargo and passenger vessels transporting prisoners, supplies, and passengers to and from the Moreton Bay settlement. Vessels mentioned include the Amity, Waterloo, Isabella, Mary Elizabeth, Governor Philip, and the hired ship HM Success.

Refer to the Index for further detail

Items in this series include correspondence to:

• Alexander Macleay, Colonial Secretary
• Sir Ralph Darling, Governor, New South Wales
• Patrick Logan, Commandant, Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
• John Nicholson, Harbour Master Attendants Office
• James Murray, Assistant Surgeon, Moreton Bay

As well as Commandants of other penal settlements under the direction of the Colonial Secretary including: Captain Henry Smyth, Port Macquarie.

Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
Correspondence on early Moreton Bay settlement administration, including cargo and prisoner lists, petitions, staff appointments and salaries, supply requests, hospital plans, Redcliffe relocation, Charles Fraser’s land request, and 1825 move to Brisbane River (Maiwar).

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

This series contains letters on settler - Aboriginal interactions, Captain Patrick Logan’s death (Oct 1830) and succession by Captain James Clunie, Aboriginal attacks on convicts and a fishing crew, and rewards to Ned Newton, Kangaroo Jack, and Corroborrie for convict assistance.

European Exploration
Allan Cunningham, HM Botanical Collector, wrote on returning specimens to Kew Gardens and requested government reimbursement for exploration expenses.

Regular Vessels
Much of the correspondence concerns cargo and passenger vessels transporting prisoners, supplies, and passengers to and from the Moreton Bay settlement. Vessels mentioned include the Governor Phillip, Mary Elizabeth, Isabella, Lucy Ann, Waterloo, and Regent Bird.

Refer to the Index for further detail

Items in this series include correspondence from: 

• Alexander McLeay, Colonial Secretary
• Sir Ralph Darling, Governor, New South Wales
• Sir Richard Bourke, Governor, New South Wales
• John Nicholson, Harbour Master Attendants Office
• Henry Cowper, Assistant Surgeon, Moreton Bay

As well as Commandants of other penal settlements including Captain Henry Smyth, Port Macquarie and Lieutenant Colonel James Morisset, Norfolk Island.  

Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
The correspondence relates to administrative and operational matters at the Moreton Bay settlement. It includes cargo manifests, petitions requesting sentencing reviews, complaints regarding behaviour, lists of prisoners, and requests for tools and supplies, including cattle, horses, and maize. It also records concerns over the hardship caused by the mulct (tax) on freight and a riot by prisoners aboard the ship Eleanor.

Norfolk Island Penal Settlement
The correspondence also addresses the administration and management of Norfolk Island, including matters relating to ships, cargo, and prisoners. It records appointments to various government positions within the settlement.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

This series contains letters on settler - Aboriginal interactions, including Aboriginal assistance in capturing Moreton Bay runaways and smallpox transmission from a convict at Trial Bay and Point Plomer.

European Exploration
In August 1824, Thomas Brisbane wrote to John Oxley regarding an expedition to Moreton Bay, the Brisbane River, and the surrounding country, providing instructions to survey and explore the area.

Regular Vessels
Correspondence concerning cargo and passenger vessels transporting prisoners, supplies, and passengers to and from the Moreton Bay settlement. Ships mentioned include the Governor Philip, Isabella, Eleanora, Louisa, Regent Bird, and Phoenix.

Refer to the Index for further detail

Items in this series include correspondence from:

• James Clunie, Commandant Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
• Frederick Hely, Principal Superintendent of Convicts Office
• James Laidley, Commissariat Office, Sydney
• Alexander Macleay, Colonial Secretary
• John Nicholson, Harbour Master Attendants Office

Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
Correspondence on the administration of Moreton Bay covers trials, pardons, and sentences by Captain James Clunie, prisoner transfers, management of the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum, transport and storage of supplies, clothing, and people, return of runaways, boat building, allocation of servants, and planning additional prisoner accommodation.

Norfolk Island Penal Settlement
Correspondence regarding the management of Norfolk Island and the movement of ships, cargo and prisoners.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series contains letters on interactions between settlers, officials, and Aboriginal people, including Richard Craig, a Moreton Bay runaway brought to Port Macquarie by Trial Bay people. It reports Aboriginal cattle killings near “Moorooya” (Moruya) and Europeans wounded or killed at Dunwich

European Exploration
This correspondence records natural history and resource activities in Moreton Bay, including James Ralfe’s 1831 limestone discovery, 1833 collection of bird skins and other specimens for English and Edinburgh museums, and assessments of local timber value.

Regular Vessels
Correspondence relating to cargo and passenger vessels relaying prisoners, supplies and passengers to and from the Moreton Bay settlement. The vessels include the: Caledonia, Governor Bourke, Governor Philip, Isabella, Jolly Rambler, Florentina, Madeira, Maitland, the Regent Bird’ and the Phoenix.

Refer to the Index for further detail

Items in this series include correspondence to:

• Alexander Macleay, Colonial Secretary
• Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales
• John Nicholson, Harbour Master
• Frederick Hely, Principal Superintendent of Convicts Office
• Stephen Owen, Deputy Commissary General

As well as Commandants of the Moreton Bay penal settlement including Captain James Clunie and Captain Foster Fyans.

Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
Correspondence on the administration of Moreton Bay covers prisoner petitions, ship movements, sentencing and transfers, official appointments and dismissals, crop failures, hospital returns, application of the English Vagrant Act, and the Court of Enquiry held by Captain James Clunie.

Norfolk Island Penal Settlement
Correspondence also includes mention of the management of Norfolk Island and the movements of ships, cargo and prisoners.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

This series contains letters concerning interactions between settlers, government officials, and the traditional owners they encountered. The correspondence includes discussions by Captain James Clunie regarding relations with local Aboriginal people. It also records the murder of a prisoner at Dunwich (Goompi / Minjerribah), an attack on a guard at the Pilot’s quarters, and other incidents of violence within the settlement.

European Exploration
In 1835, John Parker, Superintendent of Agriculture at Eagle Farm, reported on the number of acres under cultivation, as well as the number of sheep and cattle at Brisbane Town, the Government Garden, and Eagle Farm stations.

Regular Vessels
Correspondence concerning cargo and passenger vessels transporting prisoners, supplies, and passengers to and from the Moreton Bay settlement. Ships mentioned include the Governor Phillip, Isabella, Mangles, Florentia, England, Asia, Earl St Vincent, and Phoenix. 

Refer to the Index for further detail

Items in this series include correspondence to:

• Alexander Macleay, Colonial Secretary
• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales
• Thomas Harington, Assistant Colonial Secretary

As well as Commandants of other penal settlements including Colonel James Morisset, Norfolk Island and Captain Foster Fyans.

Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
Correspondence on the administration of Moreton Bay covers prisoner sentencing and transfer, ship movements, petitions, appointments and dismissals, runaway convicts, supply requests, and 1836 Brisbane River flood damage. In 1836, Captain Foster Fyans dispatched Lieutenant Otter and prisoners to search for the Stirling Castle crew, including the rescue of Mrs Eliza Fraser, her children, and some crew members from K'Gari. In 1837, Major Sydney Cotton succeeded Fyans as Commandant.

Norfolk Island Penal Settlement
Correspondence also includes mention of the management of Norfolk Island and the movements of ships, cargo and prisoners. In 1836, William Miller recommended a miller and storekeeper of agricultural produce to assist with problems storing grain.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

This series includes letters on interactions between settlers, officials, and Aboriginal people in the Moreton Bay settlement, including communication attempts and incidents of violence. Reverend John Handt reported on efforts to engage with Aboriginal communities, while Captain Foster Fyans noted rewards offered to “Bribey’s tribe” for bushranger information. The correspondence also records the search for two Duke of York seamen believed killed by Aboriginal people.

European Exploration
In 1836, George Bennett, of the Australian Museum, requested prisoners from Moreton Bay and Norfolk Island be employed to collect specimens of natural history for the Australian Museum.

Regular Vessels
Correspondence concerning cargo and passenger vessels transporting prisoners, supplies, and passengers to and from the Moreton Bay settlement. Ships mentioned include the Isabella, Larkins, Gilford, Governor Phillip, Dart, Eliza, Glory, Bessy (or Betsy), Stirling Castle, Joseph Weller, Foster Fyans, Duke of York, and Jane.

Refer to the Index for further detail

Items in this series include correspondence to:

• Alexander Macleay, Colonial Secretary
• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales
• George Gipps, Governor of New South Wales
• Thomas Harington, Assistant Colonial Secretary

As well as Commandants of other penal settlements including Captain James Clunie, Major Sydney Cotton and Lieutenant Owen Gorman, Moreton Bay.

Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
This correspondence relates to the administration and winding down of the Moreton Bay penal settlement. It includes petitions for remission of sentences, movements of ships with manifests of cargo and passengers, recommendations and appointments to positions, provisioning and labour matters, and planning for the abandonment of Moreton Bay as a penal colony, including estimates of provisions and livestock. In September 1839, Lieutenant Owen Gorman provided a detailed list of prisoners remaining at Moreton Bay under colonial sentence.

Norfolk Island Penal Settlement
The correspondence also addresses the administration of Norfolk Island, including the movements of ships, cargo, and prisoners. Some prisoners were transferred to Norfolk Island as a result of the closure of the penal settlement at Moreton Bay.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series comprises letters on interactions between settlers, officials, and Aboriginal people in the Moreton Bay settlement, including attempts at communication, provision of food and clothing, and gifts such as tomahawks and blankets. In 1837, John Dunmore Lang discussed establishing an Aboriginal mission; in 1838, German missionaries requested land at Nundah. In 1839, Lieutenant Owen Gorman reported on local tribes and the potential attachment of Aboriginal people to the Native Police

European Exploration
Coal samples from the Brisbane River at Limestone (Ipswich) were sent to Sydney for assessment. In December 1839, the Surveyor General’s Office reported tracing the river from Moreton Bay to the mountains and recommended delaying settlement until surveys were complete.

Regular Vessels
Correspondence concerning cargo and passenger vessels transporting prisoners, supplies, and passengers to and from the Moreton Bay settlement. The vessels include the Isabella, Foster Fyans, Speke, Champion, Mangles, Eliza, Atlas, John Barry, Governor Phillip, Asia, and Florentia.

Refer to the Index for further detail

[Includes Special Bundle No.4 (Penal Settlement Regulations)]

Items in this series include correspondence to:

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• George Gipps, Governor of New South Wales
• Owen Gorman, Commandant Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
• William Miller, Deputy Commissary General
• Robert Dixon, Assistant Surveyor, Moreton Bay

Most of the correspondence covers the period 1839 to 1841, however there is a bundle of documents mostly from 1829 to 1832 which consist of regulations and blank forms used in the administration of the penal settlements.

Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
In July 1839, Lieutenant Owen Gorman took command of Moreton Bay during its transition from a penal to a free settlement, replacing colonial prisoners with ordinary Crown prisoners. Correspondence covers prisoner transfers, certificates, remission of sentences, tickets of leave, settlement management, supplies, allowances, reimbursement to German missionaries, ship movements, and appointments, as well as Darling Downs settlers’ requests to send supplies, workers, and wool via the port.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

Letters in this series relate to relationships between settlers, government officials and the traditional owners they encountered. They include: conflicts with Aboriginal people including the death of two members of a surveying party near Mount Lindsay; reports of Aboriginal people being shot by colonists and an incident with German missionaries firing on and wounding Aboriginal people for stealing food and provisions from their settlement.

European Exploration
Some correspondence relates to exploration beyond Moreton Bay, including Lieutenant Owen Gorman’s journal of his journey to the Darling Downs via Hayes Peak and Cunningham’s Pass, Samuel Perry’s survey of land at Moreton Bay, the Clarence River, and the MacLeay River, and Gorman’s notes on local timber and the shipment of seed samples to Sydney on the schooner Harlequin.

Regular Vessels
Correspondence concerning cargo and passenger vessels transporting prisoners, supplies, and passengers to and from the Moreton Bay settlement. The vessels include the John, Curlew, Harlequin, Earl St Vincent, Andromeda, John Barry, Sophia Jane, and Captain Cook.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Alexander Macleay, Colonial Secretary
• Edward Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• George Gipps, Governor of New South Wales
• Owen Gorman, Commandant Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
• Campbell Riddell, Colonial Treasurer
• Stephen Simpson, Commissioner of Crown Lands

Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
Letters in this series are mostly from 1841-1842 relating to the establishment of Moreton Bay as a free settlement, including requests from Darling Downs settlers, survey work by Henry Wade, limits on pastoral stations, town and allotment plans (Brisbane, Eagle Farm), and reports on settlements, church registers, female prisoners, hospital returns, and purchasers of town and Crown lands.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

Letters from Darling Downs settlers report conflicts with Aboriginal people, including sheep theft and attacks on station workers, and record Aboriginal people being shot, wounded, or poisoned by settlers. Governor George Gipps established the Border Police, recruiting returned runaways David Bracewell and James Davis. The series also includes J.C.S. Handt’s 1841 report on the condition of Aboriginal people in Moreton Bay.

European Exploration
Some correspondence relates to Northern Australia exploration, including proposals by Benjamin Singleton to explore between Moreton Bay and the Gulf of Carpentaria at his own cost, and Edward John Eyre offering expeditions if government expenses were covered.

Regular vessels
Correspondence relating to cargo and passenger vessels relaying supplies and passengers to and from Moreton Bay, including the John, Edward, Piscator and Shamrock.

Refer to the Index for further detail

Includes Special Bundles:
4/7203 (Commissioner of Crown Lands – Moreton Bay, Reports re Border Police 1843-6);
4/7312 (NSW Civil Establishment, Returns of the Agent for Immigration, 1843-50 and 1852-6);
4/7358 (NSW Civil Establishment, Returns of the Medical Establishment, 1829, 1831, 1833-35, 1837-48)

This series includes correspondence to and from:

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Sir George Gipps, Governor
• Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate
• Campbell Riddell, Colonial Treasurer

Moreton Bay Settlement
Letters in this series relate to various issues including: the need for police constables as well as good, free labour in the colony; land sales in Brisbane; farming at Eagle Farm and failure of crops due to lack of water; land allocated for a government wharf at Kangaroo Point; and additional funding requested for maintaining a hospital. Appointments include: John Wickham, Police Magistrate ; Stephen Simpson, Commissioner of Crown Lands

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

Letters in this series relate to relationships between settlers, government officials and the traditional owners they encountered. They include reports of hostile interactions as the settlement expanded towards Ipswich, the Darling Downs and the Wide Bay region. They include a sheep stealing incident at Selby & King’s stations; the proposed formation of a 'Black Police'; and poisoning of Aboriginal people at a sheep station in the Wide Bay District.

European Exploration and settlement
Letters concern locations beyond the original settlement, including a coastal survey from Moreton Bay to the Clarence River, Ipswich town allotment sales, a Bunya country excursion to select a site for the German Mission (Durundur), Border Police on the Darling Downs, and northward plant and pine specimen expeditions by Andrew and John Petrie.

Regular vessels
There is frequent mention of the conveyance of mail and passengers, for Moreton Bay via steamers the Sovereign, Shamrock and James Watt.

Refer to the Index for further detail

Includes extracts from:
Special Bundle No. 4, 7358 (NSW Civil Establishment, Returns of the Medical Establishment, 1829, 1831, 1833-35, 1837-48)

This series includes correspondence to and from:

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Sir George Gipps, Governor
• Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate
• David Ballow, Assistant Surgeon, Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay Settlement
Letters address settlement issues including law and order, Border Police supply costs on the Darling Downs, the absence of a Brisbane Customs officer amid suspected liquor smuggling, gaol rations, and hospital expenses. They also report Crown Land sales in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, and Ipswich, and include applications from John McLean and Edward King for ferry operations, and Evan Mackenzie for a South Brisbane steam boat wharf.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

Letters concern settler, official, and Aboriginal relations. In 1844, Crown Lands Commissioner Stephen Simpson reported the “disturbed state” of Moreton Bay from Aboriginal incursions near the head of the Brisbane River. Border Police on the Darling Downs noted European–Aboriginal conflicts, including white men murdered in the region and the poisoning of ‘Docto’ at Plough Station near Ipswich. The Catholic mission at Dunwich requested blankets and clothing for local Aboriginal people.

European Exploration and Surveys
Correspondence includes reports by Commissioners Stephen Simpson and Christopher Rolleston on the Logan River, Beaudesert, Grantham, Lockyer Creek, Kilcoy, and the Darling Downs, noting inhabitants, buildings, soils, and cultivation. The letters also record Crown Land set aside for burial grounds in Ipswich for Episcopalian, Catholic, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Independent, Jewish, and Aboriginal use.

Shipping and Ferries
Vessels include steamers Shamrock, Sovereign, Corsair, James Watt, and Thistle delivering mail between Sydney and Moreton Bay; Fly and Bramble surveyed coasts and reefs; Osprey reported a new reef; schooner Perseverance wrecked on Moreton Island in February 1844. 

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to:

• Edward Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• George Gipps, Governor of New South Wales
• Charles Fitzroy, Governor of New South Wales
• Samuel Perry, Deputy Surveyor General
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate, Brisbane

Moreton Bay Settlement
Letters cover administration of the growing settlement, including licences for squatting, buildings, and publicans; Crown land occupation; law and order; Courts of Petty Sessions; Ipswich district constable; South Brisbane wharf construction; proposed Brisbane–Ipswich steamer; a riverbank coal mine; land sales in Brisbane and Ipswich; 1846 Darling Downs census with names and locations; and provisions for prisoners working on Moreton Bay roads.

New South Wales Colony
Correspondence covers multiple New South Wales districts, including William Lithgow’s memoranda on Border Police provisions; prisoner transport from Sydney; departmental supplies; the Government Printing Office; constable escorts to Brisbane; and stores for the Hunter River and Moreton Bay. It also addresses replacing convicts with free men in the Border Police, E.D. Barlow’s 1844 squatting districts sketch, Border Police returns, depasturing licence disputes and fees, and religious instruction.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

Letters detail settler - Aboriginal relations, including hostile interactions, cattle dispersal and spearing, threats or killings of station workers, and Aboriginal deaths by shooting or poisoning. In 1845, Crown Lands Commissioner Stephen Simpson reported on Aboriginal peoples of the Darling Downs and visiting tribes from the Severn, Richmond, Clarence, Moreton Bay, and Boyne Rivers. Other matters include a proposed visit to the Bunya Scrubs for the German mission at Noonga Creek (Durundur), concern over withdrawal of a regiment from the Scrubs at the Dividing Range, and Border Police expense estimates noting convicts and Aboriginal people ‘not requiring pay’.

European Exploration and Surveys
Captain Francis Blackwood, of the Fly, provided sailing directions for the Torres and Endeavour Straits for publication ; charts of the Torres Strait were produced to assist ships sailing to India. 

Shipping
The ships mentioned include the steamers Tamar, transporting a whale boat to Moreton Bay, the Thistle, transporting ammunition to Moreton Bay, and the Sovereign delivering mail between Sydney and Moreton Bay.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to and from:

• Edward Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• George Gipps, Governor of New South Wales
• Charles Fitzroy, Governor of New South Wales
• Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate, Brisbane

Moreton Bay Settlement 
Letters cover settlement administration, including Crown Land sales in Brisbane and Ipswich; South Brisbane water supply management; timber licences and penalties; proposed coal mining near the Bremer River; funding for pauper patients at Moreton Bay Hospital; Andrew Petrie’s premises and lease costs; nuisance dogs in Brisbane; proposed South Brisbane post office; and convicts returned as their service was no longer required.

European Exploration and Settlement 
Letters cover the Darling Downs and Wide Bay districts, including mail and travel routes to Drayton, Limestone, and Cunningham’s Gap; a search for William Thompson’s wife near Fraser Island; establishment of Courts of Petty Sessions and appointment of magistrates; northern land occupation, including Wide Bay; settler applications for Oakey Creek and other areas; Border Police supplies at Darling Downs; complaints about Indian labourers at Tent Hill Station; coastal survey between Moreton Bay and Hervey Bay by Burnett, including reconnaissance of two northern rivers; and a survey of the Boyne River.

Interactions with First Nations People 
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

Letters cover settler - Aboriginal relations, including military detachments on Darling Downs roads to protect settlers, Aboriginal “aggressions” such as sheep theft, attacks on shepherds, and bullock drays, and German missionaries from Prussia whose efforts to convert Aboriginal people largely failed but who chose to remain in the area.

Regular Vessels and Ferries 
Letters cover mail steamers Shamrock, Sovereign, Tamar, and Thistle; Harbour Master expenses at Moreton Bay for pilots and boat crews; construction of a pilot’s residence; and ferry leases between North and South Brisbane and Kangaroo Point, with leases proposed to be fixed locally rather than in Sydney.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary 
• Charles Fitzroy, Governor of New South Wales 
• William Miller, Deputy Commissary General 
• George Gipps, Governor of New South Wales 
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate, Brisbane 

Moreton Bay Settlement 
Letters cover settlement administration, including hotel licence applications (Queens Arms, Ipswich; Harp of Erin, South Brisbane), Cressbrook–Ipswich postal service, Wesleyan Church buildings and allotments, Moreton Bay land sales, appointment of Dr. Keith Ballow as Coroner, Court House allotment, temporary Custom House, land for German missionaries and Mount Zion financing, and the first issue of the Moreton Bay Courier.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

Letters cover settler - Aboriginal relations, including the alleged murder of shepherd William at Jondaryan by Aboriginal people; Commissioner Christopher Rolleston’s distribution of rations (flour, tobacco) to Aboriginal people on the Darling Downs; reports of numerous, hostile tribes in the north-western district; the murder of three Aboriginal women and a child by unknown whites; and abstracts of Rolleston’s 1847 reports on Aboriginal peoples in the Darling Downs and Moreton Bay districts.

European Exploration and Settlement 
Letters cover areas beyond Moreton Bay, including police station construction and repairs; additional constables at Ipswich, Cressbrook, Warwick, and other Darling Downs sites; wool store buildings in Wide Bay and Burnett; Darling Downs Census returns; funding for Ipswich buildings; maps and plans for Wide Bay and Burnett; trade licences at Drayton; and Ludwig Leichhardt’s request for ticket-of-leave prisoners to join his Swan River expedition.

Regular Vessels and Immigration 
Letters in this series cover topics including: mail sent from Sydney to Brisbane per the ship Tamar ; the need to supply labourers for the settlement through immigration ; emigrants to sail to Moreton Bay on the ship Artemisia in 1848 requiring accommodation ; equipment and moorings for the Harbour Master’s Department.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Charles FitzRoy, Governor of New South Wales
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate, Brisbane
• George Barney, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands
• Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General

Moreton Bay Settlement
Letters cover settlement administration, including land sales in Brisbane and the parishes of Ipswich, Goodna, Yeerongpilly, and Woogoroo; plans and specifications for a Moreton Bay Customs House; appointment of Dr. David Ballow as Surgeon to HM Gaol; conversion of the Female Factory into a gaol; site selection for a Quarantine Station on Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah); the use of the Old Windmill; and land requests for a Catholic Church, school, and clergyman’s residence in Brisbane.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

Letters detail settler - Aboriginal relations, including violent incidents in Wide Bay and Maranoa, hostile Aboriginal groups on the Darling Downs, Native Police applications, cessation of the German mission, the murder of a shepherd at Woolooga, the killing of Charles Gray at Bribie Island (Yarun), conflicts on John Balfour’s stations, and reports that game, fish, and bunya bunya fruit were plentiful, but harsh winters made distribution of flour, tobacco, and clothing beneficial.

European Exploration and Settlement
Letters cover areas beyond Moreton Bay, including surveys for Maryborough, land for a Presbyterian Church in Ipswich, a cemetery site at Drayton, Andrew Petrie’s deteriorating eyesight, Ipswich opposition to sending convicts to Moreton Bay, labour shortages on the Darling Downs, and a Wide Bay petition on forwarding emigrants to Maryborough.

Immigration and Shipping
Letters cover Moreton Bay navigation buoys, arrival and settlement of immigrants on the ship Sea, Moreton Bay as a warehousing port, shipping supplies (including sheep) for Kennedy’s Cape York expedition on the schooner Coquette, instructions for convicts on Mount Stuart Elphinstone, and the arrival of 45 convicts on Hashemy and 45 ticket-of-leave holders via the steamer Tamar.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General
• Campbell Riddell, Colonial Treasurer
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate
• Frederick Walker, Commandant Native Police

Moreton Bay Settlement 

This series comprises correspondence concerning the expansion of the settlement, including funding for roads and bridges beyond the settled districts (referred to as Cooksland); grants for church construction; proposals to cultivate sugar and cotton; the sale of Crown land in Moreton Bay and the Parish of Bulimba; land purchases on the Bremer River near Ipswich; repairs to Brisbane Hospital; quarantine stations; the appointment of Doctor Ballow as Health Officer; and the reservation of a hospital ward for military use.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

This series contains correspondence on relations between settlers, officials and Traditional Owners during expansion beyond Moreton Bay to Maryborough, Cleveland, the Darling Downs and Goondiwindi, noting conflict, calls for Native Police after alleged stock theft, and reports of deaths, including at Broomfield Station and in the Burnett and Wide Bay districts.

European Exploration and Settlement
This series contains correspondence on the survey and development of Warwick, including building licences, tradesmen’s applications, a publican’s licence, a proposed courthouse and lockup (with police stabling), and reports of gold. It also covers town plans for Maryborough and Cleveland; land surveys near Ipswich; a courthouse and lockup at Drayton; and grazing in various districts.

Regular Vessels and Immigration 
This series contains extensive correspondence on the arrival of the Fortitude, the first immigrant ship sponsored by John Dunmore Lang to reach Moreton Bay. After quarantine on Moreton Island (Mulgumpin), the immigrants returned to Brisbane expecting promised land, which had not been secured, prompting letters concerning accommodation, employment, supplies and land sales.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary 
• Charles Fitzroy, Governor of New South Wales 
• Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, Colonial Surveyor General 
• Gilbert Eliott, Sheriff, Sydney 
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate, Brisbane 

Moreton Bay Settlement 
This series covers administration and growth of the region as a free settlement, including convict arrivals on the Bangalore, labour allocation, Ticket-of-Leave regulations, withdrawal of the 11th Regiment and policing, a proposed quarantine station at North Stradbroke Island, plans for the Brisbane School of Arts and Sciences, official expenditures, church–state relations, and appointments. It also addresses penal matters, including trials, sentences, petitions, the execution of Jacob Wagner and Patrick Fitzgerald, Brisbane Circuit Court jurisdiction, and passports for convict exiles.

Interactions with First Nations People 
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.  

This series covers relations between settlers, officials, and Traditional Owners, including a dispute at Kangaroo Point involving Wanigull and two other Aboriginal people injured by police, with the sentencing of an officer; extracts from Commissioner MacDonald’s report on Lower Darling Aboriginal populations, tribes, food sources, and settler relations; and distribution of blankets to elderly and infirm tribal visitors in Brisbane.

European Exploration and Settlement 
This series covers matters beyond Moreton Bay, including bridges at Little Ipswich and Three Mile Creek; church land grants; land sales and Brisbane allotments; Warwick cemetery plans; decommissioned police buildings at Cressbrook; the Yulgulba–Drayton mail run; and the first sugarcane company’s dissolution.

Regular vessels and Immigration 
This series covers passenger ship conditions from the UK, Moreton Bay Customs operations, and the construction of the Custom House, Queen’s Wharf, and Sufferance Wharf, as well as the arrival of the Chasely in Brisbane with emigrants promised land by John Dunmore Lang.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Charles FitzRoy, Governor of New South Wales
• George Barney, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands
• Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate, Brisbane

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series covers settlement administration, including a North Brisbane market; brick-making sand; road repairs; Gaol inadequacy after a prisoner escape; construction of St Stephen’s Catholic Church and Church of England land; North and South Brisbane land sales; and extended leave for Police Magistrate John Wickham.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

This series covers relations between settlers, officials, and Traditional Owners, including settler requests for Native Police protection after sheep losses and violent incidents, and reports from Frederick Walker, Native Police Commandant in the Wide Bay and Burnett districts, on conflicts with local Aboriginal people.

European Exploration and Settlement
This series covers matters beyond Moreton Bay, including Maryborough land sales, surveying in the Surat District, support for Ipswich School of Arts and Sciences, George Leslie’s request for convict family passages, church and school land at Warwick, and petitions from Maranoa and the Darling Downs for postal funding and postmaster salaries.

Immigration and Shipping
This series covers coastal passenger travel on the Schooner Emma and Brig Jack; applications to import skilled “Continental Labourers” (notably vinedressers) with bounties paid per head; and the Emigrant’s typhus outbreak, with eighteen deaths en route and twenty-six more at quarantine on North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah).

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series include correspondence to:

• Charles Fitzroy, Governor of New South Wales
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate, Brisbane
• Stephen Simpson, Commissioner Crown Lands
• George and Patrick Leslie, Pastoralists
• Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, Colonial Surveyor General 

Moreton Bay Settlement 
This series covers administration of the free settlement, including HM Gaol Brisbane and Tarban Creek inmates, Cape Moreton lighthouse plans, naturalisation of German missionaries, petitions for aid and housing, and army pension requests. It also covers employment applications, city planning and River Quay designations, court cases, Governor Fitzroy’s rejection of renewed convict transport, electoral lists, Brisbane Hospital operations, and construction of the Library and Hall for the Brisbane School of Arts.

Interactions with First Nations People 
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

This series covers settler - Aboriginal relations, including violent incidents in Gayndah, Dawson River, Chinchilla, Condamine, and Maranoa districts, calls for Native Police, and gatherings at Bunya Bunya. It also notes the drowning of pilot James Hexton near Moreton Island and his rescue by an Aboriginal man, medical care for Aboriginal people, and proposals for reserves with water and traditional food sources.

European Exploration and Settlement 
This series covers matters beyond Moreton Bay, including tenders from Thomas Alford and Robert Cribb supplying Native Policing in Drayton, Toowoomba, and Moreton Bay; Darling Downs graziers’ petition to repair the Warwick–Ipswich road via Spicer’s Peak; Crown land sales in Ipswich and Moreton Bay; Police Act extension and Ticket-of-Leave restrictions; surveys, deeds, and township planning; infrastructure and services in developing settlements; and the Warwick Boiling Establishment at Canning Downs, including stockyards, slaughterhouse, boiling house, dwellings, stores, and related buildings.

Regular Vessels and Immigration

This series covers the Steam Navigation Bill and Board jurisdictions; a fever outbreak on the Emigrant reported to the Immigration Office; and an inquiry into Matron Theresa Agnes Boyes of the orphan ship William and Mary, resulting in withheld payment for irregularities on the Ireland - Australia voyage.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Sir Charles FitzRoy, Governor of New South Wales
• George Barney, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands
• Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate, Brisbane

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series covers Moreton Bay settlement matters, including Surgeon Frederick James Barton’s request for government employment; Clara Walker’s appeal for support for her family; Crown land sales in Brisbane, Eagle Farm, and Cleveland; disputes involving Edmund Uhr and Native Police Commandant Frederick Walker; funding for North Brisbane drainage and flood gates (with John Petrie’s tender accepted) in a swampy, health-hazard area between Elizabeth Street and the Brisbane River; and a resident petition to repair the South Brisbane - Eagle Farm road.

Interactions with First Nations People 
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.  

This series covers settler - Aboriginal relations, including vaccination of Aboriginal people in the Wide Bay district and questions of government authority; the release and return of Aboriginal men “Make a Light” and “Moggy Moggy” after murder convictions or pardons; stockholder petitions for more Native Police to protect cattle; reports from Frederick Walker, Native Police Commandant; and efforts to recover stolen items in Maryborough, including use of the schooner Margaret and Mary and refuge on Fraser Island (K’Gari).

European Exploration and Settlement 
This series covers matters beyond Moreton Bay, including gold discoveries in Gayndah/Burnett; magistrate appointments in Ipswich and Darling Downs; a proposed Brisbane–Ipswich road survey; farmland leaseholder details; and a petition to open a district north of Wide Bay and Burnett.

Immigration 
This series addresses labour shortages as gold discoveries drew men away, including government approval to import skilled European workers (e.g., wine, olives, silk) and requests to bring German emigrants, with Immigration Office records listing applicants and bounties payable for Continental labourers.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• George Barney, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands
• Charles FitzRoy, Governor of New South Wales
• Merion Moriarty, Port Master
• Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General. 

Moreton Bay Settlement
Correspondence on Moreton Bay settlement affairs, including law and order, labour shortages due to southern goldfields, Customs matters at Queen’s Wharf, repairs to Victoria Barracks well, Matthew Marsh’s proposal for northern separation, George Barney’s letters on pastoral rents and fines, and recommendations for a police boat and Superintendent of Roads.

Interactions with First Nations People 
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.  

Correspondence includes Harvey Whitty’s request for 50 blankets for Aboriginal people; a request to gift a whale boat to Aboriginal rescuers of passengers from the immigrant ship 'Argyle' in Moreton Bay; and Frederick Walker’s letters to the Colonial Secretary detailing disputes with northern settlers and his actions regarding local Aboriginal people.

European Exploration and Settlement 
Correspondence includes squatters’ lease requests in Moreton District; reports on Ipswich police; road improvement requests from Logan and Albert Rivers residents; funding requests for Darling Downs roads and bridges; disputes involving J. D. Walker, Mr Jamison, and St George Gore over conduct at Petty Sessions; and a proclamation of land for sale in Ipswich.

Immigration
Correspondence includes Hutchinson Browne’s requests for funds to cover emigrant ship arrivals at Moreton Bay, a printed list of ships and passenger numbers in 1852, and references to Chinese labourers, often in relation to arrests.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to:  

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Charles FitzRoy, Governor
• Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate, Brisbane
• Frederick Walker, Commandant, Native Police

Moreton Bay Settlement 
Correspondence on Moreton Bay settlement includes estimates for Brisbane Gaol (1853) and Quarantine Station repairs, land sale reports (Brisbane, North Brisbane, Cleveland, Toombul, Enoggera, Moggill), magistracy candidate lists, Gaol repair tenders, shipping channel buoys and Cape Moreton light, immigrant accommodation, and a petition to reduce Brisbane River ferry tolls.

Interactions with First Nations People 
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.  

Correspondence includes Police district reports on Aboriginal - white conflicts, letters on the naming of Gayndah, Frederick Walker’s letters on Native Police recruitment and the Aboriginal man Bungaree, and a list of Native Police recruits.

European Exploration and Settlement  
Correspondence on areas outside Moreton Bay includes land sale reports (Maryborough, Ipswich, Warwick), a New England petition for Northern District separation, documents on Gayndah township site selection (with map), elector numbers from districts, letters on the proposed Sandgate village, and arrangements following John Bidwill’s death as Commissioner of Crown Lands, Wide Bay.

Immigration
Correspondence on immigration includes reports on the Rajahgopaul (passenger conduct, complaints against Captain and Surgeon, sickness and deaths), the Hermione’s cargo to Wide Bay, bounty payments to German immigrants (Peter Godeffroy), arrival of the Maria Somes with 280 immigrants, and a list of German immigrants from the Johann Caesar.

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Charles FitzRoy, Governor
• Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate, Brisbane
• Frederick Walker, Commandant, Native Police

Moreton Bay Settlement
Correspondence on Moreton Bay settlement covers land sales in Brisbane, road work on Elizabeth Street, cost estimates for a watch house, Health Officer Dr Swift’s irregularities, the need for a Local Steam Navigation Board, and a pilot vessel for Moreton Bay.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

Correspondence on dealings with Aboriginal people includes Edmund Uhr’s report of a Chinese servant killed, medical payment arrangements, annual blanket issues in Maryborough, and Frederick Walker’s requests for Native Police funding.

European Exploration and Settlement
Correspondence on Darling Downs and Wide Bay includes town siting at Gladstone (George Barney), Leyburn (Canal Creek), requests for new towns near Warwick, and land selection for an Ipswich racecourse.

Immigration and Shipping
Correspondence on Moreton Bay ships includes an investigation of the Agricola; the New Orleans pursuing Norfolk Island runaways; Immigration Board reports on Florentia’s irregularities, and the arrival of 405 healthy immigrants on the John Fielden, noting limited employment for single women.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to:

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Charles FitzRoy, Governor
• Campbell Riddell, Colonial Treasurer
• John Wickham, Police Magistrate, Brisbane
• Frederick Walker, Commandant, Native Police

Moreton Bay Settlement
Correspondence on settlement administration covers crown land sales, expense forecasts, judicial matters, government appointments, pastoral run management, naturalization certificates, government building maintenance, labour shortages and immigration, Brisbane Hospital subscriptions, and the proposed Custom House site.

Norkfolk Island Penal Settlement
Papers concerning the escape of nine convicts from Norfolk Island and their recapture in Moreton Bay.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive. 

Correspondence and reports on police - Aboriginal interactions, including the escape of 'Sippy' from Brisbane Gaol, the death of 'Dickey Nerang' during a Pine Mountain raid, Aboriginal assistance in convict captures, and Dr Jonathon Labatt’s 1853 appointment to provide medical care in the Darling Downs.

European Exploration and Settlement
Correspondence includes geological reports on New South Wales and the Condamine River; survey plans for Port Curtis township; construction of a Bremer River dam; and land sales at Gayndah, Ipswich (with coal subdivision controls), and Cleveland.

Immigration and Shipping
Letters reference immigrant ships Rajahgopaul, Caroline, Emigrant, Duchess of Northumberland, Mount Stuart Elphinstone, and Bangalore, and the charter of Queen of the South for a Port Curtis survey; concerns over entry to Moreton Bay and depot facilities; and papers on the Survey of Moreton Bay and Brisbane River and the Harbour Master’s Department (1846–1853).

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to:

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Francis Merewether, Acting Colonial Secretary
• Charles FitzRoy, Governor
• George Barney, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands, Sydney
• John Wickham, Government Resident, Brisbane

Moreton Bay Settlement
Correspondence on Moreton Bay settlement covers a proposed river punt for passengers, goods and cattle; crown land sales in Brisbane and Ipswich; and appointment of a shipping master due to increased maritime traffic.

Interactions with First Nations People 
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.   

Reports on dealings with Aboriginal people include letters on an Aboriginal boy “Sippy” accused of theft at Callandoon, requests for winter blankets and clothing, reports of generally peaceable conduct in Moreton Bay and Darling Downs, concerns over alcohol and influenza-related decline, Wide Bay reports, and Frederick Walker’s Native Police requirements.

European exploration and settlement  
Correspondence on areas outside Moreton Bay covers law and order, local police requirements, land surveyed and offered for sale at Gayndah, and a detailed Geological Surveyor’s report.

Immigration and Shipping 
Correspondence on immigration notes arrivals of the Maria Somes, Argyle, Meridian, and Rajahgopaul at Moreton Bay; labour shortages due to southern goldfields; limited employment for families and single women; and applications to import German vinedressers.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to:

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Charles FitzRoy, Governor
• Campbell Riddell, Colonial Treasurer
• John Wickham, Government Resident, Brisbane
• George Barney, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands

Moreton Bay Settlement 
Correspondence on settlement administration includes licensing, sentencing, land sales, accounts and salaries, wage applications, and appointments of magistrates and returning officers; also a cotton competition, Brisbane Gaol management, Cleveland Jetty works, and the Brisbane School of Arts and Sciences.

Interactions with First Nations People 
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.   

The correspondence notes that H. H. Brown acted as surgeon to Aboriginal people in the Burnett District. It also records Dr Palmer’s report that Aboriginal people at Maryborough were “attacked with measles,” the disease having been introduced by arrivals on the vessels 'Tom Tough' and 'Spitfire'. The series also refers to resources and supplies requested for the Native Police in the district.

European exploration and settlement  
This series comprises correspondence on land sales, infrastructure, and resource investigations in colonial Queensland, including Crown land sales at Warwick and Maryborough, the development of Port Curtis (Gladstone), road construction and maintenance between Brisbane and Drayton via Rosewood Scrub, a route from Sydney through Gayndah to Port Curtis, and reports on coal fields along the Brisbane and Bremer Rivers and the geological and mineralogical structure of New South Wales, 1853–1854.

Immigration and Shipping 
The correspondence references the following vessels: Queen of the South, Jenny Lind, the brig Jack, schooners Zone, & Bella Vista, steamer Shamrock, schooners Tom Tough, Spitfire and Hester. It also includes applications seeking permission to import German vinedressers for work in the colony.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to:

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Charles FitzRoy, Governor
• John Wickham, Government Resident, Brisbane
• George Barney, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands, Sydney
• Maurice Charles O'Connell, Government Resident, Port Curtis

Moreton Bay Settlement 
This series includes correspondence on the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement, including land sales; allocation of South Brisbane land for burial grounds; labor shortages on the Brisbane–Drayton road and hiring from Sydney; appointments of returning officers, justices of the peace, and electoral collectors; constables’ pay petitions and requests for a bridge over Norman Creek; returns of public drunkenness and public houses; and the establishment of the Moreton Bay Savings Bank.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series includes reports by the Native Police and settlers on interactions with Aboriginal peoples, including the sentencing of “Davy” for the murder of Adolphus Henry Trevethan; attacks on Thomas Anderson and Joseph Gold en route to Bribie Island; the assault on James McLaren and two shepherds at Kinnoul Station; the appointment of Jonathan Labatt as Surgeon to Aborigines in the Darling Downs; and an 1854 report by Commandant Frederick Walker listing detachments across the Port Curtis, Traylan, Rannes, Lower Burnett, Maryborough, Yabber, Clarence, Wandai Gumbal, and Callandoon districts.

European exploration and settlement
This series includes correspondence on matters in the Darling Downs, Wide Bay, Gladstone, and Port Curtis (Rockhampton) regions, including the establishment of Port Curtis and Gladstone settlements; Church of England and Roman Catholic land grant applications; a petition for a police magistrate at Drayton; land sales in Maryborough and Gladstone; and the survey document 14th report on geological & mineralogical survey of the colony of New South Wales.

Immigration and Shipping 
This series includes correspondence related to shipping and immigration and mentions the following vessels: Rajahgopaul, Monsoon, Genghis Khan, John Fielden, Fortitude, Florentina, Lady Elgin, Madras, Bramble, Harp, and Tom Tough.

The correspondence also notes navigational difficulties in Moreton Bay, including the disappearance of entrance-channel buoys, the purchase of the vessel Pearly as a buoy boat, and the need to deepen the Brisbane River mouth. It also records that several immigrants arriving on the Rajahgopaul contracted typhus at Ipswich and required medical attention.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to:  

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary  
• Cambell Riddell, Acting Colonial Secretary 
• Charles FitzRoy, Governor 
• John Wickham, Government Resident, Brisbane 
• George Barney, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands, Sydney 

Moreton Bay Settlement 
This series includes correspondence relating to the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement. These letters discuss land sales; road construction and maintenance; cost forecasting of the Botanic Gardens, Steam Navigation Board, and Government Resident for 1856; the appointment of roles, including returning officers, magistrates, and justices of the peace; a punt for ferrying between North and South Brisbane; and complaints raised about the conduct of pilots on Moreton Bay.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

The correspondence covers the execution of Dundalli for the murder of William Boller and the removal of Aboriginal people from the Percy Isles by Lieutenant George Chimmo of HMS Torch following the killings of Frederick Strange and his crew. It also refers to Aboriginal interpreters “Micky” and “Bobby,” recommended for reward; Port Curtis concerns over possible retaliation; the dismissal of Frederick Walker as Commissioner of Native Police; and, in Maryborough, the provision of clothing for Aboriginal men entering the township for “public decency.”

European exploration and settlement
This series documents preparations for Augustus Gregory’s 1855 Northern Australia expedition and matters concerning the Port Curtis settlement, including the appointment of a Government Resident, resource shortages, reliance on ship-borne supplies, water availability, timber collection, and illness and deaths among the Native Police. It also includes correspondence on maintenance and funding of the Ipswich–Drayton road and the administration of pastoral leases and timber-cutting licences.

Immigration and Shipping 
This series includes correspondence related to shipping and immigration and mentions the following vessels: Juno, Tom Tough, Torch, Argo, Queen of the South, William Miskin, Pearl, William Miles, Genghis Khan, General Hewitt, and Monsoon.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to:  

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• George Barney, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands
• Maurice Charles O'Connell, Government Resident, Port Curtis
• Alexander Macleay, Colonial Treasurer
• Augustus Charles Gregory

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series includes correspondence relating to the administration of the Moreton Bay and Port Curtis settlements (1854-1855). These letters discuss land sales (town, suburban, and rural allotments), admission of patients to asylums, certificates of naturalisation, the need for ferry services, building regulations, funding of police premises, hospitals and road surveys. Other matters include navigation services such as, light houses and pilot boats.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series provides accounts of interactions and relations with Aboriginal Australians. Correspondence includes instances of frontier violence between settlers and the Native Police with Aboriginal peoples in a number of districts. including Leichhardt, Port Curtis, Wide Bay, Maranoa and Moreton Bay Districts.

European Exploration and Settlement
This series comprises correspondence on matters beyond the Moreton Bay settlement, including the development and administration of Port Curtis, requests for regular vessel services and a reliable water supply, and the North Australian Exploring Expedition, covering the provision of weapons, instruments, food, and transport.

Immigration and Shipping
This series comprises correspondence relating to shipping and immigration. The letters reference the arrival and movement of the following vessels: schooner Pearl and William Miskin, as well as the arrival of immigrant ships Cambodia, Emma and Truro.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Gother Mann, Colonial Engineer
• William Denison, Governor General
• Maurice O'Connell, Government Resident, Port Curtis
• John Wickham, Government Resident, Brisbane

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series includes correspondence relating to the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement. These letters discuss land sales (town, suburban, and rural allotments), Native Police, pastoral licences, police boundaries, road construction, supply contracts, the State of Education, supplies to Port Curtis, and immigrant labour.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series provides accounts of interactions and relations with Aboriginal Australians. Correspondence includes instances of frontier violence between settlers and the Native Police with Aboriginal peoples in a number of districts.

European exploration and settlement
This series includes correspondence relating to the North Australian Exploring expedition under the command of Augustus Charles Gregory.

Immigration and Shipping
This series comprises correspondence relating to shipping and immigration including the immigrant ship Cambodia carrying 326 passengers.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to:

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Maurice Charles O'Connell, Government Resident, Port Curtis
• Alexander Macleay, Colonial Treasurer
• Charles FitzRoy, Governor
• William Denison, Governor

Moreton Bay Settlement 
This series includes correspondence relating to the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement. These letters discuss land sales (town, suburban, and rural allotments), government appointments, admission of patients to asylums, certificates of naturalisation, and returns of convictions and sentences.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series documents interactions with Aboriginal Australians, including settlers’ requests in the Wide Bay, Port Curtis, Leichhardt, and Burnett districts for increased Native Police presence; instances of frontier violence involving settlers, Native Police, and Aboriginal people at Rannes and Tinana Creek near Maryborough; references to the Ningi Ningi people from Bribie Island to Wide Bay; and the release of Aboriginal people in Port Curtis after their removal from the Percy Isles to Sydney for trial.

European exploration and settlement
This series comprises correspondence on areas beyond the Moreton Bay settlement, including the development and administration of Port Curtis, land sales, harbour suitability, and tracings of Auckland and Lord Streets and Auckland Inlet. It notes the Fitzroy region’s pastoral and agricultural potential and the emergence of squatter establishments. In 1855, the Moreton Bay settlement was asked to supply stock and other resources for Augustus Gregory’s North Australian Exploring Expedition.

Immigration and Shipping 
This series includes correspondence related to shipping and immigration and refers to the following immigration ships arriving at Moreton Bay: Conrad, Ramillies, Sabrina (which was placed in quarantine), and Fortune. Other ships mentioned include HMS Torch, Tom Tough, Albion, Sable Chief, and William Miskin, which was noted as making regular trips to Port Curtis.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Francis Merewether, Colonial Treasurer
• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• George Barney, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands
• William Denison, Governor General NSW
• Captain Fremantle, HMS Juno

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series includes correspondence relating to the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement (1854-1856). These letters discuss requirements of navigation aids for Moreton Bay; supply vessels to Port Curtis, a plan for a village at Goodna, rations for the Immigration Depot, hawkers and bakers licenses, and district magistrates.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series provides accounts of violent interactions with Aboriginal Australians, between settlers and the Native Police at a number of areas including Murrimbidgee, Lachlan, Albert, Murray, Wellington, Liverpool Plains, New England, McLeay, Moreton and the Darling Downs.

Immigration and Shipping
This series includes correspondence relating to the immigrant ships: Fortune, Sabrina, James Fernie, Conrad, Fortitude and the Caesar Godefroy.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to:

• Stuart Donaldson, Colonial Secretary
• John McLerie, Inspector General Police
• Francis Merewether, Colonial Treasurer
• George Barney, Chief Commissioner Crown Lands
• John Wickham, Government Resident, Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series comprises correspondence on the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement (1855–1856), including navigation aids for Moreton Bay; land sales in Ipswich, Gladstone, South Brisbane, and Drayton; the immigration depot and immigrant employment; police facilities at Warwick, Condamine, Maryborough, and Ipswich; proposed hospitals in Ipswich and Maryborough; the village design for Fassifern; wharfage at Port Curtis; timber and publican licences; a proposed Brisbane–Ipswich railway; and river surveys for improved navigation.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series includes correspondence on the proposed supply of blankets to Aboriginal people and instances of frontier violence involving settlers, Native Police, and Aboriginal people near Port Curtis, the Leichhardt district, and Gracemere (Rockhampton).

Immigration and Shipping
This series includes correspondence relating to the immigrant ships: Phoebe Dunbar, Conrad and Fortune and the search for survivors of the Ningpo by HMS Torch in the vicinty of the Percy Islands.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to:

• William Denison, Governor General NSW
• John Wickham, Government Resident, Moreton Bay
• Stuart Donaldson, Colonial Secretary
• Charles Cowper, Colonial Secretary
• Merion Moriarty, Port Master

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series comprises correspondence on the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement (1855–1856), including navigation aids—such as a lighthouse or light buoy, navigation buoys, lighthouse keepers, and sailing instructions; land sales in South Brisbane and Gladstone; Gladstone water supply; timber sales; police facilities; a temporary hospital at Ipswich and its separation from Brisbane; ferry licences; and Bremer River wharf and road surveys and repairs.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series includes discussion of a proposed Aboriginal Mission at Moreton Bay, reports of the Native Police for the Burnett and Callandoon districts, and the death of an Aboriginal man 'Tommy' while in police custody.

European exploration and settlement
This series comprises correspondence on areas beyond the Moreton Bay settlement, including the North Australian Exploring Expedition led by Augustus Gregory, for which the settlement was requested to supply stock, provisions, and other resources.

Immigration and Shipping
This series includes correspondence relating to the immigrant ships: Persia, Phoebe Dunbar, Iserbrook and Lady Macdonald.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to:

• Henry Parker, Colonial Secretary
• William Denison, Governor General NSW
• William Elyard, Under Colonial Secretary
• Dr William Grey, Surgeon Port Curtis
• Maurice O'Connell, Government Resident Port Curtis

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series comprises correspondence on the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement (1854–1857), including budgets for the hospital, gaol, medical and police services, and justices; asylum admissions; naturalisation requests; prisoner returns; reports on relations with First Nations people; and the establishment of brickworks and an Orphan School.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series documents violent interactions between settlers, Native Police, and Aboriginal Australians in areas including the Dawson River and Moreton Bay districts, as well as correspondence on the funding and recruitment of Native Police to protect settlers and their stock.

European exploration and settlement
This series comprises correspondence on areas beyond the Moreton Bay settlement, including a Port Curtis expedition and the North Australian Exploring Expedition led by Augustus Gregory, for which the settlement was requested to supply stock, provisions, and other resources.

Immigration and Shipping
This series comprises correspondence on the wreck of the schooner Sable Chief; the arrival of immigrant ships Mary Pleasants, Parsee, and New Britain; and the reported arrival of pardoned convicts or those granted Tickets of Leave who agreed to emigrate to Moreton Bay.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Henry Parker, Colonial Secretary
• William Denison, Governor General NSW
• William Elyard, Under Colonial Secretary
• John Wickham, Government Resident, Moreton Bay
• Frederick Daveny, Clerk of Petty Sessions, Ipswich

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series comprises correspondence on the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement (1855-1858), including navigation policies - pilot stations, lighthouses, sailing directions, and London’s Australian Directory; amendments to police and electoral districts; expanded postal services; asylum admissions; naturalisation certificates; and prisoner returns.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series documents interactions with Aboriginal Australians, including correspondence on violence between settlers, Native Police, and Aboriginal people at Hornet Bank Station, Panton’s Wharf (Ipswich), Moreton Bay, and the Pine Rivers; the theft of police horses at Maryborough; and actions taken in response.

Immigration and Shipping
This series includes correspondence relating to the redistribution of immigrants from Moreton Bay to Maryborough where there was more prospect of employment.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Charles Cowper, Colonial Secretary
• John Wickham, Government Resident, Moreton Bay
• John McLerie, Inspector General Police
• John Murray, Commandant Native Police
• William Elyard, Under Colonial Secretary

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series comprises correspondence on the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement (1855-1858), including the appointment of magistrates in Port Curtis, Maryborough, and Dalby; use of prisoners for labour; sentence appeals; asylum admissions; naturalisation applications; expanded mail services; and the impact of a fraudulent gold rush in Rockhampton, which left thousands stranded and starving.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series documents interactions with Aboriginal Australians, including correspondence on violence between settlers, Native Police, and Aboriginal people at Hornet Bank Station, the appointment of Native Police, and the provision of a vessel for the Aboriginal people of Amity (Minjerribah).

Immigration and Shipping
This series includes correspondence relating to the immigrant ships: Ascendent, Blenheim, Diane, and Marbe.

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Charles Cowper, Colonial Secretary
• Arthur Hodgson, MP
• William Denison, Governor General NSW
• John Wickham, Government Resident, Moreton Bay
• Edric Morriset, Commandant Native Police

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series comprises correspondence on the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement (1850–1859), including the appointment of Sheep Inspectors, naval surveys for navigation, use of prisoners for labour, naturalisation applications, supplies for the Immigration Depot, and the impact of a fraudulent gold rush in Rockhampton, which left thousands stranded and starving.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series documents interactions with Aboriginal Australians, including correspondence on violence between settlers, Native Police, and Aboriginal people at Mount Larcom and Kianga, and complaints regarding Native Police conduct.

Immigration and Shipping
This series includes correspondence relating to the immigrant ships: Solon, General Windham

Refer to the Index for further detail [part 1]

Refer to the Index for further detail [part 2]

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Charles Cowper, Colonial Secretary
• Christopher Rolleston, Registrar General
• Stuart Donaldson, Colonial Treasurer
• William Denison, Governor General NSW
• John Murray, Lieutenant Commander Native Police

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series comprises correspondence on the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement (1857–1859), including the need for increased security at Port Curtis, rising robberies in Brisbane, the formation of a Volunteer Rifle Corps to defend the coastline, employment of prisoner labourers outside the gaol, and the recovery of shipwrecked survivors on Fraser Island.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series documents interactions with Aboriginal Australians, including correspondence on violence between settlers, Native Police, and Aboriginal people, including the suspicious death of an Aboriginal woman.

Immigration and Shipping
This series includes correspondence relating to the immigrant ships: Alfred, Glentanner

Refer to the Index for further detail

This series includes correspondence to: 

• William Forster, Colonial Secretary
• William Denison, Governor General NSW
• John Wickham, Government Resident, Moreton Bay
• Charles Cowper, Colonial Secretary
• Arthur Vyner, Police Magistrate Rockhampton

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series comprises correspondence on the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement (1857–1860), including the winding up of offices for the colony’s separation, appointment of judges, magistrates, and related positions, gazetting of separation legislation, the Queensland Governor’s residence at Moreton Bay, tenders for steam dredges, and construction of a telegraph line from Brisbane to North Queensland.

Interactions with First Nations People
Language used in these letters reflects the creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written and is now considered inappropriate or offensive.

This series documents interactions with Aboriginal Australians, including correspondence on violence between settlers, Native Police, and Aboriginal people, and a summary of the conviction and sentencing of Aboriginal men Chamery and Dick.

Refer to the Index for further detail [part 1]

Refer to the Index for further detail [part 2]

This series includes correspondence to: 

• Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary
• Charles FitzRoy, Governor
• Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General
• Lord Stanley, Secretary of State for Colonies
• George Gipps, Governor

Moreton Bay Settlement
This series comprises correspondence on the administration of the Moreton Bay settlement (1840–1868), including the establishment of government public schools, gold licences, charts of Port Curtis for trading-vessel masters, the dispute between Surveyor Robert Dixon and Lieutenant Gorman, a township design for Drayton, an Assisted Immigration bond, Brisbane’s declaration as a municipality, and requests for troops to support the civil government after separation.

Immigration and Shipping
This series includes correspondence relating to the immigrant ship Genghis Khan.

Refer to the Index for further detail