Governor/Captain William Bligh. RN.

Born in Cornwall on 9th Sept 1754, he first went to sea as a cabin boy, at aged 7.

The crew of his ship 'Bounty' mutinied in 1789 setting Bligh and some of those loyal to him, adrift in a very small boat. Bligh then showed amazing navigational skills in sailing his over laden boat over 3500 miles to Coupang (Kupang) in Timor.

In 1792 the Royal Marines which came out with the first fleet, were replaced with the New South Wales Corps which had been specifically recruited in England. After the forming of the new colony, there was a shortage of coinage, and rum, an easily produced spirit made from sugar cane, began to be used as currency. 

The NSW Corp officers soon had a monopoly on the endless supply of rum. Hence they became the infamous "Rum Corps", they dominated the early governors of the colony and also served as the police force. They were formed originally to protect the new colony from any European power who had their eyes on the new colony. 

Given grants of land, members of the Corps became the best and largest farmers and they also posed a serious threat to the Governors, through their power over the economy. With a keen eye to enhancing their income, they controlled the price of rum, which was serving as the main internal means of currency and exchange.  

Needless to say, this eventually slowed Sydney's development, as it was too easy for the soldiers and convicts to drink the only means of input into the economy. instead of trading it for food, clothes and supplies. Thus, the colony not making money, could not pay its bills and buy what was needed from elsewhere.

In March 1804 Irish political prisoners marched on Sydney and clashed with the Redcoats at Castle Hill in what became known as the Battle of Vinegar Hill. Please see the full story on the 'Fenians' page.

Governor King had no real hold or control of the situation, succumbed to ill health and was eventually replaced by Captain William Bligh in 1806. Bligh's orders were to break the military power formed within the colony. The population at that time was around 8500 people.

As the new Governor, Bligh who had just recently returned from his 'Mutiny on the Bounty' saga, took on the institution, which included some of the most influential figures, including one of the ring-leaders John Macarthur (1767-1834). Bligh governed with fairness and justness at all levels. This did not sit well with the 'Rum Corp', who could see their stranglehold on the rum trade and economy being threatened. Bligh himself threatened them with the loss of their monopoly.

Governor Bligh was met with the so called "Rum Rebellion" and on the 26th January 1808 ( now Australia Day ) he was arrested by Lieutenant Colonel George Johnston on the pretext of preventing a coup against Governor Bligh. He was imprisoned for 12 months but found him to be a man of considerable substance, when he was forced again to sail to Indonesia as he had after the Bounty Mutiny, thereby ensuring that the British Government were fully informed of the situation. During this period, the colony was run by John Macarthur and Johnston.

Bligh was later sent to London, where he successfully defended his policies, but he was never reinstated to his Governorship. This giving the leaders of the rebellion a hollow but instant victory  .

Bligh's replacement Lachlan Macquarie served as Governor from 1762-1824. The 'New South Wales Corps' were sent home, and because the economy began to pick up and stabilize, the government itself gained stability. Lachlan Macquarie brought with him, his own regiment and an emancipation system was established, but it was not popular with the landowners who had enjoyed the fruits of free convict labour.

William Bligh was to die in London in 1817 with not much to show for his devotion to his country, the admiralty or the people he represented. He should be remembered, as a man who lived by the rules set by his country, a man who was extremely diligent in his approach. He was not a 'Bully' or a tyrant as so often portrayed, he was quite the opposite. Above all, he was second only to James Cook in his feats of seamanship and navigation. A maligned, but a very great sailor and navigator.