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1841
January 2 The steamer Clonmel, 700 tons, ran aground on a voyage from Sydney to Melb on the southers end of the 90 mile beach and became a total wreck.
18 Nicholas Alexander Fenwick appointed Commission of the Court of Requests at Geelong. Alfred John Eyre appointed Register of the Court.
19 La Trobe recommended that appointment of a Superintendent of Water Police at William's Town.
21 Public meeting held supporting a proposal to establish a public market.
22 The foundation stone of the first Scot's Church laid by Dr David Patrick. Samuel Jackson was architect, Webb and Alee were the stone and brick contractors and James Rule contractor for carpentry , plumbing and glazing.
Kerr's Melbourne Almanac and Port Phillip Directory for 1841, compiled by William Kerr, was published.
26 The first weigh-bridge opened by Joseph Houghton. It was situated in Market St next door but one, to the Melbourne Club.
Feb 1 William Byam Wilmot appointed first coroner.
3 John Walpole Willis appointed first resident Judge of the Supreme Court at a salary of 1500 pounds per annum.
4 The barque Singapore sailed from Melb to Corner Inlet conveying a well-armed party consisting of the 8 members of the Gipps Land Company, with 4 men and a native Charlie Tarra, 9 horses and 6 months supply of provisions. The company was formed owing to the enthusiastic report of Charles M Lewis, the Harbour Master of Melb. who had gone in charge of a relief expedition to the wreck Clonmel.
5 Henry Dendy arrived in Melb on the ship York, with his wife and son.
10 Eliza Batman, widow of John Batman, married William Willoughby - Batman's manager.
Samuel Raymond appointed Deputy Sheriff at Port Fairy. Henry Field Gurner appointed temporarily to the office of Deputy Registrar and Clerk of the Supreme Court. Raymond's appointment was not confirmed by the Home Government who in 1842 appointed Alastair Mackenzie to the position.
14 With 5 white companions and a black boy, Angus McMillan reached Port Albert after a journey of 5 days from a cattle run on the Avon River and thus opened up a route through Gipp's Land to a seaport.
March 1 Meeting held at J H McCabe's store to consider a lengthy memorandum regarding separation. J D L Campbell was Chairman. The statement was prepared as a reply to a petition sent from Sydney to England opposing separation of Port Phillip from NSW. The document was approved and it was taken to England by W H Yaldwyn, J Gardiner and W D Mercer for circulation among members of Parliament. 5 A meeting was held in support of a proposal to establish a public general hospital for both paying and non paying patients. La Trobe was Chairman. A committee was formed, subscription raised and a small brick building rented in Little Collins St. 8 A day school for boys and girls was opened in the schoolroom of the Independant Church with James Smith as schoolmaster.
9 Judge Willis and Rev Samuel Wilkinson, the first resident Wesleyan minister in Melb, arrived from Sydney in the barque Australasian Packet.
April 3 The Fairy Queen, the first steamer constructed at Melb, was launched.
6 James Croke was appointed Crown Prosecutor at Melb.
12 The first Supreme Court of Port Phillip was opened by Judge Willis in a small brick building on the south west corner of King and Bourke Sts, which had previously been the Land Office.
13-15 The Port Phillip Turf Club held its first meeting. G B Smyth and John Hawdon were the stewards and William Gardiner and John Roe, the clerks of the course. This was the second race meeting at Flemington.
28 The householders of New Town (Fitzroy) asked La Trobe for Police protection. They stated that there were 100 houses and 600 people at New Town.
May 1 The first races at Geelong were held.
6 The Colonial Secretary informed La Trobe that due to the riotous proceedings of crews of whalers at Portland, an officer's party of the 80th regiment would be stationed there.
24 The Port Phillip Patriot reported that the residents of Collins St from Market Square to Elizabeth St had engaged night watchmen.
June 3 The first mail direct from England arrived by the barque Duchess of Northumberland.
8 The selection of 8 special Surveys of 5,120 acres each in the districts of Port Phillip and Corner Inlet were notified by Gipps. These were:
Frederick Wright Unwin - Bulleen. Henry Dendy - Brighton William Rutledge -On Powlett and Green's run near the Sydney Road- Kilmore John Orr - 14 miles from Corner Inlet on the east bank of the River Albert William Rutledge - near Corner Inlet bounded on the west by River Albert Hugh Jamieson - between Mt Martha and Arthur's Seat Henry Elgar - partly in the parish of Boroondara and partly in a parish un-named. John Reeve - near Corner Inlet on the east bank of the River Tarra
Rutledge did not take up his selection near Corner Inlet but acquired a secnd one on the banks of the Merri Creek at Warrnambool. James Atkinson also obtained a Special Survey selection at Port Fairy.
July 1 Acheson Sydney Jeremiah French appointed Police Magistrate at The Grange (Hamilton)
3 The Weekly Free Press and Port Phillip Commercial Advertiser was issued by prop James Shanly of Little Collins St. It was published on Saturday aftrnoon and was the first Melb weekly paper.
8 Geoge Sherbrook Airey appointed Commissioner of Crown Lands and James Gordon Superintendent of the Water Police for the town and port of Melb.
9 Gipps notified that the amount to be paid by any person in order to entitle him to a Special Survey must in every case be paid into the Treasury at Melb. in one sum of not less than 5,120 pounds.
The Port Phillip Herald announced that it had a circulation of 723 copies.
12 Meeting held at the office of Henry Tyssen for the purpose of erecting an Episcopalian Church at Geelong. Edward Brown Addis, William Roadknight, Frederick Champion, Henry Tyssen and Nicholas Alexander Fenwick were appointed.
14 Gipps announced approval of the establishment of a Market in Melb which was divided into 4 wards for the election of 8 commissioners. The wards were formed by drawing lines down the centres of Bourke and Elizabeth Sts.
August 4 Fenwick appointed Police Magistrate at Geelong.
12 A Post Office was opened in Bourke St on the site of the present one. It was of brick and erected from plans prepared by James Rattenbury, the Clerk of Works. The first official delivery of mail in Melb was made. The postman wore a scarlet coat and a beaver hat with a gold band and carried the post in a leather case under his arm. David Kelsh was Post Master. A clerk was also appointed.
24 La Trobe forwarded to he Colonial Secretary an application from George Ward Cole for permission to land and store goods, on an allotment adjoining the Yarra River, he had bought on 4 August. After some delay Cole's application was granted and he built a wooden wharf, the first completed in Melb and also a goods shed.
25 A Chamber of Commerce was formed.
September 1 The Savings Bank of Port Phillip was established.
6 A day school for boys and girls was commenced in the Wesleyan Chaple in Collins St with James Dredge as teacher. The first scholars were 5 boys and 2 girls.
7 Major Frederick Berkley St John appointed Police Magistrate for Melb in place of James Simpson who had resigned.
9 La Trobe informed the Colonial Secretary that there were 6 pilots at Shortland's Bluff (Queenscliffe) whose share of the pilotage amounted to 425 pounds each. He recommended a reduction to 300 pounds.
10 The Melb Government Gazette printed By Authority, was first issued. It was included in the number of the Port Phillip Herald at this date. La Trobe announced that the Government Notices appearing in the newspaper were to be considered official and obeyed as such.
15 A meeting was held for the purpose of remonstrating against the proposed separation of the Portland Bay district from Port Phillip. The Deputy Sheriff Samuel Raymond was chairman.
24 Gipps issued regulation defining the manner in which Government aid would be granted to public schools from 1 January 1842. In the towns with a population of 2000 the maximum grant was to be 1d for each day's actual attendance of every child in the school but no child was to be reckoned whose parents or friends could afford to pay for his education. In towns with a population of less than 2000 the grant might be raised to 1 and 1/4d per day for each child or extended to 1 & 1/2d per day if there were no school of any denomination receiving a Government grant within 5 miles of it. Aid from the Government was restricted to the amount of the sum raised from private sources for the support of a school and it was provided that the maximum amount should not exceed 25 pounds per quarter. Inspectors of schools were appointed to ascertain whether the parents of children attending required Government assistance in the education of their children and from time to time, to check the rolls of daily attendance. They had no control over the curriculum or the teacher. The first inspector of schools in Melb was Frederick Berke St John.
25 James Denham Pinnock appointed Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court.
October 4 The foundation stone of St Francis' Church was laid by Rev P B Geoghegan. Samuel Jackson was architect.
23 Gipps and suite arrived from Sydney in the steamer Sea Horse.
25 An address was presented to Gipps by the colonists and residents of Melb in the Customs House afterwhich he held a levee - the first in Melb. In his reply Gipps stated that although his visit would be short, it would be sufficiently long to enable him to form an opinion of the resources of the province and of the improvements of which it was susceptible and also of its immediate wants.
The Port Phillip Herald in its issue of 26th and 29th October specified the 'wants' as an adequate Police Force, A bridge. A road to the beach. Streets, A Health Officer. A Court House. A Police Office. A hospital. The Yarra made navigable and properly buoyed. A town surveyor. Town sewers. A Sheriff's Office. Military Barracks. A survey office. A code of signals from the Flagstaff. More extended powers invested in the Superintendent. A breakwater above the basin. An annual visit from the Governor.
28 Gipps promised to have a lighthouse erected at Shortland's Bluff and also one at Cape Schanck. Goods sheds would be built at the wharf and the wharf would be inproved. He decided that the inhabitants should make the roads.
29 Gipps returned to Sydney.
November 1 A meeting of the Melbourne Cricket Club was held. Frederick Armand Powlett was elected President, Henry Field Gurner Vice President, George Cavenagh Secretary and William Vine McVitie treasurer. The committee comprised Daniel Stodhart Campbell, C Thompson, Robert Russell, George Were, Edward Sewell, Redmond Barry, Thomas Ferrier Hamilton, J W Stevens and Alexander Orr.
2 Farquhar McCrae, John Stephen, George Arden, J P Fawkner, James Simpson, William Dobson, George Porter and J J Peers were elected the first Market Commissioners.
Gipps suggested to the Secretary of State that the immigration to NSW from the UK chargeable to the Land Fund, should be limited to 4000 or 5000 during 1842.
8 The first meeting of the Board of Market Commissioners was held. They recommended the establishment of 3 markets: A General Market on the Market Square. A hay and corn market on the present site of St Paul's Cathedral which had been reserved for a courthouse. A cattle market on the south east corner of LaTrobe and Spencer Sts. They also recommended that the present (1935) site of the Eastern Market be reserved for another general market.
15 Trustees appointed to the Savings Bank of Port Phillip were: James Simpson, Thomas Wills, Skene Craig, J D L Campbell, George Ward Cole, James Graham, Charles Hutton, Jones Agnew Smith, Robert Martin, Rev A C Thompson, Rev J Forbes and Rev P B Geoghegan. La Trobe was President and J Simpson Vice President.
16 At a meeting of proprietors of land on the Plenty or Heidelberg line of road, Thomas Wills, George Porter and William Verner were elected trustees of the road trust. With funds raised by levees upon the landholders and immigrant labour supplied by the superintendent, a very excellent road was made, according to The Port Phillip Herald of 20 March 1842.
20 Redmond Barry appointed Commissioner of the Court of Requests.
22 John James Hawkey appointed Inspector General of the Markets. Charles Vaughan inspector of the Hay and Corn Market, Robert Ainslie Inspector of the Cattle Market.
25 James Smith appointed Accountant of the Savings Bank of Port Phillip.
December 1 The St Andrews Society of Australia Felix was formed with the Hon James Erskine Murray as chairman and Andrew McCrae as secretary.
3 The Port Phillip Theological Education Society formed with Rev James Forbes as Chairman and David Ogilvy as secretary.
15 The first Melb Market was opened on the site later occupied by the Western Market.
21 The boundaries of the town of Geelong were defined.
31 The government offices were transferred from Little Collin St to John Batman's cottage on Batman's Hill.
STATISTICS
Population estimated at 31 December: 20,416 - 14,391 males and 6025 females 7847 immigrants arrived by sea - 6908 came under the Bounty system. 272 vessels arrived and 228 sailed. 3 Post Offices - Melbourne, Geelong and Portland Bay
Home Six 1840 or Eight 1842
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