Flinders Monument on Stamford Hill

Stamford Hill, a remarkable conical hill when seen from the north or south, but really a ridge about two miles long, now usually called Monument Hill, or the Monument, is one of the prominent objects in the landscape when approaching Port Lincoln. It is situated opposite the southern extremity of Boston Island.

No history of the early days of the Peninsula would be complete without reference to the obelisk on the top of this hill. It is an enduring tribute of one illustrious seaman to the memory of another. In detail its history has been frequently told. Even now the complete story cannot be related, whether the gaps can ever be filled in cannot be said, but the future historian's labors will be considerably lightened by what is told here.

Among the crew of the Investigator was Midshipman John Franklin, a cousin of the Commander of the ship — Captain Matthew Flinders. In subsequent years he rose to great eminence, became Lt. Governor of Van Diemen's Land (now known as Tasmania), and later lost his life in Arctic exploration. Lady Franklin spared no effort to find traces of the missing Arctic party.

After the terrible calamity to a boat's crew near Memory Cove, Flinders, in the Investigator sailed north wards on February 25 for the opening he had seen from Thistle Island on the 21st. He also desired to investigate the big area of water seen by the scientific party from a hill at the back of Memory Cove on the 23rd. The 25th saw the ship entering the harbor and anchoring off Stamford Hill. On February 26 the survey and hydrographical party climbed to the top of Stamford Hill, which Flinders named after a town in Lincolnshire. From the top of the hill they viewed the surrounding country and took the necessary angles for plotting the chart.

Years rolled by and in 1839 only a little over two years after the establishment of the Government in South Australia, Port Lincoln township and district came into being and were placed prominently on the map. In May of the following year (1840), Governor (Lt. George Gawler) visited Port Lincoln and inspected the coastal country as far north as the spot that Flinders described as "the lagoon seen from the masthead." To honor some members of the Investigator, the Governor called the lagoon "Flinders" and the harbor "Franklin." These two names are inseparably associated with the monument on Stamford Hill. When the Governor applied these names of "Flinders " and "Franklin," Sir John Franklin was Lt. Governor of Van Diemen's Land and probably this trip of Lt. Col. Gawler wag the genesis of the movement.

INTERESTING FAMILY HISTORY

A few more detail facts about Sir John and Lady Franklin may be given here. They really require a series to themselves, but a short reference must suffice. John Franklin afterwards Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin, Kt. K.C.H., K.R.G., D.C.L., F.R.S., was born at Spilsby, Lincolnshire on April 15, 1786. He was the fifth and youngest son and the ninth child of Mr. Willingham Franklin and Harriet his wife (nee Weekes). Of the brothers and sisters of young John we are only concerned with his two sisters Sarah and Isabella. The latter married Mr. Robert Cracroft, whose daughter Sophia, in subsequent years became the companion of Lady Franklin and assisted Mr. Traill in the compilation of the history of the life of Sir John Franklin, which was published in 1896. The other sister Sarah married Mr. Henry Sellwood by whom she had two daughters, Emily Sarah and Louise. Emily Sarah Sellwood of Horncastle married Alfred Tennyson, afterwards Poet Laureate and Baron Tennyson of Freshwater and Aldworth. Their son Hallam, afterwards Lord Tennyson was Governor of South Australia 1899-1902 and then Governor General of Australia 1902-1904. Thus Sir John was an uncle by marriage to Lord Tennyson the Poet Laureate and also grand uncle to Hallam Lord Tennyson.

The other daughter of Mr. Henry and Sarah Sellwood (Louise) married (Charles Tennyson, a brother to the Poet Laureate. He also was a poet. By license he took the surname of Turner. John Franklin's aunt, Elizabeth Weekes, became the second wife of Matthew Flinders, the surgeon. This Matthew Flinders by his first wife Susannah Ward had two sons, one of whom was Matthew Flinders, the Australian navigator, and the other, Samuel Ward Flinders, who accompanied his brother on the Investigator.

From this can be gathered that Captain Matthew Flinders' stepmother was an aunt to John Franklin. It is stretching relationship to the limit to say that Flinders and Franklin were cousins. John Franklin as a youth, after seeing the ocean once, was eager to go to sea, but his parents strongly objected, and to kill the idea, let young John have a sea trip between England and Spain, across the stormy Bay of Biscay. Neither storm, stress, nor hard work aboard ship were sufficient to quench the flame, so on returning home the parents gave in, and subsequently (October 1800) he received an appointment on board the Polyphemus as a youth of 14.

FOUGHT WITH NELSON

On March 10, 1801, this ship was put under orders for the Baltic. At this time Flinders was busy getting the Investigator ready for the adventurous trip and young John was cast an anxious eye towards that boat. On March 11, he wrote to his parents advising that his ship was under orders and he wrote, "I am afraid I shall not have the felicity of going out with Captain Flinders, for which I am truly sorry, as we shall in all probabilities will be out about four months, but if we do return before the Investigator sails, I will thank you to use your interest for me to go. You cannot hesitate asking Captain Lawford to part with me when you consider the advantages of it. Look at Samuel Flinders, who has the promise of getting his commission to go with his brother. Whereas, in our present service if we take any ships or make any prize money, it will be two years before we receive it, and very little will fall to my share."

Life on a war boat under orders for a battle was not pleasant to contemplate, still John was able to write to his parents for his brothers' information that the expedition to the Baltic would mean "Some of us will 'lose a fin' or 'the number of our mess' which are sailor's terms." His fears were groundless. The battle of Copenhagen was fought and won. Nelson's spectacular display with the spy-glass being one of the tales told in connection with the battle. The Polyphemus was ordered to return to her base, and a berth was obtained for Franklin on the Investigator which sailed for the Southern Hemisphere July 18, from Spithead.

In less than four months, John Franklin had sailed from England to the Baltic, took part in a big battle and had returned again to England in time to join the expedition for the south. I have tried to picture what would have happened had Franklin been unable to get away with Flinders. Flinders, as has been previously stated, was almost like a father to those under him, he took pleasure in writing of young Franklin to the elder Franklin (presumably the father) that "he is a fine youth and there is every probability of his doing credit to the Investigator and himself. Mr. Crosby (the astronomer) has begun with him and in a few months he will be sufficient of an astronomer to be my right hand man in that way. His attention to his duty has gained him the esteem of the first lieutenant, who scarcely knows how to talk enough in his praise. He is rated midshipman, and I sincerely hope that an early opportunity, after his time is served, will enable me to show the regard I have for your family and his merit."

Samuel Flinders took advantage of the middy and turned over many of his duties to him, but reserved all the credit himself. However Franklin submitted recognising that he was gaining valuable knowledge. Mr. Crosby owing to ill health had to re-main at Cape of Good Hope. Captain Flinders then assisted the young man in his navigation, consequently the middy had every opportunity for self improvement. The example of a fine seaman and an enthusiastic explorer must have been for a lad of Franklin's temperament an education in itself.

GOVERNOR OF TASMANIA

H. D. Traill, the author of "The Life of Franklin," said of him :— "Throughout his whole life he cherished the warmest admiration for the character of Matthew Flinders and in later years he gladly welcomed the opportunity of paying an enduring tribute to his old commander's memory in that region of the world in which his discoveries had done so much to conquer for civilization."

Mention has been made previously to Franklin's enthusiastic ambition to plant the flag of the British Empire on Australia. After the shipwrecks on the east coast of Australia, Franklin accompanied Lieut. Fowler and crew in a merchant vessel to Canton where they were distributed among the different East Indian ships for passages to England. In 1814 he received his lieutenancy. Four years later he was appointed under Captain Buchanan in the Trent for Arctic discoveries and apparently was engaged in that work until 1822 when he was appointed captain. He married Miss Porden on August 19, 1822, and their daughter Eleanor (after her mother) was born June 3, 1824.

It is not proposed to recount the Arctic expeditions, but he left England again for the frozen north on February 16, 1825, and six days later Mrs. Franklin died. She had been in bad health the whole of her married life. Franklin, became engaged to Miss Jane Griffin in 1828 and they were married November 5, of the same year. This lady afterwards became Lady Franklin, the lady to whom Port Lincoln owes so much.

Miss Griffin was the daughter of a man of fortune. In Van Diemen's Land she seconded all Sir John's beneficent projects and contributed to the popularity of his name, sharing all his interests and identifying herself with his labor. They had, in fact, only one common thought, how they could co-operate in every possible way in promoting the welfare of their fellow colonists.

Lady Franklin bought a large area of land and established settlers thereon, paying all preliminary expenses and providing implements on easy terms so that many of the settlers were able in two or three years to pay off their debts. Snakes were plentiful in Van Diemen's Land, to reduce their numbers Lady Franklin paid 1/- per head for them out of her own purse. This was subsequently reduced to sixpence then to threepence and then stopped, because workers were giving up more arduous work to reap the benefit of easy labor.

Sir John received knighthood in April 1829 and the same year the Oxford University conferred the honorary degree of D.C.L. on him. He was also the recipient of a gold medal from the Paris Geographical Society. Sir John accepted the Lieutenant Governorship of Van Diemen's Land and late in the autumn of 1836 he left England for his new home, which was reached on January 6, 1837. He remained there until November 3, 1843. The last year was very unpleasant for himself and Lady Franklin, who entered into the spirit of Sir John's work. The English Government took the side of a disgruntled officer and virtually recalled Franklin. Through newspaper reports, Sir John heard, about the middle of July, 1843, that his term was approaching an end. The new Governor (Sir John Eardby Wilmot) was sent out and arrived on August 17, 1843. Franklin did not receive the original despatches concerning the appointment of the new Governor until they arrived by the Eamont on August 21. The despatches were dated February 10.

LOST IN THE ARCTIC

On Sir John's return to England, he accepted the command of another expedition to the Arctic, although approaching the age of 60 years. They sailed May 19, 1845. On July 26 they were seen at Melville Bay, but no subsequent tidings were received. The first search was instituted in 1848. Traces were discovered in 1859 and from records found it was ascertained that Sir John had died on June 11, 1847. The two ships were deserted on April 22, 1848. Eskimo's afterwards reported that all the crew had died.

Of Lady Franklin, Garran in the Picturesque Atlas wrote "In every effort that he (Sir John) made to promote the welfare of the dependency committed to his charge, Governor Franklin enjoyed the active sympathy and cordial co-operation of his admirable wife whose interest in the material and intellectual progress of the colony was as ardent as his own."

Lady Franklin died July 18, 1875, aged 83. One of her life's work was the collecting of all news and particulars of her husband. This enabled Mr. Traill to give a very comprehensive biography of Sir John. One of the last works attempted by Lady Jane Franklin was the completion of a monument to Sir John in Westminster Abbey. She could not complete the epitaph, so Lord Tennyson, assisted her. The marble monument was unveiled in July, 1875, a fortnight before Lady Franklin died. The full inscription on the monument cannot be ascertained at present, but Lord Tennyson's contribution apparently was :

"Not here ! the white North hath thy bones, and thou,
Heroic sailor soul.
Art passing on thy happier voyage now
Towards no earthly pole."

Dean Stanley added to the epitaph thus
"Erected by his widow who, after long waiting and sending many in search of him, herself departed to seek and to find him in the realms of Light, 18 July 1875, aged 83."

Sir John Franklin's daughter Eleanor, by his first wife, married the Reverend John Philip Gell. She died in 1860 leaving several children. At the time the biography was written in 1896. Mr. Gell was still alive. These two were intimately connected with the erection, of the obelisk as will be seen later on. Mr. afterwards Rev. John Philip Gell M.A., came out to Van Diemen's Land in April 1840 to take charge of a new college being erected through the instrumentality of Sir John. Franklin. The first stone of the building was laid November 6, 1840, about a month prior to the trip to Adelaide.

Further particulars regarding Stamford Hill will appear next week.