Survey Instructions to Col. Light 

The first Board of Commissioners, consisting originally of 10 members, was appointed in April, 1835, and held office until January 8, 1840, when a new system of control was inaugurated. The necessary guarantees were fulfilled by December 20, 1835. The appointment of John Hindmarsh as Governor was gazetted on February 22, 1836, therefore immediate preparations were made for the despatch of the various contingents. 

The Board of Commissioners in framing general information respecting the colony, as late as February, 1836, stated that "certain spots which appear to be most favored by nature will be carefully surveyed by qualified persons, who will precede the large body of emigrants, and who will have authority to determine the first place of settlement ; this will probably be in the neighborhood of Spencer's Gulf or Gulf St. Vincent." 

The South Australian Company having invested a large amount of money in the scheme, and being anxious for early developments, despatched the ship John Pirie on February 22, 1836, and the Duke of York on February 24, both for Nepean Bay. The Lady Mary Pelham left on March 30, and the Emma on April 21. The first official boat to leave was the Cygnet, on March 20, 1836, in charge of the Deputy Surveyor-General (Mr. G. S. Kingston) ; the Rapid, with Col. William Light, the Surveyor General on board, sailed on May 1, 1836. Although the Rapid left six weeks later than the Cygnet, she arrived at Kangaroo Island three weeks earlier. The Buffalo, with Governor Hindmarsh, sailed on July 23. The Africaine was despatched by various parties on June 28. the Tam O'Shanter by Oswald Gilles on July 28, and the William Hutt by William French on August 12, 1836. These 10 boats contained 547 emigrants, and had all arrived in South Australian waters before the middle of January, 1837, or five months after the arrival of Light, to whom had been delegated the duty of selecting the site of a settlement in an almost unknown country. 

ARRIVAL OF VESSELS 

Digressing for a while, it is interesting to notice the dates of arrival of these first 10 boats, and to think of the work that faced Light : — Duke of York (South Australian Company, July 27, 1836; Lady Mary Pelham (South Australian Company), July 30; John Pirie (South Australian Com pany), August 16 ; Rapid (official), August 21 ; Cygnet (official), September 11 ; Emma (South Australian Company), October 5 ; Tam O'Shanter (O. Gilles), November 20 ; Africaine ( various), November 2 ; Buffalo (official), [December 24 (Port Lincoln), December 28 (Holdfast Bay)]; William Hutt (William French), January 26, 1937. 

Three of the company's boats had arrived by the middle of August, and the passengers were waiting impatiently for Light and for the survey of the land so that they could be placed on their new selections. 

Col. Light's letter of instructions from the Board of Commissioners was dated March 9, 1836, and there were two postscripts, the last being dated March 21, 1836. 

The Rapid left London on May 1, 1836 and left the Nore [sic] on May 5. Accompanying Light were Messrs. Field, Pullen, Hill, Jacobs and Symonds, with Woodforde as surgeon. Messrs. Finniss, O'Brien, Neale, Hardy and Cannan, with Dr. Wright as surgeon and Gilbert as storekeeper, had accompanied Kingston in the Cygnet a short time before. Nepean Bay, in Kangaroo Island, was fixed as the rendezvous for all boats except the Buffalo, which was directed to Port Lincoln. 

After detailing to Light specific duties, the board instructed him after arrival in South Australia to "proceed to make a careful examination of the coast of the central part of the colony .... Your attention will be particularly directed to Nepean Bay and Port Lincoln, but more especially to the line of coast extending from the eastern part of Encounter Bay to the northern point of Gulf St. Vincent. The inlet in latitude 34 degrees 55 minutes and the harbor reported to have been discovered by Jones in 34 degrees 40 minutes demand a careful examination."

These latitudes would give the mouth of the Patawalonga and Gawler River respectively, and possibly refer to Barker's as well as Jones's discoveries. Through a misconception, doubtless, the two latitudes had been wrongly quoted, instead of one intermediate between the two. There now seems to be little doubt that the present Port Adelaide harbor is what the Commissioners de sired Light to examine. 

LIGHT'S BIG TASK 

On finding a good harbor, the contiguous country was to be carefully examined, and when the surveys or examinations were completed, Light was instructed to compare the several sites and to determine which should be the site of the first town, "a duty which you are hereby fully authorized and required to discharge. In entrusting you with the decision of this difficult question, the commissioners feel they cannot too much impress you with the importance of a duty, in the judicious performance of which the prosperity of the colony so greatly depends. They feel assured that you will enter upon the task with the most anxious desire to arrive at the best possible result ; and believing such a result will be most effectually secured by placing the whole responsibility of the decision in your hands, the commissioners purposely avoid all minute instructions for your guidance, and desire that you will consider yourself at liberty to deviate, even from the more general instructions given, if in the discharge of your duty, new facts should arise which, in your opinion, justify so strong a measure." 

Light was to confer with the Governor, paying due regards to his opinions and suggestions, but "with-out, however, yielding to any influence which could have the effect of divesting you in any way of the whole responsibility of the decision." 

The commissioners then enumerat ed the qualifications that a first town should possess : —(1) A commodious harbor, safe and accessible at all seasons of the year;
(2) a consider able tract of fertile land immediately adjoining ;
(3) an abundant supply of fresh water ;
(4) facilities for internal communication ;
(5) facilities for communication with other parts ;
(6) distance from the limit of the colony as a means of avoiding interference from without in the principles of colonization ;
(7) the neighborhood of extensive sheep walks. 

The above were stated to be of primary importance, and the following of secondary value : —
(8) A supply of building material, as timber, stone or bricks, earth and lime ;
(9) facilities for drainage ;
(10) coal. 

VALUE OF HARBOR

The commissioners pointed out that the superiority of a harbor would not counteract the other essentials of a good site. With the imperfect knowledge possessed, the commissioners judged that the district between Gulf St. Vincent and the River Murray appeared to combine the requisite advantages in the highest degree, provided a good harbor could be found. It will be seen that the commissioners leaned toward the east coast (St. Vincent's Gulf), but still left it open for Light to investigate Port Lincoln and other sites. 

Another important instruction to Light was that in all his surveys he had to reserve as a public road all lands on the coast within not less than 100 feet of high water mark, and to reserve a road at least 66 feet wide along each side of every navigable river, around every lake or sheet of water, whose surface was not included in the adjoining section or sections. 

A portion of the expedition had sailed for an almost unknown country. The coastline had been surveyed, but the mainland had scarcely been traversed. The colonisation commissioners felt their responsibility in connection with the venture, and in their first report to His Majesty's Government, dated June 14, 1836, and written six weeks after the departure of Col. Light, they summarised the position with regard to the location of the settlement as follows: — 

"The coast and harbors of South Australia have been so imperfectly explored, that it is impossible, with the information which we at present possess, to determine the most eligible site for the capital of the province. We know that Nepean Bay affords a good and commodious anchorage for ships of burthen; that Port Lincoln is one of the finest harbours in the world ; and that in either of these situations a first settlement might be formed, and the seat of the government established. But for anything which we at present know to the contrary, there may be on the long, deeply indented coast situations more eligible than either Nepean Bay or Port Lincoln; and it is of the utmost importance that the first settlement should be formed not merely in a good situation, but in the best situation ; and we therefore determined upon sending out a surveying expedition for the purpose of completing the examination of the coast of South Australia and planting the first settlement in the situation combining the greatest number of advantages with respect to security, soil, supply of water and facilities for external and interior communications." 

SURVEY TOO HURRIED 

A very judicial review, covering most of the points that would arise. But the commissioners failed in one course in not allowing Light more time for his survey. Probably they were not to blame, but were forced into the position by circumstances over which they had no control. The South Australian Company had sent out two boats before the survey party. Emigrants were awaiting the arrival of the surveyors. Light knew that in the course of two or three months after his arrival, the Governor would arrive and would expect to have the site of the new settlement practically settled and only awaiting his approval. 

The commissioners were well aware that "an injudicious selection of the site of the first settlement would probably retard the prosperity of the colony for years, and would seriously disappoint the hopes of the first purchasers of land under the preliminary sales which the Act of Parliament required us to effect. The purchasers advanced £35,000 under the expectation that the first settlement and the site of the first town, would be selected in a situation so eligible, as to render removal inexpedient." 

Further, a large number of the purchasers of the preliminary land orders had sold out in Britain, and were impatiently waiting to leave for the new settlement and were expecting to get on to the land immediately. The commissioners knew that the original promotors of the scheme intended that the Chief Surveyor should select the site, and they concurred and adopted the same idea. They agreed that the site should be submitted to the Governor, but why this was necessary is hard to understand, as he had no veto. The responsibility was with the Chief Surveyor ; as it was stated, " all the credit of success and all the discredit of failure will belong to him alone."