FOR SALE:
From the Captain John Hunter Collection
Captain of The First Fleet Ship HMS SIRIUS - 1788
2nd Govenor of Australia - 1795 to 1800
"This painting was given by Lord Charlemont to their Captain John Hunter before he sailed for Australia.
Later it was hung in the First Government House, Sydney (then a mere “slap-up hut”)."
(Captain John Hunter was the First Fleet Captain of HMS Sirius 1788 & arrived aboard HMS Reliance (Captained by Henry Waterhouse) in 1795 to be Australia's 2nd Govenor.)
"It was here, in the year 1589, that the Squadron under the command of Sir Francis Drake, having been chased by a large Spanish Fleet entered Cork Harbour and sailing up the narrow creek at the apex and of which this castle is built, on the summit of an immense rock of limestone, took shelter not far from its walls. The Spaniards quickly followed, but not knowing the harbour, sailed round and round its shores In search of them; but in vain. Sir Francis lay at anchor in perfect safety of the calm waters of a weep of the river, which is called to this day 'Drakes Pool'."
(Admiral John Hunter was the second Governor of New South Wales 1795-1800) and old Family Possessions of late Miss Alan Kelly, James Moore Kelly, and Commander John Moore, of His Majesty’s Fleet, 1757, George 111., including PAINTINGS by Great Old Masters, etc. JOHN HUNTER (1737 - 1821)
John Hunter sailed with the First Fleet as second captain on board HMS Sirius. Once at Port Jackson, Hunter undertook surveys in the harbour and around the coast. He records in his journal his surprise at the size of the indigenous population which belied the notion of terra nullius.
Hunter returned to England on the Waaksamheid in March 1791. In England he was court martialled for the loss of the HMS Sirius, at Norfolk Island in March 1790, and honourably acquitted.
In February 1795 he was appointed Governor of New South Wales to succeed Govenor Phillip though he did not return to the colony to take up his new position until September 1795. Governor of New South Wales from 1795 to 1800, John Hunter was later to become a recognised authority on settlement in New South Wales and initiated reforms including a criminal code, improved law courts, a sound police system and trial by jury - all very relevant at the time.
His name is also honoured in the history of zoological and botanical science in Australia.
HMS Sirius was the flagship of the First Fleet, which set out from Portsmouth, England, in 1787 to establish the first European colony in New South Wales, Australia.
HMS Sirius sailed from England on 12 May 1787 as the flagship of the eleven-vessel First Fleet, under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip (Governor-designate of the new colony).
Royal Navy vessel. Involved with the early exploration of the Australian coast and South Pacific islands. Commanded by Henry Waterhouse, she sailed from England to New South Wales in 1795. Among her crew and passengers were Matthew Flinders, George Bass the ship's doctor, the Governor John Hunter (to take over from the first Govenor Phillip, as Govenor of Australia), and the Aboriginal Bennelong.
Under instructions from The Trustees, Executots and Agency Co. Ltd, for the Hunter Collection and Messrs. Read and Read, Solicitors, for the late Miss E.I.C McAuley’s Collection."
CAPTAIN/ADMIRAL/GOVERNOR JOHN HUNTER
In October 1788, the Sirius, under Hunter's command, returned to the Cape of Good Hope to buy emergency supplies for the colony. They arrived back at Sydney Cove in May 1789.
HMS SIRIUS
VOYAGE OF THE FIRST FLEET
Phillip transferred to the Armed Tender HMS Supply at Cape Town, with Second Captain John Hunter remaining in command of HMS Sirius.
HMS Sirius arrived in Botany Bay on 20 January 1788, two days after HMS Supply, according to the journals of Hunter and First Lieutenant (later Rear Admiral) William Bradley.
The 252-day voyage had gone via Rio de Janeiro and the Cape of Good Hope and covered more than 15,000 miles (24,000km).
It was quickly decided that Botany Bay was unsuitable for a penal settlement and an alternative location was sought. While waiting to move, a large gale arose preventing any sailing.
The colony was established at Sydney Cove in Port Jackson when Governor Phillip arrived on 26 January aboard HMS Supply. HMS Sirius arrived the following day.
On 19 March 1790, HMS Sirius was wrecked on a reef at Norfolk Island while landing stores.
HMS RELIANCE
HMS Reliance later returned to Sydney, arriving on 26 June 1797 from the Cape of Good Hope, carrying stores ordered by Governor Hunter and merino sheep purchased at the Cape by Henry Waterhouse.
Click on each photo to bring up a large image
Joel's Auction House, Collins St, Melbourne for auction on 09.06.1932.
Joel's Auction House, Collins St, Melbourne for auction on 09.06.1932.
W J Butcher Auction House, 124 Queen Street, Melbourne, on 25.11.1924 newspaper ad from 24.11.1924.
ROD & BARBARA THOMAS
This painting was bought from a private sale in Melbourne in the 1970's by Rod & Barb Thomas of Blythe Antiques & Art Gallery and has remained in the family's possession since.
After selling their first business CINEVEX in 1973, a Melbourne based tv & movie film processing plant hand built by Rod Thomas from old sewing machine parts in the 1960's, the lab originally located in St.Kilda, Melbourne, later built a larger processing plant in Gordon St, Elsternwick, and with an office in every tv station in Melbourne (VIC, AU), they then travelled the world with 2 of their youngest daughters where they frequented galleries and art auctions in numerous countries, primarily being based in London, UK.
Rod Thomas was an avid cinematic film buff and also a gifted self taught artist & musician, who made genuine gold leaf wood frames for their numerous obtained antique paintings in their antique shop gallery and home.
After arriving back from their extended overseas travelling, they set up their antique shop and gallery in Brighton (Melbourne, VIC, Australia) in the mid to late 1970's before retiring early and selling up and leaving Melbourne in 1979 to live off their acreage land in north-east Victoria, with Barbara collecting some collectables (as a hobby).
Captain John Hunter (1737 - 1821) was a British naval officer who served as the second Governor of New South Wales, arriving in Sydney on HMS Reliance in September 1795 to succeed Arthur Phillip. He had previously commanded HMS Sirius in the First Fleet and, on his return to Sydney in 1795, championed further coastal exploration and mapped early Australian territory.
Hunter was a known avid art collector and brought a number of paitings to Australia on both trips arriving in 1788 & again in 1795 to take over from Captain Phillips as the 2nd Govenor of Australia, where he hung this "Carrigaline Castle" painting in 1795 in the first Australia House in Sydney, NSW.
The First Government House was the first residence for the Governors of New South Wales located at 41 Bridge Street, in the Sydney central business district in Australia. It was built from 1788 to 1789 and used until 1845, after which it was demolished in 1846. Some of the site is now occupied by the Museum of Sydney.
Key Details regarding Captain John Hunter and HMS Reliance:
Arrival & Governorship: Hunter sailed from Plymouth on 25 February 1795, aboard HMS Reliance with his nephew, William Kent, arriving in Sydney in September 1795 to take up his position as Governor (1795 - 1800).
The Ship: HMS Reliance (1793) was a 20-gun supply ship that played a significant role in the colony, bringing supplies and key personnel, including Matthew Flinders.
Role in Exploration: While on the Reliance, Hunter fostered a culture of exploration. He permitted Matthew Flinders and George Bass to perform essential coastal surveys, including the discovery of the Bass Strait.
Merinos: The Reliance was also involved in bringing the first merino sheep to the colony from the Cape of Good Hope, which was arranged by Henry Waterhouse and William Kent.
Background: Before his governorship, Hunter was a key navigator in the First Fleet (1788) aboard HMS Sirius, performing crucial surveys of Port Jackson and Norfolk Island.
Legacy: As governor, he helped establish lasting legal reforms and is remembered through the naming of the Hunter River in NSW.
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