Guide to the Papers of Captain Francis Cadell (as filmed by the AJCP), 1837-1880

Summary

Collection number:

M464

Creator:

Cadell, Francis, Captain

Extent:

22 items

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February-23 September 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-987654321)

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for reference.

Background

Content Summary:

1. Three books of newspaper cuttings 1852-1860 and 1867-1868 referring to Cadell's trade on the River Murray and his Northern Territory expedition.

2. Documents relating to navigation of the River Murray including copies of dispatches from the Governor of South Australia and correspondence between Cadell and the Governor 1853 on the navigability of the Murray. There is also a rough sketch of the canvas boat in which Cadell first sailed down the Murray River from Swan Hill in 1852, and an address by the Murray settlers of New South Wales and Victoria to Cadell.

3. Memorials and addresses outlining the life of Cadell and his explorations in Australia, including a manuscript entitled 'Australia' and a copy of a letter from the First Government Secretary of Batavia, 25 February 1880, giving an account of the death of Cadell.

Biographical / Historical:

Francis Cadell (1822-1879) was born at Cockenzie, Scotland, the son of Hew Francis Cadell, a mine-owner and ship builder. He was educated in Edinburgh and Cuxhaven. He joined the East Indiaman Minerva in 1836 and took part in the war with China in 1839. He later sailed to South American ports. He returned to Scotland in 1846 and studied shipbuilding and the use of steamships for navigation. In 1851 he sailed the Queen of Sheba, which had been built to his specifications, to the Pacific Ocean and Australia.

In 1852 Cadell negotiated with the South Australian Government to take a steamer up the River Murray as far as the junction with the Darling River. In August 1853 he arrived at Encounter Bay and took the steamer Lady Augusta through the mouth of the Murray. A month later he reached Swan Hill. He was rewarded with a substantial payment from the South Australian Government, as well as a gold medal. He formed the River Murray Navigation Company which bought a number of steamers, one of which sailed up the Murray as far as Albury in 1855. He later took ships up the Murrumbidgee and Darling Rivers and founded the port of Milang, near the mouth of the Murray. His business failed in 1861-62 and he subsequently moved to New Zealand, where he supervised steam transport on the Waikato River.

In 1866 Cadell returned to South Australia and in the following year he led an expedition to the Northern Territory to select a site for a capital and an area for agricultural settlement. He spent most of a year exploring a large area including the Liverpool, Roper and Victoria Rivers, but his recommendations were ignored. He spent his last years trading in the Pacific islands and operating a pearling fleet on the northern coast of Australia. He disappeared in the Dutch East Indies in 1879 and it was alleged that he had been murdered in his schooner Gem by the cook's mate for not paying his wages for five years.

Related

Existence and Location of Copies:

The original AJCP microfilm of the records filmed from this collection is available at the National Library of Australia [https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn333682] as well as other institutions holding AJCP microfilm.

Existence and Location of Originals:

Filmed at Private Residence of Mrs F.A.M. Chitty, Hertfordshire, England.

Conditions Governing Access:

Available for Access.

Conditions Governing Use:

Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the owner of the original material.

Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February-23 September 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-987654321)

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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