David Collins (governor)

David Collins ( born March 3 1754 London, United Kingdom, † March 24, 1810 in Hobart, Tasmania ) was a British officer and the first vice- governor of the colony Van Diemen's Land, the present-day Tasmania.

Life

Collins was born in 1754 as the third child of Henrietta Fraser and the naval officer Arthur Tooker Collins. His paternal grandfather was the historian Arthur Collins. After visiting the Exeter Grammar School, he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 14 years. On February 20, 1771 he was promoted to lieutenant.

1775 Collins took part in the American Revolutionary War. After the battle of Bunker Hill, he was promoted to first lieutenant. As of November 1776, he was stationed in Halifax, where he married on June 13, 1777 Mary Stuart (Mary ) Proctor.

In August 1779 Collins was appointed Lieutenant. After spending several years in Chatham Dockyard in England, he sailed on 20 January 1788 the First Fleet towards Australia. Collins was involved in the founding of the penal colony in Port Jackson ( Sydney at today ). Under the Governor of New South Wales, he was entrusted with the establishment of a judiciary in the new colony. In June or July 1788 Collins was appointed by the Governor Arthur Phillip to the Secretary ( Secretary to the Governor ).

In 1803 he founded beyond a first settlement at Port Phillip in the area of present-day Melbourne. After exploring the area, however, is Collins decided to abandon the settlement. Collins sailed further south to Tasmania, where John Bowen at that time built the settlement of Hobart. In February 1804 he reached Hobart and took the further expansion of the city into the hand.

Collins was vice governor of the young colony was characterized by lack of food and tools. He often wrote to the governors of other colonies, such as New South Wales or even the Cape Colony, and the British government, asking for support, but this was rarely granted. On the contrary, his claims have even been criticized as excessive and he was urged to deal economically with the delivered goods. In October 1808 more than 550 new settlers Hobart, who had been sent by the English crown from Norfolk Island to Tasmania to get put from the nearby penal colony available reached with the promise that there land, homes, and forced laborers. This doubled to one stroke, the population of Hobart and Collins had great difficulty to provide the settlers satisfied.

On March 30, 1809 reached William Bligh, the rebellion of insurgents was previously in the course of Rum been overthrown as Governor of New South Wales, Hobart. After Collins had first received him kindly, deteriorated soon the mood and Bligh anchored his ship before Hobart. He now demanded duty from every ship and opened fire, if the voyage refused to pay. It was only on January 4, 1810 drew from Bligh and sailed back to Sydney, where now the new Governor Lachlan Macquarie had taken over his office.

Collins died without warning on March 24, 1810 and was buried at the site of the present Cathedral of St Davids.