The Navigators: Confrontation on King Island

Posted 11 Jan 2022Tue 11 Jan 2022 at 3:50am

Painting shows two tall ships meeting at sea — The Navigators: Confrontation on King Island

NARRATOR:

Captain Baudin and Governor King have become very friendly, despite the suspicions of many that the French were actually there to spy on the English colony. No sooner has Baudin sailed than the governor is presented with evidence adding to the suspicions as to the real purpose of the French expedition.

MAN:

Peron and other members of the French expedition had boasted that they would form a French colony or settlement down in Van Diemen's Land.

WOMAN:

King sent a boat to tell Baudin and the ships that they wanted to build a colony in Tasmania just in case Baudin would have had the idea.

NARRATOR:

The commander of the Cumberland, Lieutenant Robbins, chases Baudin almost to Van Diemen's Land and catches him at King Island.

MAN:

To make the point that King had instructed him to deliver the marines fire a volley and Robbins formally declares King Island as a British settlement.

BADIN:

'I was somewhat amazed to see an English flag absolutely where our tents were set up. I thought at first, from the way in which it was hanging, that it had been put up to dry.'

NARRATOR:

Baudin writes to Governor King...

BAUDIN:

'Mr King, my friend, to my way of thinking I have never been able to conceive that there was justice or even fairness on the part of Europeans in seizing, in the name of their governments, a land seen for the first time... ..when it is inhabited by men who have not always deserved the title of 'savages'. Not only have you to report yourselves with an injustice in having seized their land, but also in having transported them on to a soil where the crimes and diseases of Europeans were unknown.'

WOMAN:

This was quite revolutionary. And I mean this was typically French again. I don't think it would have come from the British to have such an idea.

MAN 2:

The British will not grab this concept very clearly before a long time.

MAN:

Baudin is being quite brave in putting his thoughts on paper. Because he specifies that not only does Great Britain have no rights to claim territories of other peoples, he's also saying that his own government, the French government, has no rights to do the same.

SUBJECTS: History

YEARS: 3–4

Governor King is commander of the British settlement in Port Jackson (now Sydney).

He suspects French explorer Nicolas Baudin of planning to claim a French colony in 'New Holland'. King sends a ship to race Baudin to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). Watch this clip to find out what happens next.

Things to think about

1.Have you ever found something you wanted to keep but then found that it belongs to someone else? Many explorers discovered lands and claimed them for their country. In Australia as in other countries there were people living in these lands already. What do you think about this? Talk with someone about what you think.
2.Listen for the reasons why Governor King sent a boat to catch up with Baudin. What did the English do to 'claim' King Island as a British settlement. What did Baudin do in response?
3.Baudin sent a letter to Governor King to explain his feelings about claiming land where other people are already living. Explain Baudin's point of view to someone else. Why was Baudin's opinion so amazing at the time? What if Governor King did not send the boat to meet Baudin? Would the French have behaved any differently in Van Diemen's Land? Why do you think this?
4.What if the governments of England and France had talked with the Aboriginal people about settling in Australia? These Aboriginal people would have thought very differently from the English and French about land and country. Find out what you can about the Aboriginal people's connection to Country. Make a podcast or slide show to explain this to Baudin and Governor King.

Date of broadcast: 23 Feb 2010

Copyright

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Posted 11 Jan 2022Tue 11 Jan 2022 at 3:50am

History Education

The Navigators: Confrontation on King Island

Governor King is commander of the British settlement in Port Jackson (now Sydney).

Things to think about

Copyright

Related

The Navigators: Meeting of the expeditions

The Navigators: Shipwrecked off 'New Holland'

The Navigators: Expeditions return home from 'New Holland'

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Transcript

Governor King is commander of the British settlement in Port Jackson (now Sydney).

Things to think about

Copyright

The Navigators: Meeting of the expeditions

The Navigators: Shipwrecked off 'New Holland'

The Navigators: Expeditions return home from 'New Holland'

Footer