Gold Rush Stories Part 35 - The Rum Rebellion; Australia's Only Military Coup

Is it any surprise to learn that alcohol was one of the first traded currencies in Australia?

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William Bligh - 1792

https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE1394002&mode=browse

In 1806 William Bligh became the fourth governor of New South Wales, at a time when the fledgling colony was home to 7,000 outcast souls, all whom were struggling to survive the constant food shortages and negligible infrastructure, and what could only be described as a skeleton economy, which was controlled by the Military Corps.

 Portrait believed to be of William Bligh

https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/231163371?keyword=William%20Bligh

William Bligh a Lieutenant  overthrown twice by his subordinates, yes the same William Bligh from Mutiny on the Bounty infamy. The same man cast adrift along with 18 of his loyalists whom navigated over 3,500 miles to safety in a small life boat known as a launch.

Bligh wasn’t known for having a peaceful demeanour or relationship with his underlings.

From all reports though, he brought it upon himself, disaffecting near all those whom over he had charge.

When Bligh took control of the colony of New South Wales note and coin money was in short supply and subsequently a complex barter system evolved which saw Rum imported from India as the most valuable and sought after commodity amongst the convicts and soldiers alike.

The currency flowed with Convicts and lower ranking military regularly paid in goods, namely Rum, rather than money.

At this time the Rum trade was monopolised by the NSW Corps, leading to the subsequent nickname in the 1790’s of “the Rum Corps”.

Portrait of John Macarthur, wool pioneer in Australia. - Bligh's Main Adversary

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Macarthur.jpg#/media/File:John_Macarthur.jpg

In attempting to ascert his authority over the economy and justice system Bligh ruffled feathers amongst troops by imposing embargos on the trade of rum and control over the ships in port amongst other provocations.

Government House Sydney 1809

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Government_House_Sydney_1809.jpg

By 26^th January 1808, the Corps had had enough and Marched to government House Sydney for a coup that would become known as the “Rum Rebellion”, arresting and deposing Bligh as governor of the colony.

New South Wales Government Printer - Arrest of Governor Bligh January 26, 1808

https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/235950168?keyword=Rum%20Rebellion

Australia’s only military junta persisted for two years with the corps relinquishing control to Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1810 when he took the reins of the neglected colony.

Lachlan Macquarie attributed to John Opie

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Ln-Governor-Lachlan_macquarie.jpg

When Macquarie took over, the colony was in desperate need of a hospital, and left to their own devices with no assistance from the mother land as far as capital investment, an enterprising Macquarie brokered a deal for the hospital to be built by private merchants.

In an ironic twist of fate, in exchange for building the hospital the merchants were granted a three-year monopoly on the import of rum and spirits, which would go on to inauspiciously become known as the Rum Hospital and also by reputation, the “Sidney Slaughterhouse” due to arcane medical practises such as bloodletting.

THE ‘RUM’ HOSPITAL - 1811

https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/what-was-rum-hospital