Sunday, 24th June, 1838

Well. The axe has fallen.

Last Wednesday the Rapid arrived in port from England, bearing a dispatch from Lord Glenelg. In it, he tells me that he has advised Her Majesty that I am relieved of the Governorship of the Government of the Province of South Australia. He has made it clear that he was reluctant to do so, but that the insistent representations of the Colonization Commissioners, based upon information given them by the Resident Commissioner, Mr Fisher, left him no choice. He went on to say that nothing had occurred in the proceedings of my Governorship to detract from the opinion he entertains of my character as an officer and a gentleman.

In short, I've done nothing wrong, but the niminy piminy Commissioners back in London have been stirred up by Fisher, the foul excrescence, and have been rushing about like headless chooks, thinking me a Bounty Bastard Bligh or a Caligula.

Buffoons!!

FIsher, helped by his London patron, Torrens, has garbled quotations from letters and dispatches, distorting and suppressing facts stated in them and have asserted as true what they must have known was absolutely and positively destitute of truth. The result is that the Commissioners were stirred up like a lot of maiden aunts and Lo! I am recalled!

I have finally been allowed to see a list of the crimes I am alleged to have committed. They are:

1. I interfered with the choice of site for the Capital. 
2. I was responsible for the delay in proclaiming the Port. 
3. I was guilty of an act of trespass when some of the Buffalo sailors cut trees on Mr Fisher's land to make rafters for Government House. 
4. I had presumed to complain when Mr Fisher refused to allow a patch of swampy ground near the river to used as a part of the Government House Domain. 
5. I had named places in the Province 
6. I had endangered the safety of the Province by rejecting plans for a Police Force proposed by the Commissioners 
7. I had drawn upon the Treasury and thrown the finances into disarray. 
8. I had misled the Board of Commissioners with regard to the Buffalo and the expenses associated therewith. 
9. I had interfered with the Royal Mail. 

The first thing to say about these is they demonstrate how long Mr Fisher can store up a grudge. Cutting trees on Mr Fisher's land? It was four gum trees, I first learned of it after it happened and it was eighteen months ago! Move on man! Put it behind you! And coming from a man whose personal workers have made a career out of cutting down trees like the Devil himself, this seems a little rich!

Some of these are outright lies. It is a matter of public record that we only have a Police Force because I set it running after Fisher refused to fund it. What Mr Fisher means when he says I rejected plans proposed by the Commissioners is that I rejected HIS plans and enacted better plans proposed by others. Yes, I drew upon the Treasury, but only to buy food for the Colony. And again, coming from the man who went shopping with Company money for ponies at £500 a pop this seems rather strong.

I delayed the proclaiming of the Port? If I recall, I wanted to proclaim it, was ready to proclaim it, was about to proclaim it, but was told I could not proclaim it, because Mr Fisher believed that he could do a better job and stuck a spanner in the works. I delayed proclaiming the Port, he says, but he was the one delaying me because he declared that it was his duty to name the location. So it seems I took too long, because it was his job to name the place. But when I pushed it through and proclaimed it, then I am told I should not have done so, because I am guilty of naming places in the Province. He really cannot have it both ways.

Yes, I kept the Buffalo here longer than planned, but only because I had nowhere else to live and nowhere else to place villains.

And I DID NOT interfere in the choice of the site for the Capital. I was perfectly happy with the choice of the site. I worked with Light to make his choice of the site move forward. If I am guilty of anything I am guilty of trying to keep the peace at home, because it was Mrs Hindmarsh who wanted to Capital moved!

Still, in a private letter Glenelg has let a number of hints drop, suggesting that he is all too aware of what has been happening and that it does not reflect upon me and suggesting that he is similarly all too aware of Mr Fisher's tomfoolery and will ensure that before too long a time passes, Mr Fisher will have his wings clipped.

I leave the Colony in about three weeks, travelling to Sydney on board The Alligator.

As yet I do not know for certain who will replace me as Governor, but I have been instructed to appoint someone to act temporarily in the position until the new man arrives.

I think the news is too fresh in my mind to really declare my feelings regarding the situation. No doubt it will become clear to me.

The Rapid arrived in Port as a sort of Flying Dutchman, bearing nothing but ill tidings. It brought back to our fair shores the decidedly unfair Durward Kingston, as if we did not have troubles enough already. Kingston, who seemed surprised that the Colony had even survived, let alone flourish, without him, arrived to give us the benefit of his presence and his wisdom. So it seems we can all rest easy in our beds now.

Now I think of it, surely a ship bearing Kingston is more Ship of Fools than Flying Dutchman?

As I recall, the official reason for Kingston being sent back to England was to inform the Commissioners of Light's difficulties with the Survey and to secure extra funding and surveying staff. (The real reason, of course, was that everyone had had enough of the little blighter.)

So successful was he in his representations that he has returned to inform Light that there will be no more staff, no increase in funds and, as a bonus, that Light is to cease using his preferred trigonometric survey method and complete the survey using a far quicker, but far less accurate running survey.

Now Light is not a well man and as his health has worsened so has his temperament. He is increasingly petulant and disagreeable, given to volcanic outbursts and the darkest of sulking. Well, if I spent much of my day exhausted and spitting up blood, then I might lose the sunny disposition I am noted for as well.

The result is that Light has torn his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and has been walking out into the city wailing loudly and bitterly.

Oh, we all have many reasons to thank Lieutenant Field, in command of the Rapid, who sailed from London to Adelaide without pitching Kingston overboard.

And to complete my joy, on Thursday, Charlie Howard darkened my doorstep to tell me how he is progressing on the preparation of his Hymn Book. He showed me his manuscript and gave me a guided tour of the many wonders of his work, with a view, I think, of securing funds.

I noted, but refrained from comment upon one hymn "To be Sung Before the Sermon":

Now may the gospel's conqu'ring power

 Be felt by all assembled here

So shall this prove a joyful hour

And God's own arm of strength appear.

A Howard sermon "a joyful hour"? The man is fooling no-one but himself. If Bob Cock advertised goods in this manner he would find himself in court on a charge of uttering falsehoods.