Port Jackson today, and Sydney, New South Wales. Port Jackson and New South Wales were both named by Captain James Cook in 1770; but Sydney took its name from Baron Sydney, the Home Secretary when the first settlement was founded on January 26th, 1788. A formal swearing-in ceremony was held on February 7th, in which Captain Phillip became the first Governor of New South Wales. Then the population was a thousand rather unruly British convicts; now Sydney is home to over 4 million free Australians.
WITHIN a few days of landing, Phillip took it upon himself to set aside that part of his Instructions which ordered him to found a settlement at Botany Bay, as that particular spot was quite unsuitable for such a purpose. An officer of the marines wrote ‘I am sorry to say the country for several miles round the bay does not afford a spot large enough for a cabbage-garden fit for cultivation.’
Phillip and Hunter set off in a cutter to examine the opening that Cook had named Port Jackson,* and there they found ‘the finest harbour in the world, in which a thousand sail-of-the-line may ride in perfect security.’ After exploring a number of coves, they chose one (now called Circular Quay) for the site of the settlement, and named it Sydney Cove in honour of the Secretary of State.* On the 26th of January (now called Anniversary Day)* Phillip began the work of clearing the land around Sydney Cove and erecting storehouses and living-quarters.
Abridged
Abridged from ‘History of Australia for Commonwealth Schools’ (1928), by John Patience Chard. Chard was drawing on ‘The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay &c.’ (1790), by Arthur Phillip (1738-1814).
Port Jackson is an inlet of the Tasman Sea that includes Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers. Both the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge lie within it. A cutter is a fast, single-masted auxiliary ship.
That is, Home Secretary Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (1733-1800). Two cities are named in his honour, Sydney in Nova Scotia, Canada (1785), and Sydney in New South Wales, Australia (1788).
January 26th is now kept as ‘Australia Day’. Although the fleet had arrived six days earlier, it was on this day that the first settlement was begun. For more, see the timeline of history at Australia Day, by the National Australia Day Council (NADC).
Questions for Critics
1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?
2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?
3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?
Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.
Précis
The new colony faced an immediate problem, as Phillip saw that Botany Bay was incapable of sustaining it. He moved the entire colony to what is now Sydney, and despite bad harvests, disease, demotivated settlers and poor equipement, within a few years Phillip managed to establish a self-supporting community, at considerable cost to his own health. (56 / 60 words)
The new colony faced an immediate problem, as Phillip saw that Botany Bay was incapable of sustaining it. He moved the entire colony to what is now Sydney, and despite bad harvests, disease, demotivated settlers and poor equipement, within a few years Phillip managed to establish a self-supporting community, at considerable cost to his own health.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: if, not, ought, since, unless, until, whether, who.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Particular. Say. State.
2 Good. Living. New.
3 Consist. Security. Town.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Verb and Noun Find in Think and Speak
Many words can serve as noun or verb depending on context: see if you can prove this with the examples below. Nouns go well with words such as the/a, or his/her; verbs go well after I/you/he etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 War. 2 Work. 3 Order. 4 Line. 5 Spot. 6 Farm. 7 Cook. 8 Name. 9 Purchase.
Variations: 1.if possible, use your noun in the plural, e.g. cat → cats. 2.use your verb in a past form, e.g. go → went. 3.use your noun in a sentence with one of these words: any, enough, fewer, less, no, some.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
x
0
Add
Your Words ()
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