John Blaxland (4 January 1769 — 5 August 1845) pioneer in Australia. January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (218th in leap years), with 148 days remaining. ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Blaxland was born in Kent, educated at King's School, Canterbury, he entered the army and became a captain. He resigned his commission in 1792, settled down on an estate at Newington, and in 1805 decided to emigrate to Australia with his brother Gregory Blaxland. He made a good bargain with the English government which agreed that if he brought £6000 to the colony he would be granted 8000 acres of land, the labour of 80 convicts who would be fed for 18 months by the government, and a free passage for himself, his wife, children and servants. He decided, however, to charter a ship and arrived at Port Jackson on 4 April 1807, with instructions to Governor Bligh to give him various concessions in place of the free passage. Bligh was no more helpful than he thought necessary, but Blaxland obtained cattle from the government herd, started a dairy in Sydney, and also sold meat and vegetables. He did a very useful piece of work in reducing the prices of these necessaries, but Bligh was insistent that he should go in for agriculture as well as grazing. He antagonized Blaxland, who joined in the deposition of Bligh in January 1808, but Blaxland could not get the concessions he wanted from Colonel Johnston and decided to go to England. Bligh, however, succeeded in getting him arrested at Cape Town and taken to London. After three years in London he obtained a letter to Macquarie directing that the original agreement should be carried out. But Macquarie was obsessed with the idea that the land grants were for the purpose of growing grain and put various obstacles in his way. However, in the eighteen-twenties, under Governor Brisbane, Blaxland obtained good land in the Hunter Valley and was successful as a stock owner. He was a member of the legislative council from 1829 to 1844 and died at Newington on 5 August 1845. Blaxland was married twice and was survived by sons and a daughter. Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Gregory Blaxland Gregory Blaxland (17 June 1788 — 31 December 1852) was a pioneer farmer and explorer. ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 1807 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... William Bligh in 1814 Vice Admiral of the Blue William Bligh, FRS, RN (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the British Royal Navy and colonial administrator. ... Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of over 4. ... , City motto: Spes Bona (Latin: Good Hope) Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province Province Western Cape Mayor Helen Zille Area  - % water 2,499 km² N/A Population  - Total (2004)  - Density Ranked 100th 2,893,251 1,158/km² Established 1652 Time zone SAST (UTC+2... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, CB (31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824), British military officer and colonial administrator, served as Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of... Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane (July 23, 1773 – January 27, 1860) was a soldier, colonial Governor and astronomer. ... The Hunter Valley is a region of New South Wales, approximately 160 kilometers north of Sydney, Australia with an approximate population of 700,000 people, most of which live in the Newcastle Metro area including Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Maitland city councils. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Blaxland was a keen man of business, anxious to drive a good bargain, and as a free settler was in a stronger position than the emancipists. But he antagonized both Bligh and Macquarie and met with much opposition. In spite of this Blaxland as a pioneer grazier became an important figure in the early development of Australia.

Reference

• Serle, Percival (1949). “Blaxland, John”, Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1949 edition of Dictionary of Australian Biography from
Project Gutenberg of Australia, which is in the public domain in Australia and the United States of America.