Bret's web page about James Busby of the Treaty of Waitangi of New Zealand

This web page is for information that I have found, about James Busby of the Treaty of Waitangi of New Zealand.

This James Busby has done different things – he has been an administrator, a viticulturist, accredited with introducing viticulture to Australia and New Zealand, has written publications about viticulture, and has taught viticulture, and he has been a grazier, accredited with introducing Red Devon cattle into New Zealand.

Below, is information that I have found, about him and his activities.

James Busby and the Treaty of Waitangi

The material below in this item, is from the web page at http://www.treatyofwaitangi.govt.nz/people/politicians.php ,
as viewed on 8 July 2005.

The textual material of this item, is published here with permission of the State Services Commission of New Zealand. Permission was granted on 11 July 2005. The image in this item, is published here with permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library of New Zealand. Permission was granted on 26 July 2005.
The material below, in this item, is protected by copyright to the State Services Commission of New Zealand. See the above web page for copyright details.

“James Busby

Portrait of James Busby, 1832

Edinburgh-born James Busby (1802-1871) was British Resident, a consular representative, in New Zealand from 1833. His job was to protect the more orderly British settlers and traders and prevent "outrages" by the less orderly Europeans against Māori. He was given no troops or a police force and had no legal power to make arrests, so he was unable to carry out his tasks with any authority. In 1834, he gained official recognition for a New Zealand flag, under which locally built ships could sail without being impounded in Sydney. In 1835, Busby used Charles de Thierry’s attempt to declare a sovereign state in the Hokianga to persuade chiefs to sign a Declaration of Independence declaring their own sovereignty over New Zealand. While there was considerable doubt that the "confederation" actually existed, the British Government recognised the Declaration. Five years later, Busby helped William Hobson to draft the Treaty of Waitangi ceding that sovereignty to the British Crown. The Treaty was explained, debated and signed at the great gathering at Busby's Waitangi home – now the "Treaty House" - and his influence was seen in Article 2 ("Read The Treaty") of the Treaty, which guaranteed Māori chiefs the "tino rangatiratanga" (Māori version) or "full, exclusive and undisturbed possession" (English version) of their lands and other resources. Trained in Europe as a viticulturalist, Busby brought with him a collection of grapevines that helped to found the Australian wine industry. In New Zealand, he became our first winemaker. Though the new colonial government failed to employ him, he farmed, edited a newspaper and served as a member of the Auckland Provincial Council."

James Busby and winegrowing in Australia, and the Kelman vineyards, and the Lindeman family

Copied with the permission of Tanya Upperton (permission given by telephone Saturday 29 January 2005). Note the connection with the family of the Lindeman wine producers.

From http://www.kelmanvineyards.com.au/history.html

" In 1824 William Dalrymple KELMAN (1800-1863) and John Busby (1765-1857) arrived in Australia from England. Busby was commissioned to provide the township of Sydney with a water supply (his famous “Busby Bore” was sufficient for Sydney's water needs until 1849). On retiring in 1837 he received a gratuity of 1000 pounds and 2000 acres on the Hunter between Branxton and Singleton.

James Busby (1800-1871) was born in Scotland, the second son of John. He arrived in NSW with his father in 1824. A Scottish viticulturist, he is generally regarded as the founding father of the industry in NSW. Prior to his arrival in NSW he realised he had studied viticulture and wine making in France. In 1825 he compiled a treatise on 'The Culture of the Vine' dedicated to the then Governor Brisbane. In 1830 he published “A Manual of Plain Directions for Planting and Cultivating Vineyards and for Making Wine in NSW”. He was given a grant of land in the Hunter which was named “Kirkton”. In 1831-2 he visited the vineyards in France and Spain, examining the influence of climate, soil and viticulture practices on the wine of each area. He gathered together a large collection of vines which on arrival he planted in the Botanical Gardens and at his Kirkton Estate.

William Kelman settled in the Hunter Valley. He had met John Busby's daughter, Katherine, on the ship and later married her. James Busby did not participate in the running of Kirkton and it was William Kelman who took care of the vineyards.

Kirkton was named after Lord Saltaun's estate in Scotland where William Kelman had been employed before leaving the colonies. The grant land Kirkton was made over to James father John who took control of the vineyards until his death in 1857. John Busby then passed it on to his son-in-law William Kelman and the property remained in the Kelman family until it was purchased in 1914 by Mr C.F. Lindeman, a descendant of Dr. Lindeman. In a sense, Kirkton was always in the family as Henry Lindeman's daughter, Matilda, married William and Katherine's son, James Kelman.

In 1924 one hundred gallons of chablis and 100 gallons of burgundy were made from the remaining Kelman vines (planted in 1830) and were served at the centenary celebrations of Kirkton in 1930, organised by Lindemans. Unfortunately that was the last vintage: shortly after the centenary, the property was sold. "

From the web page at http://www.kelmanvineyards.com.au/myrtle.html

" How Kelman's 'Myrtle Cottages' got their name

In 1824 James Busby arrived in Australia with his father John (of 'Busby's Bore' fame). James had studied viticulture in France and he is generally regarded as the founding father of Australia's wine industry. His father's grant of land in the Hunter Valley was called 'Kirkton' and on it James planted vines collected on an 1831 visit to France and Spain.

William Kelman met John Busby's daughter, Katherine, on the ship from England. They later married and settled at 'Kirkton'. While James Busby had planted the original vines it was William Kelman who managed the vineyards and managed the wine making operation. John Busby eventually passed 'Kirkton' on to his son in law. It remained in the family until purchased in 1914 by C.F Lindeman, a descendant of Dr. Henry Lindeman who planted his first grape vines at 'Cawarra' in 1843.

James, the eighth son of William and Katherine Kelman, married Matilda Lindeman from the famous wine family. In 1890 the couple's eighth child, Myrtle, was born. She lived until well into her nineties and saw the great Hunter Valley wine industry emerge from her great grandfather's first efforts.

Myrtle's family heritage, her charming smile and happy eyes embody the spirit of Kelman Vineyards ... life beautifully balanced.

The name and feature tree chosen for Stage III, like the Kelman Vineyards, blends history and beauty. The thirteen new cottages will combine the elegance and charm of Myrtle Kelman with the vivid spring colours of the Crepe Myrtle trees that form the centrepiece of each group of cottages. "

James Busby, viticulturist, teacher and administrator

From http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogBr-By.html , viewed at 1050 WST on 20050818 (spelling is preserved as published on that web page):

"BUSBY, JAMES (1801-1871), viticulturist and administrator,

son of John Busby (q.v.), was born in Edinburgh on 7 February 1801. He was well educated, and had made a study of viticulture in France. He came to Australia with his father on 24 February 1824, obtained a grant of land, and before May 1825 was given a position at the male orphan school at Bull's Hill near Liverpool, his duties including the teaching of viticulture and the supervision of the institution's farm. His salary was £100 a year, with "one third of the gross increase of the stock and of the net profits of the soil". In 1825 his A Treatise on the Cultivation of the Vine was published at Sydney, one of the earliest volumes printed in Australia. It was based principally on the work of the Count de Chaptal, published at Paris in 1819, but Busby also used his own notes. When the orphan school was placed in charge of the trustees of the clergy and school lands in 1826 they terminated Busby's appointment, but he made various claims which were submitted to arbitration, and in March 1828 Governor Darling (q.v.) stated that after the payment of certain sums to him, there was a balance of over £1000 still due. He was made a member of the land board, and he also sat on other boards and showed himself to be a capable public servant. He had also been appointed collector of internal revenue, with the understanding that it was not to be considered a permanent position. Busby, however, was dissatisfied when he was superseded by William Macpherson, and on 10 January 1831 drew up a statement of his claims and went to London to bring his case before the colonial office. He had in the previous year published another volume at Sydney, A Manual of Plain Directions for Planting and Cultivating Vineyards.

In London Busby's intelligence and knowledge of colonial conditions evidently impressed the English officials, as in a dispatch dated 18 March 1832 Governor Bourke (q.v.) was advised that Busby had been appointed resident of New Zealand at a salary Of £500 a year. While in Europe he had visited continental vineyards, and in 1834 another little volume was published at Sydney, Journal of a Recent Visit to the Principal Vineyards of Spain and France. He had collected a large number of vine cuttings which were sent to Sydney for propagation at the botanical gardens, This collection unfortunately was neglected and many of the vines were eventually destroyed. In New Zealand Busby found himself in the position of an official with no power of enforcing his decisions. He established good relations in most cases with both the missionaries and the Maoris, though his house was attacked on one occasion and he was slightly wounded. Busby's position was abolished in May 1839, but he remained on the spot, and when Captain Hobson (q.v.) became lientenant-governor of New Zealand in January 1840, Busby worked with him and actually drafted the famous Treaty of Waitangi with the Maoris. On 1 September 1840 Hobson wrote a letter of thanks to Busby saying "through your disinterested and unbiased advice, and to your personal exertions, I may chiefly ascribe the ready adherence of the chiefs to the treaty". Busby could have had a good position under Hobson, but having purchased land from the Maoris he preferred to become a grazier. The New Zealand government, however, would not allow his title to it, and much of the rest of his life was taken up in a struggle to obtain the land or to obtain compensation. Busby's speech to the house of representatives of New Zealand on 1 August 1856 was printed in that year as a pamphlet under the title The First Settlers in New Zealand and their Treatment by the Government. In April 1870 Busby was awarded £36,800, considered to be the value of scrip for 73,000 acres of land. But the cash value of this was estimated at only £23,000 and that sum was finally accepted by Busby. He had spent many thousands of pounds in prosecuting his claims, and when his debts were paid only about £3000 remained for himself. He travelled to England calling at Sydney on the way, and died near London on 15 July 1871. He married Agnes Dow, who survived him with two sons and a daughter. In addition to the works already mentioned Busby was the author of Authentic Information Relating to N.S.W. and N.Z (1832), The Australian Farmer and Land Owner's Guide (1839), The Constutional Relations of British Colonies to the Mother Country (1865), The Rebellions of the Maories traced to their True Origin (1865), Our Colonial Empire and the Case of New Zealand (1866), and other pamphlets.

E. Ramsden, Busby of Waitangi and Journal and Proceedings Royal Australian Historical Society, vol. XXVI, pp. 361-86 and vol. XXVII, pp. 154-65; Historical Records of Australia, ser. I, vols XIV,, XV, XVI; G. W. Rusden, History of New Zealand."

I have been advised on 18 August 2005, that I did not need permission to publish this item from Project Gutenberg, on this web page.

James Busby and the history of winemaking (from the State Library Service of South Australia)

From the State Library of South Australia's Wine Literature of the World Website at http://www.winelit.slsa.sa.gov.au/ozwater.htm:

"James Busby (1801-1871), known as the father of Australian and New Zealand viticulture and founder of one of Australia"s best-known wine regions, the Hunter Valley, arrived in Australia in 1824. Having studied viticulture and winemaking in France, he bought land in the Hunter Valley named "Kirkton", later to be developed for winemaking by his brother-in-law, William Kelman. While teaching viticulture at a Liverpool school, Busby planted a vineyard there but does not appear to have been involved in winemaking. Instead he is noted as being the writer of Australia"s first wine books, and importer of vines.

A treatise on the culture of the vine and the art of making wine, by James Busby. Sydney, 1825.

Australia"s first wine book was written a year after its 24 years old author arrived in New South Wales. Based on the ideas of French writers, it was intended to show "the respectable portions of the community" how to produce wine. Busby regarded viticulture as fitted "to increase the comforts, and promote the morality of the lower classes of the Colony".

A manual of plain directions for planting and cultivating vineyards and for making wine in New South Wales, by James Busby. Sydney: 1830. Facsimile reprint Hunters Hill, N.S.W. : David Ell Press, 1979.

This work provides detailed instructions for "smaller settlers". Busby draws on local experience: his book must have been of great practical assistance to its readers. In this extract he extols the pleasures to be gained from owning a vineyard.

Catalogue of vines in the Botanic Garden, Sydney, introduced into the colony of New South Wales in the year 1832, by James Busby. Sydney, 1842.

Busby also compiled our first ampelography. Originally published, with slightly different information, in Busby"s third book, Journal of a tour through some of the vineyards of Spain and France (Sydney, 1833) the Catalogue contains lists of vines collected from the Garden of the Luxembourg and the Montpelier Collection. The Sydney Botanic Garden collection briefly flourished, but was later neglected and eventually destroyed. Fortunately, samples from it were sent to other Australian colonies including South Australia, so that the collection was not completely lost. "

The source page in the State Library of South Australia's Wine Literature of the World website has links to full bibliographic details of the publications named in this item, together with images of their title and contents pages.

The above material in this item, is published by me, with the permission of the State Library Service of South Australia, permission granted on 18 August 2005.

Reproduction rights of the material in this item, are owned by State Library of South Australia. This text may be printed or saved for personal research or study. Use for any other purpose requires permission from the State Library of South Australia. To request approval, complete the Permission to publish form .

James Busby and the introduction of Red Devon cattle into New Zealand

The web page at http://www.lifestyleblock.co.nz/articles/381_devon_cattle.htm , as of 21 February 2005, stated that, in relation to the Red Devon breed of cattle,

"Devons came to New Zealand with the British pioneers. In 1838 James Busby imported 20 heifers and a bull from England. He used this nucleus to develop animals for the haulage teams as well as providing the smallholders with meat and milk. Drovers loved them for their docility and for the sweeping horns that helped define widths on the primitive tracks. Northland has stayed faithful to Devons. Names such as Hansen and Dodds being associated with the breed well into the 1960's. With the coming of rnetalled roads their use as draught animals declined and beef production became their main purpose "

The above information relating to the Red Devon cattle, is republished by me, with the permission of the Red Devon Breeders Association of New Zealand, the copyright owner of the above information. I do not know what the word “rnetalled” is supposed to be, preceding the word “roads”, but it has occurred to me that it may be supposed to be the word “metalled”.

I can be contacted by email at Bret

This web page last updated 18 August, 2005