John Dunmore Lang’s Bounty Scheme (1837-1841) sought to bring out Scottish Highlanders to the Australian colonies. Lang believed that although poor, they epitomized the moral values and solid work ethic which would improve the tone of Australian society which was largely convict based in the 1830’s. They were honest, God-fearing and hard-working free settlers. There were 20 ships in the original Bounty Scheme which gave assisted passage to about 4000 Scots between 1837-40 These ships were the John Barry, William Nichol, Midlothian, Brilliant, Duncan, Lady Kennaway, William Roger, St. George, Boyne, Asia, Lady McNaughton, James Moran, British King, Hero, David Clarke, George Fyfe, Henry Porcher, Glen Huntley, Dauntless and Calder.

My GGGGrandparents, James and Anne Cameron and their 5 children ( John, Jessie, Alexander, Dugald and Margaret) along with nephew James Cameron, sailed from Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, on the 28 October 1838 on the British King, a “Government Emigration ship.” On board were 140 adult males, 32 children, 112 females and 43 children. Six births took place during the voyage including that of baby Jane to James and Anne Cameron. Sadly, Jane died after arrival in Port Phillip aged 7 months. James was described as a farmer and Anne a dressmaker and both came from Ardnamurchan, they were literate and belonged to the Church of Scotland. My ancestors were fortunate in their choice of ship. A school was established on board and “35 scholars attended regularly- all of whom made great progress.” It was noted that, “whenever weather permitted they were made to appear on deck” and “the greatest attention was paid to cleanliness.” The ship’s surgeon was happy to report that “all the immigrants have arrived in the colony in a healthy state.”

On 2 March 1839, the ‘Sydney Gazette’ reported, “ The principal part of the emigrants on the British King are farm laborers and shepherds. They are a healthy and respectable sort of people. Great credit is due to the officers and surgeons on board for the cleanly state of the vessel. There were 7 deaths on board, one adult of consumption and 6 small children.” Dr Donaldson had pointed out that it was not babies but small children who had just been weaned who were most likely to die.

The newly arrived immigrants were not all destined to remain in Sydney. Local settlers were not particularly interested in hiring men with large families and Governor Gipps was persuaded to send, at Government expense, 48 families from the British King on to the Port Phillip district of N.S.W. which was in great need of free settlers, as labor was scarce. The John Barry was the second vessel to bring Government immigrants to the district. The Cameron family arrived at Port Phillip on the 28 April 1839.

“When they disembarked at Williamstown, no shelter was available and they had to spend their first night in the open. William Lonsdale found ‘a miserable hut’ to accommodate those who had fallen ill with typhus fever and dysentery. Lonsdale pleaded with the Sydney government to make proper arrangements for the reception of any future migrants. Gipps replied that a permanent establishment must not be set up. Once again all healthy migrants managed to find work in Port Phillip without difficulty.”

1837 The "John Barry" was quarantined in Sydney, and passengers helped to build the hospital.

1838 The "William Roger" was quarantined for typhoid with 295 passengers. More than 60 passengers died - 29 of them at the Quarantine Station.

John Barry

From Scottish emigration, in March 1837 the first ship sailed with a full complement of emigrants from Scotland under the government-organized bounty system, as distinct from the shipping out of bounty emigrants by private individuals under licence. This was the John Barry, which sailed from Dundee to Sydney with 323 emigrants selected by Dr. Boyter, mostly from the Lowlands, and including in their number many craftsmen, especially masons and joiners, and several engineers, farmers, and shepherds.

The following excerpt from Michael Cannon's book 'Who's Master? Who's Man? Australia in the Victorian Age'. Thomas Nelson (Australia) Ltd., 1971. pages 128-129, relates the nature of sea travel to New South Wales for migrants.

"The former convict ship John Barry boasted one bath tub and two privies to cater for its normal complement of 300 felons. When it was 'converted' in 1834 to carry migrants, the facilities remained the same but more people were packed on board." Embarked 24 Mar 1837 with 87 men, 95 women, 44 children 7-14, and 97 under 7, total 323. 10 were born and 3 adults and 22 children died of 'fever' on the voyage from Dundee, in the care of Surgeon Superintendent D Thomson, arrived in Sydney on 13 Sep 1837. 12 died while in quarantine after arrival. A Quarantee facility was later built in Sydney.

The vessel arrived off Williamstown in Port Phillip on April 28th with passengers sick with typhus on board. Perhaps Jane Matthews was the unwitting carrier of the disease vector (lice) from the Quarantine Station onto the John Barry. The records have not been checked to see whether others, besides Jane, left quarantine to become a passenger on the John Barry.
William Lonsdale, Police Magistrate at Port Phillip, wrote on 20th May 1839 to the Agent for Immigration in Sydney, J. D. Pinnock, describing the condition of the immigrants: "Many of those who have now arrived [here in the John Barry] and were nor engaged upon leaving the ship were without a place to go and were the first night sleeping in the open air, and it was afterward only by mere chance that I could get them housed. Some were landed very ill, and I had no other place to put them in than an inconvenient and miserable hut, two of these people are since dead."
The following report in the Port Phillip Gazette of Saturday 18th May 1839 does not identify which immigrants died. "Amongst the emigrants lately arrived by the John Barry, there are several families who for want of better accommodation, have been placed in a small confined house, on the opposite bank of the water. We hear that the typhus fever has appeared amongst them, and several are in a very precarious state. The Police Magistrate, has, however, given the Medical Officer full authority to draw every description of food that may be necessary to them in their sickness and need."