Journal of A Tour to the Cow Pastures and Illawarra in January 1822.

9 – 17 January 1822

Records the details of Macquarie's visit to Cawdor, Camden, Liverpool, Campbelltown, and the Illawarra region [present-day Wollongong].

Also available at: Journeys in Time: 1822

Homeward Bound

Lachlan Macquarie's Journal of a Voyage from New South Wales to England in 1822 is a richly absorbing account of the Macquaries return voyage from Sydney to England on board the Surry via Cape Horn and St. Salvador (in Brazil). It serves as a wonderful counterpoint to Elizabeth Macquarie's 1809 journal of their outward bound voyage via Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town to NSW; though, unfortunately, there is no evidence to suggest that in 1822 Elizabeth recorded her experiences or observations in any surviving journal or letters.

The voyage took place over a five month period between 12 February - 13 July 1822. Their vessel, the Surry was commanded by Captain Thomas Raine, and was manned by a crew of thirty sailors. Additional passengers included: Major James Taylor (and his son), Lieutenant Hector Macquarie (Macquarie's nephew), the Macquaries' personal servants: George and Mary Jarvis, John and Nancy Moore, Ann James (and child [unnamed]), Martin Lawlor, James Wait, Thomas Turner, William Walker, Nathaniel Scott, and William Buckle. There were also two steerage passengers: Lambert Eaton, and Private Bowser, of the 48th. Regiment of Foot; and a large menagerie of Australian native fauna and flora that the Macquaries intended as gifts to friends and patrons in Britain. Unfortunately, most of the animals did not survive the voyage - though there is a full listing and description of the animals and their individual fates.

Newspaper Accounts

Description of the celebrations and departure of the Macquaries from Sydney:
Sydney Gazette 8 February 1822
Sydney Gazette 15 February 1822
Sydney Gazette 22 February 1822

The Macquaries sold their unwanted household goods by auction commencing on 15 January 1822. The sale proceeded on a daily basis until everything had been disposed of, though clearly there were a number of other items that were presented as gifts to friends, including a violoncello to Mary Ann Piper on 9 February 1822 and furniture and books to Captain Henry Antill.

There were two auction advertisements in the Sydney Gazette in January 1822.
Sydney Gazette 4 January 1822
Sydney Gazette 18 January 1822

Additional background research is available at: Journeys in Time 1809-1822

Homecoming: Scotland

After returning to Britain in mid-July the Macquaries had many challenges to deal with in the succeeding months. First and foremost there was the assessment of Macquarie's governorship in the light of the soon-to-be released findings of John Thomas Bigge's Commission of Enquiry. The death of Stewart, Robert, Viscount Castlereagh and second marquess of Londonderry (1769-1822) by suicide on 12 August was a severe blow to Macquarie's patronage links and personal endorsement within the British Government. Thereafter he would be increasingly dependent upon Lord Bathurst (1762-1834), Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, for support and financial compensation for the long years of his governorship of N.S.W.

It was against the backdrop of the three Bigge reports (1822-1823) that the Macquaries returned to Scotland in September 1822 to visit family and friends. They found that economic conditions in the Highlands were severely depressed, and, in particular, the state of the their 'Jarvisfield' Estate on Mull had placed them in serious financial difficulty. Its viability was seriously compromised by its size, and the fact that the tenants were largely unable to maintain their rents. In 1817 Lachlan had authorised his brother Charles to purchase from the Duke of Argyll an additional 10,000 acres for the land referred to as 'Leharnakeal'. This included all the lands along Loch Na Keal from Gruline to the ferry crossing at Lagganulva: Kellan, Kiliemore, Archarn, Archronich, Oskamull, Korkamull and the higher slopes of 'shieling' land that were suitable for summer grazing. The estate was bounded on the north by the Glen McQuarie and the river Aros, and included the farm at Oskamull that Macquarie's mother had rented from the Duke of Argyll from 1775 until her death in 1810. This meant that the 'Jarvisfield' estate now totalled 21,128 acres. Macquarie had managed to acquire all the key land holdings straddling the narrow isthmus connecting the northern and southern portions of Mull, as well as that portion of Mull closest to the ancestral lands of the Clan MacQuarrie on the island of Ulva. Their house at Gruline was in a worse condition than they had imagined, and during their visit to Mull they were forced to reside at the home of their neighbour Colonel Campbell, at Knock.

Further details regarding the history of Gruline House and the 'Jarvisfield' Estate are available at:
The Lachlan Macquarie Room: Gruline House

After a brief visit of approximately four weeks the Macquaries decided, principally for health reasons, that they would escape the severity of a northern winter and travel to the Continent for a tour of France, Italy and Switzerland. To this end they recruited a tutor, Robert Meiklejohn, for Lachlan Jnr., and a new maid, Fanny, for Mrs. Macquarie. Macquarie's trusty Indian-born manservant 'George' would also accompany them, though his wife Mary (nee Jelly) and daughter Elizabeth [aged only 6 months] remained behind, presumably on Mull. The travel party left London on 30 November. They would be away from Britain for eight months, covering a distance of 2716 miles.