Person

Busby, James (1801 - 1871)

Born
7 February 1801
Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
Died
15 July 1871
London, Middlesex, England
Occupation
Viticulturist and Civil servant

Summary

James Busby arrived in New South Wales in 1824 and received a grant of 2000 acres in the Hunter River district. He pioneered viticulture in the colony and published a number of books. In 1832 he was appointed British Resident in New Zealand.

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Details

Born Edinburgh, 7 February 1801. Died England, 15 July 1871. Studied viticulture in France. Arrived New South Wales 1824. Received a grant of 2,000 acres in the Hunter River district; obtained employment at the Male Orphan School near Liverpool in charge of the school farm and teaching agriculture until 1827; wrote "A Treatise on the Culture of the Vine and the Art of Making Wine" 1925; collector of internal revenue 1827-29; Europe 1831-32; British Resident in New Zealand 1832-40; storekeeping; farming; newspaper editor; served for several terms in the Auckland Provincial Council; published a number of pamphlets. On 20 March 1834 he held a meeting of chiefs at the Residency at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, at which a New Zealand flag was adopted. In 1840 he drafted a treaty of cession and the first Maori signatures were obtained at Waitangi on 6 February. Son of John Busby and brother of George Busby (qq.v.).

Archival resources

Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales

  • James Busby - Records, 1830 - 1866, ML MSS 1349; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
  • James Busby - Records, 1823 - 1870, ML MSS 1668; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details

Published resources

Book Sections

  • Davidson, J. W., 'Busby, James (1801-1871), viticulturalist and civil servant' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 1: 1788 - 1850 A-H, Douglas Pike, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1966), pp. 186-188. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A010172b.htm. Details
  • Ilbery, J., 'History of Wine in Australia' in Australia and New Zealand Complete Book of Wine, Evans, L., ed. (Sydney: Hamlyn, 1973). Details

Journal Articles

  • Chappell, A. B., 'James Busby, British Resident in New Zealand, 1833-1940. [Abstract]', Report of the twenty-third meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science, Auckland meeting, January, 1937 (1937), 171-172. Details

Resources

See also

  • Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_b.html. Details
  • Serle, Percival, Dictionary of Australian biography (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1949). Details

Gavan McCarthy; Ken McInnes

Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 20 August 2024

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