EYRE, EDWARD JOHN (1815-1901) was born at Hornsea, Yorkshire, the third son of the Rev A. W. Eyre and his wife Sarah, daughter of Dr Mapleton, of Bath. Educated at Thorp Arch, at Grantham, at Louth and at Sedbergh, Eyre was fond of handicrafts and fishing. He was disappointed in his hope of obtaining a commission in the army and consequently sailed for Australia at the age of 17 with £400 capital.

After obtaining a little experience as cadet on a station on the Hunter river, dealing and farming on his own account, Eyre conceived the idea of driving sheep overland, first to Port Phillip and then to South Australia. His first drive of 1,000 sheep and 600 cattle to Adelaide by way of the Murray river (1836) was hailed with delight in the latter colony. Early in 1838 he left the Port Phillip settlement for Adelaide in the hope of discovering a shorter route than that by the Murray river. From Mitchell's farthest point he followed the Wimmera in a north-west direction until it was lost in a swampy lake, to which he gave the name of Hindmarsh. Leaving the cattle, he went with two men in search of the Murray, but the loss of his horses compelled him to fall back on Hawdon's route by the Murray river. (See J. HAWDON) His next journey, northward from Adelaide (1839), took him as far as Mount Arden, within sight of Lake Torrens. In Aug 1839 Eyre started again westward from Port Lincoln with four men and two natives. With his company reduced to one black boy he penetrated as far as the border of South Australia. Then he journeyed east from the depot at Streaky bay to the head of Spencer's Gulf. Reaching Arden and Lake Torrens again, he retraced his steps. Convinced by these attempts that it was impracticable to take stock round the Bight, he then recommended exploring to the northward and raised two-thirds of the funds by public subscription. Going by sea to West Australia, he drove stock overland from Albany to Perth early in 1840. Returning to Adelaide, he started again on 18 Jun and proceeded to Mount Arden, hoping that the Flinders range would form a stepping stone into the interior. The limits of his two abortive attempts in this direction he distinguished by the names Mt Deception and Mt Hopeless. Finding his progress barred by a lake, he abandoned his northern search and sent the overseer to form a base at Streaky bay, whither he proceeded by sea. After advancing with one black boy round the Bight until grass and water failed, he tried again with the dray, lost three horses and returned to Fowler's bay.

While the cutter was going back for supplies, Eyre made another effort to advance on horseback, but returned to the bay on 20 Jan 1841. Then he formed the resolve (described by Favenc as 'foolish and inexcusable') to go on alone. On 31 Jan, with the overseer and three native boys, he started on a journey of 800 miles across the desert. After six days without water the horses knocked up. Eyre persisted, but the natives became discouraged, and when still 600 miles from the goal two of them shot the overseer and went off with guns, bread and water. Almost at the end of his resources, Eyre found the ship Mississippi at anchor in Thistle Cove (2 Jun). For 10 days he recuperated his strength prior to renewing the effort. Finally, he reached King George's Sound on 7 Jul, and was back in Adelaide on the 26th.

Eyre was then appointed resident magistrate on the Murray and protector of aborigines, a post he held until 1844. In 1843 he received the founder's medal of the Royal Geographical Society in recognition of his explorations. Undismayed by his previous sufferings or by the criticism to which he was subjected, he offered twice in 1844 to lead an expedition from Moreton Bay (Queensland) to the new settlement at Port Essington (on the north coast), but Governor Gipps considered that Mitchell had a prior claim. Accordingly Eyre accompanied Sturt on the early part of his expedition from the Murray to Lake Victoria (1844). Eyre was distinguished for his humanity towards the blacks and his advocacy of their rights against an overbearing white population. It was in this connection that he came in contact with the Governor (George Grey, q.v.), whose good opinion he gained both by his intrepidity as an explorer and by his kind and judicious treatment of the natives.

Eyre returned to England in 1845, taking with him two blacks (with whom he was introduced to Queen Victoria). He now published the journals of his expeditions. The Colonial Office appreciated his services, and in 1846 Earl Grey appointed him to be one of the Lieutenant-governors in New Zealand under the new constitution, Grey being the Governor-in-chief. Eyre arrived in Auckland by the ship Pestonjee Bomanjee (10 Jul 1847) and conferred there with Grey, but did not take his oath of office. He arrived at Wellington, in his own province of New Munster, on 7 Aug, and forthwith proceeded to inspect the Wairarapa, which was just being brought into occupation. He took the oaths on 28 Jan 1848.

Evidence was soon forthcoming of a coolness between Grey and his lieutenant. It may have originated in a despatch which Eyre sent to the Colonial Office without reference to his superior. The difference was obvious when Eyre opposed Grey's provincial councils bill in the Legislative Council. Thereafter Grey would not allow him to exercise any real authority and lost no opportunity of belittling him in public. His action in residing in Wellington for eighteen months and thus rendering Eyre's commission dormant placed his subordinate in an absurd and intolerable position. They were temperaments which could not work well together. Grey was autocratic and overbearing. Eyre was impulsive, fussy and obstinate, and much too fond of writing. He was keenly interested in education and religion for the colonists and in the welfare of the natives. As occasion arose he did not fail to display his energy in action. When Wellington was shaken by a severe earthquake in 1848 he took prompt and effective steps to cope with the emergency, turning Government House into relief barracks for the injured and homeless and taking steps to prevent people from leaving the settlement.

In the purchase of Native lands in the South Island he was energetic and judicious. He made many little explorations, including a hazardous ascent of the South Island peak Tapuaenuku (9,460ft). Although one of the Maori guides met his death by losing his footing on the frozen slopes Eyre claimed to have reached the summit himself. After this mishap the natives refused to accompany him on his proposed journey to Canterbury. On 3 Apr 1850 Eyre was married at Auckland to Adelaide Fanny, daughter of Captain Ormond, R.N., and sister of J. D. Ormond (q.v.).

On the inauguration of the New Zealand constitution early in 1853 Eyre relinquished his post, and sailed from Wellington with his family (22 Apr), revisiting the Australian colonies on his way to England. After a year's leave he was appointed to the governorship of St Vincent, which he administered satisfactorily (1854-60). He was also for part of a year acting Governor-in-chief of the Leeward islands. He then returned to England and in 1862 was appointed by Newcastle as acting-governor of Jamaica. Darling, the Governor, did not return, and in 1864 Eyre was confirmed in the post.

Jamaica was suffering from severe economic depression due to the civil war in the United States. In spite of his sympathetic disposition towards native races, Eyre was soon at loggerheads with the native members of his Legislative Council. One of these, George William Gordon, a man of education and standing, was accused of complicity in a riot which broke out at Morant Bay on 11 Oct 1865 and became so serious as to call for the proclamation of martial law. The suppression of the rising was marked by excesses of a ferocious character.

Commissioners sent out to investigate found that while Eyre had shown praiseworthy skill, promptitude and vigour in suppressing the revolt, yet he had condoned acts of punishment and vengeance against persons (including Gordon) who were not even proved to be guilty. Some blacks were hanged without trial or even accusation and many dwellings were burned. Altogether 354 persons were executed by order of courts-martial; 50 were hanged or shot without trial, 25 were shot by Maroons assisting the Government forces, and 600 were flogged. The infliction of the death penalty was unnecessarily frequent; the floggings reckless and barbarous, the burnings wanton and cruel. Public opinion in England was shocked at the disclosures. John Stuart Mill, Huxley and Spencer associated themselves with a public demand that Eyre be brought to trial. Carlyle, Ruskin and Tennyson sided with the Jamaica committee in his defence. Eyre was recalled and succeeded by Sir Henry Storks, who had been chairman of the commission of inquiry. Together with General Nelson and other officers who had been associated with the courts-martial, he was brought to England for trial. The grand jury threw out the bills, but prosecutions from various sources did not cease until 1869.

Eyre went into a dignified retirement, and in 1872 Parliament paid the expenses he had incurred in his defence. In 1874 he received a pension, upon which he lived uneventfully until 30 Nov 1901, when his death occurred at Walreddon Manor, Tavistock. Eyre was ambitious and full of energy, but his abilities were not of a high order. He had courage to the extent of rashness, but was lacking in judgment and obstinately pushed forward to a goal when the fruits of success were not worthy of the effort expended. Lord Olivier remarks, with some grounds: 'The trouble with Eyre was that he was a morose introvert, self-centred, headstrong, unteachable; whose injustices and misdeeds might be absolved on a contrite plea of invincible ignorance, but could not possibly be condoned administratively by any statesman responsible for the proper staffing of a system of colonial government. His tragedy is that of Ajax mad, blindly slaughtering cattle and sheep in the conviction that they were malignant enemies.'

G.B.O.P.; New Munster Gaz.; N.Z. Gaz; Sinclair papers; D.N.B.; Buick, Marlborough; Eyre, op. cit.; Davis; Thomson; Godley, Letters; Favenc; Grey, Journals; Rusden; Saunders; Olivier (p); Gisborne; Wakelin; Hume (p); Mathieson, The Sugar Colonies and Governor Eyre; Sir Henry Taylor, Autobiography, vol. ii, chapter xix; N.Z. Herald, 7 Nov 1931; Evening Post, 8 Sep 1934 (p).

Reference: Volume 1, page 135

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