View source for Charles Sturt

{{Short description|Australian explorer (1795–1869)}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Charles Sturt
| image               = Charles Sturt by John Michael Crossland lowres color.jpg
| image_size          = 250px
| caption             = In 1853
| office1             = [[Surveyor General of South Australia]]
| predecessor1        = George Ormsby
| successor1          = [[Edward Charles Frome]]
| term_start1         = 1 February 1839
| term_end1           = 4 October 1839
| birth_date          = {{birth date|df=yes|1795|4|28}}
| birth_place         = [[Bengal Presidency]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1869|6|16|1795|4|28|df=yes}}
| death_place         = [[Cheltenham]], [[Gloucestershire]], England
| spouse              = Charlotte, Lady Sturt
| occupation          = Explorer of Australia, Colonial Administrator, Grazier, Naturalist
}}
'''Charles Napier Sturt''' (28 April 1795 – 16 June 1869) was a British officer and explorer of Australia, and part of the [[European land exploration of Australia|European exploration of Australia]]. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from [[Sydney]] and later from [[Adelaide]]. His expeditions traced several of the westward-flowing rivers, establishing that they all merged into the [[Murray River]], which flows into the Southern Ocean. He was searching to prove his own passionately held belief that an "[[Inland sea (geology)|inland sea]]" was located at the [[Centre points of Australia|centre of the continent]]. He reached the rank of [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]], served in several appointed posts, and on the Legislative Council.

Born to British parents in the [[Bengal Presidency]], Sturt was educated in England for a time as a child and youth. He was placed in the [[British Army]] because his father was not wealthy enough to pay for [[Cambridge University|Cambridge]]. After assignments in North America, Sturt was assigned to accompany a ship of convicts to Australia in 1827. Finding the place to his liking, he made his life there.

==Early life==
Charles Sturt was born in the [[Bengal Presidency]],<ref>{{cite book |author=Swan |first=Keith |title=In Step With Sturt |last2=Carnegie |first2=Margaret |author-link2=Margaret Carnegie |publisher=Graphic Books |year=1979 |isbn=0-9596365-4-4 |location=[[Armadale, Victoria]] |pages=3}}</ref> the eldest son (of thirteen children) of Thomas Lenox Napier Sturt, a judge under the [[British East India Company]], and his wife.<ref name=adb>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |last= Gibbney |first= H.J. |year= 1967 |id= A020458b.htm |title= Sturt, Charles (1795–1869) |access-date=4 April 2010 }}</ref> His grandfather was [[Humphrey Sturt]], and his uncle was the MP  [[Charles Sturt (1763–1812)|Charles Sturt]]. At the age of five, Charles was sent to live with relatives in England to be educated,<ref name=adb/> as was customary for the children of the colonial upper class. After attending a preparatory school, he was sent to [[Harrow School|Harrow]] in 1810.<ref name=dab>{{Dictionary of Australian Biography |First=Charles |Last=Sturt |shortlink=0-dict-biogSt-Sy.html#sturt1 |access-date=4 April 2010}}</ref>

In 1812, Charles went to read with a Mr. Preston near Cambridge,<ref name=dab/> but his father was not wealthy, and had difficulty finding the money to send him to [[Cambridge University]],<ref name=adb/> or to establish him in a profession.<ref name=dab/> An aunt appealed to the [[George IV of the United Kingdom|Prince Regent]] and, on 9 September 1813, Sturt was gazetted as an ensign with the [[39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot]] in the [[British Army]].<ref name=adb/>

Sturt saw action with the [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]] in the [[Peninsular War]] and against the Americans in [[Canada under British rule|Canada]] during the [[War of 1812]].<ref name=adb/> He returned to Europe a few days after the [[Battle of Waterloo]].<ref name=adb/> Sturt was gazetted lieutenant on 7 April 1823 and promoted captain on 15 December 1825. With a detachment from his regiment, Sturt escorted convicts aboard the ''Mariner'' to [[New South Wales]], arriving in [[Sydney]] on 23 May 1827.<ref name=adb/>

Sturt was a cousin of the wife of [[Henry Dumaresq (colonial settler)|Henry Dumaresq]], brother-in-law of Governor Ralph Darling, which was later to complicate his relationship with [[Sir Thomas Mitchell]], who resented those whom he judged were treated favourably by Darling.<ref>{{Citation|last=Gray|first=Nancy|title=Dumaresq, Henry (1792–1838)|url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dumaresq-henry-2003|work=Australian Dictionary of Biography|place=Canberra|publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University|language=en|access-date=2021-09-26}}</ref><ref name="adb"/>

==Australia and Sturt's first two expeditions==
[[File:Sturt-map.jpg|thumb|300px|Sturt's first two river expeditions (1828-1830)]]

Sturt found the conditions and climate in New South Wales much better than he expected, and he developed a great interest in the country.<ref name=adb/> The [[Governor of New South Wales]], [[Ralph Darling|Sir Ralph Darling]], formed a high opinion of Sturt and appointed him major of brigade and military secretary.<ref name=dab/> Sturt became friendly with [[John Oxley]], [[Allan Cunningham (botanist)|Allan Cunningham]], [[Hamilton Hume]], and other explorers. Sturt was keen to explore the Australian interior, especially its rivers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sturt |first=Charles |year=1833 |title=Two expeditions into the interior of Southern Australia, during the years 1828, 1829, 1830, and 1831: with observations on the soil, climate, and general resources of the colony of New South Wales |location=London |publisher=Smith, Elder and Co. |pages=219, 271 |url=http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/sturt/charles/s93t/complete.html |access-date=21 November 2018 |archive-date=28 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328214951/https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/sturt/charles/s93t/ |url-status=dead }} 2 vols</ref>

Sturt received approval from [[Ralph Darling|Governor Darling]] on 4 November 1828 to explore the area of the [[Macquarie River]] in western New South Wales.<ref name=adb/> It was not, however, until 10 November that the party started out. It consisted of Sturt, his servant Joseph Harris, three soldiers and eight convicts; on 27 November Sturt was joined by Hamilton Hume as his first assistant. Hume's experience proved to be very useful. A week was spent at Wellington Valley breaking in oxen and horses, and on 7 December the real start into comparatively little known country was made. 1828–29 was a period of drought and the party had difficulty in finding sufficient water. They had followed the courses of the Macquarie, Bogan and Castlereagh rivers and, though its importance was scarcely sufficiently realised, had visited the [[Darling River]]. The party returned to Wellington Valley on 21 April 1829. The expedition proved that northern New South Wales was not an inland sea, but deepened the mystery of where the western-flowing rivers of New South Wales went.<ref name=dab/>

[[File:NarranderaSturtMemorial.JPG|thumb|250px|Sturt memorial at [[Narrandera, New South Wales]] on the Murrumbidgee River]]
In 1829 Governor Darling approved an expedition to solve this mystery. Sturt proposed to travel down the [[Murrumbidgee River]], whose upper reaches had been seen by the [[Hume and Hovell expedition]]. In place of Hume, who was unable to join the party, [[George Macleay]] went "as a companion rather than as an assistant". A [[whaleboat]] built in sections was carried with them; it was assembled, and on 7 January 1830 they began their eventful voyage down the Murrumbidgee.<ref name=dab/> In January 1830 Sturt's party reached the [[confluence]] of the Murrumbidgee and a much larger river, which Sturt named the [[Murray River]]. It was in fact the same river which Hume and Hovell had crossed further upstream and named the Hume. Several times the party was in danger from Aboriginals but Sturt always succeeded in propitiating them.<ref name=dab/>

Sturt proceeded down the Murray, until he reached the river's confluence with the Darling. Sturt had now proved that all the western-flowing rivers eventually flow into the Murray. In February 1830, the party reached a large lake, which Sturt called [[Lake Alexandrina (South Australia)|Lake Alexandrina]]. A few days later, they reached the sea, later named as the [[Southern Ocean]]. There they made the disappointing discovery that the [[Murray Mouth|mouth of the Murray]] was a maze of lagoons and sandbars, impassable to shipping.<ref name=adb/>

The party faced the ordeal of rowing back upriver on the Murray and Murrumbidgee, against the current, in the heat of an Australian summer. Their supplies ran out and, when they reached the site of [[Narrandera, New South Wales|Narrandera]] in April, they were unable to go any further. Sturt sent two men overland in search of supplies and they returned in time to save the party from starvation. But Sturt went blind for some months and never fully recovered his health. By the time they reached Sydney again, they had rowed and sailed nearly 2,900 kilometres of the river system.

==A break from exploring==
[[File:Sturt Monument Merbein closeup.jpg|thumb|right|Charles Sturt monument in [[Merbein, Victoria]]]]
Sturt briefly served as Commander on [[Norfolk Island]], where mutiny was brewing among the convicts. Because of his ill health, he went to England in 1832 on sick leave, arriving there almost completely blind. In 1833 he published his ''Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia during the years 1828, 1829, 1830 and 1831'', of which a second edition appeared in 1834. For the first time the public in England realised the importance of Sturt's work. Governor Darling's somewhat tardy but appreciative [[mentioned in dispatches|dispatch]] of 14 April 1831, and his request for Sturt's promotion, had had no result. [[Richard Bourke|Sir Richard Bourke]], who had succeeded Darling, was also unsuccessful in persuading Viscount Goderich to give "this deserving officer your Lordship's protection and support". Though the colonial office did not seem to recognise the value of Sturt's work, publication of his book was important because it captured the attention of [[Edward Gibbon Wakefield]], who read it. He chose South Australia for a new settlement then being contemplated by the government. In May 1834, based on his services, Sturt applied for a grant of land in Australia, intending to settle on it.

In July instructions were given that he was to receive a grant of {{Cvt|5000|acre}}; in exchange, Sturt agreed to give up his pension rights. On 20 September 1834, Sturt married Charlotte Christiana Greene, daughter of a longtime family friend.<ref name=adb/> Soon afterward, the couple sailed for Australia.

==Return to Australia and disappearance and likely death of Henry Bryan==
Sturt returned to Australia in mid-1835 to begin farming on his own {{convert|20|km2|acre}} of land, granted to him by the New South Wales government on the lower reaches of [[Ginninderra Creek]], near present-day [[Canberra]]. (Sturt named the property 'Belconnen', a name now applied to [[Belconnen|the nearby population centre]].) In 1838 he, with Giles Strangways, a Mr McLeod, and [[John Finnis (captain)|Captain John Finnis]], herded cattle overland from Sydney to [[Adelaide]], on the way proving that the Hume and the Murray were the same river.<ref>
{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63736584 |title=Capt. John Finnis |newspaper=[[The Register (Adelaide)|The Register]] |date=6 February 1925 |access-date=28 September 2018 |page=14 |via= [[Trove]]}} Any reference to this companion being [[Boyle Travers Finniss]] perpetuates an error promulgated by Mrs. Napier George Sturt in her biography of Sturt.
</ref>

In September 1838, Sturt led an expedition to the mouth of the Murray, which settled all dispute as to the suitability of Adelaide for the colony's capital. After returning to NSW to settle his affairs, Sturt settled at what is now [[Grange, South Australia]] in early 1839; he was appointed [[Surveyor General of South Australia]] and a member of the [[South Australian Legislative Council]].<ref>{{cite SA-parl |pid=3929 |name=Captain Charles Sturt |former=yes |access-date=2022-08-23}}</ref> When the London-appointed Surveyor-General [[Edward Charles Frome|Edward Frome]] unexpectedly arrived, Sturt had to step down.
Sturt served briefly as the Registrar-General, but he soon proposed a major expedition into the interior of Australia as a way of restoring his reputation in the colony and London.

In November–December 1839, Sturt and his wife accompanied the [[Governor of South Australia]] [[George Gawler]], Julia Gawler (his daughter), [[Henry Inman (police commander)|Henry Inman]] and a support crew on an expedition  up the River Murray River, returning to Adelaide overland. Julia Gawler, Charlotte Sturt and Charlotte's maidservant accompanied the men, becoming the first white women to travel the Murray.

Two days late while riding in very hot weather, with their water supply dwindling, both the men and horses were suffering. During the return journey to the river, Henry Bryan's horse was slow, and was lagging behind the main group. When a [[dust storm]] occurred, Bryan got lost, was separated from his horse, and most likely died. His body was never recovered, although a massive search was conducted over eight days to find him. Days later both the Governor {{who|date=March 2024}} and his remainder of the party reached Adelaide on 28 December.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.murrayriver.com.au/morgan/mt-bryan-expedition/ |title=Disappearance of Henry Bryan Trail 1839 from Morgan |website=murrayriver.com.au|language=en|access-date=2017-07-06}}</ref>
No trace of Bryan was ever found but, according to one commentator, his horse returned to Adelaide after several months.

In September 1841, Sturt chaired a Bench of Magistrates that conducted an official inquiry into the circumstances of the [[Rufus River massacre]].<ref name="SLSA">{{cite web|publisher=[[State Library of South Australia]] |url=http://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1322#friction| title=Friction between overlanders and Australian Aboriginals| date=16 July 2007 |access-date=29 September 2018}}</ref> The inquiry concluded "that the conduct of Mr. Moorhouse and his party was justifiable, and indeed unavoidable in their circumstances".<ref>{{cite news |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/27442821 |date= 25 September 1841 |newspaper= [[South Australian Register]] |pages= 3–4 |title= Inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of a number of natives on the Murray |via= [[Trove]] }}</ref>

==Exploring from Adelaide, Sturt's third and final expedition==
[[File:Captain charles sturt leaving adelaide 1844.jpg|thumb|Sturt leaving [[Adelaide]] in 1844]]
Sturt believed that it was his destiny to discover a great saltwater lake, known as 'the inland sea', in the middle of Australia. At very least, he wanted to be the first explorer to plant his foot in 'the centre' of Australia.<ref>Michael Cathcart, ''The Water Dreamers'', 2009, pp.126-47</ref> In August 1844, he set out with a party of 15 men, 200 sheep, six [[Wagon|drays]], and a boat to explore north-western [[New South Wales]] and to advance into central Australia. They travelled along the [[Murray River|Murray]] and [[Darling River|Darling]] rivers before being guided past the future site of [[Broken Hill, New South Wales|Broken Hill]] by a local Indigenous teenager named [[Topar]]. They were stranded for months by the extreme summer conditions near the present site of [[Milparinka, New South Wales|Milparinka]].

When the rains eventually came, Sturt moved north and established a depot at Fort Grey (today this site is within [[Sturt National Park]]). With a small group of men, including explorer [[John McDouall Stuart]] as his draughtsman, Sturt pressed on across what is now known as [[Sturt's Stony Desert]] and into the [[Simpson Desert]]. Unable to go further, he turned back to the depot.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sturt |first=Charles |year=1848–49 |title=Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia, performed under the authority of Her Majesty's Government, during the years 1844, 5, and 6: together with a notice of the province of South Australia, in 1847 |location=London |publisher=T. and W. Boone |pages=416, 392 |url=http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/sturt/charles/s93n/complete.html |access-date=21 November 2018 |archive-date=28 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328214926/https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/sturt/charles/s93n/ |url-status=dead }} 2 vols</ref> Sturt made a second attempt to reach the centre of Australia, but he developed [[scurvy]] in the extreme conditions. His health broke down and he was forced to abandon the attempt. [[John Harris Browne]], [[Expedition medicine|surgeon on the expedition]], assisted Sturt, took over leadership of the party and, after travelling a total of {{convert|3000|mi}}, brought it back to safety.

==Later life==
[[File:THE GRANGE - ADELAIDE.jpg|thumb|The Grange, Sturt's cottage, located in the Adelaide suburb of [[Grange, South Australia|Grange]]]]

Early in 1847 Sturt went to England on leave. He arrived in October and was presented with the [[Royal Geographical Society]]'s [[Founder's Medal]]. He prepared his ''Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia'' for publication; however, it was not published until early in 1849. Throughout this time he was suffering again with poor eyesight.

Sturt returned to Adelaide with his family, arriving in August 1849. He was immediately appointed [[Colonial Secretary of South Australia|Colonial Secretary]] with a seat in the legislative council. There was no lack of work in the ensuing years. Roads were constructed, and navigation on the Murray was encouraged. However Sturt had renewed trouble with his eyes, which limited his ability to perform these duties. On 30 December 1851, he resigned from both positions and was given a pension of £600 a year.<ref name=adb/> He settled on {{convert|200|ha}} of land close to Adelaide and the sea. But the gold discoveries had increased the cost of living there. On 19 March 1853 Sturt and his family sailed for England.<ref name=adb/> Sturt lived at [[Cheltenham]] and devoted himself to the education of his children.

In 1855 Sturt applied unsuccessfully for the positions of [[Governor of Victoria]] and in 1858 for [[Governor of Queensland]].<ref name=adb/> Sturt's age, uncertain health, and comparatively small income were against him. By 1860 Sturt's three sons were all serving in the army. The remainder of his family went to live at [[Dinan]] to economise after the expenses of education and fitting out. But they found the town to be unhealthy and in 1863 returned to Cheltenham. In 1864 Sturt suffered great grief in the death of one of his sons in India.

In March 1869 Sturt attended the inaugural dinner of the Colonial Society, at which Lord Granville mentioned that it was the intention of the government to extend the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] to the colonies. Sturt was persuaded by his friends to apply for a knighthood (KCMG), but afterwards regretted he had done so, when he heard there were innumerable applications; however as Sturt died before his investiture, he never received the honour.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Gazette No. 23639 |journal=The London Gazette |page=3597 |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23639/page/3597}}</ref>

Sturt's health had been very variable and on 16 June 1869, he died suddenly. He was survived by his widow, Charlotte, two sons, Colonel Napier George Sturt, and Major-General Charles Sheppey Sturt, and daughter Charlotte. Mrs Sturt was granted a civil list pension of £80 a year, and the queen granted her the title of Lady Sturt, as though her husband's knighthood had been gazetted.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Gazette No. 23641 |journal=The London Gazette |date=9 August 1870 |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23641/page/3687}}</ref> Reproductions of portraits of Sturt by Crossland and Koberwein were published in his biography, called ''Life,'' written by his daughter-in-law, Mrs [[Beatrix Marion Sturt|N. G. Sturt]].

Sturt's life is summarised in the ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' as follows:<ref name=adb/>
{{blockquote|Although Sturt probably entered his career as an explorer through influence, his selection was justified by results. He was a careful and accurate observer and an intelligent interpreter of what he saw, and it was unfortunate that much of his work revealed nothing but desolation. He prided himself with some justice on his impeccable treatment of the Aboriginals, and earned the respect and liking of his men by his courtesy and care for their well-being. Indeed his capacity for arousing and retaining affection was remarkable; it made him an ideal family man but a failure in public life. Without toughness and egocentricity to balance his poor judgment and business capacity he had little chance of success in colonial politics. In this sphere, he might well be described as a born loser. He remained throughout his life an English Tory gentleman with an unshakeable faith in God.}}

Sturt is buried in Cheltenham Cemetery, [[Gloucestershire]].

==Legacy==
Sturt is commemorated by:
* [[Sturt National Park]] in north-western [[New South Wales]]
* the [[City of Charles Sturt]] in [[Adelaide]]'s western suburbs and its associated [[Charles Sturt Adelaide International|tennis tournament]];
* the southern Adelaide suburb of [[Sturt, South Australia|Sturt]];
* the [[Sturt Football Club]], a [[South Australian National Football League]] club based in the suburb of [[Unley]], South Australia;
* the [[Sturt River]], which flows through the [[Sturt Gorge Recreation Park]], in the southern suburb of Adelaide<br/>(a rock formation in the gorge, the Sturt Tillite, has given its name to the [[Sturtian glaciation]])
* the electoral [[Division of Sturt]] in Adelaide's eastern suburbs; 
* [[Charles Sturt University]] in regional [[New South Wales]]; 
* the [[Sturt Highway]] from [[Wagga Wagga, New South Wales|Wagga Wagga]] to Adelaide; 
* Sturt Avenue, between the Canberra suburbs of [[Griffith, Australian Capital Territory|Griffith]] and [[Narrabundah, Australian Capital Territory|Narrabundah]];
* the Captain Sturt Hotel in [[Wentworth, New South Wales|Wentworth]], New South Wales;
* [[Sturt's desert pea]]; 
* [[Sturt's desert rose]]; 
* [[Sturt Stony Desert]];
* TS ''Sturt'' – a Training Ship of the [[Australian Navy Cadets]]
* Napier Grove and Murray Grove in Hoxton, London N1, near Sturt St.
*the radio play ''[[The Heroic Journey]]'' (1944) by Catherine Shepherd
*the radio play ''[[Lure of the Inland Sea]]'' (1945) by [[Dymphna Cusack]]
*the documentary film ''[[Inland with Sturt]]'' (1951)

The ''Charles Sturt Museum'' is based in Sturt's former home "The Grange", in the [[Adelaide]] suburb of [[Grange, South Australia|Grange]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Trust formation |url=http://www.charlessturtmuseum.com.au/trust-formation.shtml |website=charlessturtmuseum.com.au |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref> The museum illustrates his story with "not only ... displays of relics, but interpretive and multimedia displays".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Museum |url=http://www.charlessturtmuseum.com.au/index.shtml |website=charlessturtmuseum.com.au |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>

The Australian-born American actor [[Rod Taylor]], whose middle name is Sturt, was his great-great-grandnephew.
{{Botanist|Sturt|Sturt}}

==See also==
* [[Evelyn Pitfield Shirley Sturt]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Sturt, Charles |volume=25|page=1054}}

==Further reading==
{{Wikisource|Two expeditions into the interior of Southern Australia}}

Dowling, Peter (2017), "What Charles Sturt saw in 1830 – Syphilis beyond the colonial boundaries?", ''[[Health and History]]'', 19: 44–59; {{doi|10.5401/healthhist.19.1.0044}}.

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{Gutenberg author |id=1448| name=Charles Sturt}}
* {{Internet Archive author |search=(("Charles Sturt" OR "Sturt, Charles") AND NOT (university OR Brabazon) )}}
*[http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp04362 Portrait of Charles Sturt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120105314/http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp04362 |date=20 November 2007 }} in the [[National Portrait Gallery, London]].
*''[http://adc.library.usyd.edu.au/data-2/p00102.pdf Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia]'' (London: T. and W. Boone), 1849 &nbsp;—at [[University of Sydney]]
*{{cite web|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14659403|title=Charles Sturt's grave|website=findagrave.com}}

{{Wikispecies}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturt, Charles}}
[[Category:Charles Sturt| ]]
[[Category:1795 births]]
[[Category:1869 deaths]]
[[Category:39th Regiment of Foot officers]]
[[Category:19th-century Australian public servants]]
[[Category:19th-century British explorers]]
[[Category:English surveyors]]
[[Category:19th-century British botanists]]
[[Category:Explorers of Australia]]
[[Category:Explorers of South Australia]]
[[Category:Surveyors General of South Australia]]
[[Category:People educated at Harrow School]]
[[Category:Burials in Gloucestershire]]
[[Category:Members of the South Australian Legislative Council]]
[[Category:19th-century Australian politicians]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Peninsular War]]