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FitzRoy entered the Royal Navy in 1819, aged 14. Promotion was rapid; this was probably due as much to his aristocratic descent (his grandfather was Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton) as to his undoubted ability. In 1823 he was given command of the hydrographic survey ship, HMS Beagle and soon established his reputation as a navigator, scientist and commander.
In 1831 he set out on his most famous voyage, a five year circumnavigation of the world. His resident naturalist was Charles Darwin who described the journey in Voyage of the Beagle . Darwin used the observations he made during this period as the basis on which he formulated his Theory of Evolution. Darwin described FitzRoy as a man of considerable charm with liberal views, i.e. open minded.
FitzRoy was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Geographical SocietyThe Royal Geographical Society is a learned society, founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical science, under the patronage of King William IV. It absorbed the African Association founded by Joseph Banks in 1788. It was given a Royal charter by in 1837Events January 10 DePauw University founded in Greencastle, Indiana January 26 Michigan is admitted as the 26th U. State February 8 Richard Johnson becomes the first Vice President of the United States chosen by the United States Senate February 11 Americ, and became a Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament or MP is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. Australia In Australia, the term Member of Parliament refers specifically to a mem in 18411841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). Events January 26 The United Kingdom occupies Hong Kong. Later during the year, the first census of the island recorded a population of about 7,500. February 18 The first ongoing f and Conservator for MerseysideMerseyside is a metropolitan county, created in the 1974 local government reform. It is in the north of England, on the River Mersey, composed of the metropolitan boroughs of Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. The county was innitially adm in 1842Events February 21 John J. Greenough patents the sewing machine. March 5 Over 500 Mexican troops led by Rafael Vasquez invade Texas briefly occupy San Antonio and then head back to the Rio Grande. This is the first such invasion since the Texas Revolution.
The first Governor of New ZealandFor alternative meanings, see New Zealand (disambiguation). New Zealand is a country formed of two major islands and a number of smaller islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. A common Mori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa popularly translated as Land, William Hobson, died in late 1842 and the Church Missionary Society , which had a strong New Zealand presence, suggested FitzRoy as his successor. He took up his new task in April 1843.
It was probably an impossible job. His instructions were to maintain order, protect the Maori and yet to satisfy the land hunger of the settlers pouring into the country. He was given very few military resources and very little revenue, mainly from customs duties.
One of his first tasks was to enquire into the circumstances surrounding the Wairau Massacre. He found the actions of the Colonists to have been illegal and wisely declined to take any action against Te Rauparaha, wisely because he didn't have the troops to meet him on anything like equal terms. However this left the New Zealand Company and the Settlers feeling betrayed and angry. One outcome though was to appoint a Government Superintendent for the area and establish a ruling presence. He also insisted that the piratical New Zealand Company pay the Maori a realistic price for the land they claimed to have purchased. Naturally these moves made him very unpopular.
Land sales were a continuing vexatious issue. The Maori wanted to sell land and the settlers wanted to buy land but according to the Treaty of Waitangi this could only happen with the Government as an intermediary and this proved to be very slow. FitzRoy changed the rules to allow the direct purchase of Maori land subject to a duty of ten shillings per acre, $2.50 per hectare.
However land sales proved slower than expected. To meet the financial shortfall FitzRoy raised the customs duties then he abolished them and instituted a property and income tax. However nothing really worked and quite soon the Colony was faced with bankruptcy and FitzRoy was forced to begin issuing promissory notes, paper money without backing.
Meanwhile the Maori in the Far North, the Bay of Islands, who had been one of the driving forces in the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, were feeling increasingly sidelined and resentful of the changes that had taken place in New Zealand. To signal their resentment Hone Heke cut down the flagpole at Kororareka. Rather than address the problems FitzRoy had the flagpole re-erected. Hone Heke cut it down again, four times altogether by which time the First New Zealand War , or Flagstaff War, was well underway.
It soon became apparent that FitzRoy did not have the resources to bring about a quick end to the war. Meanwhile the spokesmen for the New Zealand Company were active back in Great Britain and FitzRoy's Governorship was presented to the House of Commons in a very poor light. As a result of this he was dismissed and replaced by George Grey then Governor of South Australia. Grey was also given the backing and support that FitzRoy had needed but was denied.