"Carrigaline Castle"

"This painting was given by Lord Charlemont to their Captain John Hunter before he sailed for Australia.
Later it was hung in the First Government House, Sydney (then a mere “slap-up hut”)."
(Captain John Hunter was the First Fleet Captain of HMS Sirius 1788 & arrived again in 1795 on HMS Reliance to be Australia's 2nd Govenor.)

ON BACK OF PAINTING:

"It was here, in the year 1589, that the Squadron under the command of Sir Francis Drake, having been chased by a large Spanish Fleet entered Cork Harbour and sailing up the narrow creek at the apex and of which this castle is built, on the summit of an immense rock of limestone, took shelter not far from its walls. The Spaniards quickly followed, but not knowing the harbour, sailed round and round its shores In search of them; but in vain. Sir Francis lay at anchor in perfect safety of the calm waters of a weep of the river, which is called to this day 'Drakes Pool'."

"The VALUABLE OLD AND RARE Admiral John Hunter Collection

(Admiral John Hunter was the second Governor of New South Wales 1795-1800) and old Family Possessions of late Miss Alan Kelly, James Moore Kelly, and Commander John Moore, of His Majesty’s Fleet, 1757, George 111., including PAINTINGS by Great Old Masters, etc.
Under instructions from The Trustees, Executots and Agency Co. Ltd, for the Hunter Collection and Messrs. Read and Read, Solicitors, for the late Miss E.I.C McAuley’s Collection."

CAPTAIN/ADMIRAL/GOVERNOR JOHN HUNTER

John Hunter (1737 - 1821)

John Hunter sailed with the First Fleet as second captain on board HMS Sirius. Once at Port Jackson, Hunter undertook surveys in the harbour and around the coast. He records in his journal his surprise at the size of the indigenous population which belied the notion of terra nullius.
In October 1788, the Sirius, under Hunter's command, returned to the Cape of Good Hope to buy emergency supplies for the colony. They arrived back at Sydney Cove in May 1789.

Hunter returned to England on the Waaksamheid in March 1791. In England he was court martialled for the loss of the HMS Sirius, at Norfolk Island in March 1790, and honourably acquitted.

In February 1795 he was appointed Governor of New South Wales to succeed Govenor Phillip though he did not return to the colony to take up his new position until September 1795. Governor of New South Wales from 1795 to 1800, John Hunter was later to become a recognised authority on settlement in New South Wales and initiated reforms including a criminal code, improved law courts, a sound police system and trial by jury - all very relevant at the time. His name is also honoured in the history of zoological and botanical science in Australia.

HMS SIRIUS

HMS Sirius was the flagship of the First Fleet, which set out from Portsmouth, England, in 1787 to establish the first European colony in New South Wales, Australia.

VOYAGE OF THE FIRST FLEET

HMS Sirius sailed from England on 12 May 1787 as the flagship of the eleven-vessel First Fleet, under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip (Governor-designate of the new colony).
Phillip transferred to the Armed Tender HMS Supply at Cape Town, with Second Captain John Hunter remaining in command of HMS Sirius.
HMS Sirius arrived in Botany Bay on 20 January 1788, two days after HMS Supply, according to the journals of Hunter and First Lieutenant (later Rear Admiral) William Bradley.
The 252-day voyage had gone via Rio de Janeiro and the Cape of Good Hope and covered more than 15,000 miles (24,000km).
It was quickly decided that Botany Bay was unsuitable for a penal settlement and an alternative location was sought. While waiting to move, a large gale arose preventing any sailing.
The colony was established at Sydney Cove in Port Jackson when Governor Phillip arrived on 26 January aboard HMS Supply. HMS Sirius arrived the following day.
On 19 March 1790, HMS Sirius was wrecked on a reef at Norfolk Island while landing stores.

HMS RELIANCE

Royal Navy vessel. Involved with the early exploration of the Australian coast and South Pacific islands. Commanded by Henry Waterhouse, she sailed from England to New South Wales in 1795. Among her crew and passengers were Matthew Flinders, George Bass the ship's doctor, the Governor John Hunter (to take over from the first Govenor Phillip, as Govenor of Australia), and the Aboriginal Bennelong.
HMS Reliance later returned to Sydney, arriving on 26 June 1797 from the Cape of Good Hope, carrying stores ordered by Governor Hunter and merino sheep purchased at the Cape by Henry Waterhouse.