John Macarthur
Character Profile[edit]
| Name: | John MacArthur |
| Date of Birth: | 1766 |
| Service: | |
| Rank: | |
| Nationality: | British |
| Billets: | New South Wales, Colonial-Secretary |
Biography[edit]
John MacArthur was one of the leaders of the Rum Rebellion that ousted William Bligh from the office of Governor of New South Wales. He took some pains to cultivate Temeraire and Laurence by offering cows and dinner invitations, and asked them to undertake a surveying expedition to find a pass through the Blue Mountains near Sydney.
After also ousting Bligh's replacement as governor, Lachlan Macquarie, MacArthur named himself as First Minister of Australia. He suggested to Demane that perhaps he and Kulingile might like to retreat to the Blue Mountains with Laurence and Temeraire to raise cattle. He also hoped to persuade Jeremy Rankin (via Caesar) to remain at the Sydney covert instead of leaving with Macquarie.
Note[edit]
Tongues of Serpents capitalizes his surname as "MacArthur"; historical records are less consistent, often using alternate formats such as "Macarthur" or "M'Arthur". In actual history, he did not displace Governer Macquarie, who reached Australia in late December 1809, took up office on New Year's Day 1810, and served as governor of New South Wales until 1821.
