134 FOUNDATION AND EARLY WORK 



R.S. TAS. 



the local press. (32) Sir John Franklin's friends had an 

 organ in Hobai-t, and another in Launceston, while the 

 Montagu party controlled several papers. The Secretary 

 of State received Montagu favourably, and, after consider- 

 ing his case, decided that Franklin's suspension of him 

 from office had not been well-judged. The despatch in 

 which his decision was conveyed to Franklin was also com- 

 municated to Montagu, and by him was sent to Tasmania, 

 and was published in the newspapers. The turmoil thus 

 created was increased by the circulation in Tasmania of 

 Montagu's "Book," a bound folio of 312 manuscript pa.ges, 

 which contained the case stated T>y him to the Secretar}'" 

 of State against Franklin, and other statements considered 

 by Franklin to be libellous reflections on the character and 

 honour of himself and his household. "The Book" could 

 b© seen at the Derwent Bank by any who chose to ask for 

 it, and its contents became generally known. The colony 

 thus became rent with dissensions, and partisan feelings 

 were daily enflamed by the press. 



The state of society and of the administration at the 

 end of Franklins office have been referred to thus in de- 

 tail, for they liad mucli influence on the circumstances of 

 the foundation of the Society, (33) 



Franklin's term of office expired early in 1843, but the 

 despatch announcing his recall and the appointment of 

 Sir John Eardley Wilmot as his successor was delayed by 

 storms, and Sir Eardley Wilmot arrived before Franklin 

 had had official notice of the termination of his office. 

 Franklin was still in occupation of Government House, 

 and an embarrassing situation was relieved by Sir Eardley 

 Wilmot visiting Launceston. 



Six days after Sir Eardley Wilmot had landed the mem- 

 bers of the Tasmanian Society met at Government House 

 to present an address to their founder and presidemt. The 

 proceed in jj-s are tlius recorded in tlie TasmaJiian Journal, 

 Volume ii., No. 7, pp. 158-9: — 



"Govea-nment House, 23rd August. 



"The members of the Society met specially for the pur- 

 "pos© of jDresenting the following address: — • 



" 'To His Excellency Sir John Franklin, K.C.H., K.E., 



" 'Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land, 



" 'etc., etc. The Address of the Kesident Mem- 



" 'bers of the Tasmanian Society for the Promo- 



^tion of Natural Science. Ao-riculture, Statistics, et'^ 



(32) There were six newspapers in Hobart about this time. 



(33) The preceding paragraphs are based on West's chapter on 

 Franklin's governorship and on Tranklin's Narrative. 



