Watkin Tench (6 October 1758 - 7 May 1833) was a British marine
officer who is best known for publishing two books describing his
experiences in the First Fleet, which established the first
settlement in Australia in 1788. His two accounts, "Narrative of
the Expedition to Botany Bay" and "Complete Account of the
Settlement at Port Jackson" (this edition) provide an account of
the arrival and first four years of the colony. Little more is
known of him until he sailed as part of the First Fleet, although
he records that he had spent time in the West Indies and his
service record shows that he was promoted to Captain-Lieutenant in
September 1782 and went on half-pay in May 1786. In October 1788,
Robert Ross made a list of marines who wanted to stay in Australia
either as soldiers or settlers. Tench headed the list as 'a soldier
for one tour more of three years.' Among his achievements in the
fledgling colony of New South Wales Tench was the first European to
discover the Nepean River. Tench's accounts were influenced by the
liberalism of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the idea of the noble
savage. He thus writes with some sympathy of the Aborigines. His
writings include much information about the Aborigines of Sydney,
the Gadigal and Cammeraygal (whom he referred to as "Indians"). He
was friendly with Bennelong, Barangaroo and several others. He
stayed in Sydney until December 1791 when he sailed home on the HMS
Gorgon, arriving in Plymouth in July 1792.
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