The Adelaide Review’s July cover story Blinded by the Light provoked a raft of reader responses, several focusing on historical points of difference about the founding of Adelaide. By Christine Finnimore.

THE Migration Museum has on display a large watercolour plan of Adelaide, drawn to Light’s instructions at the end of the survey by 16-year-old draughtsman Robert Thomas. The plan was held by the Department of Lands until it went to the Art Gallery of South Australia as part of the State’s Historical Relics Collection and then transferred to the History Trust of South Australia in 1986. The Migration Museum is a division of the History Trust and manages the Historical Relics Collection. The Museum has been researching the history of the plan.

Your readers may be interested to know Colonel Light’s responses to Kingston’s claims to having chosen the site and planned Adelaide. In the letters of Colonel Light that were edited by M.P. Mayo and published in 1937, there are several scathing references to Kingston’s claims. (M.P.Mayo, The Life and Letters of Colonel William Light, F.W.Preece & Sons, Adelaide, 1937). For example, in a letter to Wakefield dated July 1838 Light says:
‘The only thing that annoys me is that this fellow, who knows nothing, is now placed on my lines to take the credit of them, which he will be sure to do as he did before with the survey of the Town, River and Park, done by myself.’ (Mayo, p. 242)
and: ‘… I understand Mr Kingston has taken the credit of discovering everything here, placing the town here, and various other things. Mr Kingston was sent by me in this direction to find out a fresh water river which I felt sure must exist in these plains and to make a report of the country to me on my return from Port Lincoln. It was not Mr Kingston’s judgement that brought us here, for if he had had his will he would not have disembarked at Holdfast Bay, and it was only my positive orders that made him land the men and stores at Glenelg.’ (Mayo, p. 245-6)

In addition to the published letters, Migration Museum researcher, Dave Rickard, found a copy of a letter written by Light to George Palmer in London in 1838 in which Light says: ‘It has been hinted to me that Mr Kingston took to himself the credits of the site and plan of this town – if he did it is false he had nothing to do with it but marking off town acres and in doing this he blundered – when I had constructed the plan, and the surveys performed by myself, Mr Kingston asked me to allow him to make one copy (of my own drawing) I gave him leave – he set his apprentice to work to Copy several which he sold at 12 Guineas each as his own surveying and drawing – I could say much more of this man but he is too contemptible ….’ (State Library of South Australia, PRG 1/3-4)