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George CALEY (1770-1829)
The son of a horse-dealer, Caley was born in the north of
England. He became interested in the herbs and this led to his
teaching himself botany. In March 1795 he wrote to Sir Joseph Banks
who, after warning him about the small monetary rewards to be
expected by a botanist for his labour, suggested that he might be
able to obtain work for him as a gardener's labourer, which would
give opportunities of increasing his knowledge. A position at Kew
Gardens was obtained, and he afterwards was given a free passage to
Sydney, where he arrived in 1800. Banks gave him a salary as a
botanical collector and he was allowed rations by the government.
He was also given a cottage at Parramatta, and Governor King
writing to Banks in September 1800 mentioned that it was intended
to establish a botanical garden near it.
Caley sent many botanical and other specimens to Banks, and his
letters also kept Banks informed of the general conditions of the
colony apart from scientific matters. In 1801 he went with
Lieutenant Grant to Western Port, and in 1804 he gave King a long
report on "A journey to ascertain the Limits or Boundaries of
Vaccary Forest" (the Cowpastures). He was able to report on
the wild cattle which he found considerably increased in
numbers.
On a later journey Caley ascended Mount Banks but did not
attempt to explore the Blue Mountains proper. In October 1805 he
visited Norfolk Island and went to Hobart at the end of November of
the same year. In August 1808 Banks wrote to Caley offering him an
annuity of £50 a year, and to release him from all services
beyond what he voluntarily wished to perform. Caley returned to
England in 1810 and some six years later was appointed curator of
the botanic gardens, St Vincent, West Indies. He resigned this
position in December 1822 and was back in England in the following
May. He died on 23 May 1829. He had married in 1816 but his wife
predeceased him without issue.
Both Banks and King found Caley difficult and at times tactless
and unreasonable. He was, however, a good worker, a skilful and
accurate botanist, and he was thoroughly honest and zealous. He
published nothing, but his collections did much to spread a
knowledge of Australian plants in the early years of the nineteenth
century. [From
Dictionary of Australian Biography]