Page:The Dictionary of Australasian Biography.djvu/93

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DICTIONARY OF AUSTRALASIAN BIOGRAPHY.
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C.M.G.in 1874 and K.C.M.G. in 1887, died unmarried on July 7th, 1888.

Calder, James Erskine, was born at Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire, on June 18th, 1808, and was educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Having abandoned his intention of entering the army, he emigrated to Tasmania, and in 1829 obtained a Government appointment as Assistant Surveyor. For many years he did good service as a surveyor and explorer, and no man had a larger knowledge of Tasmania. In 1841 he was appointed to accompany Sir John and Lady Franklin on their memorable overland journey through the forest to Macquarie Harbour. He served under Surveyors-General Frankland, Power, and Sprent; and in 1859 was himself promoted to be Surveyor-General of the colony in succession to the last-named gentleman. In 1870 Mr. Calder retired on a pension, and shortly afterwards was appointed Sergeant-at-Arms to the House of Assembly, an office which he held until his death. Mr. Calder contributed many valuable articles to the press on the early history of Tasmania. His papers on the aborigines, containing a large mass of original information on their habits and history, were republished under the title of "The Wars, Extirpation, Habits, etc., of the Native Tribes of Tasmania" (Hobart, 1875). He also wrote "Boat Expeditions around Tasmania, 1815 and 1824" (Hobart, 1881); "Oyster Culture"; "Tasmanian Industries" (1869); "The Woodlands of Tasmania" (London Royal Colonial Institute, 1874). At the time of his death he was preparing a work on "The Pitcairners and Norfolk Island." He married in 1842 a daughter of Mr. Pybus, of Bruny Island. After fifty-three years of service under the Government, he died at Hobart on Feb. 20th, 1882.

Calvert, Caroline Louisa Waring, better known under her maiden name, was the youngest daughter of the late James Atkinson, and was born at Oldbury, near Berrima, N.S.W., on Feb. 25th, 1834. Her mother had in early life written some successful books for children; and when very young Miss Atkinson wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald a series of papers called "A Voice from the Country," which attracted considerable notice at the time. Miss Atkinson also wrote "Gertrude" (1857), "Cowanda" (1859), "Tom Hillicker," and other Australian tales, illustrated by herself. Besides productions published in the Sydney Mail, she was the author of some Kurrajong sketches which appeared in the Town and Country Journal. During her residence at Kurrajong she collected valuable specimens of native plants for Baron F. von Müller, many of which are recorded in "Flora Australiensis" and the "Fragmenta Phytographia Australiæ" The genus Atkinsonia was established in her honour, and the species Epacris Calvertiana was named to indicate her exertions at a later period. In 1870 she married Mr. James Snowden Calvert, who accompanied Dr. Leichardt in his exploring expedition to Port Essington in 1843-5. She died suddenly on April 28th, 1872. Mr. Calvert died in July 1874.

Calvert, Rev. James, the well-known Methodist Missionary, was a native of Pickering, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. He was sent out in 1838, in company with John Hunt, to labour amongst the cannibals in Fiji, where he remained for eighteen years, during which time he witnessed marvellous triumphs of Christianity. In his labours among the Fijians he was ably assisted by his heroic wife, Mary Fowler Calvert, who was in every way a model missionary's wife, and much of the wonderful success of those years was due to her patient, self-denying labours. By Mr. Calvert's ministry the Fijian King Thakombau was converted to Christianity, renounced polygamy, and for many years after lived a consistent life. His last act as a king was to cede Fiji to Great Britain. In 1856 Mr. Calvert returned to England, and during his stay in the country superintended the printing of the entire Scriptures in the Fijian language. In 1872 he was sent out by the Wesleyan Missionary Society to South Africa. He died at Hastings in 1892 at the advanced age of seventy-nine.

Calvert, John Jackson, Clerk of the Parliaments, New South Wales, is the son of the late Very Rev. Thos. Calvert, D.D., Dean of Manchester, and Juliana his wife, daughter of Sir Charles Watson, Bart., was born at Manchester in Aug. 1830, and was educated at Shrewsbury School and at Brasenose College, Oxford. He went to New South Wales in 1853, and joined the Civil Service

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