P000262 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human McCarthy, G.J. and Helen Cohn updated 2025-05-07 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000262b.htm person Brisbane Thomas Makdougall Kt FRS AACR2 23 July 1773 27 January 1860 Place of Birth near Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland Place of Death Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland Astronomer Science patron Governor Thomas Brisbane was Governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825, a respected and successful soldier, and an well-known astronomer. After studying astronomy and mathematics at the University of Edinburgh, he had a distinguished military career, serving in the West Indies and the Peninsula war. In 1808, while on leave, he built an observatory at Brisbane House. Brisbane arrived in New South Wales in November 1821. As Governor he worked assiduously worked to implement the recommendations of John Bigge relating to administration of the colony, to improve the land grant system, and to reform the colony's expenditure. Initially his relations with the Colony's Secretary, Frederick Goulburn, were cordial, but this did not last. Both were recalled in 1825. Brisbane was noted for his encouragement of the scientific endeavours of the colonists. He was President of he Philosophical Society of Australasia and Patron of the Agricultural Society of New South Wales. Experiments he conducted in growing cotton, tobacco, coffee and New Zealand flax were largely unsuccessful. The observatory Brisbane established at Parramatta was staffed by the astronomers who accompanied him to New South Wales: Charles Rümker and James Dunlop. It was here that they made the first survey of southern stars since that made by Lacaille in 1751 - 1752. On his return to Scotland Brisbane he declined further military service, and continued his astronomical work. The "Brisbane catalog" of southern stars was published in 1835. His observatory continued to operate until 1855. Brisbane was elected Fellow of the Royal Society, London, in 1810, and served as President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1832 and the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1833. 1798 1817 Military service - Served with the British Army 1810 1860 Award - Fellow, Royal Society, London 1814 1814 Award - Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) 1817 1817 Award - Knight Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order (KCH) 1821 1825 Career position - Governor of the Colony of New South Wales November 1821 1822 Career position - President, Philosophical Society of Australasia 1822 1825 Career position - Inaugural Patron, New South Wales Agricultural Society 1828 1828 Award - Gold Medal, Royal Astronomical Society 1831 1831 Award - Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order (GCH) 1832 1832 Career position - President, Royal Society of Edinburgh 1833 1833 Career position - President, British Association for the Advancement of Science 1836 1836 Award - Created Baronet (Kt) 1837 1837 Award - Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) 1848 1848 Award - Keith Medal, Royal Society of Edinburgh Colony of New South Wales (1788 - 1901)

Governor 1821 - 1825

 Philosophical Society of Australasia (1821 - 1822)

President November 1821 - 1822

 Rümker, Christian Carl Ludwig (1788 - 1862)

Employed by Brisbane as astronomer at Parramatta Observatory 1821 - 1823

 Parramatta Observatory, Colony of New South Wales (1822 - 1848)

Established and equipped the Observatory 1822

 Dunlop, James (1793 - 1848)

Atronomer at Brisbane's private observatory in Scotland 1827 - 1831

 Agricultural Society of New South Wales (1822 - 1891)

Patron 1822 - 1825

Wikidata

VIAF - Virtual International Authority File

 Brisbane, Thomas (1773-1860)

Trove

 'Brisbane, Thomas Makdougall', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Brisbane, Thomas Makdougall Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Resource Section: The Origins of Australian Meteorology Gibbs, W. J. The Origins of Australian Meteorology 2001 Federation and Meteorology Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Journal Article: Portraits of Scientific Men of New South Wales Maiden, J. H. Portraits of Scientific Men of New South Wales 1912 Journal and Proceedings of The Royal Society of New South Wales xliv 17-20 Journal Article: Astronomical and Meteorological Workers in New South Wales, 1778-1860 Russell, H.C. Astronomical and Meteorological Workers in New South Wales, 1778-1860 Sydney, NSW Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1888 Report of the first meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1 45-94 Journal Article: Sir Thomas Brisbane, FRS, A Founder of Organised Science in Australia. O'Hagan, J. E. Sir Thomas Brisbane, FRS, A Founder of Organised Science in Australia. 1960 Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland vi 594-603 Resource Section: Brisbane, Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, Thomas Makdougall Australian Science Archives Project 1995 Physics in Australia to 1945 R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham Book: The Origins of Australian Meteorology, Metarch Papers No. 12 Gibbs, W. J. The Origins of Australian Meteorology, Metarch Papers No. 12 Bureau of Meteorology 1998 Book Section: Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1773-1860 Sweetman, John and Mcconnell, Anita Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1773-1860 Oxford Oxford University Press 2004 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Journal Article: An account of experiments made with an invariable pendulum at New South Wales, by Major-General Sir Thomas Brisbane, K.C.B., F.R.S. Brisbane, T. An account of experiments made with an invariable pendulum at New South Wales, by Major-General Sir Thomas Brisbane, K.C.B., F.R.S. 1823 Transactions of the Royal Society of London 113 308-25 Journal Article: Observations on the temperature of the Earth at Paramatta, New South Wales Brisbane, T. Observations on the temperature of the Earth at Paramatta, New South Wales 1824 Edinburgh philosophical journal 10 219-22 Journal Article: On the meteorological tables kept in 1822 at Macquarie Harbour and Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land Brisbane, T. On the meteorological tables kept in 1822 at Macquarie Harbour and Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land 1825 Edinburgh philosophical journal 12 75-7 Book: Reminiscences of General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane : of Brisbane and Makerstoun, Bart Brisbane, Thomas Reminiscences of General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane : of Brisbane and Makerstoun, Bart Edinburgh Thomas Constable 1860 Journal Article: Sir Thomas Brisbane's Legacy to Colonial Science: Colonial Astronomy at the Parramatta Observatory, 1822-1848 Saunders, Shirley D. Sir Thomas Brisbane's Legacy to Colonial Science: Colonial Astronomy at the Parramatta Observatory, 1822-1848 2004 Historical Records of Australian Science 15 2 177-209 Journal Article: Seeing Stars in the City: a History of Early Astronomy in Sydney Tyler, Peter J. Seeing Stars in the City: a History of Early Astronomy in Sydney 2009 Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 142 3/4 1-14 Journal Article: An address delivered at the Annual General Meeting of the Astronomical Society of London, on February 8, on presenting the honorary medals to Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane and James Dunlop, Esq. Herschel, J. F. W. An address delivered at the Annual General Meeting of the Astronomical Society of London, on February 8, on presenting the honorary medals to Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane and James Dunlop, Esq. 1829 Memoirs of the Astronomical Society of London 3 403-4 Journal Article: A Governor's Observatory Bhathal, Ragbir A Governor's Observatory 2011 Astronomy & Geophysics 52 2 2.31 Journal Article: The Soldier-Astronomer in Scotland: Thomas Makdougall Brisbane's Scientific Work in the Northern Hemisphere Morrison-low, A. D. The Soldier-Astronomer in Scotland: Thomas Makdougall Brisbane's Scientific Work in the Northern Hemisphere 2004 Historical Records of Australian Science 15 2 151-176 Journal Article: Sir Thomas Brisbane - Patron of Colonial Science Tyler, Peter J. Sir Thomas Brisbane - Patron of Colonial Science 2012 Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 145 128-35 Journal Article: Sir Thomas Brisbane - a man of scientific method Liston, Carol Sir Thomas Brisbane - a man of scientific method 2012 Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 145 136-45 Journal Article: Some Scientific Aspects of Parramatta Observatory Bhathal, Ragbir Some Scientific Aspects of Parramatta Observatory 2012 Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 145 111-27 Journal Article: Parramatta Observatory: the story of an absurdity Goodin, Vernon W. E. Parramatta Observatory: the story of an absurdity 1947 Journal and proceedings. Royal Australian Historical Society xxxiii 173-187 Book Section: Rümker, Christian Carl Ludwig (1788-1862), astronomer Bergman, George F. J. Rümker, Christian Carl Ludwig (1788-1862), astronomer Melbourne Melbourne University Press 1967 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 2: 1788 - 1850 I-Z Douglas Pike 403-404 Book: Dictionary of Australian biography Serle, Percival Dictionary of Australian biography Sydney Angus & Robertson 1949 Resource: Federation and Meteorology Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Federation and Meteorology 2001 Book: Explorers of the Southern Sky: a History of Australian Astronomy Haynes, Raymond, Haynes, Roslynn, Malin, David and McGee, Richard Explorers of the Southern Sky: a History of Australian Astronomy Cambridge Cambridge University Press 1996 Book: A catalogue of 7385 stars: chiefly in the southern hemisphere, prepared from observations made in the years 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825 and 1826, at the observatory at Paramatta, New South Wales, founded by Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, the computations made, and the catalogue constructed by William Richardson Richardson, William A catalogue of 7385 stars: chiefly in the southern hemisphere, prepared from observations made in the years 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825 and 1826, at the observatory at Paramatta, New South Wales, founded by Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, the computations made, and the catalogue constructed by William Richardson London His Majesty’s Stationery Office 1835 Thomas Makdougall Brisbane - Records Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales Thomas Makdougall Brisbane - Records A2166 1824 - 1836 Correspondence in the G. Arthur collection 1824-36. 1 volume Thomas Makdougall Brisbane - Records Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales Thomas Makdougall Brisbane - Records ML MSS 419 1818 - 1849 Records 1818-49 manuscripts and printed material including correspondence 1818-41; material regarding astronomical observations in NSW c1830-49 including 'Report on the Parramatta Observations' by D. Gilbert, F. Baily and Sir F. Beaufort along with various other records, notes and miscellaneous material. Thomas Makdougall Brisbane - Records Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales Thomas Makdougall Brisbane - Records FM 4/1626-7 1812 - 1837 Microfilm of records 1812-37 including letters from and to Brisbane, a manuscript report of an expedition to survey Port Curtis, Moreton Bay, and Port Bowen by J. Oxley, records relating to the Brisbane observatory at Parramatta and other items. Microfilm Thomas Makdougall Brisbane - Records National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection Thomas Makdougall Brisbane - Records MS 4036 1812 - 1858 Governor of New South Wales 1821-1825. During this period a nominee council was set up to assist the governor. He instituted many reforms in line with Commissioner Bigge's reports; abolished censorship of the press, land grants to people who would work it, systematised convict administration, set up a supreme court and allowed trial by jury in certain cases, reformed the currency. Had a lifelong interest in astronomy and built an observatory at Parramatta, and left his instruments and scientific library to the Colony. 0.56 m, 4 boxes Thomas Makdougall Brisbane - Records Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales Thomas Makdougall Brisbane - Records MS 1191 1715 - 1860 Family correspondence and other records 1715-1870 including personal records of T. Brisbane 1794-1860; general and military correspondence 1802-59, 1812-17, 1792-1815, 1702-1857; miscellaneous records including observations made at Makerstoun Observatory 1818-57. 2 volumes, 1 portfolio Christian Carl Ludwig Rümker - Records Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales Christian Carl Ludwig Rümker - Records MS Q569 1825 - 1845 Various records 1825-32. Includes correspondence with James Dunlop and Thomas Brisbane. Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane

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