Description:

A REQUEST TO BUY LAND NEAR LAUNCESTON

1854 (Jan.25) "On Public Service Only" (countersigned "Robt Bain" entire letter from LAUNCESTON to the Surveyor General in Hobart Town; written by William Johnstone who is seeking to exercise his right to purchase 500 acres at "New Plains, County Devon") that he had been occupying under licence.

William Johnstone was born in 1819. Married in 1841 and shortly thereafter William sold up his possessions and sailed from Gravesend with his young wife for Tasmania on board the barque “Arab” which was captained by W. Westmorland. Johnstone was a merchant and he was bound for Australia with sufficient capital to establish a small retail business. The Johnstones prospered in Tasmania. In partnership with Stuart Eardley Wilmot, William founded a retail general merchant’s business in Launceston. This developed into the firm of Johnstone and Wilmot Pty. Ltd. which was still being managed by a direct descendant Graeme White when the business was sold in 1970.