Augustus Alt

Augustus Theodore Harman Alt (1734–9 January 1815) was a British soldier (though possibly born overseas), engineer and surveyor. His title of Baron was never awarded by the German Emperor and was more likely a family nickname because of a grant of arms awarded his family by the British. His father Jost Heinrich (anglicised to Just Henry) was Hessian and became Minister for Hessen-Kassel in London in 1741, then Privy-Counsellor from the mid 1750s until his death in 1768. Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) was a medium-sized German state that was strategically located between the main part of Prussia and the Prussian provinces of Westphalia in western Germany and now no longer exists. His Scottish mother, Jeannetta Preston, was the daughter of Sir John Preston of Prestonhall, Cupar, Fife, the family being attainted Jacobites. Augustus became a career soldier and continued in that role, with periodic leave on half-pay, until he was appointed surveyor-general of the new colony proposed for Botany Bay in Australia. He sailed with Commodore Arthur Phillip (later Governor of the colony) in 1787.

In 1755 Augustus was made Ensign in the 8th or King's Regiment of Foot, in 1757 as Lieutenant saw service at Rochefort, France, with Sir John Mordaunt, and from 1760 during the Seven Years War served as ADC to General Henry Seymour Conway, and probably liaised with Prince Ferdinand. He ended up at the siege of Kassel in 1762, returning with the regiment in 1763, thereafter helping it to build roads in Scotland until 1764. During late 1777 he helped raise the 72nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Manchester Volunteers) and served with that regiment at the Great Siege of Gibraltar, being appointed assistant Engineer there by Governor George Elliott in 1779. In 1781 he assisted Colonel J. F. Erskine in trying to raise three battalions of Swiss Chasseurs for service with the East India Company, a venture that was thwarted by the Swiss authorities at the last moment. In 1785, another venture with Erskine to help the Polish adventurer Count Maurice Benyovszky found a settlement in Madagascar was also cancelled at the last moment. In 1787, he was appointed Surveyor of Lands for the new colony and accompanied the First Fleet that arrived at Botany Bay and then moved to Port Jackson on 26 January 1788.

After his arrival in New South Wales he laid out the settlements of Albion (later Sydney), Parramatta and Tongabby (later Toongabbie), as well as surveying early land-grants and compiling the records of these. Ill health incapacitated him early on and he had asked to be relieved in 1791, although he did not retire from active duty until 1797. He was officially relieved on half-pay in 1802 and succeeded by his deputy, surveyor Charles Grimes.

At first, in his official capacity as Surveyor-General, he lived in the town of Sydney, then for many years afterwards on a large land grant, Hermitage Farm, at Ashfield about seven miles west (and now an inner western suburb). It is said that he moved to Parramatta late in life and died there in 1815. He was buried at the Anglican St. John's graveyard, Parramatta, with a table monument giving full, if slightly incorrect, biographical details set down by his nephew Matthew Bowles Alt.

References

*"Australian Encyclopædia" (1912 - third edition revised 1927) published by Angus & Robertson Limited, 89 Castlereagh Street, Sydney New South Wales (page 53)
*Gillen, Mollie. 1989. "The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet", Sydney: Library of Australian History.