The Case of the Honorable George Milner Stephen [drop-title] de [Port Gawler]. [STEPHEN, George Milner] - 1840

[Adelaide]: Robert Thomas and Co., Printers, Hindley-street (colophon at the foot of the last page), 1840. First Edition. Hardcover. Fair. [Adelaide], Robert Thomas and Co., Printers, Hindley-street (colophon at the foot of the last page), [circa 1840]. Octavo, 140 pages. Later half calf (lettered and ruled in gilt) and cloth; first and last pages discoloured and soiled; minor marginal loss to the top corner of the first leaf; old tissue-paper repair to the top margin of the last leaf; minor stains to the printed surface of one leaf; dampstains to the top margin of the first few leaves and the last 30 leaves (rarely impinging on the printed surface); minor signs of use and age; a decent copy. An apparently unrecorded compilation of accounts of the 1839 libel action, counter-action for wilful and corrupt perjury, and the counter-counter-action for libel involving George Milner Stephen, Colonial Secretary and Advocate General of South Australia, and brother-in-law of Governor John Hindmarsh. The various actions stemmed from perhaps the most infamous fraudulent property speculation in the early years of the colony of South Australia, which involved Stephen's large property, the Milner Estate, near the mouth of the Gawler River. In an attempt to artificially inflate the value of the property, Stephen placed a flurry of advertisements in South Australian newspapers (some apparently under pseudonyms), making false claims about the situation of the town, the frequency of transport and the quality of natural resources. His campaign initially paid off. In April 1839 Stephen boasted to Adelaide's governing elite and to the newspapers that he had sold half of the Estate to Captain William Allen and Captain John Ellis for the staggering price of £20,000, and that he valued the whole property at £40,000. The sale was soon announced in the 'South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register' of 13 April 1839. 'These gentlemen, in conjunction with Mr Stephen, intend to lay out a large sum in erecting buildings, saw-mills, &c. and are about to commence agricultural operations on an extensive scale forthwith. The demand for allotments in the town of Milner continues to increase. Mr Bensham, the agent, has sold nearly one fourth of the whole within the last three days'. It soon emerged that fewer than 20 of over 200 allotments had sold, and that the sale price was in fact £8000 for two thirds of the estate (see the 'South Australian Register', 23 May 1856, for a later summary). The affair became a scandal in the new colony, with extensive coverage of Stephen's subsequent defamation actions and his resulting trial for perjury. Robert Thomas, Government Printer, newspaper proprietor, and printer of this volume, was the successful defendant in the second libel case.

This fascinating exposé is drawn from the Supreme Court records, the 'Government Gazette,' and newspapers of the day (from May to September 1839). This appears to be a proof copy of a proposed publication, intended perhaps to capitalise on the public appetite for news about the trial. It is fully typeset, imposed and paginated, and the first leaf is signed 'B', suggesting that preliminaries (including a title page) were intended. We have not traced this work in the standard bibliographies or any Australian collection. Provenance: Robert Thomas (the printer); by descent.