John Harris Browne
Encyclopedia
John Harris Brown was an explorer in Australia
and a pioneer pastoralist.
Browne was born in Ilford, Wiltshire
, England, son of Benjamin Browne, landowner, and his wife Tara. He was well educated, studying at the Ecole de Médecine
, Paris
and qualified for the medical profession at the University of Edinburgh
.
Browne migrated to South Australia
in 1840, arriving aboard the Orleanna. There he took up land, and in 1844 was asked by Charles Sturt
to join his expedition to central Australia
as surgeon. During this journey he was of the greatest assistance to Sturt, and when his leader fell ill with scurvy
, took command of the party on the return journey and brought it to safety. He afterwards became a highly successful squatter and held an enormous amount of land in South Australia. In his later years he lived for long periods in England, and died in Bath. He married and was survived by a son and daughter. Browne was kind, modest and courageous; he did not seek publicity; but both in the official biography and in Sturt's own account of the journey to central Australia we have many references to Browne's ability as an explorer and his loyalty to Sturt, who probably owed his life to him.
Browne's elder brother, William James Browne (1815 – 4 December 1894), also qualified as a physician and arrived in South Australia in 1839, becoming a very successful pastoralist. He was a member of the House of Assembly
from 1860 to 1862. He left South Australia for England with his family in 1878 and in 1880 was an unsuccessful candidate at an election for the House of Commons. He died at Eastbourne
, England. As a pastoralist he did valuable work in experimenting with grasses and fodder plants, and with fine wools from crossbred Lincoln
and Merino
sheep.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and a pioneer pastoralist.
Browne was born in Ilford, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England, son of Benjamin Browne, landowner, and his wife Tara. He was well educated, studying at the Ecole de Médecine
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and qualified for the medical profession at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
Browne migrated to South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
in 1840, arriving aboard the Orleanna. There he took up land, and in 1844 was asked by Charles Sturt
Charles Sturt
Captain Charles Napier Sturt was an English explorer of Australia, and part of the European Exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from both Sydney and later from Adelaide. His expeditions traced several of the westward-flowing rivers,...
to join his expedition to central Australia
Central Australia
Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...
as surgeon. During this journey he was of the greatest assistance to Sturt, and when his leader fell ill with scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
, took command of the party on the return journey and brought it to safety. He afterwards became a highly successful squatter and held an enormous amount of land in South Australia. In his later years he lived for long periods in England, and died in Bath. He married and was survived by a son and daughter. Browne was kind, modest and courageous; he did not seek publicity; but both in the official biography and in Sturt's own account of the journey to central Australia we have many references to Browne's ability as an explorer and his loyalty to Sturt, who probably owed his life to him.
Browne's elder brother, William James Browne (1815 – 4 December 1894), also qualified as a physician and arrived in South Australia in 1839, becoming a very successful pastoralist. He was a member of the House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
from 1860 to 1862. He left South Australia for England with his family in 1878 and in 1880 was an unsuccessful candidate at an election for the House of Commons. He died at Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, England. As a pastoralist he did valuable work in experimenting with grasses and fodder plants, and with fine wools from crossbred Lincoln
Lincoln (sheep)
The Lincoln, sometimes called the Lincoln Longwool, is a breed of sheep from England. The Lincoln is the largest British sheep, developed specifically to produce the heaviest, longest and most lustrous fleece of any breed in the world. Great numbers were exported to many countries to improve the...
and Merino
Merino
The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
sheep.