The San Luisitano Incident

In May 1852 a new settler arrived at Tamba- Tamba.
Herschel Sao Luisitano was a 50 year old speculator with a chequered history. Born in Lisbon, he had been known in Cape Verde, Angola , Paraguay and Rio De Janeiro.
Despite his lack of formal training, he had masqueraded with some success as a Doctor of Medicine. A scandal involving a 13 year old niece of Pedro II of Brazil obliged Sao Luisitano to flee from Rio.
He had heard sailors' tales of the earthly paradise of Wessel's island and fancied that he could make an easy fortune there whilst evading justice.
He established himself as a doctor and prospector on Wessel's Island in 1851, but his activities soon brought him into conflict with the King of Wessel's, Ptomuna.

Herschel Sao Luisitano

Governor Sir Brougham Sleight was uneasy at the appearance of 'San Luisitano' as he was invariably referred to. Seemingly affluent and well connected, he presented Sir Brougham with his plans.
He claimed that his expertise in geology led him to be certain that gold could be found on Tamba- Tamba. He and his men, he said, had great experience of prospecting. San Luisitano asserted that as the land on the island was held in common, that he had every right to 'stake a claim'. He challenged Sir Brougham to produce any legally valid document or deed which would prevent him from doing so.
San Luisitano and his men (numbering seven, they were a rag tag group of bandits, soldiers of fortune from Brazil) established a camp about one mile along the coast from Hooper's point. They enclosed an area of land of about 1 km² and began prospecting. The ruse was to create the impression that gold had been found and then sell portions of the land to those eager to join the gold rush.

John Cox addressed the Council and called for action. Whereas Tamba -Tamba had been synonymous with liberty for nearly 70 years, and all men were welcome in peace, he said that this development went against the spirit of their forefathers, and that the evils of private property and exploitation would not be tolerated.
One night in July 1852 a mob numbering fifty (and including members of Sir Brougham Sleight's staff) attacked San Luisitano's camp.
Shots were fired, the men were beaten and the huts and workings were torched.
San Luisitano and his men were bound and marched to their boat and ordered to leave the island immediately or face death.

Fleeing the island and eventually turning up in London early in 1853, San Luisitano appealed to the British Government for compensation. He attested that he had been 'ill used' on the orders of the Governor. He claimed that hundreds of pounds worth of valuable surveying equipment had been destroyed, and that a substantial amount of gold had also been seized by the mob.

When his complaint reached the Prime Minister The Earl of Aberdeen, he passed it on to the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, the Duke of Newcastle. The Duke of Newcastle's response , which hardly caused a ripple in London, was to send shock waves through Cocktown and Tamba- Tamba.

The Duke of Newcastle

The Duke of Newcastle stated that her Majesty's government was not responsible for the actions of Sir Brougham Sleight. According to the Colonies and Dominions Act of 1851 Tamba- Tamba was no longer a British Colony.
Sir Brougham Sleight was in the employment of The Crown, but as he was effectively 'Her Majesty's Monitor', a rarely used designation for an independent citizen detailed to report to the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies on any irregular activity in potentially sensitive areas .
Tamba- Tamba, The Duke repeated for emphasis, was an independent state...