Tag Archives: 1804

14 May 1804

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William Clark and 42 men depart from Camp Dubois to join Meriwether Lewis at St Charles, Missouri, marking the beginning of the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s historic journey up the Missouri River.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was a landmark journey undertaken by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark from 1804 to 1806. It was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson with the goal of exploring and mapping the newly acquired western territories of the United States after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

The expedition began in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 14, 1804, and traveled westward up the Missouri River, exploring and documenting the vast wilderness of the American West. The primary objective was to find a water route across the continent to the Pacific Ocean, known as the Northwest Passage. While the expedition did not find a navigable waterway, it greatly expanded knowledge of the region and opened the way for future settlement and trade.

Lewis and Clark led a diverse group known as the Corps of Discovery, consisting of about 40 men, including soldiers, scouts, interpreters, and boatmen. Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman, joined the expedition as a guide and interpreter. Her presence was instrumental in establishing peaceful relations with Native American tribes encountered along the way.

The expedition faced numerous challenges, including treacherous river conditions, harsh weather, unfamiliar terrain, and encounters with various Native American tribes. However, they persevered, adapting to their surroundings and relying on the knowledge and assistance of local tribes. They encountered and described many previously unknown plants, animals, and landscapes, contributing significantly to the scientific understanding of the region.

After an arduous journey of approximately 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers), the expedition reached the Pacific Ocean near present-day Astoria, Oregon, in November 1805. They spent the winter there, constructing Fort Clatsop, and preparing for the return journey.

The return trip began in March 1806, following the same route back to St. Louis. The expedition split into two groups temporarily to explore more territory. They reunited in August 1806 and arrived back in St. Louis on September 23, 1806, marking the successful completion of their mission.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition had far-reaching consequences. Their detailed maps, journals, and scientific observations provided valuable information about the western territories and influenced future exploration and settlement of the region. The expedition’s success also strengthened the United States’ claim to the Oregon Territory and paved the way for further westward expansion. Lewis and Clark became national heroes and their journey is celebrated as one of the greatest achievements in American exploration.

9 October 1804

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The capital of Tasmania, Hobart, is founded.

Hobart was established in 1804 at the mouth of the Derwent River, a year after Tasmania’s first settlement at nearby Risdon Cove. Only a collection of tents and huts then, its population consisted of 178 convicts, 25 Royal Navy marines, 15 women, 21 children, 13 free settlers, and 10 civil officers.

Hobart is Australia’s second oldest city and has an incredible waterfront location. From Old Wharf, where the first arrivals settled, round to the fishing village of Battery Point, the area known as Sullivan’s Cove is still the hub of this cosmopolitan city.

Attractions include the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Criminal Courts and Penitentiary Chapel, Battery Point, and Salamanca Place.

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery was built in 1863 and designed by the city’s best known colonial architect, Henry Hunter. The gallery now houses an excellent collection of early prints and paintings of Tasmania, Aboriginal artifacts, as well as botanical displays of native flora. The Criminal Courts and Penitentiary Chapel showcases underground passages, solitary confinement cells, and an execution yard.

Battery Point is a maritime village located near the early settlement and wharves. A site with narrow gas-lit streets lined with tiny fishermen’s and worker’s houses, cottage gardens, colonial mansions and pubs, this village is a reflection of early colonial days. The strategic site, with its views down to the Derwent River, was originally home to a gun battery, which was positioned to ward off potential enemy invasions. The old guardhouse, built in 1818, is just a few minutes walk from Hampden road and has a range of antique shops, art galleries, tearooms, and restaurants.

Salamanca Place was once the site of early colonial industries ranging from jam making to metal foundry. Today, the beautiful row of sandstone warehouses is now the heart of Hobart’s lively art and creative centre. There is a range of art and craft galleries, antique furniture stores, and antiquarian bookshops housed in these old buildings. This place is also famous for its Saturday morning market and the Salamanca Market, where many stalls filled with arts, crafts, and fresh food are displayed.

Click here to view the map by A Mault showing the features of the original settlement with modern streets overlaid.

It is taken from a survey by Surveyor-General Harris. The original was discovered in the NSW Lands Office and presented to the Tasmanian Lands Office.

9 October 1804

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Hobart, capital of Tasmania, is founded.

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Hobart is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. With a population of approximately 225,000, it is the second least populated Australian capital city. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony, Hobart is Australia’s second oldest capital city after Sydney, New South Wales. The modern history of Hobart dates to its foundation as a British colony in 1804. Prior to British settlement, the area had been occupied for possibly as long as 35,000 years, by the semi-nomadic Mouheneener tribe, a sub-group of the Nuennone, or South-East tribe.The descendants of the indigenous Tasmanians now refer to themselves as ‘Palawa’.

Since its foundation as a colonial outpost, the city has grown from the mouth of Sullivans Cove to stretch in a generally north-south direction along both banks of the Derwent River, from 22 km inland from the estuary at Storm Bay to the point where the river reverts to fresh water at Bridgewater.

Hobart has experienced both booms and busts over its history. The early 20th century saw a period of growth on the back of mining, agriculture and other primary industries, and the loss of men who served in world wars was counteracted by an influx of immigration after World War II.In the later years of the 20th century, migrants increasingly arrived to settle in Hobart from Asia. Despite the rise in migration from parts of the world other than the United Kingdom and Ireland, the population of Hobart remains predominantly ethnically Anglo-Celtic and has the highest percentage per capita of Australian-born residents among the Australian capital cities.

11 August 1804

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Francis II becomes the first Emperor of Austria.

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Francis II, the last Holy Roman emperor of Austria. He supported the conservative political system of Metternich in Germany and Europe after the Congress of Vienna.

Son of the future emperor Leopold II and Maria Luisa of Spain, Francis received his political education from his uncle, Emperor Joseph II, who disliked his nephew’s unimaginative outlook and stubbornness but praised his application and sense of duty and justice. Ascending to the throne on the death of his father in 1792, Francis inherited the problems raised by the French Revolution.

An absolutist who hated constitutionalism in any form, he supported Austria’s first coalition war against France, sometimes taking the field himself, until forced to accept the Treaty of Campo Formio, by which the empire lost Lombardy and the left bank of the Rhine. Again defeated by France, he elevated Austria to the status of an empire soon after Napoleon had made himself emperor of the French. After Austria took the field against Napoleon for the third time in 1805 and was again defeated, Napoleon dictated the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire; Francis abdicated his title in 1806.

Thus, the ancien régime that had come to an end in France in 1789 ended in Germany also. The year 1809 saw Austria’s fourth unsuccessful war against Napoleon, during which Francis, always distrustful of revolutionary or even popular movements, abandoned pro-Habsburg Tirolese rebels to France and Bavaria.

15 February 1804

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The Serbian Revolution starts.

The First Serbian Uprising was an uprising of Serbs in the Sanjak of Smederevo against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1804 to 7 October 1813. Initially a local revolt against renegade janissaries who had seized power through a coup, it evolved into a war for independence (the Serbian Revolution) after more than three centuries of Ottoman rule and short-lasting Austrian occupations.

The janissary commanders murdered the Ottoman Vizier in 1801 and occupied the sanjak, ruling it independently from the Sultan. Tyranny ensued; the janissaries suspended the rights granted to Serbs by the Sultan earlier, and increased taxes, and imposed forced labor, among other things. In 1804 the janissaries feared that the Sultan would use the Serbs against them, so they murdered many Serbian chiefs. Enraged, an assembly chose Kara?or?e as leader of the uprising, and the rebel army quickly defeated and took over towns throughout the sanjak, technically fighting for the Sultan. The Sultan, fearing their power, ordered all pashaliks in the region to crush them. The Serbs marched against the Ottomans and, after major victories in 1805–06, established a government and parliament that returned the land to the people, abolished forced labor and reduced taxes.

Military success continued over the years; however, there was dissent between Kara?or?e and other leaders—Kara?or?e wanted absolute power while his dukes, some of whom abused their privileges for personal gain, wanted to limit it. After the Russo-Turkish War ended and Russian support ceased, the Ottoman Empire exploited these circumstances and reconquered Serbia in 1813.Although the uprising was crushed, it was continued by the Second Serbian Uprising in 1815, which resulted in the creation of the Principality of Serbia, as it gained semi-independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1817.

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