AustLit logo
Syms Covington Syms Covington i(A59407 works by)
; Died: Ceased: 1861 Pambula, Merimbula - Pambula area, Far South Coast, South Coast, New South Wales,
Gender: Male
Arrived in Australia: ca. 1840
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

BiographyHistory

Syms Covington travelled with Charles Darwin on the HMS Beagle voyage of 1831-1836. He assisted Darwin with collecting specimens and sorting the collection on the return to England.

Covington first visited Sydney, New South Wales, with the Beagle in January 1836. He decided to return to settle in late 1839 and was given letters of introduction by Darwin to William Macleay, Philip Parker King and Sir Thomas Mitchell.

Covington and Darwin corresponded, with Covington continuing to send specimens back to Darwin in England. Some of the correspondence was published in the Sydney Mail newspaper in 1884.

Covington married in Australia and settled with his family in Pambula, New South Wales. He worked as a postmaster. His story inspired Roger McDonald's 1998 novel Mr Darwin's Shooter.

Source: Susannah Fullerton, ‘Charles Darwin’, Brief Encounters: Literary Travellers in Australia 1836-1939 (2009): 27-29

Most Referenced Works

Last amended 13 Nov 2013 08:57:45
See Also
Other mentions of "" in AustLit:
    X