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William Light (27 April 1786 – 6 October 1839), also known as Colonel Light, was a British-Malayan naval and army officer. He was the first Surveyor-General of the new British Province of South Australia, known for choosing the site of the colony's capital, Adelaide, and for designing the layout of its streets, six city squares, gardens and the figure-eight Adelaide Park Lands, in a plan later sometimes referred to as Light's Vision. Early life Light was born in Kuala Kedah, Kedah (now in Malaysia) on 27 April 1786, the eldest son of Captain Francis Light, founder and Superintendent of Penang, and Martinha (or Martina) Rozells, who was of Portuguese or French, and Siamese or Malay descent. He was thus legally classed as Eurasian, an ethnic designation which granted the designated a middle position between the natives and the Europeans. He was baptised on 31 December 1786, Georgetown, Penang. He lived in Penang until the age of six (1793), when he was sent to Theberton, a village in Suffolk, England to be educated by friends of his father. These friends were George Doughty, Sheriff of Suffolk, and his wife Anne. He never saw his parents again. His father died in October 1794, and although providing generously for his son's education, Light did not inherit his father's considerable wealth, as the estate had been ruined by maladministration. He became attached to the Doughtys, and later named his house in Adelaide after the family home. He was well educated, and soon became proficient in French, as well as showing a talent for drawing, watercolour painting and music. He became known in London as a rich East Indian, and attended the court of the Prince of Wales, later King George IV. Military career, first marriage, travel At the age of 13 in about 1799, Light volunteered for the Royal Navy, in which he served for two years, leaving as a midshipman. After a spell as a civilian internee in France in 1803–04, he attended his sister Mary's wedding to indigo plantation owner George Boyd in Calcutta in March 1805, remaining in India until November 1806, before returning to Europe. He bought a cornetcy in the 4th Dragoons regiment of the British Army on 5 May 1808, being promoted to lieutenant in April 1809 en route to Spain to serve in the Peninsular War, where he learnt Spanish. After courageous service against Napoleon's forces from 1809 to 1814, he served under the Duke of Wellington working on mapping, reconnaissance and liaison. He showed both outstanding bravery and kindness in his actions, and was a favourite of Wellington. He went on to serve in the infantry in various parts of Britain – the Channel Islands, Scotland and Ireland – as a captain, after purchasing the rank in November 1814. After quitting the army with the brevet rank of major, Light married Miss E. Perois in Derry, Ireland, on 24 May 1821, and moved in literary and artistic circles in Paris, Italy and Sicily for a couple of years. However, his young wife died sometime during those years. In 1823 he returned to Spain to fight the French invasion as aide-de-camp to Sir Robert Wilson, who had raised an international (mostly French) force to help the "Liberales" in their constitutional struggle against King Ferdinand VII. Originally volunteering as a private in the Vigo militia, Light was made a lieutenant-colonel. He was badly wounded at Corunna in Spain. Second marriage, travel Returning to England in 1824, Light met and fell in love with the beautiful and wealthy 19-year-old Mary Bennet, illegitimate daughter of the 3rd Duke of Richmond, in the London studio of the miniature painter Charlotte Jones. After a whirlwind romance, they married on 16 October 1824. They travelled to Europe, spending a couple of years in France, Switzerland and Italy (mainly Rome), where Light published his Views of Pompeii in 1828. Light returned to England, where he bought a yacht, Gulnare, after which the couple cruised the Mediterranean for some years. In 1830 they went to Egypt, where Light first met promoters of a new colony in Australia. Light made numerous sketches and Mary studied Egyptology while in Egypt, becoming a friend and keen correspondent of Egyptologist John Gardner Wilkinson. The couple became friends with Muhammad Ali, Pasha and founder of modern Egypt. Light sailed for England in 1831 in his own yacht to help recruit British men for the Pasha's navy. The process became prolonged, and Light stayed in England until 1835, while Mary continued her studies, travelling to Thebes for a second time and writing detailed journals of her travels and discoveries. Light separated from Mary in 1832, after she had formed a relationship with another officer. The couple never divorced, and Mary retained the surname Light for herself and three children she had by other men in 1833, 1834 and 1835. Light helped Muhammad Ali to establish a modern navy, sailing his own yacht to England to help recruit British men for the Pasha's navy. He captained the paddle steamer the Nile from London to Alexandria to join the Egyptian Navy, reaching Alexandria in September 1834. John Hindmarsh had prepared the steamer for delivery at Blackwall Yard on the River Thames, travelled as a passenger on the ship on its journey to Alexandria, and was made captain of the ship by November. Light started a relationship with the 21-year-old Maria Gandy (born 23 November 1811), a woman of humble stock, who was his companion for the rest of his life. Surveyor-General of South Australia By 1835, negotiations had been completed for the founding of the new British Province of South Australia, according to the scheme of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, intended as a self-supporting free colony. Light had given Hindmarsh a letter of introduction to Colonel Charles James Napier, who was the recently designated Governor of the new colony. However, Napier was not interested in the position, and upon hearing this, Hindmarsh rushed to London and lobbied for the position, after seeing Napier in Portsmouth in May 1835. Napier recommended to the authorities that Light be given the post of Governor, but Hindmarsh had already been promised it. Light returned to London in January 1836, and on 4 February was appointed Surveyor-General of South Australia instead. On 1 May 1836 Light sailed for South Australia with Maria Gandy, two of her young brothers (William (19) and Edward (10)), and some of his survey staff, on the survey brig, Rapid, along with the nine other ships in the "First Fleet". The ship reached Kangaroo Island on 17 August 1836. Sailing from Nepean Bay on 23 September, Light started exploring Gulf St Vincent, sailing first past Rapid Bay, then up to Port Adelaide before returning to Rapid Bay. In the meantime Cygnet had arrived at Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island, with the assistant surveyors. Soon afterwards Africaine arrived, with Colonial Secretary Robert Gouger and other colonial officers anxious to know where the settlement should be situated. Light sugg.... Discover the William E Samela popular books. Find the top 100 most popular William E Samela books.