The Governor of New South Wales, Sir Ralph Darling, considered him to be incompetent and tried to persuade the Colonial Office to dismiss him, but Baxter resigned in order to become a judge in Tasmania.
He was admitted as a barrister in London in 1819, but his career was unsuccessful and Baxter remained dependent on his father who sought help from Sir George Murray.
Within two months of taking up his post, the Governor, Sir Ralph Darling, wrote to the Colonial Office to complain that he was totally inexperienced and incapable of speaking effectively in court.
[1] In March 1827, shortly before leaving for New South Wales, Baxter married Maria del Rosario Anna Uthair, a Spanish heiress.
[4] When she had the daughters baptised in the Roman Catholic faith, he left her, taking his young son with him, and Governor Darling helped Maria to return to England.