George William Rusden

G.K. Rusden was a polyglot and mathematician who kept a private school for 23 years in Surrey before migrating with his family to New South Wales where he was appointed a chaplain at Maitland from 1 January 1835.

At 28 years of age Rusden travelled to China and worked for a time at brother-in-law Ellis Gilman's Canton factory.

He retained his interest in education as a member of the council of the University of Melbourne from its inception, and was largely responsible for the foundation of the Shakespeare scholarship.

Rusden made great use of the library of Edward Petherick even staying for weeks at the latter's home in Brixton Hill, London, where the book collection was stored.

On an appeal for reduction of damages in which Rusden conducted his own case with great ability (see his Tragedies in New Zealand, privately printed 1888), the parties to the suit came to an agreement, that Bryce should be paid £3675 in satisfaction of all claims.

Rusden was conservative in his politics and neither of his histories is free from bias; he had no access to the Historical Records of Australia of which 33 volumes have since been published.