What happened
Governor William Bligh clashed fiercely with the officers of the New South Wales Corps and leading settlers as he tried to curb their control of trade, especially the traffic in rum.
Background
On 26 January 1808, the Corps, allied with John Macarthur, marched on Government House, arrested Bligh, and seized power. The colony was then under the Corps’ control for a time.
Consequences
In response, Britain sent Lachlan Macquarie as the new governor and recalled the Corps to restore order. The affair symbolises the power struggles of the early colony.