Free settlers were people who traveled to Australia of their own free will after 1793. Governor Arthur Phillip asked for farmers to be sent to the colony, which had been established for convicts. Other early governors of New South Wales also began to encourage people to travel to the colony. They offered them such benefits as large land grants, convicts as servants, and positions of responsibility. By 1819, about 1,550 free settlers lived in New South Wales, compared with about 7,560 convicts. By 1851, there were more than 320,000 free settlers.
