William Light resigns as surveyor general for South Australia in 1838 after being told to drop trigonometric method

A William Light self portrait and a model of his theodolite, used for his trigonometic surveys, atop his memorial in Light Square, Adelaide city.

William Light refused on June 22, 1838, to follow the London-based South Australia colonisation commissioners’ directions to change from a trigonometric to a running land survey method in the province.

The directions were brought back by Light’s deputy George Kingston, who’d had been sent on the Rapid to England to request more skilled staff for the survey department. Light resigned rather than conduct a running survey or non-survey that intended roughly throwing land purchasers onto ill-defined property boundaries and road reserves.

Instead of precisely surveying the 134-acre and 80-acre lots, as Light’s team had done, the running surveys were anarchy and contrary to the province's key founding principle of (actual) survey before settlement.

The running survey decision was made by the commissioners after consulting with the British military mapper, lieutenant-colonel Dawson, who had no knowledge of the topography and working environment in Adelaide or of progress already made by Light's team and that most settlers were happy with it.

But South Australia governor John Hindmarsh, his supporters and some businessmen weren't happy with the Adelaide city site being inland and not at a port. Hindmarsh went to England seeking permission from secretary of state for the colonies, Lord Glenelg, to move the city settlement from Light’s selected site.Light's opponents also had highlighted their discontent with Light and pace of his survey.

Light had told the commissioners before the survey project began that he was especially lacking in skilled surveyors on his team. Despite this, Light had 60,000 acres (24,281ha) surveyed by December 1837.

When Light was notified of the commission's decision to abandon his trogonmetric survey approach, he resigned the next day. All but three of his staff soon joined him. Kingston temporarily took over leading the survey department.

Once the landholders in Adelaide were informed of the commissioners’ decision, and understood the nature of running surveys, they objected so strongly that the proposal was abandoned almost immediately. As a result, Kingston relinquished his temporary promotion  to return as surveyor-general.

Eventually, George Ormsby agreed to act temporarily in the position, and some of the survey staff agreed to work under him until a permanent surveyor general could be appointed.  Land parcels designed by Light continued to be pegged on demand. In 1840, Light's trigonometric network was remeasured and extended under the guidance of the new surveyor general Edward Frome, an internationally recognised expert in this field.