 Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby and William Ewart Gladstone, successive secretaries of state for the colonies, had fathered the project, and Gladstone had selected Barney as a man used to authority and with previous experience in Australia.Barney arrived again in Sydney on 15 September 1846 in the "William Hyde", and quickly surveyed the coast in a small steamer, and decided that Port Curtis was the most suitable place for a settlement.Returning to Sydney a barque, the "Lord Auckland", was chartered, and on 8 January 1847 sailed with Barney and his family, various officials, and a small military force.