Matthew Flinders, Maritime Explorer of Australia

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This book provides a thoroughly researched biography of the naval career of Matthew Flinders, with particular emphasis on his importance for the maritime discovery of Australia. Sailing in the wake of the 18th-century voyages of exploration by Captain Cook and others, Flinders was the first naval commander to circumnavigate Australia's coastline. He contributed more to the mapping and naming of places in Australia than virtually any other single person. His voyage to Australia on H.M.S. Investigator expanded the scope of imperial, geographical and scientific knowledge. This biography places Flinders's career within the context of Pacific exploration and the early white settlement of Australia. Flinders's connections with other explorers, his use of patronage, the dissemination of his findings, and his posthumous reputation are also discussed in what is an important new scholarly work in the field.

Reviews

Morgan has familiarised himself with a vast range of scholarly books and essays ... [He] well conveys the exacting, tedious nature of inshore navigation and survey; the contacts with coastal peoples ... and the extensive activities of the scientists and artists. * International Journal of Maritime History *
In this fine new biography Kenneth Morgan describes the fluctuating fortunes of an ambitious young naval hydrographer, Matthew Flinders. Commanding HMS Investigator, a ship whose purposeful name hid its rotting timbers, he surveyed long stretches of uncharted Australian coastline during his circumnavigation of the continent in the early nineteenth century. At the same time his scientific companions gathered a mass of detail about the land, its flora and fauna, and its Aboriginal inhabitants. Sadly, Flinders achievements were obscured by years of wartime detention that allowed French navigators in Australian waters to claim priority. Only after his early death were Flinders accomplishments given belated recognition when his preferred name, Australia, was accepted for the continent whose outlines he had done much to reveal. * Glyn Williams, Emeritus Professor of History, University of London, UK and former President of the Hakluyt Society *
Kenneth Morgans biography of Matthew Flinders brings to life the extraordinary destiny of the young man from Donington, Lincolnshire, whose name is forever etched in the history of Australias exploration and discovery. This is a meticulously documented account, which draws on an impressive array of archival sources and is informed by the latest scholarship. The singular ambition that drove Flinders to emulate the illustrious maritime explorers who preceded him, chief among whom was the immortal James Cook, is evident at every turn. There is also a welcome focus here on the scientific work undertaken by Flinders and the scientific gentlemen who accompanied him on his ground-breaking circumnavigation of Australia in the Investigator. This is a story of triumph and tragedy, of remarkable achievements and maddening frustrations. It is a compelling tale in its own right, and a must-read for anyone interested in maritime history or in the early European exploration of the land which Flinders insisted should be named Australia. * John West-Sooby, University of Adelaide, Australia *

Author Bio

Kenneth Morgan is Professor of History at Brunel University, London, UK.