Australia Mapped by the Man Who So-Named It.
Rare, Updated 1835 Issue of Flinders's Landmark Atlas of Australia.
The Completed Flinders: Updated by Phillip Parker King, His Cartographic Heir.
A rare, updated version of Matthew Flinders's atlas, his magnum opus documenting the Australian coastline, created from his extensive surveys conducted during expeditions at the turn of the 19th century. This seminal work not only marked the first complete circumnavigation and mapping of Australia but also laid the foundation for future navigational and exploratory efforts in the region.
Though this issue of the atlas is not unknown (see NLA's NL,965), its significance has seemingly never been properly described in the literature. While Flinders's navigation of the Australian continent was a landmark first, it was Philip Parker King (1791–1856) who completed and refined the initial surveys, bringing the charts to a higher standard of accuracy and detail. King's expeditions between 1817 and 1822 filled in many gaps left by Flinders, particularly along the northern and north-western coasts. His impressive work, incorporating corrections and additions from his own findings and those of other explorers, ensured that the maps of Australia were comprehensive and reliable for future navigators. King's contributions were crucial in finalizing the mapping of the Australian coastline, building on Flinders's pioneering achievements and solidifying the geographic understanding of the continent.
Regarding King, Tooley (page 107) states:
In 1817 he was put in charge of a Survey of the coasts of Australia. In the following five years he examined and drew large parts of its west, north, and north eastern coasts. He completed the work of Cook and Flinders and his name stands high among contributors to the mapping of the coasts of Australia. He returned to England in 1823. His charts were published by the Hydrographic Office.
Maps and Their States
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General Chart of Terra Australis, or Australia From the surveys of Capt.s Flinders and King, R.N. with additions from Lieut. Jeffreys and Roe, also from Adm. D'Entrecasteaux, Capt. Baudin and Freycinet of the French Marine to the year, 1829.
This 1829 update of Flinders's most important chart is a grossly underappreciated cartographic tour-de-force. Huge swaths of the coast have been updated and improved, while hints of interior exploration from Port Macquarie and Port Jackson have begun to appear in the east. Much of the territory left blank or conjectural by Flinders has been richly filled with soundings and intricate shorelines. Coastal topography, completely missing from the first state of the map, is indicated with hachures.
Interestingly, whereas the first state of the map gave broad credit to Flinders for the discoveries shown on the chart, he is now given equal billing with King. His specific discoveries are called out on the map itself (a long stretch of southern Australia), but so too are the discoveries of Baudin, James Grant, George Bass, and Cook (whose credits were previously restricted to the regional charts).
Some of the enhancements on this chart involve incorporating information already present in the 1814 regional charts but omitted from the original general map. This is especially true in the south and east; there are many genuine updates in the north and west.
See Tooley 570 and 602. But this later state seemingly unrecorded by Tooley. -
Chart of Terra Australis By M. Flinders, Comm.r of His Majesty's Sloop Investigator. South Coast. Sheet I. 1801. 2. 3. Additions to 1822
Tooley 586 (update of 571). The Hydrographical Office insignia (Price 3.sh 6.d) and the inset Plan of Port Leschenault by Mr. B. de Montbazin 1803 have been added. -
Chart of Terra Australis By M. Flinders Com.r of H.M. Sloop Investigator. South Coast. Sheet II. 1802. 3
Tooley 589 (update of 572). Imprint line changed to "Published as the Act directs, by Capt. Hurd R.N. Hydrographer to the Admiralty 20.th Jan.y 1814", and with the Hydrographical Office insignia (Price 3.sh) added in the upper left corner. -
Chart of Terra Australis By M. Flinders Comm.r of H.M. Sloop Investigator. South Coast, Sheet III. 1802.
Tooley 573. A later state, not in Tooley, with the Hydrographical Office insignia (Price 4.sh) added in the upper right corner. -
Chart of Terra Australis By M. Flinders Comm.r of H.M. Sloop Investigator. South Coast, Sheet IV. 1802.
Tooley 574. -
Chart of Terra Australis By M. Flinders Comm.r of H.M. Sloop Investigator. South Coast, Sheet V. 1798, 1802. & 3.
Tooley 594 (update of 575). Imprint line changed to "Published as the Act directs to Capt. Hurd R.N. Hydrographer to the Admiralty Feb.y 1.st 1814." The Note states "Additions to 1825". Rhumb lines added. -
Chart of Terra Australis By M. Flinders 1798-9. South Coast, Sheet VI.
Tooley 576. One might expect to see Tooley 595, the 1825 update of the chart, in this atlas, but it is not present in that state, possibly suggesting the use of a remainder. -
Chart of Terra Australis By M. Flinders Comm.r of H.M. Sloop Investigator. 1798-1803. East Coast, Sheet I.
Tooley 577. -
Chart of Terra Australis By M. Flinders Comm.r of H.M. Sloop Investigator. East Coast - Sheet II. 1799-1802.
Tooley 578. -
Chart of Terra Australis By M. Flinders Comm.r of H.M. Sloop Investigator. 1799-1803. East Coast, Sheet III. Additions to 1826 by Capt. Phillip P. King R.N.
See Tooley 579. A later state, not in Tooley(?), with the title appended as noted. The imprint line crediting Captain Hurd. The cartography is considerably updated. With the Hydrographical Office insignia "Price 3s/6d" in the upper left. -
Chart of part of the N.E. Coast of Australia, By Phillip P. King, Commander, R.N. 1819, 20, 21. Sheet 1... Published according to Act of Parliament at the Hydrographical Office of the Admiralty 10th Nov.r 1824.
Tooley 801. -
Chart of Terra Australis By M. Flinders Comm.r of H.M. Sloop Investigator. 1802-1803. East Coast - Sheet V.
Tooley 581. -
Chart of part of the N.E. Coast of Australia, By Phillip P. King, Commander, R.N. 1819, 20, 21. Sheet 3. The reefs that are delineated with double dots, and the outline soundings, are from other authorities. Torres Strait and the Coast of New Guinea is taken from Captain Flinders, Corrected to 1822. Additions & corrections by Lieut. Roe R.N. to 1829.
See Tooley 803. A later state, not in Tooley. -
Chart of Terra Australis By M. Flinders Comm.r of H.M. Sloop Investigator. 1802-3. North Coast, Sheet II.
Tooley 599 (update of Tooley 583). Tooley also lists an 1822 state (600), but it is unclear on what basis this differentiation is made. -
North West Side of the Gulf of Carpentaria By M. Flinders Comm.r of H.M.S. Investigator 1803.
Tooley 598 (update of Tooley 584). -
Timor and some neighboring Islands; by M. Flinders. Comm.r of H.M.S. Investigator. 1803.
Tooley 585. A later state with the Hydrographical Office insignia (Price 2.s 3.d)
Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a distinguished British navigator and cartographer, renowned for leading the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then known as New Holland. He is credited with popularizing the name "Australia" to describe the continent, a term he found "more agreeable to the ear" than previous appellations such as Terra Australis.
Flinders embarked on multiple voyages of discovery between 1791 and 1803, with the most significant being his circumnavigation of Australia and an earlier expedition with George Bass that confirmed Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) as an island. These voyages were instrumental in mapping Australia's coastline and understanding its geographical boundaries. In 1798, Flinders and Bass circumnavigated Van Diemen's Land, proving the existence of Bass Strait, which separates Tasmania from the mainland, and further solidified his reputation as an accomplished explorer.
Flinders' most famous expedition commenced on 18 July 1801, when he was appointed commander of HMS Investigator. Accompanied by a team of scientists, including botanist Robert Brown and botanical artist Ferdinand Bauer, Flinders meticulously charted the southern coast of Australia. He named various geographical features, including King George Sound (December 1801), Kangaroo Island (21 March 1802), Port Lincoln, and Encounter Bay (8 April 1802). His encounter with French explorer Nicolas Baudin, despite the countries being at war, is a testament to the spirit of scientific collaboration that marked this era of exploration.
Flinders' circumnavigation of Australia began in 1802, departing from Sydney on 22 July and heading north along the eastern coast. He meticulously mapped parts of what is now known as Queensland and navigated through the treacherous Great Barrier Reef, reaching the Gulf of Carpentaria and Arnhem Land. Key locations explored include Moreton Bay (July 1799), where he named Redcliffe and landed on Coochiemudlo Island, and Hervey Bay (August 1799). His exploration extended to the Torres Strait, where he encountered the Makassan trepangers in February 1803. His expedition was significant not only for its cartographic achievements but also for the detailed observations and records he maintained, which later contributed to the broader understanding of the Australian continent.
In 1803, while returning to Britain, Flinders was detained by the French on the Isle de France (Mauritius) for over six years, a period during which he continued his scientific work. During his captivity, Flinders compiled his findings and advocated for the use of "Australia" as the continent's name.
Flinders returned to Britain in October 1810, where he dedicated himself to writing his seminal work, A Voyage to Terra Australis. The book, published in July 1814, remains a critical document in the history of Australian exploration. Unfortunately, he did not live to see its full impact, passing away on 19 July 1814, just a day after the book's publication.The legacy of Matthew Flinders extends beyond his maps and writings. His contributions to the exploration and understanding of Australia have been commemorated through numerous geographical features named in his honor, including Flinders Island in Bass Strait, the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, and Flinders Bay in Western Australia. Statues and memorials have been erected in locations such as Melbourne, Adelaide, and his birthplace in Donington.