Ill-Starred Captains: Flinders and BaudinAmid the Napoleonic Wars, France and Britain launched rival voyages of discovery to the Antipodes. Led by the outstanding naval captains Nicolas Baudin and Matthew Flinders, these expeditions were seen as vital for gathering geographical and scientific knowledge--yet both expeditions ended in personal disaster for their commanders. Drawing extensively on original eyewitness accounts, logs and journals, this intriguing historical documentation brings to life the tragic circumstances of the two men who suffered abrupt changes in fortune while in pursuit of discovery. |
Contents
Foreword | 7 |
Preface | 9 |
Introduction Finding Australia | 13 |
The Captains | 31 |
The Voyage Out | 72 |
New Holland and Timor April to November 1801 | 121 |
Flinders and the Unknown Coast December 1801 to May 1802 | 163 |
Baudin in Tasmanian Waters 1802 | 202 |
Epilogue Baudin and Flinders Reputations | 462 |
Appendices | 479 |
ShipwreckSamuel Smiths Account of the Disaster at Wreck Reef | 481 |
A Day in the Life of Matthew Flinders Prisoner | 483 |
Roll Call | 486 |
Weights Measures and Currency | 492 |
Notes | 493 |
A Note on Sources | 506 |
Port Jackson Interlude April to November 1802 | 242 |
Flinders Triumph and Tragedy July 1802 to December 1803 | 289 |
The Shadow of a Captain on a Ghost Ship December 1802 to August 1803 | 334 |
Nemesis Isle de France Death Detention Deliverance 1803 to 1810 | 371 |
Finale | 418 |
| 509 | |
Acknowledgements | 517 |
| 520 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Admiralty anchor anchorage appeared arrival ashore Australia Bass Bass Strait Baudin beach boat botanist British Cape Cape Leeuwin Captain Baudin Captain Flinders carried Casuarina charts coast collections colony command crew Decaen deck Diemen's Land discovery dispatches east England English expedition explore fire Fowler François Péron French fresh Freycinet friends Géographe Governor King Gulf Hamelin harbour head Holland honour Horner ibid Ingleton Investigator Island Isle de France journal kangaroos Kupang Lady Nelson later Le Havre leave Lesueur Lieutenant longboat Louis de Freycinet Marine Matthew Flinders Midshipman miles Milius morning Naturaliste naval navigator Nicolas Baudin night officers orders Paris party passage Péron Port Jackson prisoner reef remained Riedlé sailed sailors seamen seemed sent Shark Bay ship ship's shore Sir Joseph soon South Wales Strait survey Sydney Terra Australis Timor Van Diemen's Land vessel voyage weather wind writes wrote