The Life Of Captain Matthew Flinders

The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders is a biography written by Ernest Scott. The book chronicles the life of Matthew Flinders, a British navigator and cartographer who is credited with circumnavigating Australia and mapping its coastline. Flinders was born in 1774 and joined the Royal Navy at the age of 15. He was appointed to lead an expedition to chart the coast of Australia in 1801, and spent the next three years exploring and mapping the continent. The book describes Flinders' encounters with the Indigenous peoples of Australia, as well as his interactions with other explorers and colonial officials. It also covers his imprisonment by the French on the island of Mauritius, where he spent six years before being released and returning to England. The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders provides a detailed account of Flinders' achievements and contributions to the field of cartography, as well as his personal life and relationships. It is a comprehensive and engaging biography that offers readers a glimpse into the life of one of the most important explorers of the early 19th century.There never was, until Flinders applied himself to the task, any deliberately-planned, systematic, persistent exploration of any portion of the Australian coast. The continent grew on the map of the world gradually, slowly, almost accidentally. It emerged out of the unknown, like some vast mythical monster heaving its large shoulders dank and dripping from the unfathomed sea, and metamorphosed by a kiss from the lips of knowledge into a being fair to look upon and rich in kindly favours. It took two centuries and a half for civilised mankind to know Australia, even in form, from the time when it was clearly understood that there was such a country, until at length it was mapped, measured and circumnavigated.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.