Description
Seminal map of the southern portion of Eyre Peninsula and is the earliest map of Port Lincoln by Louis Freycinet the cartographer on the important French voyage under the command of Nicholas Baudin in the Le Geographe in 1802 and Le Casuarina in 1803.
A large inset of Port Lincoln at lower left and the map records the tracks the ships.
After setting sail in October 1800, Baudin sighted Cape Leeuwin on 27 April 1801 and three days later, Geographe Bay. He then sailed north in the Le Geographe and, after examining the coast as far as Cape Leveque, sailed on to Timor where he arrived on 21 August. Le Naturaliste, captained by Jacques Hamelin, joined the Geographe after having also explored the west coast. The two ships then left Timor to complete the survey of Australia’s southern coast, arriving off Van Diemen’s Land on 13 January 1802 and surveying the D’Entrecasteaux Channel for more than a month before sailing north towards Banks Strait. Baudin then made a survey westward from Wilson’s Promontory, naming the coast Terre Napoleon. In Encounter Bay, he crossed paths with Matthew Flinders who was undertaking his own survey of the coast. After making their way to Sydney, the Naturaliste returned to France and Baudin acquired a new ship, the Casuarina, of which Freycinet was made commander. Baudin then returned to Timor before sailing to Mauritius where he died on 16 September 1803. The Freycinet chart of Australia has the coast west of Wilson’s Promontory named ‘Terre Napoleon’ and includes place names in French, ignoring most of Flinders’s charting and attributions which were not published until 1814, as he had been imprisoned in Mauritius for six years.
From Peron, Voyage de decouvertes aux terres australes execute par ordre de S.M.L’Empereur et Roi sur les Corvettes le Geographe, le Naturaliste, et la Goelette le Casuarina, pendant les annees 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, & 1804.
References:
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 978/9.
Hill, J. The Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages. San Diego 1974 – 1329.
Perry, T. & Prescott, D. A guide to maps of Australia in books published 1780-1830. Canberra 1996 – p.190 1812.15
Tooley, R.V. The Mapping of Australia. London 1979 – 640
Wantrup, J. Australian Rare Books. Sydney 1987 – pp.153-159, c.78-81, 82.
Collections:
National Gallery Victoria: Accession Number 2010.96.16
National Library Australia: Bib ID 789810
Bibliotheque Nationale de France: Identifier : ark:/12148/bpt6k74602q
