Description
Shows boats in the small harbour on Malden Island in the South Pacific.
Captain Samuel Bunker of the whaler Alexander of Nantucket was the first European to sight Malden Island on 25 March 1825. In his journal, he mentioned that the island had also been seen by the Sarah Ann of London and the Independence of Nantucket, both whaling vessels. This may explain why Malden Island was once known as “Independence Island” and why “Sarah Ann Island” was believed to exist but was actually a phantom island. Although Bunker couldn’t land on the island, he observed it and sailed on the next day.
On 30 July 1825, the British warship HMS Blonde, commanded by Captain The 7th Lord Byron, sighted Malden Island again. Byron was returning to London from a mission to repatriate the remains of the young king and queen of Hawaii, who had died of measles during a visit to Britain. Lieutenant Charles Robert Malden, navigator of the Blonde, briefly explored the island and it was named after him. Andrew Bloxam, a naturalist, and James Macrae, a botanist, joined in exploring the island and recorded their observations. Malden Island may have been sighted by another captain, William Clark of the whaling vessel Winslow, in 1823.
From the original edition of the Illustrated Australian News.
Collections:
State Library Victoria: Accession no: IAN 24/03/66/5
