Series 66: 'Letters about Captn Flinders while a prisoner on Isle of France [Mauritius]', 1804-1808.

series

1002221

17 items of textual material

After completing his circumnavigation of the Australiancontinent in the crank HMS Investigator, Matthew Flinderswas returning to England on board the Cumberland whichalso proved defective. Flinders was forced to anchor at the Frenchcontrolled island of Mauritius in December 1803 where he wasimmediately placed under arrest by General De Caen.

Many intercessions were made on Flinders' behalf to the Frenchgovernment, the National Institute of France and other bodies. SirJoseph Banks repeatedly petitioned the National Institute for therelease of Flinders.

Flinders' detention on Mauritius lasted six and a halfyears.

Document 2 in this series was previously located at ML A83. Itis part of an accession of Banks papers purchased for the MitchellLibrary from Sotheby's, London, in May 1929.

Documents 4 and 5 in this series were previously located at MLA79-4. The remaining documents were previously located at ML A79-5.These papers, purchased in 1884 from Lord Brabourne by Sir SaulSamuel, the Agent-General for New South Wales, were transferred tothe Mitchell Library in 1910. They were part of the accession whichbecame known as the Brabourne collection.

Some of these letters were used in Historical records of NewSouth Wales, vol. 5 (1897), and include notes and annotationsmade by the compilers.

It is now not possible to reconstruct Banks' originalarrangement, the series has therefore been arrangedchronologically.