1800 Flinders and Arrowsmith Map of Tasmania

One of the first maps to depict Tasmania as a separate island.

This circa 1800 Dutch edition of Matthew Flinders' chart of Bass Strait and Van Diemen's Land records the surveys that helped establish Tasmania's insularity in European cartography and is among the first maps to depict Tasmania as a separate island. Engraved by Cornelis van Baarsel after the chart Aaron Arrowsmith published in 1800, it follows Flinders and George Bass through the strait and around Tasmania in the colonial sloop Norfolk. Its tracks, differentiated coastlines, and extensive Dutch annotations preserve both Flinders' achievements and the limitations of this reconnaissance, distinguishing surveyed shores from the vast stretches still imperfectly known.

A Closer Look

The chart encompasses Tasmania, the islands of eastern Bass Strait, and the opposing mainland coast from Western Port and Wilsons Promontory northeastward beyond Cape Howe. The mainland is identified as Nieuw Zuid Wales, reflecting the contemporary colonial designation rather than the later division between New South Wales and Victoria. In this example, green outlines distinguish the mainland, pink follows much of Tasmania's surveyed coastline, and yellow picks out the Furneaux and Hunter island groups.

From these broad outlines, the contrast between Tasmania's western and eastern shores is particularly revealing. Along the north and west, a strongly engraved, colored coastline closely accompanies the expedition's track. Much of the eastern coast is instead ghosted, with few coastal particulars. The island's separation from the mainland is unequivocal, but the chart does not pretend that circumnavigation produced a thorough examination of every shore.

Successive voyages are distinguished in the track legend: Flinders' passage in the schooner Francis in 1798, the Norfolk expedition of 1798 - 1799, and Bass's earlier whaleboat exploration. Their intersecting courses make the chart a record of accumulating evidence. Abrupt changes of direction, repeated coastal approaches, dated positions, and scattered soundings reflect the practical circumstances of maritime reconnaissance.

Against this navigational record, Port Dalrymple, at the Tamar estuary on Tasmania's northern coast, receives substantially more attention than the island's largely empty interior. The winding entrance is delineated and annotated, while the Derwent and southeastern bays form another concentration of coastal detail. Two substantial blocks of Dutch text occupy otherwise unmapped land areas, supplementing the chart with geographical and nautical information. The circular title at lower right credits Flinders as a lieutenant of HMS Reliance working under Governor Hunter's orders; the separate inscription within Tasmania identifies the Norfolk as the vessel used for the circumnavigation.

Establishing Tasmania's Insularity

Matthew Flinders (1774 - 1814) and naval surgeon George Bass (1771 - 1803) approached the question through separate preliminary voyages. Bass's whaleboat expedition of 1797 - 1798 reached Western Port, while Flinders examined the Furneaux Islands during the Francis voyage in 1798. Their subsequent expedition in the Norfolk, authorized by Governor John Hunter, aimed to determine whether Van Diemen's Land was connected to the Australian mainland.

Following these preliminary voyages, they departed Port Jackson on October 7, 1798, examined the strait's eastern entrance, and worked westward along Tasmania's northern coast. At Port Dalrymple, Flinders surveyed the waterways while Bass investigated the surrounding country. Continuing around the island's western and southern shores, they reached the Derwent before returning to Port Jackson in January 1799. Flinders' surviving narrative describes both how they divided the work and the pressure imposed by Hunter's instructions to return within twelve weeks. It also records the governor's naming of Bass Strait in recognition of Bass's earlier whaleboat exploration.

Publication History and Census

Aaron Arrowsmith (1750 - 1823) first published the English chart in London on June 16, 1800. The present Dutch version was engraved immediately after by Cornelis van Baarsel (1761 - 1826), whose signature appears beneath the title. It was issued in association with Jan David Pasteur's Dutch compilation of Cook's voyages, Reize rondom de waereld, published by Honkoop, Allart, and Van Cleef. As a result, its inclusion advanced the geographical account beyond Cook's voyages to incorporate Flinders' and Bass's recent work. The engraved dates 1798 - 1799 refer to the surveys, not a separate publication date for this Dutch impression.

Recorded examples of the Dutch chart are held by the National Library of Australia, the State Library of Tasmania, and Flinders University Library. Additional examples are held by the Rijksmuseum, the Nationaal Archief, and the German Maritime Museum, Bremerhaven. Rare on the market.

Cartographers

Matthew Flinders (March 16, 1774 - July 19, 1840) was a British navigator and cartographer, renowned for his pioneering work in charting the coastline of Australia. Born in Lincolnshire, England, Flinders studied at Cowley's Charity School in Donington from 1780, and then at the Reverend John Shinglar's Grammar School in Horbling, Lincolnshire. He joined the Royal Navy at 15, having developed a passion for naval exploration after reading Robinson Crusoe. He was part of several exploratory and military voyages, including one under the notorious William Bligh, and steadily rose in rank. In 1798, as a lieutenant, he embarked on an expedition exploring the Australian coast. Over the course of his voyages, Flinders meticulously charted much of the Australian coastline, including the circumnavigation of the continent, confirming it as a single landmass. He is often falsely credited with being the first person to use the name Australia to describe the entire continent; however, he did encourage this usage. Flinders' work significantly contributed to the understanding of Australia's geography and was instrumental in developing safe sea routes for future maritime exploration and trade. Despite facing numerous challenges, including shipwrecks and a lengthy imprisonment by the French on the island of Mauritius due to suspicions during the Napoleonic Wars, Flinders remained dedicated to his scientific pursuits. Flinders died, aged 40, on July 19, 1814, from kidney disease, at his home at 14 London Street (Maple Street), London. This was on the day after his book, A Voyage to Terra Australis, and its accompanying atlas were published. The location of his grave was lost until it was rediscovered by archaeologists in 2019. Flinders is scheduled to be reburied in the summer of 2024.    Further Details...

Aaron Arrowsmith (1750-1823), John Arrowsmith (1790-1873), and Samuel Arrowsmith. The Arrowsmith family were noted map engravers, publishers, geographers, and cartographers active in the late 18th and early 19th century. The Arrowsmith firm was founded by Aaron Arrowsmith, who was trained in surveying and engraving under John Cary and William Faden. Arrowsmith founded the Arrowsmith firm as a side business while employed by Cary. The firm specialized in large format individual issue maps containing the most up to date and sophisticated information available. Arrowsmith's work drew the attention of the Prince of Wales who, in 1810, named him Hydrographer to the Prince of Wales, and subsequently, in 1820, Hydrographer to the King. Aaron Arrowsmith was succeeded by two sons, Aaron and Samuel, who followed him in the map publication business. The Arrowsmith firm eventually fell to John Arrowsmith (1790-1873), nephew of the elder Aaron. John was a founding member of the Royal Geographical Society. The firm is best known for their phenomenal large format mappings of North America. Mount Arrowsmith, situated east of Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, is named for Aaron Arrowsmith and his nephew John Arrowsmith.   Further Details...

Cornelis van Baarsel (November 15, 1761 – August 17, 1826) was a Dutch engraver, cartographer, and draftsman active in Amsterdam during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Baarsel was born in Utrecht, the son of Cornelis van Baarsel Sr., a grocer who subsequently moved his family to Amsterdam. Initially trained in his father's trade, he showed a greater aptitude for drawing than commerce. After unsuccessful employment in a cloth shop and an apothecary, he reportedly spent several years at sea before returning to Amsterdam to pursue an artistic career. In 1789, he married Dorothea Catharina Veelwaard (1758 - 1836), a member of an established Amsterdam family of engravers and copperplate printers. Encouraged by his wife's family, Van Baarsel established himself as an independent engraver in 1789, specializing in cartography. His workshop was probably located on the Haarlemmerdijk in Amsterdam. During the reign of Louis Bonaparte (1806 - 1810), King of Holland, Van Baarsel was appointed principal engraver at the military cartographic depot, working in Amsterdam and The Hague. Following Louis's abdication in 1810, he moved to Paris, where he continued engraving maps for the military authorities. He returned to Amsterdam in 1815 and resumed private commissions. Van Baarsel produced numerous maps of the Netherlands and its overseas possessions, collaborating with prominent publishers and engravers, including Cornelis Covens and P. N. Tuyn. He trained his son, Willem Cornelis van Baarsel (1791 - 1854), who joined the family workshop, with their collaborative engravings appearing under the imprint C. van Baarsel & Zoon from approximately 1817. Following Cornelis's death in Amsterdam on August 17, 1826, Willem Cornelis continued the engraving business under his own name.   Further Details...

Source

Pasteur, J. D., Reize rondom de waereld, (Leiden, Amsterdam, and The Hague: Honkoop, Allart, and Van Cleef) 1795–1809.    

Condition

Very good. Even toning. Light wear along original fold lines. Blank on verso.

References

National Library of Australia. 912.196576. OCLC 220799705. Tooley, R.V., The Mapping of Australia and Antarctica, No. 227, pt. 205. Rijksmuseum, #RP-P-2018-1184.