The Life of Captain Matthew FlindersScott, Ernest, Sir
History
The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders
Scott, Ernest, Sir
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Flinders, Matthew, 1774-1814
This one was written from the Cape in November: "Write to me constantly;
write me pages and volumes. Tell me the dress thou wearest, tell me thy
dreams, anything, so do but talk to me and of thyself. When thou art
sitting at thy needle and alone, then think of me, my love, and write me
the uppermost of thy thoughts. Fill me half a dozen sheets, and send them
when thou canst. Think only, my dearest girl upon the gratification which
the perusal and reperusal fifty times repeated will afford me, and thou
wilt write me something or other every day. Adieu, my dearest, best love.
Heaven bless thee with health and comfort, and preserve thy full
affection towards thy very own, Matthew Flinders."
To return from these personal relations to the voyage: Some days before
the Investigator reached Madeira, a Swedish brig was met, and had to
receive a lesson in nautical manners during war-time. The incident is
reported by seaman Samuel Smith with a pretty mixture of pronouns,
genders and tenses: "At night we was piped all hands in the middle watch
to quarters. A brig was bearing down upon our starboard bow. Our Captn
spoke her, but receiving no answer we fired a gun past his stern. Tacked
ship and spoke her, which proved to be a Swede."* (* Manuscript, Mitchell
Library: "Journal of Samuel Smith, Seaman, who served on board the
Investigator, Captain Flinders, on a voyage of discovery in the South
Seas." The manuscript covers 52 small quarto pages, and is neatly
written. Some of Smith's dates are wrong. It may be noted here that
Smith, on his return from the voyage, was impressed in the Downs and
retained in the Navy till 1815. He died at Thornton's Court, Manchester,
in 1821, aged 50. He was therefore 30 years of age when he made this
voyage.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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