THE NAMING OF AUSTRALIA.

FLINDERS, MATTHEW. - THE NAMING OF AUSTRALIA.

Observations upon the Marine Barometer, made during the Examination of the Coasts of New Holland and New South Wales, in the years 1801, 1802, and 1803. Read March 27, 1806.

London, W. Bulmer and Co., 1806. 4to. No wrappers as extracted from "Philosophical Transactions" 1806 - Part II. Pp. 239-268. Having also the titlepage to the volume (Part II, 1806). A faint bit of soiling to outer right margin of the first 2 leaves, otherwise clean and wide-margined.

First printing of this important paper relating Flinder's observations on the ship "Investigator" when exploring the coast of Australia. IN THE PAPER THE NAME "AUSTRALIA" APPEARS PROBABLY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A SCIENTIFIC MEMOIR (p. 247).

The name Australia was popularised by Matthew Flinders, who pushed for the name to be formally adopted as early as 1804. When preparing his manuscript and charts for his 1814 A Voyage to Terra Australis, he was persuaded by his patron, Sir Joseph Banks, to use the term Terra Australis as this was the name most familiar to the public. Flinders did so, but allowed himself the footnote:
"Had I permitted myself any innovation on the original term, it would have been to convert it to Australia; as being more agreeable to the ear, and an assimilation to the names of the other great portions of the earth." In the paper offered he used the name "Australia" as early as 1806.

"Captain Matthew Flinders RN (16 March 1774 - 19 July 1814) was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been known as New Holland. He survived shipwreck and disaster only to be imprisoned for violating the terms of his scientific passport by changing ships and carrying prohibited papers. He identified and corrected the effect upon compass readings of iron components and equipment on board wooden ships and he wrote what may be the first work on early Australian exploration A Voyage to Terra Australis."(Wikepedia)

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