Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia, Performed between the Years 1818 and 1822
With an Appendix Containing Various Subjects Relating to Hydrography and Natural History

This 1827 two-volume work describes the Royal Navy's 1817–22 surveying expedition to chart the coastal regions of Australia.

Phillip Parker King (Author)

9781108045971, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 26 April 2012

664 pages, 14 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 3.7 cm, 0.83 kg

This two-volume work by Captain Phillip Parker King (1791–1856) was published in 1827, and describes the Royal Navy's 1817–22 surveying expedition to chart the coastal regions of Australia. King carried out the surveys in two successive ships, the Mermaid, which was declared unseaworthy in 1820, and the newly commissioned Bathurst. He worked on the charts, which were published by the Hydrographic Office, for two years after his return to England. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, and later undertook a similar surveying voyage, in which he was accompanied by Captain Fitzroy on the Beagle, around the coast of South America. The book is derived from the author's journal, and describes not only the voyages but also the towns and settlements of the region. Volume 2 continues the survey along the north and west coasts of Australia, and contains an appendix describing winds, currents, ports and islands.

1. Survey upon the Mermaid
2. Passage from Cape Van Diemen to Careening Bay
3. Departure from Port Louis
4. Leave King George the Third's Sound, and commence the survey of the West Coast at Rottnest Island
5. The Bathurst sails for England
Appendix.

Subject Areas: Australasian & Pacific history [HBJM]