ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 41 | October 1999
The collections
Old maps newly acquired
Known for his outstanding scholarship and knowledge about the explorer Matthew Flinders, Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Chapman Ingleton complemented a distinguished Australian naval career with a lifetime passionbuilding a collection of maps, charts, books and other material relating to the maritime history of Australia.
Beginning in 1971, Ingleton systematically began to disperse his collection through meticulously written catalogues, which he compiled for auctions usually mounted by the firm James R. Lawson Pty Ltd. The last of the sales was held on 2 August 1999, 17 months after his death in March 1998.
This final sale was different to the others because the quality and accuracy of Ingletons catalogue entries were missing.
At the sale, the Library was fortunate to acquire 15 items which not only enhance the existing collection but also fill significant known gaps. Among the items were four mid- to late nineteenth-century Spanish hydrographic charts of Australian waters that complement the pioneering chart of 1815 by the Spanish hydro-grapher, Jose de Espinosa y Tello. In addition, there are 11 late nineteenth-century French charts of Australian and Pacific waters by the Service Hydrographique de la Marine that offset Freycinets earlier explorations, and a 1909 printed survey of Lord Howe Island, one of the earliest published surveys of that Territory.
Perhaps the two most rewarding items acquired from the sale were John William Nories This Chart of the East Indian and Pacific Oceans 1816, which was missing from the Tooley collection when that was purchased in the early 1970s, and Aaron Arrowsmiths Hydrographical Chart of the World According to Wrights or Mercators Projection, 1811.
Norie was a significant British hydrographer with a business that continued to flourish for the best part of the nineteenth century through various owners. This particular map, appearing after Flinders detailed charting of the Australian coastline, adds further dimension by providing information on marine, coal and timber resources to be found on and around the continent.
Arrowsmith was the founder of a distinguished family of cartographers which contributed to the mapping of Australia during the nineteenth century. His magnificent, two-sheet map of the world shows known and imagined navigation hazards in all the earths oceans!
Another significant acquisition was also acquired through an American dealer. Carte des declinaisons et inclinaisons de lAiguille aimantee redigee dapres la table des observations magnetiques faites par les voyageurs depuis lannee 1775, records the first detailed documentation of the earths magentism. The eight charts that constitute the map were probably compiled from the reports of La Perouses last voyage in the Pacific and are by Jean-Charles Borda. Recorded within 15 years of the first European settlement of Australia, the title consists of a double-sheet dual polar view and seven other numbered charts.
The charts provide a benchmark from which subsequent shifts of the earths magnetic field can be measured. Shifts of this type are important in determining the accuracy of readings taken by Australian explorers as well as assisting in modern international travel and communication systems.
Above left: Detail
from Aaron Arrowsmith's hydrographical chart of the world,1811
Please address any comments and enquiries to The Editor, Gateways: lkirwan@nla.gov.au