Cirrus@Austlit

19th-Century Australian Travel Writing

Captain Phillip Parker King, Royal Navy, F.R.S., F.L.S., (1791-1856) was member of the Royal Asiatic Society of London, hydrographer and company manager. In Narrative of a Survey, King presents a detailed survey of his exploration of the coasts of Australia, presenting information relating to hydrography and natural history. The work was illustrated by plates, charts and woodcuts, and included appendices on Aboriginal vocabularies. King wrote in a diary form with precise information on the weather and location. In the preface to his work, King noted that the rapidly increasing importance of the Australian colonies has rendered the subject of great interest, specifically the geography and assemblage of animal and vegetable productions. As such, King published his journal to accompany the Atlas of the Charts of the Coast recently published by the Board of Admiralty. The preface also quoted Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy and the engravings are from King’s own sketches.