advancing the surge of colonisation.
Matthew Flinders, with hand-picked
specialists among his crew, further enriched
the body of knowledge by observing and
collecting exotic species of animal and plant
life. In addition, his presence shored up
Britain’s colonial possessions at a time when
French expeditions were creating concerns
that they might be seizing territory for
themselves. Yet Flinders himself, unlike Jane
Austen’s Captain Wentworth, would reap
meagre monetary rewards. His only true
prize was the extraordinary devotion, loyalty
and patience displayed by Ann Chappelle.
Records indicate Ann was born on November
21, 1772 (although other accounts favour 1770),
the daughter of a merchant ship’s captain,
John Chappelle. She suffered reverses in
childhood: the early death of her father and,
when she was about 12, an attack of smallpox
that blinded her permanently in one eye.
Ann’s mother was married again, to a
clergyman, the Rev William Tyler. This newly
created family struck up a friendship, through
church attendance, with fellow parishioners
named Franklin. They, in turn, were related
to the Flinders family, and a strong social
bond developed between the households. It
remains unclear as to when Matthew and
Ann first met. What is known, however, is
that Matthew was a prolific correspondent,
addressing tales of his adventures to his
“charming sisters” – meaning, in those days
when letters were freely passed around for
extended enjoyment, the young ladies of the
Flinders, Franklin and Tyler establishments.
Ann, accordingly, soon became aware of
Matthew, the boy with a love for the sea.
After serving on the 74-gun warship
Bellerophon, he applied successfully in 1791
for an extraordinary voyage under Captain
William Bligh. That famous, and no longer
notorious, seaman had by now been acquitted
of misconduct in the “mutiny on the Bounty”
affair and selected to lead a second so-
called breadfruit expedition. This inventive
campaign was aimed at transplanting
breadfruit, a vigorous and high-yield tree
bearing fruit rich in vitamin C that grew
in the south Pacific. The idea was to collect
young trees in abundance then re-plant them
in the Caribbean as a staple food for slaves.
The driving force behind the endeavour was
Sir Joseph Banks, who had been the botanist
on Cook’s voyage to Australia 20 years earlier.
He also happened to be a privy counsellor at
the royal court and a wealthy Lincolnshire
landowner, a geographical tie of significance
that helped to promote long-term prospects
for Flinders.
The first breadfruit expedition, involving
the Bounty in 1787, had culminated in violent
insurrection. Bligh and 18 loyal crew members
were set adrift, by mutineers, in an open boat.
They reached safety in the Dutch East Indies
47 days later, with the loss of just one man,
after a 4,000-mile escape that demonstrated
the captain’s remarkable seamanship.