In terms of pure discovery and scientific
object, the voyage paid handsomely.
Flinders filled in the gaps on the charts
of Australia’s southern coastline, gathered
botanical and zoological specimens, recorded
tide patterns and conducted himself with
distinction – notably in leading a gallant
rescue mission for shipwreck survivors.
But the Investigator itself was eventually
condemned as unseaworthy and he tried to
get back to England on an unsuitable craft,
HMS Cumberland. If Ann had been with
him in Australia, it is unlikely he would have
taken such a risk. The replacement ship was
a disaster, too small for such a long voyage
and leaking as badly as the abandoned
Investigator. He interrupted the passage,
therefore, for repairs on French-controlled
Mauritius – an innocent error of judgment,
because war had again broken out between
Britain and France. To make his position
even more vulnerable, Flinders was carrying
a passport attesting to scientific survey by the
Investigator, not the Cumberland.