Directions for sailing to and from the East Indies, China, New Holland, Cape of Good hope, Brazil and the interjacent ports

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Directions for sailing to and from the East Indies, China, New Holland, Cape of Good hope, Brazil and the interjacent ports

Author James Horsburgh

Publisher Black Parry & Kingsbury

Date1809

Object number00002670

NameBook

MediumInk on paper

DimensionsOverall: 66 x 268 x 220 mm, 2.3 kg
Display dimensions (Open): 266 x 427 mm

ClassificationsBooks and journals

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionThis book by James Horsburgh was published in 1809. It was chiefly compiled from the original journals at East India House and from the journals and observations Horsburgh made during 21 years navigating in the East Indies. Horsburgh's Directory was used throughout the first half of the 19th century for navigation through Asia.HistoryJames Horsburgh (1762 – 1836) was a hydrographer who worked for the East India Company. Horsburgh became a hydrographer following his experiences as a youth at sea. Born in Scotland, at the age of 16 Horsburgh became a sailor; however he was captured by the French at Dunkirk. Following his release, he voyaged to Calcutta and the West Indies. On a voyage from Batavia to Ceylon in 1786 on the ship ATLAS, Horsburgh was shipwrecked on Diego Garcia, an island in the Chagos Archipelago off the southern coast of India. After finding his way back to India, Horsburgh was spurred on to produce accurate maps. In the late 18th and early 19th century he also produced maps of seaways around Singapore. Horsburgh's navigational directory was used throughout the first half of the 19th Century until the first accurate maps of the central Indian Ocean were published by Robert Moresby. Moresby surveyed the trade routes to the Maldives, Chagos and Laccadives in the 1830s. He named a small atoll in the Maldives after James Horsburgh in recognition of his hydrographic work. Horsburgh Island in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands is named after James Horsburgh.SignificanceThis book is a rare and celebrated early Australian navigational directory.