Though He Possessed
Passports From The French Government, He Was Detained At The Isle Of
France, Under The Absurd Pretence That He Was A Spy.
All his books, charts,
and papers were seized; and he himself was kept a prisoner in a miserable
room for nearly four months.
He was afterwards removed to the garden
prison, a situation not so uncomfortable and prejudicial to his health as
that from which he was taken; at length, in consequence of an application
from the Royal Society to the National Institute, the French government
sent an order for his liberation; but it was not received, or, at least, it
was not acted upon till the year 1810; for it was not till that year that
Captain Flinders was permitted to leave the Isle of France: he arrived in
England on the 24th of October of that year.
There are few voyages from which more important accessions to geographical
knowledge have been derived, than from this voyage of Captain Flinders,
especially when we reflect on the great probability that New Holland will
soon rank high in population and wealth. Before his voyage, it was
doubtful, whether New Holland was not divided into two great islands, by a
strait passing between Bass' Straits and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Captain
Flinders has put an end to all doubts on this point: he examined the coast
in the closest and most accurate manner: he found indeed two great
openings; these he sailed up to their termination; and, consequently, as
there were no other openings, and these were mere inlets, New Holland can
no longer be supposed to be divided into two great islands, but must be
regarded as forming one very large one; or, rather, from its immense size,
a species of continent.
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