This original manuscript map of Australia, drawn and

Acquired From: Gowrie Galleries

Colouring: Uncoloured

Condition: Very Good

Confirmed: Yes

Date Acquired: 17/8/2005

Dealers ID No.: M814 (STK 1513.01)

Description: This original manuscript map of Australia, drawn and annotated by Allan Cunningham in 1822, represents a rare intersection of early botanical science and exploration cartography. Created following Cunninghams return from Phillip Parker Kings fourth surveying expedition, it charts the observed and inferred distribution of Scaevola spinescens, the native Australian fan-flower, across the continent.nTranscription of the text beneath the map: "A rough outline of the general form of a part of the coasts of Terra Australis from Lat. 20, to the South Coast, intended to show the geographical range of Scaevola spinescens, a plant peculiar to that Continent, and also to exhibit the vast tract of country intersected by the triangles formed by such a wide dispersion. This plant was discovered by Mr Brown upon the South Coast, but in what Meridian, or whether generally scattered along that arid line of shore is not stated. From the Circumstance of its being observed abundantly, in Long. 146E in the parallel of Port Jackson, the Vicinity of Spencers Gulf (as being nearly the same distance from the Interior Site of growth as any other part of the Coast, & which was particularly examined by Capt. Flinders,) has been presumed: the triangles are therefore formed from a point in the Neighbourhood of that deep Bight to its interior situation thence their lines crop the Continent diagonally to the shores of Exmouth Gulf in Lat. 21 and Long. 114 and to Dirk Hartogs Island, at both which parts of the Western Coast this plant was observed during the late voyages."nThe map outlines parts of the Australian coast, including Port Jackson, Spencer Gulf, Kangaroo Island, Swan River, and Rottnest Island, divided by grid lines of latitude and longitude. Cunninghams construction of geographic triangles based on known sightings of Scaevola spinescens demonstrates an early ecological method for interpreting plant distribution across vast and largely unexplored interiors.nAllan Cunninghams path to scientific exploration began at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, under the patronage of Sir Joseph Banks, who selected him as an overseas collector, formally titled "Kings Botanist to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew." After an initial assignment in Brazil, Cunningham arrived in Australia in December 1816.nSoon after his arrival, Cunningham participated in John Oxleys 1817 expedition to trace the courses of the Lachlan and Macquarie Rivers, following on the work of George William Evans, who had been the first European to cross the Blue Mountains and discover the Bathurst Plains. These explorations, spurred by Evans reports of fertile lands and Governor Lachlan Macquaries encouragement, marked the first major incursions into the Australian interior.nIn 1817 Cunningham also joined the first of four surveying voyages under the command of Phillip Parker King. Commissioned by the Admiralty and Colonial Office, King was tasked with completing the survey of the north and northwest coasts of Australia regions not fully charted by Flinders or Baudin. King was instructed to leave tangible evidence of British exploration to pre-empt territorial claims by rival colonial powers, and to investigate the navigability of rivers encountered along the coastline.nCunningham accompanied King on all four voyages (18171822), aboard the Mermaid and later Bathurst. These expeditions resulted in comprehensive surveys of the Barrier Reef, Torres Strait, Arnhem Land, and the western coasts. Cunninghams botanical fieldwork during these voyages was prolific: he collected vast numbers of specimens, many of which are preserved today at Kew.nAmong his notable discoveries was the first European collection of the boab tree (Adansonia gregorii) in fruit, observed at Lacrosse Island in the Cambridge Gulf during the 1819 voyage. He described it in his journal as a "large gouty tree" bearing fruit even amid extreme drought conditions. Cunningham also documented specimens at Careening Bay, where Kings crew famously inscribed "HMC Mermaid 1820" into a living boab, still visible today.nFollowing his major exploratory contributions, Cunningham was offered the position of Colonial Botanist in 1832, initially declining in favour of his brother Richard Cunningham. However, after Richards tragic death in 1835 during Thomas Mitchells inland expedition, Allan accepted the post, though he found it unsatisfactory and resigned soon after.nThis finely executed manuscript page not only reflects Cunninghams botanical and cartographic skill but also embodies early scientific attempts to visualise plant ecology across an emerging continent. His innovative approach to inferring distribution patterns based on limited field observations building from prior work by Robert Brown aboard Flinders Investigator voyage demonstrates the evolving intersection of exploration, botany, and early environmental science in the early nineteenth century.

First published: Original Manuscript, Drawn 1822.

Mapmaker: Cunningham, Allan (1791-1839)

Price: A8,500 plus gst

Primary Category: Southern Continent

Purchase Reference: Inv. 2784

Rarity: R1 Extremely rare – occasionally seen on the market

Sheet size (cm): 33.6×20.7

Technique: Manuscript