What were the hardships that Matthew flinders have to face?

Answer 1

During his earlier career, Flinders probably only experienced the standard hardships of a naval life.

However, later in his career there are a number of notable incidents of hardship and bad-luck.

In late 1802, with half of his circumnavigation of Australia completed, his ship the Investigator was found to be rotting. For the rest of the voyage back to Sydney he and his crew lived in fear of hitting some reef or sandbar which might cause the ship to sink. Upon his return to Sydney the Investigator was condemned. Ultimately this ended his exploration career.

On the return to Sydney they stopped in at Timor to get fresh supplies. The water they took on board was foul so dysentery and scurvy broke out aboard ship. By the time they reached Sydney, Flinders feet were so badly affected by scurvy-related ulcers what he could not walk and was forced to take leave to allow for his recuperation.

With the Investigator condemned, Flinders in 1803 was forced to return to England in another ship the Porpoise. This and another ship struck an uncharted reef in the Coral Sea and all were shipwrecked. Flinders took an open boat and a crew and barely managed to sail/row nearly 1000 km back to Sydney to raise the alarm. By the time they made it to Sydney they were out of food, and Flinders looked so bedraggled that not even Governor King recognised him.

Flinders was given the small ship the Cumberland in which he picked up his papers and charts of his exploration from Wreck Reef, and sailed for England. However, the Cumberland leaked badly and the pumps were rotten. He was forced to put in at the French held island of Mauritius in the Indian ocean to make repairs. Little did he know that Britain and France were again at war, and he was imprisoned as a spy for nearly 7 years.

During that time he lost one of his closest companions - his ship's cat named "Trim". He was devastated by the loss - fearing that the locals had eaten the cat.

His maps had been confiscated by the French and they attempted to publish his charts as if they were French discoveries.

After finally being freed by a British blockade of the island, he had not seen his wife for a decade.

Upon returning to England, over the next few years he set about writing a 2 volume journal of his discoveries but it became increasingly obvious that his health was failing from some sort of serious stomach complaint; often leaving him in intense pain.

In 1814, after completing the journals he collapsed into bed never to leave it again. A published copy of his journals was rushed to his bedside but he had already lapsed into a coma. He died the next day, at the age of 40, never setting his eyes on the completed work.

Answer 2

As Matthew Flinders was sailing back to Port Jackson his boat was leaking badly.

On his way back to London Matthew flinders had to stop in France for ship repairs, while he was there thought he was a spy so they locked him up in prison and stole his charts.