[AUSTRALIA-QLD] Whitsunday Isles to Magn…

George Henry Richards FRS (1820 - 1896)

Richards was a hydrographer of the Royal Navy from 1864 to 1874. He was the second British commissioner to the San Juan Islands Boundary Commission and a hydrographer on the coast of British Columbia in from 1857–1862. He was responsible for the selection and designation of dozens of place names along the British Columbia coast. In 1864 he was appointed hydrographer and held that position until 1874 when he retired. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June 1866, knighted in 1877, made Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1881 and became an admiral in 1884.

View other items by George Henry Richards FRS

Hydrographic charting of Australia History ( - )

Naval policy dictated that Admiralty charts be destroyed when superseded to avoid navigational error. It was during Rear Admiral John Washington’s period as the Admiralty’s hydrographer, 1855-1863, that a series of agreements were drawn up with the Australian colonies. These agreements provided boats and crews for use by officers lent from the Royal Navy to chart the coasts and shoal waters in the approaches to the rapidly developing towns, communication with which was seriously hampered by the the frequency of shipwrecks. It had been the discovery of gold and the consequent rush of miners and emigrants from not only England but California that added greatly the numbers of ships sailing to Australia’s east coast. This led to numerous petitions being made to Her Majesty’s Government to chart the eastern approaches to Australia to make for safer passage for shipping.

View other items by Hydrographic charting of Australia History