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C1814
Cape Leeuwin, the south-west extremity o…
Artist:
Rare c.19th engraved coastal profile of Cape Leeuwin, south west Western Australia, by William Westall artist on board Matthew Flinders seminal survey of the Australia on the Investigator. The first recorded sighting of the south-west coast of Western Australia was … Read Full Description
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Full Title:
Cape Leeuwin, the south-west extremity of New Holland: taken Dec.7.1801 at 6h.36a.m.
Date:
C1814
Artist:
Condition:
In good condition.
Technique:
Hand coloured copper engraving.
Image Size:
385mm
x 40mm
Paper Size:
430mm
x 80mm
AUTHENTICITY
Genuine antique
dated:
1814
Description:
Rare c.19th engraved coastal profile of Cape Leeuwin, south west Western Australia, by William Westall artist on board Matthew Flinders seminal survey of the Australia on the Investigator.
The first recorded sighting of the south-west coast of Western Australia was by the Dutch ship the Leeuwin (meaning Lioness) in 1622. Cape Leeuwin, so named by Matthew Flinders in 1801, is where the Indian and Southern oceans meet. Flinders expedition left Spithead on 18 July 1801 and arrived off Cape Leeuwin in December. He explored and mapped his way to the coast of what is now South Australia.
Flinders:
Monday 7 December 1801;
At two in the morning we had 80 fathoms, and veered towards the land. It was seen from the mast head at five; and the highest part, the same which had been set in the evening, bore N. 12° W. This is the largest of the before-mentioned Isles of St. Alouarn; but at half past seven we saw hills extending from behind, and, to all appearance, joining it to the main land. This supposed isle is, therefore, what I denominate CAPE LEEUWIN, as being the south-western and most projecting part of Leeuwin’s Land. The highest hill lies nearly in latitude 34° 19′ south, and longitude 115° 6′ east; it is a sloping piece of land of about six hundred feet in elevation, and appeared to be rocky, with a slight covering of trees and shrubs; but this cape will be best known from Mr. Westall’s sketch. A piece of lower land was seen to the north-west, probably a continuation of the coast, and there are some rocky islets scattered on the south side of the cape. The largest of these islets, lying about four miles off, was passed before eight o’clock, at the distance of seven or eight miles, and seen to be surrounded with high and extensive breakers. On the east side of Cape Leeuwin the land falls back north-eastward three or four leagues, and afterwards curves to the south-east, forming a large bight which appeared to be wholly exposed to the southern winds. The coast-line round the upper part of this bight was not distinguishable; but the hills at the back showed more of bare sand than of vegetable covering. At ten o’clock a low, black projection, forming the eastern point of the bight, bore east three miles; and the depth was 15 fathoms upon a coarse sandy bottom. We then veered round to the south-eastward, following the direction of the coast, with the wind at west-south-west and weather somewhat squally; and at noon, our situation and principal bearings were as follow:
Latitude observed, 34° 32 2/3′ S.
Longitude by time keepers, 115 30 E. C.
Leeuwin, furthest visible part, N. 55 W.
The low, black point, N. 4 W.
Furthest extreme of the coast ahead, S. 53 E.
The shore abreast was seven or eight miles distant; and behind it ran a continuation of the same ridge of sandy hillocks which surrounds the bight, and it extended to the southern extreme. Over this ridge were perceived, here and there, the tops of some higher and less sandy hills, standing a few miles inland; but the general aspect of the country was that of great sterility; nor was there, as yet, any appearance of its being inhabited. Soon after four we passed the noon’s extreme at the distance of four miles. It is a steep, rocky cape, named in the French chart, Point D’Entrecasteaux; and is one of the most remarkable projections of this coast. I make its latitude, from the bearings, to be 34° 52′ south, and longitude by time keepers 116° 1′ east. A low rock lies two or three miles to the east-south-east, from the point, and a patch of breakers nearly the same distance from the south; and soon after passing the point, two other rocks, white and rather high, were seen lying from it five leagues to the south-east. At a quarter past seven, when the night closed in The two white rocks bore N. 20° E. Furthest extrem of the land, like a steep head, N. 71° E.
From: Flinders, M. A Voyage to Terra Australis, undertaken for the purpose of completing the discovery of that vast country, and prosecuted in the years 1801, 1802, and 1803, in His Majesty’s Ship The Investigator and subsequently in the armed vessel Porpoise and Cumberland schooner.
References:
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 : 756.
Tooley, R.V. The Mapping of Australia. London 1979 : pp. 77-79.
Perry, T. & Prescott, D. A guide to maps of Australia in books published 1780-1830. Canberra 1996 : 1814..
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 : 576.
Hill, J. The Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages. San Diego 1974 : 614.
Wantrup, J. Australian Rare Books. Sydney, 1987 : 67a.
Ingleton, G. Charting a Continent. Sydney 1944 : 6487.
Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 589314
Royal Collection Trust UK: RCIN 1054637
Silent World Foundation, Sydney.: SKU SF000813
State Library Victoria: CCF 919.4 F64V
William Westall (1781 - 1850)
Westall was a landscape artist born at Hertford, England. He was taught to draw by his elder half-brother Richard (1765-1836), a water-colour painter, Royal Academician and painting teacher to Princess Victoria. In 1799 he was admitted to the Royal Academy School, where he was studying when at 19 he was appointed landscape artist with Matthew Flinders' Investigator expedition to Australia, at a salary of 300 guineas. During the voyage he made a large number of pencil-and-wash landscapes in places visited by the Investigator and a series of coast profiles in pencil. When the Porpoise ran aground on Wreck Reef his sketches were 'wetted and partly destroyed' and, while Westall travelled in China, the drawings, regarded as part of the official record of the voyage, were taken by Lieutenant Robert Fowler to England. There, at the suggestion of Sir Joseph Banks, they were handed to Richard Westall to be 'restored to a proper state'. After spending some time in China and India Westall returned to London in February 1805 and sought access to the sketches to paint a picture for exhibition at the Royal Academy and showed a View of the Bay of Pines at the academy later in the year. In the summer of 1805 Westall went to Madeira and twelve months later to Jamaica. After returning to England he painted a series of water-colour views of the places he had visited and these were shown in a Brook Street gallery and at the Associated Artists' exhibition in 1808. Later he received commissions from the Admiralty to paint nine pictures to illustrate Flinders' A Voyage to Terra Australis … (1814), and was engaged by several London publishers to paint water-colours to be reproduced as aquatints.
