Gratefull To Providence: The Diary and Accounts of Matthew Flinders: I. 1775-1784

The diary and account books of Matthew Flinders, surgeon and apothecary at Donnington in south Lincolnshire, are published here for the first time. His son Matthew, a navigator and sailor, became a central figure in the early history of the Australian nation, and much is revealed about the early life of the young Matthew in his father’s diaries.
There is a wealth of detail about the home,the family and the village in which the future explorer grew up. The daily routine of business, socialising with neighbours, unusual events such as the beaching of a whale near Boston, or the visit to Donnington of Mr Powell the famous fire-eater are recorded alongside family joys and sorrows, the births and deaths of children, the passing of Flinder’s beloved wife Susanna and his subsequent remarriage. The childhood and schooling of the young Matthew are a recurring theme, and the recording of the purchase of a two-volume edition of Robinson Crusoe in 1782 perhaps gives a hint of things to come.