This letter was written by Matthew Flinders on this day in 1801.
In the long letter to his father, carefully drafted on 10 July 1801, Flinders raised the subject of his marriage to Ann Chappelle.
He originally wrote, “I am particularly sorry, that you feel dissatisfied with my marriage.” Reconsidering his words, he crossed out “particularly”, which suggests that while he was sorry not to have his father’s approval, he was not sorry enough to regret his decision to marry Ann.
In their 14 years of marriage, Flinders and Ann were separated for nine – during his circumnavigation of Australia with Aboriginal man Bungaree, and his later imprisonment on Mauritius.
Flinders and Ann kept their long-distance relationship alive through love letters, which have recently been acquired by the Library.
You can see a selection of the letters on display right now in our Amaze Gallery!
source: Facebook
