William Mogg - excerpt from diary giving an account of the life of George Thomas, Master of H.M. Brig Investigator, not before 1817

MLMSS 6869

fonds

not before 1817

403036

1 folder - 0.01 Meters
Textual Records - (manuscript, photocopy)

George Thomas, an orphan from London, was educated at the Blue Coat School with the help of an unknown benefactor. In 1796, he joined the Pacific whaler Commerce. The vessel was wrecked and, with one other boy who later died in an accident, Thomas was marooned for nearly four years on the uninhabited island of Mas Afuera (Chile) in the Juan Fernandez Islands. He was rescued by an American vessel which took him to China and he eventually made his way back to England. He was later employed by the Admiralty to supervise the building of the new Investigator, a brig, according to his own designs and to command it as Nautical Surveyor. It was never commanded by Flinders, nor did it ever come to N.S.W. to complete Flinders' survey.

Transferred from MLDOC 3582, November 1999. Original held in Southhampton University Library, U.K.