Name/TitleLouis Berthoud Chronometer No 35 made for Baudin’s exploration of Australia
About this objectCaptain Nicolas Baudin (1754-1803) was a French explorer, naturalist, cartographer and hydrographer. After a long career exploring the world, he embarked on his most famous voyage to map the coast of Australia in 1801 and mapped the western and southern coast encountering Matthew Flinders during the voyage as well as discovering more than 2,500 new species. After completing his voyage, he stopped in Mauritius on the way home to France where he died of tuberculosis. His legacy remains have three animals named after him and eight monuments in his name in Australia.
This marine chronometer was constructed by the famous French horologer Louis Berthoud in 1798 and was delivered to the Ministry of Marine in 1799 who issued it to Baudin on 8th August 1800. Baudin carried four chronometers on the historic voyage and makes frequent reference to using Chronometer No 35 to correct longtitude and recording such use on his many charts. His famous chart of Encounter Bay where he met Matthew Flinders includes the comment, “The course plotted is that of the corvette according to the reckoning, corrected by the daily rate of chronometer No 35”. Louis de Freycinet, captain of the schooner CASUARINA, on the Baudin voyage, also refers to the use of Chronometer No 35 for correcting his charts drawn on the voyage.
Three of the four chronometers from the expedition survive with No 31 in the collection of the Musee de la Marine in Paris. No 38 is in a private collection and the fate of No 37 is unknown.
MakerLouis Berthoud - Clockmaker
Maker RoleClockmaker
Date Made1798
Period18th century
Place MadeParis, France
Medium and MaterialsWood, brass, glass.
Object TypeGeneral Interest
Object numberSF001427
Copyright Licence
Attribution - Non-commercial - No Derivatives (cc)
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The mug is decorated with an underglaze and a blue transfer print. On the body, it is titled ‘Emigrants to Australia’. This type of body and glaze was discontinued by 1840. Comparison of the handle shape and the profile of the foot, point to the attribution of manufacture by the Davenport Factory.
Delta was a ship-rigged vessel with two decks and three masts. It was built in Dordrecht, Netherlands in 1839 at the shipyard of Jan Schouten and registered in the same port. Its hull was constructed of oak and sheathed in ‘yellow metal’. Delta was owned by H. van der Sande at the time of its loss and was engaged as a cargo trader.
The Delta carried 29 crew and passengers, while sailing from Melbourne to Batavia in ballast when wrecked at Kenn Reefs on 30 May 1854 whilst under the command of Captain J.G. Kunst. This vessel loss supports the pattern of shipwrecks located on a well-travelled shipping route that was poorly charted until the mid-nineteenth century. The crew of the Delta could see four other shipwrecks at Kenn Reefs at the time of their vessel’s loss.
Important image of a ship associated with Matthew Flinders, that would shortly become one of the most famous early shipwrecks in eastern Australian waters. This is a fine ship’s portrait, by one of the great exponents of the art