The Gold Coast and District Wood¬turners would like to thank The Australian Woodworker and Mike Darlow for allowing us to publish this article.

While gathering information for my latest book Turned Chessmen, I chanced upon the exhibition `Matthew Flinders, the Ultimate Voyage' at the State Library of New South Wales. Among the Exhibits was Matthew Flin¬ders chess set (Photo 1.). Although my book does not include this particular set, it is an appropriate project for any Australian turner (Photo 2 & Fig.1).

Flinders set is a typical French playing set of the late 18th century. Sets of this basic design continue to be pro¬duced into the 20th century, although there are many small differences in detail between extant sets which re¬flect the large numbers of workshops in which they were produced and the whims of the individual turners.
The 18th century sets were turned between centres on a treadle, water powered or great wheel driven lathes. The head of the (chess) man was sup¬ported by a dead tail centre and the resulting conical recess can be found in the head if each man.

Being turned between centres, the rooks do not have a circular recess in their tops. This recess is common in later sets and is intended to imitate the alur, the defenders walkway within the battlement. Also, because of the absence of alurs, the four embrasures, (the slots between the upstanding merlons in the battlement) are merely V -shaped recesses in Flinders' rooks.
Another feature is that each king's crown has 24 points in pairs.

As shown below, Matthew Flinders made a great contribution to the devel¬opment of Australia and turning a rep¬lica of his chess set is one way to re¬member him. It would be fitting to turn the pieces from Flindersia, but regret¬tably the woods are rather too light for this purpose. I chose Forest Sheoak and River Oak instead. Note also that the shapes in Fig.1 are drawn some¬what larger than the originals to assist in the clarity of their features.



The Genus Flindersia
Flinders lives on I the name of many Australian geographical features, street names, etc., and in the Flinder¬sias, the commercially-important tree genus.
The name was first applied by botanist Robert Brown to Crows Ash (Flindersia australis) in the second volume of A Voyage to Terra Australis.
There are 19 species of Flindersia:
Acuminata, Silver Silkwood, Putt's Pine, Paddy King's Beech, Icewood
australis, Crows Ash, Cudgerie, Teak
bennettiana (after Dr George Bennet), Bennet's Ash
bourgotiana (after Dr A. Bourjot), Queensland Silver Ash
brassii
brayleyana (after Professor E.W. Brayley, a member of the Royal Society), Queensland Maple
chatawaiana
collina, Leopard Ash
ifflaiana (after Dr. S. Iffla), Hickory Ash, Cairns Hickory
laevicarpa, Rose Ash, Dirran Maple, Scented Maple
maculosa, Leopard Wood
mazalini
pimenteliana (after J.M. de 0. Pimentel), Silkwood, Maple Silkwood, Rose Silkwood, Red Beech
pubescens, Northern Silver Ash
schottiana (after H. Schott), Silver Ash, Bumpy Ash
strzeleckiana
tysoni
unifolioata
xanthoxyla, Yellow Wood, Long Jack
Note: Several of these special have proven of special value over the years, none more so that Queensland Maple. In 1919, Prime Minister Billy Hughes announced a £10,000 prize for the first Australian¬manned flight to take less than 30 days from Britain to Australia. The winners¬Ross Smith, Keith Smith, James Bennet and Walter Shiers-in a Vickers Vimy bomber, were forced down with engine trouble and a disintegrating propeller near Charleville, (Qld). A few weeks later the railway workshops at Ipswich returned the restored engine and a new propeller carved in Queensland Maple
Addendum
There are many books about Flinders including two major biographies, both called The Life of Matthew Flinders. One is by Ernest Scott, Angus & Robertson, 1914 and 2001; the sec¬ond by Miriam Estensen, Allen & Un¬win, 2002. Both were used in compil¬ing the following brief history. I wish to thank Phil Verner (State Library of NSW), and Dr Peter Wilson (National Herbarium of NSW) for their assis¬tance.
The propeller story is related in Lion and Kangaroo by Gavin Souter (William Collins 1976.
Turned Chessmen by Mike Darlow will be published in November 2004 by the Melaleuca Press. For further infor¬mation, phone 02 4883 4455 or e-mail: mdarlow@hinet.net.au.
How Matthew Flinders came to have a French Chess Set
Born in 1774, Matthew Flinders was 16 when he embarked on his naval career as a midshipman aboard the Scipio. Later, he accompanied Captain William Bligh on a journey that brought him into the South Pacific for the first time. Having seen service during 1794 in the blockade of France on board the Bellerophon, he took part in the Battle of The Glorious First of June. Thomas Pasley, Flinder's first patron, lost a leg in this battle. Shortly afterwards, Flin¬ders grabbed the opportunity to sail to NSW on the Reliance with the new Governor, Captain John Hunter. The surgeon on the Reliance was George Bass and he and Matthew became firm friends.
By that time Australia's east coast had been charted by Cook, but not in de¬tail, and the coast close to Sydney had been explored by Hunter in 1788 and '89. Bass and Flinders, keen to ex¬plore further, first set out in a three metre boat from the Reliance which they called Tom Thumb. With Bass's young servant, they sailed through Sydney Heads, south into Botany Bay and up the George's River. This 9 day exploration led to the founding of Banks Town (named after Sir Joseph) in which Bass and Flinders were each granted 100 acres in 1798.
At that time, vessels reached Sydney from the Cape of Good Hope by sailing up the east coast of Tasmania since it was thought to be part of the mainland.
After an abortive attempt by Bass to prove or disprove this theory, Flinders and Bass, on the Norfolk, settled the matter by circumnavigating Tasmania, returning to Port Jackson on 12 Janu¬ary 1799. Flinders suggested the strait be named after Bass. His report was sent to England, published, and came to the attention of Sir Joseph Banks.
When Flinders returned to England, he prepared charts and an account of his explorations, and having successfully lobbied Banks, was commissioned to chart and explore the Australian coast¬line. He left Spithead on the Investiga¬tor on 18 July 1801 with a staff that included a landscape and figure draftsman, botanist and botanical draftsman. On 22 July, the Investigator sailed north from Port Jackson and circumnavigated Australia. During this voyage Flinders explored and charted Australia's east coast up to Townsville, and the Gulf of Carpentaria.
The Investigator being no long seawor¬thy, Flinders set out for England but the ship was wrecked. Managing to get back to Port Jackson, Flinders took command of the Cumberland, and again sailed for England.

This ship too, was in poor state and Flinders was forced to put into Mauri¬tius, 800km east of Madagascar, on 16 December 1803. France had devel¬oped this port as a naval base and the French governor, General Charles De¬caen, held Flinders on Mauritius for six and a half years.
It was during his time that Flinders acquired his 'French' chess set.

Footnote: Flinders arrived in England in October 1810. The Admiralty agreed to assist him to publish an account of his voyages. Flinders died on 19 July, 1814, but lived to see the completed A Voyage to Terra Ausralis.