Participants:
Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ005112S
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00:23 Every year over 71 million people pass through Euston's
00:29 station in London. 00:30 It's the southern terminus and is the gateway from London 00:34 North to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, and 00:37 Glasgow. It's one of the busiest railway stations in all of the 00:42 UK and there are plans to re- develop and expand the 00:45 rail system here to make it even bigger and busier. 00:49 This will double the number of seats available and it will 00:52 build the HS2 or High-Speed two rail system to the major cities 00:57 in the north. Now right near the main entrance to Euston 01:01 station is a new statue of a man kneeling down and beside him 01:06 sits a cat. Who is this man with the cat? 01:09 and why is the statue here at Euston Station? 01:13 Well, to find out we need to go back hundreds of years. 01:17 Now about two kilometers from Euston Station is the famous 01:21 St. James Church Piccadilly in London's west end. 01:25 It's a beautiful church and was consecrated on the 13th 01:28 of July 1684. It was a popular church with many members 01:34 and by 1788 there was need for more burial ground 01:38 so land next to Euston Station purchased as the church's 01:43 additional burial ground. The new cemetery was used 01:46 from 1790 to 1853 for about 60,000 burials. 01:52 Then in 1887 the burial ground was closed, the majority of the 01:58 monuments and tombstones were removed and it was opened 02:01 as a public garden known as St. James Gardens. 02:04 The thousands of underground graves were left undisturbed 02:09 until the high-speed rail project at Euston's Station 02:12 bought the gardens for the construction of the HS2. 02:16 Before construction could begin, a team of archeologists 02:20 began to painstakingly remove and sift the soil of the old 02:25 cemetery in hopes of finding artifacts or human remains 02:29 that could be historically significant. 02:32 The archeologists were aware that the famous navigator 02:36 and explorer Matthew Flinders had been buried somewhere 02:40 in the vicinity of the station. 02:42 But they realized that the chance of actually finding 02:46 his grave was very slim bearing in mind that there were over 02:50 60,000 graves here. Only a small portion of the bodies 02:54 exhumed had been identified so searching for Flinders grave 02:59 was like looking for a needle in a haystack. 03:02 But then, on the 25th of January 2019, the unbelievable happened. 03:08 The grave of Matthew Flinders was located, the archeologist 03:14 identified Flinders coffin by a lead plate attached to the top 03:19 the plate was inscribed with the words... 03:30 So, why is this statue here at Euston Station? 03:34 Well, it commemorates Captain Matthew Flinders, 03:38 one of England's most famous sea explorers and the man 03:42 who formally named the country of Australia. 03:45 Join us this week as we take a closed look at the life 03:49 and adventures of Captain Matthew Flinders and his cat 03:53 Trimm down under. 04:06 Matthew Flinders was born in 1774 in the small market town 04:12 of Downingtown and Lincolnshire. The family lived in a small home 04:17 on the edge of the bustling Market Square, a plot today 04:20 shows the place where the house stood. Matthew's father was a 04:24 doctor and had high hopes that his son would one day 04:28 follow in his footsteps. When Flinders was a young boy 04:33 he picked up a copy of Daniel Defoe epic adventure 04:36 Robinson Caruso, he devoured every word of the spellbinding 04:41 tale which conjured up images of sailing to distant shores 04:46 in search of action and adventure. 04:49 When he came to the end of the book, a single thought was 04:53 firmly etched into his young mind. He was determined 04:57 to be just like Robinson Caruso a seafaring adventurer 05:02 conquering new and untamed frontier. 05:05 Well, his family and friends were less than pleased about his 05:10 decision to go to sea. His father was determined that 05:14 he should become a doctor and tried hard to convince him 05:18 to give up his seafaring notions, but the young Flinders 05:22 could not be persuaded, Robinson Caruso had left an indelible 05:27 impression on his young mind and as he wrote later in life 05:32 he burned with a desire to have adventures of his own 05:36 and to make his own mark as an explorer discovering new 05:40 lands. Despite Flinders desire to join the Royal Navy 05:45 he was aware of the fact that without the right connections 05:49 it would be almost impossible for him to secure a position 05:53 on board a ship. What he needed was a link to a senior 05:57 naval officer who would be willing to nominate him 06:01 for a posting. 06:02 Providentially he soon found such a link, his cousin 06:07 Henrietta Flinders had been employed as a governess 06:11 by the family of the Captain Thomas Paisley. 06:14 When Henrietta mentioned her young cousins ambitions 06:18 Captain Paisley asked her to invite Matthew to his home 06:22 for a visit. The short overnight stay proved to be extremely 06:28 fruitful. Captain Paisley was very impressed with 06:32 young Flinders and made arrangements for him to be 06:36 placed as a lieutenant's servant on board the HMS Alert 06:40 On the 23rd of October 1789, 15-year-old Matthew Flinders 06:46 found himself walking up the gangplank of the two mast 06:50 ship and was immediately thrown into an overwhelming 06:55 and fascinating new world. 06:57 After a seven-month apprentice- ship on board the Alert 07:01 Captain Paisley was convinced that Flinders had the makings 07:06 of a competent sailor and he transferred him on board 07:09 his own ship the Skipio, a massive 64-gun ship 07:14 which was an agile warship sporting cannons mounted on 07:18 two decks. Sailing under Paisley's command, Matthew 07:23 soon learned the ropes and progressed rapidly 07:26 a year later, he was transferred to a bigger ship which was also 07:32 under the command of Captain Paisley. 07:34 By now Flinders had risen to the rank of mid-shipmen. 07:38 Over the next few months Flinders found himself in a 07:43 holding pattern quietly working through an endlessly familiar 07:47 working pattern with little excitement and even less time 07:50 out at sea. He was frustrated by the lack of adventure 07:54 and chasing to be out where the action was. 07:59 As it turned out he didn't have to wait long 08:02 he was transferred to H.M.S. Providence which was 08:06 heading out on an expedition in Tahiti and Jamaica. 08:10 Finally, he was being given the opportunity to have a taste 08:15 of the adventures he had craved for so long. 08:18 Though the voyage was a far cry from the adventures of 08:22 Robinson Caruso, Flinders relished to opportunity 08:26 to adventure out in the unknown waters of the South Pacific 08:30 and was equally excited about serving under the command 08:33 of the famous Captain, William Bligh. 08:36 Bligh was known in Naval circles of the time for his adventures 08:42 aboard his ship the HMS Bounty. Bligh had lost the ship to 08:46 a gang of 21 mutineers, all members of his crew 08:51 after it had left Tahiti, in April 1789. 08:54 Many of the crew didn't want to leave Tahiti where they had 08:59 formed relationships with the natives and enjoyed the relaxed 09:03 pace of life. 09:04 After three weeks out at sea a group of crew members 09:08 under the leadership of Christian Flitcher forced 09:11 Captain Bligh and 18 of his supporters on board a small 09:15 open launch in the middle of the ocean where they were set adrift. 09:19 The group of mutineers took the ship and high-tailed it back 09:24 to the Pacific where many of them settled on Pitcairn Island. 09:28 Meanwhile, Bligh and his ill fated supporters managed to 09:33 navigate their way across 3,600 Nautical miles of treacherous 09:39 water back to safety. 09:42 It was an extraordinary fete of nautical genius that turned Bligh 09:46 into a hero overnight bringing him to the attention of the king 09:51 who favored him with a special audience to congratulate him 09:54 on his bravery and skill. For Matthew Flinders preparing to 10:00 set sail with Bligh on what would be his second voyage 10:04 transporting breadfruit from Tahiti to Jamaica was a dream 10:08 come true, an opportunity to learn about sailing 10:12 from a true Master Mariner. 10:15 Being part of Captain Bligh's successful voyage to the 10:19 South Pacific proved invaluable to the young Flinders, 10:23 not only had they managed to successfully transport all the 10:28 breadfruit trees to the West Indies. 10:31 They've also discovered new islands along the way 10:34 and successfully navigated and chartered the Torres Strait. 10:39 It had given Flinders the chance to be part of a historic venture 10:44 mapping more of the unknown world of the South Pacific 10:47 and it had also given him a taste of the swashbuckling 10:52 adventures he had craved as a young boy. 10:55 When Flinders returned home he found England preparing for 11:00 war. France was embroiled in revolution, King Louie's 14th 11:06 was beheaded followed by the Reign of Terror that sought 11:10 over 40,000 people slaughtered throughout France. 11:14 Amid the uncertainty and the swirling rumors that France 11:21 had set her eyes on an English Conquest. 11:23 The Royal Navy was hurriedly beefed up 11:25 in an attempt to form a front line to defend the 11:29 English Channel, Flinders was recruited by his old mentor 11:33 Captain Paisley who was leading search and destroy missions 11:38 out into the English Channel. Paisley invited Flinders to 11:42 join him on board his ship the Bellerophon as aide to come. 11:47 After spending a brief period of time on the battlefront 11:51 Flinders returned home and was given a posting on board 11:55 the H.M.S. Reliance a 90 foot full-rigged discovery vessel 12:00 setting sail for the new Penal Colony that had been established 12:05 at Port Jackson in New South Whales. 12:07 Flinders had spent some time in Van Diemen's Land 12:13 known today as Tasmania during his voyage with Captain Bligh 12:17 and the prospect of returning to this unchartered territory 12:21 excited him. 12:22 His sole objective for the mission was clear cut 12:28 to explore this great southern frontier and to go where no 12:32 European explorer had gone before. 12:35 During the voyage to New South Wales, Flinders established 12:39 himself as a skilled cartographer/navigator 12:43 with an attention to detail. He also made friends with 12:46 George Bass, the ships surgeon and a man who shared his passion 12:50 for adventure and discovery. The connection between Bass 12:54 and Flinders was immediate and would prove to be lasting. 12:58 Before long Bass and Flinders had formed a plan to explore 13:02 and serve a Botany Bay in the Georges River a major tributary 13:07 that flowed down to the south- west corner of the bay 13:10 along with Port Hacking. They were grown to their 13:13 Leave-of-absence from their naval duties and the young 13:16 explorers rummaged around for a suitable vessel. 13:19 They settled on a little boat that Bass had brought with him 13:23 from England, stowed away with him on the HMS Reliance. 13:26 The boat named Tom Thumb was completely open and not much 13:31 bigger than a bathtub with a small tail attached. 13:34 Taking the boat, they sailed towards Botany Bay, 13:38 this bay was where Captain Cook first weighed anchor in 1770. 13:43 Bass and Flinders completed their mission in nine days 13:46 and pulled their little bathtub sized boat ashore without any 13:50 major incidents. They went back to their lives as Navy shipmen 13:55 while they planned their next adventure. 13:58 Their second adventure called for a new boat, one somewhat 14:02 larger than the Tom Thumb. They commissioned their crewmate 14:06 Daniel Payne who had been appointed as the colonies 14:09 first mast boat builder to build them a new boat. 14:12 Payne hurriedly built them a new vessel which they christened 14:16 Tom Thumb II. They took the boat out on an exploratory trip 14:20 along the coast south from Port Jackson to Lake Illawarra. 14:24 During the trip they hit bad weather and were forced to 14:28 take shelter at Guatemala a sheltered cove 14:32 south of Port Jackson. 14:33 After his two initial expeditions, Flinders was forced 14:38 to put his explorations on hold and turn his attention to 14:42 his work as a naval officer. He was sent on an expedition 14:45 to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa to buy cattle. 14:49 When he returned, he brought back a black cat he 14:53 affectionately named Trimm. In fact, Flinders was so fond 14:58 of the little creature that he later wrote a short biographical 15:01 novel about his little friend where he described him 15:05 as an extremely intelligent and brave animal... 15:08 Then in 1798, the governor of New South Wales commissioned 15:13 Bass and Flinders to explore the stretch of ocean between 15:16 Van Diemen's Land, now Tasmania, and the southern coast of 15:20 New Holland, the name which was first given to Australia. 15:24 To complete their mission they were given command of a 25-ton 15:29 sleuth named the Norfolk. Flinders was given authority 15:33 to sail south beyond the known Furneaux Islands. 15:36 A small cluster of islands off the northeast coast of Tasmania 15:40 and discover Van Diemen's Land was an island. 15:44 On the second of November, they approached Van Diemen's Land 15:48 and guided the ship through the small passage between 15:51 Water House Island and a larger area of land. 15:55 Beyond that, they discovered an inlet which they named 15:59 the Tamar River. Later in 1804 a little settlement would be 16:05 established here on the banks of this river at first named 16:09 Patersonia after for its founder Lieutenant Colonel Patterson. 16:12 The settlement was later named Launceston, they continued 16:17 around the coastline of Van Diemen's Land charting the 16:20 topography of the island and discovering that there was a 16:24 straight between the island and the mainland of Australia. 16:27 When they returned home Flinders recommended to the 16:31 governor that the small passage of ocean be named Bass Strait. 16:36 After sailing the Norfolk out on one more exploratory voyage 16:40 which took him north up to Norton Bay in Queensland, Flinders 16:44 returned to Port Jackson. In March 1800, he joined the 16:48 crew of the Reliance and returned home to England 16:51 his beloved cat Trimm traveling safely with him. 16:55 Soon after returning home Flinders wrote to Sir Joseph 16:59 Banks, a renowned English naturalist, botanist, and patron 17:03 of the natural sciences expressing his desire to 17:07 continue his exploration of the coast of New Holland. 17:11 Flinders told Banks that he would like to not only explore 17:15 the coast but also chart it and asked that the government 17:20 provide him with a ship for the purpose. 17:22 Banks used his influence with Earl Spencer who at the time 17:27 was First Lord of the Admiralty Earl Spencer spoke to the king 17:32 and immediately secured a ship for Flinders, in January 1801 17:37 Flinders was given command of HMS Investigator. 17:41 Shortly after being given command of the investigator 17:44 Matthew Flinders found time to travel to Lincolnshire 17:48 where he married one of his childhood friends Ann Chapel 17:52 on the 17th of April 1801. 17:55 After the wedding Flinders was busy preparing for his voyage 18:00 and wasn't quite sure that his superior officers would 18:04 take well to the idea of marriage, especially if it meant 18:08 having a young bride on board an exploratory vessel headed for 18:11 the very ends of the earth. 18:13 As it turned out, he was right, A month after they were married 18:18 Flinders received a letter from Sir Joseph Banks 18:23 telling him in no uncertain terms that the Lords of the 18:26 Admiralty didn't want him to take his wife to New South Wales 18:30 with him. Faced with the threat of being fired from his own 18:34 exploratory mission Flinders was stunned and tried to 18:38 negotiate with the Lords of the Admiralty but they wouldn't 18:41 budge, and so with a heavy heart Matthew Flinders left behind 18:45 his new bride and sailed for Terror Australis on the 18th 18:49 of July 1801. On the 6th of December 1801, Flinders reached 18:56 the most southwesterly mainland point on the Australian 18:59 continent and after a brief explanation named it Cape Leeuwin 19:05 From there, he continued steadily towards the east 19:09 and on the 8th of April spotted Le Geography, a French Naval 19:13 Vessel under the command of Nicholas Borden. 19:16 Now Borden was also exploring and charting the coastline of 19:20 Australia on behalf of the French government. 19:23 The explorers met together in a bay just off the coast of 19:28 what we know today as South Australia. 19:31 They compared notes and charts while discussing their voyages 19:35 and the discoveries they had made. 19:37 In honor of their meeting Flinders named the spot 19:41 Encounter Bay. Flinders next stop was Port Phillip 19:46 at the site of what would later become Melbourne. 19:49 He continued up the coast and arrived in Sydney on the 9th of 19:53 May 1802. After a short break he set out again surveying 19:59 and charting the coast of Queensland, from there he sailed 20:03 through the Torres Straight and along the Gulf of Carpentaria. 20:07 The ship began to take on water at this point forcing Flinders 20:11 to hurriedly continue his voyage and complete the first 20:16 circumnavigation of Terror Australis in 1803. 20:20 Now the term Terror Australis is Latin and means Southland 20:27 The term dates back to 2nd century legends which refer to 20:31 Terror Australis incognita or a great unknown southern land. 20:37 Today, Matthew Flinders is credited as the man who named 20:41 not only a continent but also a nation. "Australia" 20:46 On their return to Sydney the investigator was pronounced 20:50 unseaworthy and condemned. 20:52 Unable to find another ship to continue his exploration 20:56 Flinders decided to head home to England, unfortunately 21:01 the new ship the HMS Porpoise was severely damaged on the 21:06 Wreck Reefs in the southern part of the Coral Sea. 21:09 about 1,000 Km, 700 miles north of Sydney. 21:14 Later in 1803 Flinders took command of a new ship 21:18 for the voyage back to England but was forced to turn into 21:22 the Port of Isle de France know today as Mauritius 21:26 in order to conduct urgent repairs to the ship. 21:30 Now at this time, England was at war with France 21:33 and the French governor of the island immediately arrested 21:37 Flinders as a spy. While he was in prison Flinders produced 21:42 the first map of what he called the Continent of Australia 21:46 in 1804, he also began to write out the details of his 21:51 adventures in Australia complete with maps and charts 21:54 detailing the terrain around the coastline in a manuscript 21:58 called "A Voyage to Terra Australis." 22:02 Flinders remained a prisoner on the island for the next 22:05 six years until finally the British negotiated his release 22:11 and he returned to England in October 1810, in poor health. 22:15 He lived in a house in Fitzrovia and continued work on his 22:19 manuscript, "A Voyage to Terra Australis" which detailed his 22:24 expedition and observations. 22:26 He died four years later on July 1814 of kidney failure 22:30 in London and his book A Voyage to Terra Australis 22:35 was published just the day before his death. 22:37 He was buried in the additional burial grounds of St. James 22:42 Church near the current site of Euston Station in London. 22:46 But 200 years later archeologists discovered 22:51 his coffin in January 2019 and then Flinders remains 22:56 were returned to the St. Mary and Holy Word Church 22:59 in Donnington to be buried with his family. 23:02 Inside the church, you can see the beautiful stained glass 23:06 etching of Matthew Flinders besides Joseph Banks 23:10 and George Bass. Also in the church on display is the book 23:15 A Voyage to Terra Australis Flinders ground-breaking account 23:20 of his adventures charting and mapping the new continent. 23:24 This book provides significant insights into the new virtually 23:29 unexplored land Down Under. 23:32 Matthew Flinders was a man of action and adventure, 23:36 he set out to explore new and unchartered frontiers 23:40 with the hopes of making new discoveries and bringing back 23:45 fresh insights of a great south- land in a far-flung corner 23:49 of the world. 23:51 The Bible is full of stories of pioneers and explorers, 23:56 men and women who ventured out in search of new frontiers 24:01 in far-flung corners of the world in order to bring fresh 24:05 insight to those who lived in those distant lands. 24:08 The Book of Acts tells us of the exploits of the early 24:13 church. Of men like Paul and Barnabas, and Peter who traveled 24:18 the length and breadth of the Great Roman Empire 24:21 always searching for new territory but unlike 24:25 Matthew Flinders, they were not just looking for new 24:28 terrain to explore, they were in search of men and women 24:32 whose hearts were longing for hope. 24:35 Perhaps the greatest explorer of all time is Jesus 24:40 he left the safe confines of his home in heaven 24:43 and came down to our earth he sought out new territory 24:48 and breached the perimeters of new frontiers. 24:51 The territory he sought was the battled expanse of the 24:56 human heart. He forged ahead with a deep desire to know 25:01 and understand humanity, our joys, our sorrows, our trials. 25:06 He was so interested in us that He became one of us 25:11 shared our lot and then worked tirelessly to help us find 25:15 peace and hope. Like the early church who followed His 25:20 footsteps, Jesus was most concerned with bringing 25:24 salvation to the unchartered regions of the human heart 25:28 He was absorbed with helping us understand our condition 25:33 as sinners and offering us the solution to the devastation that 25:38 sin brings. Jesus is the ultimate explorer and He longs 25:43 to come into your heart and explore the deepest longings 25:47 that reside there. 25:49 In Revelation 3:20 He says this. 26:04 Jesus stands at the door of our hearts knocking 26:10 asking for permission to come in and get to know us, 26:14 He desires to understand us and to help us find the answers 26:18 to the deepest questions that mingle in the quiet recesses 26:23 of our minds. 26:24 He longs to give us the answers to life's most fundamental 26:29 questions. Where do I come from? Why am I here? 26:33 What is right and wrong? And where am I going? 26:37 Why don't you choose to open your heart to Him today? 26:42 If you'd like to know more about God and reach out to Him 26:46 then I'd like to recommend the Free gift we have for all our 26:51 Incredible Journey viewer's today. 26:54 It's a Free copy of God's Word the Bible. 26:57 This book will change your life and help you find answers 27:01 to life's greatest questions. 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Revised 2023-06-01