In august 1834, in fine weather, a barque named the Charles Eaton was wrecked on Australia's Great Barrier Reef while on passage from Sydney to Surabaya. Nothing more was heard of the vessel until a schooner, the Isabella, arrived in Sydney two years later. On board were the cabin boy of the lost ship, a five-year-old child and 17 skulls. The story of the ship wrecked for want of an accurate chart and of the grisly fate of its passengers, who were murdered, after seeking refuge on Boydang island, made headlines around the world. In Britain calls were made for the colonial government to prevent such an event happening again by properly charting the Great Barrier Reef and its hazardous shoals and rocks. The responsibility fell to Francis Beaufort, Hydrographer of the Navy and a man who was clearly obsessive about surveying. "Hydrography", he stated, "is best served by one accurate chart than by ten approximate sketches."
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