L'Australia con la divisione delle sue coste proposta dal Capit.o Vetch

Fascinating map of Australia, with a huge area named "Terra Incognita" illustrating the territorial subdivision scheme of Australia proposed in 1838 by Captain James Vetch. The interesting map is taken from Francesco Celestino Marmocchi's rarest and most elegant work the Corso di Geografia Commerciale published in Genoa in 1858.

By 1838 the coasts of the Australian continent had been well defined by the explorations of James Cook, Matthew Flinders and Phillip Parker King. As for inland Australia, however, little was known except for the southeastern area extending from Moreton Bay to Victoria.

As early as the 1830s, numerous proposals had been made for the subdivision of the Australian continent. Captain James Vetch's proposal was published by the Royal Geographical Society in the 1838 journal and was to give each colony an equal area, to possess a stretch of sea coast with possible port sites, and to be as compact as possible.

The boundaries of the proposed colonies were defined using lines of latitude and longitude. This method was generally used by colonial administrators when there were no natural features, such as rivers and mountain ranges, or because exploration of the country was not advanced enough to know if there were natural features. The advantage of this proposal was uniformity. The disadvantage was the lack of natural landmarks. Although Vetch's boundaries were not successful, they provide a fascinating early insight into the evolution of the understanding of the Australian continent.

Francesco Costantino Marmocchi (1805 - 1858) spent his boyhood in Maremma, where his father worked and where he soon became fascinated with nature and observed it closely. In 1825 he moved to Siena and in 1829 published his first work, Il regno animale descritto secondo le osservazioni de' più celebri naturalisti.