Over 221 years ago, on 15 December 1803, having no charts of Mauritius and only information gleaned from the Encyclopaedia Britannica (lent by Sir Joseph Banks), Captain Matthew Flinders put in at Baie du Cap in the French colony of Mauritius, unaware that war had broken out between France and England. Arguably the greatest cartographer of his generation was to be detained subsequently for nearly seven years.

His extensive correspondence with Mauritian friends and his wife Ann betrays his waning hopes, growing despair and fast-changing personality. The circumstances of the unfortunate chain of events will be explained briefly in this seminar, whilst the catastrophic impact on the explorer’s health and naval career will be discussed with participants.
Serge Rivière’s book recently published in Mauritius and Australia, True Friendship knows no bounds: Extensive Correspondence of Matthew Flinders and Thomi Pitot, 1804-1814 (2023) is the result of twenty years sustained research in Archives and Libraries, and also a “devoir de mémoire” (a gesture of “reconciliation” from a Mauritian to Flinders), to make up for his ill-deserved incarceration and the injustice he suffered. 

His stay in Isle de France marked the end of a brilliant career as an explorer and scientist. Whilst the achievements of Flinders are well-known in Australia, scholars may be less informed about his activities in Mauritius. The seminar will attempt to fill in the gaps.

The author, Marc Serge Rivière, born in Souillac, was Laureate of the Royal College of Curepipe in 1965. He completed an M.A. at Aberdeen University (Scotland, 1970), a postgraduate M.A. at McMaster University (Canada, 1971), a PhD at Glasgow University (Scotland, 1980) and a Dip.ed. at Monash University (Australia, 1982). From 1970 to 2008, he lectured on French and Francophone Literature and Cultural Studies in Scotland, Canada, Australia, France, Ireland and Mauritius (as Visiting Professor at UoM from 2003-2005). On his retirement in 2008, he was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus of Limerick University, Ireland. 

He was decorated by the French Government as Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques in 2005. He now resides in Mauritius and lectures at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute and the Mauritius Institute of Education.

Professor Rivière has published 35 books in French and English and over 70 articles in international journals on: Voltaire and the 18th century; Australian, German and Irish History; Travel Literature; Mauritian History and Francophone Literature, and the writings and biographies of great men. Recent works include: History of Electricity in Mauritius, 1880-2015 (CEB, 2015); Les Codes Noirs (on slavery – Osman Publishing, 2009 and 2013). 

He is on the Board of Le Bocage International School and a member of the Committee of the English-Speaking Union. He was Chief Editor of the Report of the Truth and Justice Commission (2011) and of the Centenary Magazine of the Royal College Curepipe (January 2014).