This sextant was made by Matthew Berge an apprentice of the famed London scientific instrument maker Jesse Ramsden. The instrument is signed 'Berge late Ramsden" because Matthew took over the running of the shop after Ramsden died in 1800 and this instrument appears to be one made in the years before Berge's death in 1819.

This navigating instrument is one of a number of items acquired by the Museum from relatives of the King family who felt it may have belonged to Governor Philip Gidley King. But as King had retired as governor in 1804, and was so ill he had to delay his trip back to England (where he died in 1808), it seems more likely that it was purchased by his son P. P. King in London around 1817 for his surveying expedition of the western coast of Australia. If this is the case then King certainly looked after this little instrument remarkably well considering its many years at sea.

A native born Australian Phillip Parker King played as important a role in the development of New South Wales as his father Governor Philip Gidley King. Born on Norfolk Island in 1791 to P. G. King's legal wife Anna he went on to establish a career in the navy. From 1817- 1920 lieutenant P. P. King surveyed the western coast of Australia on an especially fitted out cutter, the 'Mermaid'. In 1821, after being promoted to commander, he made a survey of northern Australia in the Bathurst. In 1826 he took command of H.M.S. Adventure which sailed with H.M.S. Beagle (whose company included Charles Darwin) to chart the coasts of Peru, Chile and Patagonia. He returned in 1830 in poor health but now promoted to captain.

King returned to New South Wales in 1832 and in 1839 was appointed resident commissioner of the Australian Agricultural Co. (AAC). This company tried to establish Australian monopolies on coal and wool but its main investments were tied up in land grants. These were eventually freed up for sale between 1845 and 1847. By 1854 all his journeying seems to have worn King down and after being promoted to rear admiral he died in February 1856.

Geoff Barker, Curatorial, December 2009

References
'King, Phillip Parker (1791 - 1856)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, Melbourne University Press, 1967
Anita McConnell, At the sign of the Golden Spectacles, Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2007Burlington, VT, USA, 2007

This sextant was made by Matthew Berge an apprentice of the famed London scientific instrument maker Jesse Ramsden. The instrument is signed 'Berge late Ramsden" because Matthew took over the running of Ramsden's shop after he died in 1800. One of the secrets to Ramsden's success was his invention of a dividing machine which allowed makers to cut very fine graduations into their instruments.

The silver scale on this small instrument exhibits Berge's skills in using Ramsden's dividing engine. Ramsden had constructed this machine to win a prize resulting in the machine being owned by the British Board of Longitude who had allowed Ramsden and later Berge exclusive use of the machine. Other features of this sextant is a foot for the pillar stand on the exterior of its wooden box and the black finish used to lower the reflections. All of which suggest the instrument was made a few years before Berge's death in 1819.

References
Anita McConnell, At the sign of the Golden Spectacles, Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2007Burlington, VT, USA, 2007
P.R. de Clerq, Nineteenth Century Scientific Instruments and Their Makers, CIP-Gegevens Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Den Haag, Amsterdam, 1985

This object may have been used by lieutenant P. P. King as he surveyed the western coast of Australia on an especially fitted out cutter, the 'Mermaid' from 1817- 1920 '.

It came to the museum in 1963 as a part of a collection of objects donated by relatives of Governor Philip Gidley King and Rear-Admiral P. P. King. The other objects were made up mainly of an assortment of cutlery and tableware was produced in England between the 1750s and the 1850s.

It has been loaned for the following exhibitions:
March - August 2009 'Charles Darwin - Voyages and ideas that shake the world' at the Australian Natiional Maritime Museum
July - November 1993 'The Age of Macquarie' Liverpool Bicentennial Museum
Feb - May 1992 'The Age of Macquarie' Hyde Park Barracks

Sextant with accessories and case, used by Phillip Parker King (attributed), metal / glass / wood, made by Matthew Berge, London, England, 1805-1819

Small 'pocket' sextant, with accessories. Sextant is of brass, partly blackened, with silver vernier scale. Comes with a range of telescopes, eyepieces and sun filters, all contained in a polished cedar case with brass fittings. The case fits into an outer leather carrying case, with the names of previous owners written on it in ink. The case is a six-sided, irregular polygon.
(-1) Sextant arc supported by 'A' frame
(-2) Brass component, with height and angle adjustments
(-3) Eyepiece
(-4) Wooden grooved knob on brass thread
(-5) Brass, tapered cylinders, thread at one end and hole at other end
(-6) Brass screw head, possibly broken off something
(-7) Aperture cap (fits on -3)
(-8) Brass circle containing a roll-out circle, with four cut-outs, three supporting pieces of glass
(-9) Eyepiece support
(-10:12) Lens eyepieces
(-13) Cedar case

Made: Berge; London, England; 1805 - 1819


Owned: King, Phillip Parker;

Owned: King, R L;

Owned: King, W L;

Owned: King, R C;

Manufacturer's name and location engraved onto cross bar of 'A' frame, "Berge London late Ramsden".

H7232

1805 - 1819

105 mm

160 mm

150 mm