Alexander Dalrymple

Alexander Dalrymple
Alexander Dalrymple Esq,. Hydrographer to the Admiralty
Born(1737-07-24)24 July 1737
Edinburgh, Scotland
Died19 June 1808(1808-06-19) (aged 70)
OccupationHydrographer
Alexander Dalrymple, engraving by Conrad Westermayr.
Alexander Dalrymple by William Daniell, 1802

Alexander Dalrymple FRS (24 July 1737[1] – 19 June 1808) was a Scottish geographer and the first Hydrographer of the British Admiralty. He was the main proponent of the theory that there existed a vast undiscovered continent in the South Pacific, Terra Australis Incognita. He produced thousands of nautical charts, mapping a remarkable number of seas and oceans for the first time, and contributing significantly to the safety of shipping. His theories prompted a number of expeditions in search of this mythical land, until James Cook's second journey (1772–1775) led to the conclusion that, if it did exist, it was further south than the 65° line of latitude South.

  1. ^ Although he gave his year of birth as 1737, Phillimore (1945) noted that his certificates indicated 1736.