Alexander Dalrymple (24 July 1737 – 19 June 1808) was a Scottish geographer, hydrographer, and publisher. He spent the greater part of his career with the British East India Company, starting as a writer in Madras at the age of 16. He studied the old records of the company, and soon became sufficiently knowledgeable to advise on shipping routes in the East Indies. He spent several years travelling, investigating possibilities of expanding the company's trade, and carried out extensive surveys around Borneo, the Philippines, and Indo-China. Returning to England, he published a range of works including charts, histories of past voyages, and proposals for exploration. He was one of the main proponents of the theory that there existed a great undiscovered continent in the South Pacific, Terra Australis Incognita. He was The Royal Society's first choice as leader of the exploration to observe the transit of Venus in 1769, a position taken by James Cook as the Navy would not accept a non-naval man in command. A large part of Cook's first two voyages was in search of the conjectured southern land, leading to the conclusion that, if it did exist, it was further south than the 65° line of latitude. He became Hydrographer to the East India Company, and then the first Hydrographer of the British Admiralty. He produced large numbers of nautical charts and sailing directions many of which remained in print long after his death, contributing significantly to the safety of shipping.
Early life and career 1737–1758 Dalrymple was born at Newhailes, near Edinburgh, the eleventh of fifteen children of Sir James Dalrymple and his wife, Lady Christian Hamilton, the daughter of the Earl of Haddington. His father served as the Principal Auditor of the Exchequer in Scotland from 1721 until his death, and was the Member of Parliament for Haddington Burghs from 1722 to 1734. Alexander attended David Young's School in Haddington. The Dalrymples were opposed to the Stuart dynasty, and the family moved to Berwick-on-Tweed for safety during the 1745-6 Jacobite uprising, after which Alexander returned to school until he was fourteen. His father died in 1751,1750 according to the English calendar: and with the help of his uncle General St. Clair, who knew the chairman of the British East India Company, an appointment was arranged for Alexander as a writer in the company. He travelled to London in 1752, then sailed to Madras in the Suffolk East-Indiaman, commanded by Captain William Wilson, who befriended the young man on the voyage. He arrived in Madras, aged 16, in 1753.
Dalrymple's uncle had recommended him to Lord Pigot, who became Governor of Madras in 1755. He also became acquainted with the historian Robert Orme who allowed him access to his library. Dalrymple took the opportunity to study the old records of the company, and soon became knowledgeable about previous voyages in the East Indies. This proved its worth in 1758 when Captain Wilson arrived back in Madras in command of the Pitt East-Indiaman. Wilson was intending to continue to Canton, in China, but had been delayed, and it was too late in the season to sail by the standard route through the South China Sea as the contrary north-east Monsoon would start in October. The normal procedure would have been to wait several months for the return of the south-west monsoon, but Wilson was thinking of a different route, heading south-east to Batavia, now Jakarta, then east and north-east to the north-west coast of New Guinea, then north-west to Canton, with the monsoon winds on his beam. This route was longer, and parts of it were not well known to British sailors, but the winds were favourable. Wilson discussed this with Dalrymple, who was able to confirm its practicality on the basis of voyages in the previous century. Wilson took this route, and successfully completed his voyage six months earlier than expected. Off the north-west coast of New Guinea, Wilson passed through a channel he named the Pitt Strait.
The voyage was important for the company, as the route became a standard alternative that opened up China navigation at any time of year.
Voyages 1758–1765
While in Madras, Dalrymple had become interested in new possibilities of trade in the East Indies. He realised that Wilson's route took him close to the Sulu Sea, where there were numerous islands that were not controlled by rival Dutch or Spanish interests, and that could form a good trading base for the company. Dalrymple proposed a voyage of discovery to the Sulu Archipelago to Lord Pigot, the governor, and also expressed his wish to lead it in person. Pigot tried to dissuade him from this, as his absence on a long voyage would likely impair his promotion prospects, but Dalrymple was determined, and Pigot agreed.
Preparations were delayed by the Siege of Madras (December 1758 – February 1759) by French forces, part of the Seven Years' War. Madras was subjected to heavy bombardment, but was able to hold out until reinforcements arrived. One of the casualties of the bombardment was a supercargo called William Roberts. After his death his assets were sold, and Dalrymple was able to buy some Spanish books on the history and geography of the Philippines, which were very useful in planning his expedition.
Cuddalore voyage The vessel chosen for the voyage was the snow Cuddalore, which sailed to Malacca under the command of George Baker, while Dalrymple travelled as a passenger on the Winchelsea with Thomas Howe, an experienced captain who took the opportunity to teach Dalrymple navigation and seamanship. In Malacca, Dalrymple transferred to Cuddalore, initially under the joint command of Baker and himself. They sailed to Macao, and had to wait for supplies to arrive from Europe. Dalrymple decided to explore and survey the islands to the north of the Philippines which were on the Wilson route to China. They left Macao on 27 July 1759, returning on 13 October. Baker resigned his command on 24 November, leaving Dalrymple in sole command.
There were then difficulties with the authorities in Macao over the return of some seamen who had deserted earlier, leading to a delay of several months. The Cuddalore then made a brief visit to Touranne (Da Nang) and Cape Padarin in Cochin China, now Vietnam. This took him to regions little visited by the British, including the coast of Hainan, and Dalrymple sent his observations directly to William Pitt, Secretary of State, thinking they might be useful in case of hostilities with the Chinese. While relations with China at this stage were difficult, the active hostilities were with France, whose forces had taken much of Sumatra and were blockading the Sunda Strait, the normal route for East-Indiamen sailing from China to England. Dalrymple was asked by the Committee of Supercargoes in Canton to assist a convoy of five ships on an alternative route by way of the Sulu Sea, the Makassar Strait, and then through the Sape Strait into the Indian Ocean, after which sailing to England was straightforward. Much of this route was uncharted, and the Cuddalore could act as scout for the larger vessels. Dalrymple readiy agreed, as the route would take them to the Sulu archipelago, the main target of his plans.
The convoy left on 30 December 1760, and after a stormy trip in which one ship went aground and was abandoned, arrived in Sulu late in January 1761. Here Dalrymple negotiated a provisional trading agreement with the sultan of Sulu. The convoy left Sulu after five days, and travelled through the Makassar Strait to Sumbawa. They then continued south into the Indan Ocean. Dalrymple wrote that they were "the first English ships that ever passed the Strait of Sapy (Sape), so far as I know". Dalrymple then undertook a survey of Sumbawa, the Sape Strait, and the south coast of Flores. He then returned to Sulu, where the trading agreement was ratified by the datus, the Sulu nobility.
In 1762 he took the opportunity to determine the Longitude of Sulu using the satellites of Jupiter. James Rennell, who accompanied Dalrymple on the voyage, recorded in his journal that Dalrymple had two good telescopes and a time-keeper for this purpose, as well as a quadrant for determining the latitudes.
Dalrymple then sailed north to Samboangan (Zamboanga) in the Philippines, where he met the governor of the Spanish fortress Don Manuel Galves, who he described as "an intelligent man, and the best artist I have known among the Spanish navigators". The governor, an experienced hydrographer, shared much information with Dalrymple, and gave him a letter of introduction to his brother in Manila, where Dalrymple next headed. However he was received there with some suspicion, perhaps because the authorities there were more aware of the possibility of a war with Britain. The Cuddalore now made passage back to India, surveying the west coast of Palawan and the Anamba and Natuna Islands on the return journey, arriving back in Madras on 28 January 1762.
London Voyage Dalrymple followed this up with a voyage in the packet London. Arriving in Sulu in August 1762, he found chaotic conditions due to famine, disease, and the death of the local leader most responsible for the contract. There were also delays in the arrival of trading goods, and a violent incident that led to the death of two crew members. Dalrymple had been considering several possibilities for a trading location, and now turned his attention to Balambangan, an Island off the north-east coast of Borneo, which was also within the Sulu sphere of influence. Towards the end of the Seven Years' War British forces had captured Manila from the Spanish in a short siege. Dalrymple went there to investigate trade possibilities, and was able to arrange the release of the elderly Sultan of Sulu, Alimuddin I, who had been imprisoned by the Spanish. In gratitude the Sultan ceded Balambangan to the company. Dalrymple remained some while in Manila, and was elected Provisional Deputy Governor by the Manila Council with the resignation of Dawsonne Drake on 29 March 1764. His main task was overseeing the evacuation of Manila, which was being returned to Spain under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. This completed, he left Manila on 10 April for Sulu with the Sultan. Dalrymple then sailed to China, arriving in Canton November 1764, and then back to London, arriving in July 1765.
London and Madras 1765–1779 On his return to London, Dalrymple found that there had been a change in Company personnel, and the new administration was much less enthusuastic about his plans for expanding the company's trade. He continued his work on historical voyages with a view to informing future projects of exploration and discovery. He had obtained some histories taken from the Spanish during the British occupation of Manila in 1762, and was also seeking out relevant material in the London bookshops. An important find was a collection of documents from the Spanish archives which had once belonged to the French statesman Jean-Baptiste Colbert. This included an account of the voyage of Luís Vaz de Torres from Espíritu Santo to Manila in 1605-1606 through the strait between New Guinea and Australia, now known as the Torres Strait. Knowledge of this discovery had been lost, and this account was an important part of the material Dalrymple assembled.
Establishment at Balambangan