ARTEFACT
MORIARTY’S MAGNIFICENT MAP AMONG THE DANIEL SOLANDER LIBRARY’S MANY TREASURES IS AN INTRIGUING AND SURPRISINGLY
T
he so-called Moriarty Map was initially intended to serve as a plan for a land reclamation of part of Farm Cove and the building of the Sea Wall, but thanks to its remarkable detail, it provides a fascinating snapshot of the Sydney Botanic Garden as it was in 1861. The government official responsible for creating the map was Abram Orpen Moriarty. Born in Ireland in 1830, he arrived with his family in Sydney in 1843 and by the age of 16 was working as a clerk in the Colonial Secretary’s Department. A rapid advance through the ranks of the colony’s public service resulted in him being appointed chief clerk in the Department of Lands in 1853, and four years later he was commissioner of crown lands for New England and Macleay, as well as police magistrate for Armidale. In 1859, Moriarty travelled to Brisbane as private secretary to Sir George Bowen, who signed a proclamation – written by Moriarty – creating the colony
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of Queensland. After helping establish the state’s civil service, he returned to Sydney in 1860 and was appointed Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands. The extent of Moriarty’s involvement in the actual drawing of the map is unknown, but he undoubtedly oversaw the work of the unknown draughtsman in the execution of one of the most interesting and information-rich sources of the Garden’s physical history. Moriarty’s chart is intriguing because it is not in fact a traditional map – instead it is a hybrid of topographic and pictorial-style maps. To serve as an accurate guide to the building of the Sea Wall, it depicts the Garden in a generally topographic manner, but it is also artistic and enlivened with illustrations depicting the vegetation. There is a definitive attempt to render, in many cases as accurately as possible, the trees within the Garden’s grounds – differentiating between the native eucalypts such as the ubiquitous Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus teriticornis) and
introduced species such as the conifers – especially the Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla), broadleaf trees such as oak, and the distinctive palms. Though mostly silhouettes, the illustrations are accurate enough to distinguish individual trees and their approximate locations through the Garden. With their aid we can recognise specimens such as the Wishing Tree, and discern the spread of the original eucalypts and casuarinas throughout the Garden. The map also depicts the existing and planned paths and carriageways intended to exploit the projected reclamation of land from Farm Cove. These features helped archaeologists accurately trace the original convict path that was uncovered during deep excavations around the Conservatorium between 1998 and 2001. Rendered in topographic rather than pictorial form are the main buildings in the Garden and Governor’s Domain, with New Government House accurately portrayed as it was then, sans the portico
Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust
METICULOUS MAP OF THE SYDNEY BOTANIC GARDEN CIRCA 1861. MIGUEL GARCIA REPORTS.
