Barrow married whilst at Cape Colony and looked set to stay there, writing a fine account of the colony, Travels into the interior of Southern Africa in the years 1797 and 1798, which was illustrated by the great topographical artist, Samuel Daniell (published 1806). However the return of the Colony to the Dutch in 1803 led to his return to England where he was appointed Second Secretary to the Admiralty – a post he was to hold until 1845.
Early on, Barrow saw the link between exploration and trade, and the desirability of having a strong navy to control the sea lanes. Barrow was a key player in developing naval dockyards both for defence of the realm during the Napoleonic Wars, and safeguarding Britain’s interests abroad whilst developing trade links.
Amongst the expeditions promoted by Barrow were Scoresby’s to the Arctic regions, news of which encouraged the support of various voyages to search for a North-West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, including those of Franklin, Ross, and Parry.
In Africa, Barrow was the prime mover behind Lander’s expedition to the Niger (1831); and, very importantly for the Empire, in 1837, Barrow convinced Lord Glenelg, then colonial secretary, to occupy Port Essington on Australia's north coast to safeguard the Australia–Asia trade route.
Barrow was an advocate of overseas settlement, publicizing both the Albany settlement in Cape Colony (1820) and the foundation of Swan River Colony (Western Australia) in 1829, and emigration to southern Africa, southern and eastern Australia, and Upper Canada. He played a major role in the decision to send the Amherst embassy to China in 1815, having advocated such a mission as early as 1809.
Through his friendship with John Murray, he also secured the publication of a succession of travellers' accounts which generated the great public interest in exploration in the period after 1815
With all these activities it is apparent, that without Sir John Barrow, the development of geographical knowledge would have been very different, and the rise of the British Empire would not have been so rapid.
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