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Subject: Re: The Mapmakers--I need more!
From: Jared Sherman (jared.sherman@XXX.XXX)
Date: Thu Dec 12 2002 - 09:51:18 EST
Trevor-
<I need a better explanation of why Admiralty chose to survey such
distant waters when they did,>
An Admiralty historian might very well have access to the letters authorizing the surveys and explaining them.
But considering the great amount of military action in the colonies in those times, the actions which drove the Dutch out of New York, and the obvious need to protect the new colonies from France and the Indian wars (not to mention the insurrection of 1776), it would not require a crystal ball for the Admiralty to foresee the need for good charts in those areas.
British warships were doing plenty of action in the Colonies, one can only imagine that at some point the Admiralty said "Damnit, we're going to have those waters charted if we're going to keep sailing there." As you point out, in their home waters they would at least have local knowledge available, and the chance of rescue rather than shipwreck in a hostile foreign land.
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