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On Mon, 6 Dec 2004, Ken Muldrew wrote:

> I think that they were instructed not to take altitudes.

Yes, probably. The point is that they were instructed,
but with no real understanding of what they were doing.
They were "following recipes".

1828 Norie does not even mention that there exists
some "spherical trigonometry". Just cookbook recipes.

> Actually, they were instructed *not* to reduce their own sights.

Yes. This is another argument to support what I am saying.
"Professors" did not trust a practical mariner/traveler
who was instructed in a "crash course".

> This was
> a critical mistake (in my opinion) since celestial navigation

That top professors in navigation in this country made such a mistake
is another confirmation of what I am trying to say.

> Of course it depends on the school.

Yes. It also depends on how many navigators did to
to a "high  school". The general high school education is a
XX century invention
as I understand.

> who might be chosen as navigators, would be drilled in arithmetic.

I very strongly doubt it.

> If you like, I can provide you with some land based lunars taken by
> explorers in the Canadian West ca. 1800.

Yes. Sure. I would like to see this.
But I would appreciate even more your own lunars.
(So that I could ask you all sort of questions,
like which sextant did you use, how you reduced them,
what corrections di you exactly take into account, and
how did the touching of Moon and Sun exactly look,
or  etc.)

> but let me know and I'll try to dig some up later
> in the week if you're
> interested.

Sure. I am very interested.

> tell you that I am usually within 10 miles (longitude).

Can you send me (or post) specific numbers and details?
I mean what was the actual distance, GMT and your coordinates,
what was your
measured
distance, IC, what sextant did you use etc.

(I am not only interested for the purpose of this discussion
but I also want to compare my own results with other people's
results).

> I first learned lunars from Moore (1796)

What is this? A book, a paper?

Alex.

   

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