NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Thompson mapping Canada
From: Geoffrey Kolbe
Date: 2009 Nov 29, 16:25 +0000
From: Geoffrey Kolbe
Date: 2009 Nov 29, 16:25 +0000
George wrote [NavList 10848]: >Anyone interested in the work of those surveyors should take a look at two >recent papers by Peter Broughton, who has done much work on the astronomical >history of Canada. > >"The Accuracy and Use of Sextants and Watches in Rupert's Land in the >1790s", in Annals of Science, vol 66 No 2, April 2009, 209-229 > >"Astronomical Observations by Peter Fidler and Others in "Canada" >1790-1820", in JRASC (Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada) >August 2009, pages 141-152. List members may also want to look at the webpage "How David Thompson Navigated" by Jeff Gottfred http://www.northwestjournal.ca/dtnav.html Gottfred is obviously knowledgeable in mathematical astronomy and had dedicated himself to the study of Thompson. The result is a detailed investigation, explanation and assessment of Thompson, his skills and his methods. As George says, the work of early explorer/surveyors who broke new ground and mapped new countries is a large subject which has had little airing here, which is a pity. Geoffrey Kolbe -- NavList message boards: www.fer3.com/arc Or post by email to: NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList+@fer3.com