NavList:

I was thumbing through my copy the excellent "Ships, Clocks, and Stars: The Quest for Longitude" trying to find where I had read the statement that as Astronomer Royal, Maskelyne would not have been eligible to receive money from the longitude prize. I didn't find that statement (does anyone else on Navlist know where it might be?) but came across this painting entitled "Life on the Ocean, representing the usual occupations of the young officers in the steerage of a British frigate at sea" by Augustus Earle https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/12610.html  .

It is mentioned from time to time that navigational calculations were often done on scraps of paper that have been lost. The picture suggests another reason why intermediate calculations are hard to find. The young seaman lying in the centre appears to be using a slate. I don't know how widely they were used but it seems like a good solution on a long sea voyage.

What is might be in the semi-circular case hanging beside the quadrant on the beam to the left?

Robin Stuart

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