NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: William Bligh, Navigator
From: Don Seltzer
Date: 2015 Jun 23, 21:56 -0400
From: Don Seltzer
Date: 2015 Jun 23, 21:56 -0400
In his journal, Bligh listed three sextants in his possession aboard Bounty: a 10" Ramsden, a 14" Ramsden, and a 12" Troughton. In his notations for observations, he abbreviates them as 'B', 'C', and 'H' respectively.
On many occasions, he takes observations with all three, carefully identifying them as B, C, and H. On most days there is no notation; it seems likely that he was using only the Ramsden C on those days.
Sometime in the weeks leading up to the mutiny, the vernier screw of Ramsden C went missing, and Bligh turned to Ramsden B.
Somewhere I had gotten the notion that he obtained Ramsden B for the voyage in the launch. Bligh himself never says so. In fact, he minimizes his account of what he actually had to work with. I have taken a look at the various accounts, ignoring whatever Jules Verne or Lady Belcher might have thought. The only sources that matter are the court martial proceedings and the written narratives of those aboard the launch, such as Bligh and Fryer, and those brought back from Tahiti, such as Morrison.
First, we have Bligh's account:
'The Boatswain and Seamen who were to go in the Boat, collected twine, canvas, Lines. Sails, Cordage and eight and twenty Gallon Cask of Water, and the Carpenter got his Tool Chest. Mr. Samuel got 150 lbs. Bread with a Small quantity of Rum and Wine. He also got a Quadrant and Compass into the Boat, but forbid on Pain of death touching any Map whatever, Ephemeris Book of Astronomical Observations, Sextants, Time Keeper or any of my Surveys or drawings...
To Mr. Samuel I am indebted for Securing to me my Journals and Commission with some Material Ships Papers. Without these I had nothing to Certify what I had done, and my honor and Character would have been in the power of Calumny without a proper document to have defended it. All this he did with great resolution, being guarded and Strictly Watched. He attempted to save the Time Keeper and a Box with all my Surveys, Drawings and remarks for 15 Years past which were numerous. Among which were my general Surveys of the West Coast of America, East Coast of Asia, the Sandwich and Friendly Islands, when he was hurried away with 'damn your Eyes you are well off to get what you have'.
From Mr Fryer:
I then ask Christian — for my Trunk which was granted by [but] gave orders that the Log Book or any other Book should not be taken out of my cabin...
Churchill call'd to me Mr Fryer, hand out Mr Haywood watch — This watch I had in my Pocket several days — as my own was stop'd - Knowing that watch would be of great service to us I told them that the watch was onboard in my cabin — however they said it was not, and obliged me to hand it out
From James Morrison:
'after Mr. Bligh was In the Boat he beggd for His Commission and Sextant; the Commission was Instantly Given him with his Pocket Book and private Journal by Mr. Christians order, and He took His own Sextant which Commonly Stood on the Dripstone Case and Handed it into the Boat with a Daily Assistant, saying 'there Captain Bligh this is sufficient for evry purpose and you know the Sextant to be a good one'.
So which sextant was this? All later authors refer to it as Fletcher Christian's personal sextant. I think that there is some ambiguity here; it is possible that 'His' refers to Bligh, not Christian. Is it likely that Christian would hand over his personal, expensive possession? I suggest that it was one of Bligh's three sextants, probably the Ramsden B.
The final piece of the puzzle is midshipman Hallet, one of those put aboard the launch. During his court martial testimony, James Morrison claimed to have helped Hallet bring his chest on deck so that he could take some of his possessions into the launch.
John Fryer writes in his narrative:
'... we look into [Hammilton Moors?] Book — and likewise the Requisite Tables — which where [were] in the Boat belonging to Mr Hallett Midn, and found that Timor laid very little to the northward of Endeavour Straits...'
Fryer also mentions two instruments for determining latitude:
'..We however kept as near to the passage as possible in order to ascertain the Latd with degree of correctness. at [last?] we had a good observation. Captn Bligh had his [azimuth?] and I had an old Quadrant. that Latd that we obserd in 12°45′S [?]. we at the time suppose our [?] 5 or 6 miles to the Northward of the Passage so that the Passage lay in 12°50—[?] South - after our observation May 29, 1789 we bore away to the NW - Friday 29 about three oclock we came to grapnel under the Reef...'
This is the transcription on the http://www.fatefulvoyage.com/index.html web site. It would be interesting to see the original, to try to make out what instrument Bligh was using. There was a facsimile copy of Fryer's Narrative of the Bounty Launch, published in 1979. It seems to be very rare, and only a few libraries hold a copy.
The final part of the story is Bligh's voyage fro Batavia to the Cape of Good Hope in a Dutch vessel. He was scornful of the Dutch navigation methods and kept his own accounting, with daily noon sights and occasional lunars to determine longitude. This is a strong indication that he had a sextant from the Bounty.
Don Seltzer
On many occasions, he takes observations with all three, carefully identifying them as B, C, and H. On most days there is no notation; it seems likely that he was using only the Ramsden C on those days.
Sometime in the weeks leading up to the mutiny, the vernier screw of Ramsden C went missing, and Bligh turned to Ramsden B.
Somewhere I had gotten the notion that he obtained Ramsden B for the voyage in the launch. Bligh himself never says so. In fact, he minimizes his account of what he actually had to work with. I have taken a look at the various accounts, ignoring whatever Jules Verne or Lady Belcher might have thought. The only sources that matter are the court martial proceedings and the written narratives of those aboard the launch, such as Bligh and Fryer, and those brought back from Tahiti, such as Morrison.
First, we have Bligh's account:
'The Boatswain and Seamen who were to go in the Boat, collected twine, canvas, Lines. Sails, Cordage and eight and twenty Gallon Cask of Water, and the Carpenter got his Tool Chest. Mr. Samuel got 150 lbs. Bread with a Small quantity of Rum and Wine. He also got a Quadrant and Compass into the Boat, but forbid on Pain of death touching any Map whatever, Ephemeris Book of Astronomical Observations, Sextants, Time Keeper or any of my Surveys or drawings...
To Mr. Samuel I am indebted for Securing to me my Journals and Commission with some Material Ships Papers. Without these I had nothing to Certify what I had done, and my honor and Character would have been in the power of Calumny without a proper document to have defended it. All this he did with great resolution, being guarded and Strictly Watched. He attempted to save the Time Keeper and a Box with all my Surveys, Drawings and remarks for 15 Years past which were numerous. Among which were my general Surveys of the West Coast of America, East Coast of Asia, the Sandwich and Friendly Islands, when he was hurried away with 'damn your Eyes you are well off to get what you have'.
From Mr Fryer:
I then ask Christian — for my Trunk which was granted by [but] gave orders that the Log Book or any other Book should not be taken out of my cabin...
Churchill call'd to me Mr Fryer, hand out Mr Haywood watch — This watch I had in my Pocket several days — as my own was stop'd - Knowing that watch would be of great service to us I told them that the watch was onboard in my cabin — however they said it was not, and obliged me to hand it out
From James Morrison:
'after Mr. Bligh was In the Boat he beggd for His Commission and Sextant; the Commission was Instantly Given him with his Pocket Book and private Journal by Mr. Christians order, and He took His own Sextant which Commonly Stood on the Dripstone Case and Handed it into the Boat with a Daily Assistant, saying 'there Captain Bligh this is sufficient for evry purpose and you know the Sextant to be a good one'.
So which sextant was this? All later authors refer to it as Fletcher Christian's personal sextant. I think that there is some ambiguity here; it is possible that 'His' refers to Bligh, not Christian. Is it likely that Christian would hand over his personal, expensive possession? I suggest that it was one of Bligh's three sextants, probably the Ramsden B.
The final piece of the puzzle is midshipman Hallet, one of those put aboard the launch. During his court martial testimony, James Morrison claimed to have helped Hallet bring his chest on deck so that he could take some of his possessions into the launch.
John Fryer writes in his narrative:
'... we look into [Hammilton Moors?] Book — and likewise the Requisite Tables — which where [were] in the Boat belonging to Mr Hallett Midn, and found that Timor laid very little to the northward of Endeavour Straits...'
Fryer also mentions two instruments for determining latitude:
'..We however kept as near to the passage as possible in order to ascertain the Latd with degree of correctness. at [last?] we had a good observation. Captn Bligh had his [azimuth?] and I had an old Quadrant. that Latd that we obserd in 12°45′S [?]. we at the time suppose our [?] 5 or 6 miles to the Northward of the Passage so that the Passage lay in 12°50—[?] South - after our observation May 29, 1789 we bore away to the NW - Friday 29 about three oclock we came to grapnel under the Reef...'
This is the transcription on the http://www.fatefulvoyage.com/index.html web site. It would be interesting to see the original, to try to make out what instrument Bligh was using. There was a facsimile copy of Fryer's Narrative of the Bounty Launch, published in 1979. It seems to be very rare, and only a few libraries hold a copy.
The final part of the story is Bligh's voyage fro Batavia to the Cape of Good Hope in a Dutch vessel. He was scornful of the Dutch navigation methods and kept his own accounting, with daily noon sights and occasional lunars to determine longitude. This is a strong indication that he had a sextant from the Bounty.
Don Seltzer
