| RefNo | MS/957/59 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Letter from William Scoresby, Liverpool, to Captain [Henry] Kater |
| Creator | Scoresby; William junior (1789-1857); British Arctic scientist and divine |
| Recipient | Kater; Henry (1777-1835); British geodicist and metrologist |
| Date | 23 November 1822 |
| Description | He communicates the nautical advantages of Kater's azimuth compass, having used it in his surveys of the eastern coast of Greenland. He took 700-800 magnetic bearings from the masthead of the Baffin, where there was no deviation with the instrument; he only resorted to the sextant in rough weather. It would have answered better if the compass had been constructed on a smaller scale, so that it was more portable and observations could be taken more quickly. He would like to know if Kater intends to make smaller instruments and if so he would return his present one to the Board of Longitude. If not, he would return a new one and keep the existing instrument. |
| Extent | 2p. |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| Dimensions | 227x184mm. |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA6138 | Scoresby; William (1789 - 1857) | 1789 - 1857 |