Navigating the Downs 18th Century Style

Sadly it only covers terrestrial navigation

I've been reading John Hamilton Moore's New Practical Navigator (17th edition, 1807, 10s 6d), a navigation manual from the 18th/19th Century. A navigation manual? It was in many ways the navigation manual[1], the textbook that taught several generations of naval officers how to sail. (Having said this, they were given, ah, practical instruction on board ship by experienced seamen.)

You might think that it would be dull. And you're right! It begins with basic mathematics, has a crawl through geometry and trigonometry, and then goes on to taking sun, moon, and star sights, calculating position and tides and it's a very grinding process. Pages and pages of sines and logarithms for reference do not make for riveting reading. And with GPS in most phones, of mere academic interest today.

But there is some solid gold there, especially for research purposes. When describing how to choose a quadrant or sextant he explains that the joints should be close, with no looseness and advises spending two and a half or even three guineas on a good one that will last a lifetime rather than the false saving of a cheap and shoddy instrument. (Writes down "2 and a half or 3 Guineas for a good sextant" in his age of sail notes.)

The essay On Winds begins "The earth is endued with a wonderful principle of gravitation, whereby all its parts are strictly united together; and all bodies that are loose upon it closely adhere to its surface, tending directly towards its centre." That is absolutely ace; start talking about wind by describing gravity in a very 19th century style.

After admitting that the navy has its own methods of teaching fighting at sea which he would hesitate to be compared to, there's then a big section on how to fight a ship. It's 1807, we've been at war with France for 15 years[2], merchant ships and (especially) privateers need to know this kind of thing. Also good are the methods of dealing with ships in distress, and reviving someone who has drowned.

Exam Questions

For historical purposes, the sample questions that might be asked for officers taking the exam to become a lieutenant in the Royal Navy (or in the East India Company) are extremely interesting[3]. Because the examination was taken orally before a board of Captains there don't seem to be actual lists of the questions asked in actual exams.

Anyway, it's of interest because the questions get quite specific about sailing and anchoring in various places the Royal Navy frequented. One of these places are the Downs, off Deal, near where I live. So not only is this excellent research material, there's descriptions of local landmarks, most of which can still be seen today.

You can find these marks on the East Kent coast

Also, try not run aground on the Goodwin Sands.


[1] Not for Americans! The publishers of the bootleg American version got well known captain and nautical educator Nathaniel Bowditch to correct and revise it; he found so many things he wanted to change that he wrote his own book, Bowditch's American Practical Navigator, which contained "nothing I can't teach the crew." (He then taught everyone including the cook to make lunar observations and plot the ship's position). Anyway, his version became more popular in America.

[2] With a brief break for the Peace of Amiens.

[3] To be considered one needed at least six years at sea (on the books of a ship's company) and two years in grade as a midshipman or master's mate. Usually one had to be over eighteen but that was often ignored.