Series 12.01: Copy of a letter received by Board of Longitude from Lieutenant James King, 10 June 1779 - No. 0001

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[Captain Cook's 3rd voyage and his death at Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii]

Copy

Recd. 11th Jany 1780

Harbor of St Peter & St Paul Kamchatska [also spelt Kamchatka]

June 10th 1779

Sir

C. Clerke thinks it proper that some information should be given to the Board of Longitude respecting the observations which C Cooke & myself engaged to make, & as we have to our very great misfortune lost C. Cooke he desires me to draw up a short account of our joint proceedings to send with his Publick Papers ; I have therefore Sir made out the inclosed Tables, which you will please to communicate to the Board ; had it pleased God to have preserved the life of our late Commander, there had needed no apologies for the imperfect Account I send, which is principally owing to the want of his Assistance, & partly to the little time I have had; C. Clerke judging it necessary for the service  to send me to wait upon the Commander of this Province, at a great distance from here ; & on my return the Ship's Dutys & attention to the Time Kr. have left me very little leisure : The inclosed account will show how the Time Keeper has performed till we made this Coast but unluckily for our future proceedings it stopped on the 26th April 3 days after making the Land as the greatest care had been taken of it, never having been trusted in the hands of any one but Capt Cook & myself, & never neglected winding up, we could not account for it's stopping : we have a Seaman on board who served a regular apprenticeship to a Watch maker in London & considering how useful the Time Keeper is in the Surveys, & for other purposes, & that our Voyage is not perhaps near at an end, C. Clerke thought it best to let their man look into it, & when we came into Harbour he did so, took a little of the work off & set it a going, its stopping being occasioned by a little dirt in one of the wheels. It was judged proper to put it under Mr Bailey's Care during my Journey ; by comparisons with his Clock & Time Keeper it lost from 21" to 24" per day, but the day of my return it stopped again whilst in his possession, the cause of this was