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H. M.S Investigator at Spithead
June 6.1801
I have this moment received your letter, Sir Joseph, of yesterday. The information you received at the admiralty mortifies me much; but I hope to take off from the anxiety which you are kind enough to express for me and for the ship.
The chart of the Channel supplied me by Arrowsmith, published by I. H. Moore, was the principal cause of the ship having touched the ground, from not having a sand laid down in it called the Rear. The water was perfectly smooth, during the short time that the ship hung, and I do not know that she has suffered one particle of injury: it is the opinion of the carpenter of the ship that she has not. Finding so material a thing as a sand 3 or 4 miles from the shore, unlaid down in the chart, I thought it a duty encumbent upon me to endeavour to prevent the like accidents from happening to others by stating the circumstance to the admiralty and giving the most exact bearings from the shoal that our situation would enable me to take, with the supposed distance from the land. It would have been very easy for me to have suppressed every part of the circumstance, and thus to have escaped the blame which seems to attach to me, instead of some share of praise for my good intentions. I hope it will not be thought presumption in me to say, that no blame ought to be attributed to me. I had left orders for the lead to be kept going; and not ten minutes before the ship touched, the Land was reported to me to be 6 miles distant, where, instead of a shoal in the chart, 10 and 14 fm [fathom] are marked. The admiralty do not seem to take it into consideration that I had no master appointed, who ought to be the pilot; or that having been constantly employed myself in foreign voyages, I cannot, consequently, have much personal knowledge of the Channel.
In truth, I had nothing but the chart and my own general observations to direct me; and had the former been at all correct, we should have arrived here as safe as if we had any number of pilots.
After what is said above, no idea of a necessity for docking can remain, or ought any fears to be entertained about the Investigator on account of having touched the ground. She is certainly not a strong ship, but we cannot think her any weaker now than before.
My surprise is great that the Admiralty should attach any blame to me for the desertion of three men from the Advice brig, which is the next point in your letter, Sir Joseph. These men were