What is it about?
In 1812-14 two strong-willed characters were employed by the Admiralty to conduct surveys of the intricate approach channels to Liverpool, Britain's second port. One of them, George Thomas, Master RN, had been appointed an Admiralty Surveyor on the coasts of Great Britain with the support of the Hydrographer, Captain Thomas Hurd. The other, Lieutenant Thomas Evans, had been employed without Hurd's endorsement. In this article the surveys methods of the two men are analysed, as are the routes to publication of their work, throwing light on the establishment of the characteristic Admiralty chart, and on Hurd's effort to establish a cadre of expert practitioners.
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Why is it important?
This research for this article has included intensive analysis of the survey methods in this period, indicating the importance of the corresponding work of the surveyors of the Ordnance triangulation.
Perspectives
The colourful career of George Thomas has attracted a number of articles published in The Mariners' Mirror. Fresh perspective on his character emerges from his confrontation with the equally forthright Thomas Evans. The subsequent careers of both men throw light on prospects for officers and warrant officers as the Napoleonic Wars drew to a close.
Captain RN Michael Kenneth Barritt
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This page is a summary of: Lieutenant Thomas Evans, Mr George Thomas and the survey of Liverpool, The Mariner s Mirror, April 2022, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/00253359.2022.2057716.
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