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The letters concern his claims for the full reward offered for the discovery of an accurate method of finding longitude at sea.

Scope and Contents From the Item: Fourteen letters from William Lester to the Board of Longitude, chiefly to Thomas Young, concerning his proposals to find longitude by means of the solar rays. The letters provide details of his proposed experiments and of his new invention, the 'Solometer'. Illustrations of this instrument are provided along with technical details on its construction [RGO 14/40: 351 and RGO 14/40: 356-357]. The files also include a related letter written on behalf of Young, and an illustrated legal patent...

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Sent by Lester to the Board of Longitude, providing details on the technical construction of his invention, the Solometer.

Scope and Contents Legal patent in which Lester embodied extracts from letters sent to the Board of Longitude between 3 January and 1 February 1821 concerning his solution to the longitude problem and his invention of the Solometer. The patent is illustrated with a drawing of the Solometer by Thomas Clark, and includes signed testimonies by both Clark and Rich Heath, a Staffordshire carpenter who constructed an example of the Solometer. It was witnessed by William Smith and John Lockett in the presence of John...

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Outlining his planned solar experiments for finding longitude. As his experiments involved 'igniting' points on a globe of the earth using a lens, the letter has been marked 'burning a globe' by the Board.

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Originally enclosing further information on his proposals for finding longitude.

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In which Lester provides further information on his proposal to find longitude by means of the solar rays.

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Suggesting that his Solometer could be used in conjunction with a pyrometer to ascertain longitude.

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Enclosing an explanation and drawings of his Solometer; see [RGO 14/40: 356-357].

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Enclosing the letter now at [RGO 14/40: 359] for consideration by the Board of Longitude.

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In which Lester states that he had heard that the reward for finding longitude was twenty thousand pounds and asks to submit his solution before the Board.

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Outlining his planned solar experiments for finding longitude, which involved igniting points on a globe of the earth with a lens. The Board have underlined his statement that if the Globe is correct and properly adjusted 'you will set fire to London'.

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Stating that he had a forwarded a box containing proper instructions for the use of his Solometer.

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Letter outlining his invention for finding longitude based on measurements of solar light; preceded by a cover letter addressed to Thomas Young.

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Letter in which Lester states that he had been conducting experiments with light and proposed to find longitude without the use of a chronometer; he also enquires about a reward. Preceded by a related cover letter addressed to John Wilson Croaker [Croker].