Dawes, William, 1762 - 1836 (astronomer and colonial administrator)
Found in 31 Collections and/or Records:
Letter from William Dawes to Nevil Maskelyne, 1788-10-01
Letter from William Dawes to Nevil Maskelyne, 1788-11-17
Informing Maskelyne that he had a sent a letter via the Fishburn under Captain [Robert] Brown.
Letter from William Dawes to Nevil Maskelyne, 1788-11-17
Reporting on his work at the observatory in Sydney. Dawes reports that he had seen nothing of the comet and complains that his duties as Engineer and Officer of Artillery were preventing him from attending to the observatory, which had soured his relationship with the Governor. He asks that a suitable person be sent out to take over the Observatory before his six years there had expired. He also reports the naming of Maskelyne Point.
Letter from William Dawes to Nevil Maskelyne, 1790-04-16
Reporting on his work at the observatory in Sydney. He refers to the loss of HMS Sirius and states that the timekeeper [K1] was moved to HMS Supply undamaged. The letter also includes a description of his observatory.
Letter from William Dawes to Nevil Maskelyne, 1790-07-26
Reporting on his work at the observatory at Sydney, and describing the main hindrances to his work (including the lack of 'men of business' in the country, the 'unfortunate want of abilities' of the surveyor of lands, and his problems with the Governor). The letter also includes a description of the local topography of Sydney and his opinion of the country - 'a more dreary, dismal, barren, inanimated [sic] country I believe does not exist anywhere in the whole world'.
Letter from William Dawes to Nevil Maskelyne, 1792-06-18
Written on board HMS Gorgon on Dawes' return passage to England and concerning the safe return of instruments from the observatory at Sydney.