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Informing him that his discovery of 'a fixed point' was not relevant to the remit of the Board of Longitude.

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Concerning his invention of an instrument for the discovery of 'the fixed point' of both latitude and longitude. The letter includes a petition which he asks Joseph to send on, requesting from the Government 'every privilege reserved to English meritorious subjects'. It also includes details of the instrument known as 'Shee's machine' or 'the instrument of fixed point' and establishes Shee as its inventor.

Scope and Contents Fourteen letters concerning Joseph Shee, Vice Consul of Seville, and his invention of an instrument for the discovery of 'the fixed point' and his ‘star dial’. The letters are largely from Shee, but also include correspondence between Captain Thomas Hurd and Josias Weeks (a friend who wrote to the Board on Shee's behalf), a letter from William Cosens (the partner of Weeks), and a copy of a letter Shee wrote to his son, Joseph. Also included are two essays in which Shee is critical of the...

Scope and Contents The chapter is entitled ‘Of epochs and of the opposition made to them by such people as enjoy the title of Astronomers, when no Astronomy can be had out of them’. Shee is critical of the Board of Longitude and of their reception of his work, asking, for example, ‘Pray, who has authorised you to govern the Celestial Bodies’ [RGO 14/40: 466r] and comparing his own treatment by the Board to the ‘inhumane’ treatment received by Copernicus [RGO 14/40: 468r]. Marked ‘51’, the essay is numbered...

Scope and Contents Shee outlines his encounters with the Board of Longitude from October 1816 and their treatment of him, which caused him to ask for the return of his papers despite being offered funds to continue with his work. He also discusses Harrison’s lunar observations and says that he had discovered that the lunar tables were founded upon an erroneous supposition which meant that longitude could not be determined by them [RGO 14/40: 474]. He refers to himself as ‘the only true longitude discoverer...

Scope and Contents

Establishing Shee as the inventor of an instrument for the discovery of 'the fixed point' of both latitude and longitude, and originally enclosing a copy of a letter to his son in which Shee outlines the privileges he sought in return for this discovery [RGO 14/40: 445]. He states his desire to be made a member of the Board of Longitude and asks that the Board not give credit to any other claims for the discovery of longitude before examining his work.

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Defending the relevance of his work on 'the fixed point' to the search for longitude.

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Explaining that he had now found longitude by means of two methods, both founded on the 'centre of infallibility', one of which involved using a star dial of his own invention.

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Two copies of a letter in which Shee remarks that he had not received an answer to his letters on longitude, but had nonetheless continued in his work, as he was resolved 'not to deprive man of the wonderful effects' his discovery would have.

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Letter dated 10 September 1814, which begins with a fair copy of Shee's previous letter to the Board, dated 9 July - for the original see [RGO 14/40: 457].

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Letter dated 21 September 1814, which begins with a fair copy of Shee's previous letter to the Board, dated 10 September - for the original see [RGO 14/40: 458-459].