Employed to assist Gauld with his survey survey of the gulf coast was James Cook [1] who was the Master of HMS Alarm, a fifth-rate man of war of 683 tons armed with 32 guns. Cook was not only an accomplished seaman but he was also more than capable surveyor and map-maker as can be seen from this work.
Cook assisted Gauld on the survey of Espiritu Santo (now Tampa Bay) and he further contributed with a partial sketch of the coast from Pensacola to beyond Tampa Bay of his own. He made a note on his original daft for this survey that he would have liked to have surveyed that part of the coast between Cape San Blas (where this survey finishes) and Espiritu Bay but no suitable vessel was available.
Cook's depiction of the north shore of Espiritu Bay is markedly inaccurate, partly because he did not accompany Gauld on this part of the survey: During the making of the survey HMS Alarm had spent a total of 68 days at anchor in Espiritu Bay, while Gauld finished his survey work. Cook had been confined to his quarters by the Captain as the result of a blazing row between the two of them and fourteen of the crew had died of undisclosed causes.
The ensuing court-martial proceedings, held at Port Royal on January 27th and February 5th 1776 saw Cook dismissed from the navy. The Commander of the Jamaica station Admiral Burnaby attempted to support Cook in a letter to the lords of the Admiralty on Feb 22nd, 1776, when he offered the following citation: 'Mr Cook has been of infinite service in surveying & taking different plans of the coast & harbours of West Florida, is a good draughtsman & a good officer, I therefore hope their Lordships will restore him, & appoint him to some ship that comes out to this station, as he knows the Coast of Florida extremely well, & will greatly contribute to the completion of the Survey of the Coast' (ADM 1/238).
Cook's chart was dedicated to John Ellis Esq. King's Agent for the Province of West Florida, and was produced by Eman'l Bowen the London map-maker to the King, soon after his dismissal from the Navy.
[1]. Not to be confused with Captain James Cook the explorer of the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand.
This beautiful chart, fully titled; 'A Draught of West Florida from Cape St Blaze to the River Ibberville with Part of the River Mississippi' includes a plan of Pensacola Harbour and Draught of Spinto Sancto and coast adjacent. It is one of surprisingly few which were actually published as part of the British efforts to survey the Southern District of America after 1764 when Britain first took control of the region.
