The British survey of mainland Florida and the Florida Keys was started after the Treaty of Paris in 1763. In charge of the survey was George Gauld, who in conjunction with other talented surveyors such as James Smith and John Payne worked mainly along on the Gulf coast. Other surveys of the northern coast of Florida were completed by William Gerard de Brahm the Surveyor General of the Southern District.
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Description
What is especially interesting about this survey is that it is in a style not unlike that of Gauld, although the handwriting on the chart is very similar to that of Lieutenant John Hunter (see Heritage Charts A309).
What is known is that in 1776 with work on his survey of the Florida Keys interrupted by the threat of American Privateers, Gauld had expressed a wish to survey from Cayo Largo to Cape Canaveral and thence to the Bahamas.
Perhaps the most attractive aspect of this never seen before survey is its simplicity. This coast of Florida, although well populated, even at this time, held very few secrets and frankly deserved little of a surveyor's precious time. As such it is likely that the survey was completed as a running survey, wherby the coastline is recorded from the deck of the passing ship, not from on-land with a survey team.
It was a constant requirement of British naval captains to keep a record of resources which may be exploited, wherever they visited. This would include noting trees and wood for repair of ships and ships masts, fresh water, local people and the opportunity to replenish food.
With such a plain coastline as viewed from the sea, every tree and change in the coastline would have been relevant to navigation. A track of soundings are marked on the chart showing the track taken by the ship. Of particular interest is the depiction of some mounds or high land along the coast. These mounds are known as Turtle mounds, mainly because of their shape, and are located south of what we now call New Symrna beach.
The mounds are in fact mainly made up of oyster shells, vegetation and general (historic) refuse. The mounds were built by the native Indians and they are still there today. In his General Descriptions which accompanied his work around West Florida, George Gauld noted 'large hillocks of Oyster Shells' being found on raised ground where native Indians had encampments. He further commented that he had discovered 'many such vestiges of the ancient inhabitants in several bays and other places on the coast'.
Mosquito Inlet, marked on the right-hand side of the survey is now called Ponce Inlet, but again, is still there today. Just the name 'Mosquito Inlet' is enough to persuade passing sailors not to bother stopping! It is perhaps ironic that the simplicity of the coast of Florida in this region which proved of little interest to the peoples of the 18th century was the very attraction for today's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) which dominates the Cape today.
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The British survey of mainland Florida and the Florida Keys was started after the Treaty of Paris in 1763. In charge of the survey was George Gauld, who in conjunction with other talented surveyors such as James Smith and John Payne worked mainly along on the Gulf coast. Other surveys of the northern coast of Florida were completed by William Gerard de Brahm the Surveyor General of the Southern District.
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