Marshall Rare Books
An Act for giving a publick Reward unto such Person or Persons, being His Majesty's Subject or Subjects, as shall discover a Northern Passage for Vessels by Sea, between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; and also unto such as shall first approach by Sea within One Degree of the Northern Pole
Anno Regni GEORGII III REGIS Magnae Britaniiae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, DECIMO SEXTO. At the Parliament Begun and holden at Westminster, the Twenty-ninth Day of November, Anno Domini 1774, in the Fifteenth Year of our Sovereign Lord GEORGE the Third, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith.... FIRST EDITION, [2], 247-255, [2], woodcut coat of arms on title, woodcut floriated initial, text in black letter, folio (320 x 200mm), London, Charles Eyre and William Strahan, 1776
Anno Regni GEORGII III REGIS Magnae Britaniiae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, DECIMO SEXTO. At the Parliament Begun and holden at Westminster, the Twenty-ninth Day of November, Anno Domini 1774, in the Fifteenth Year of our Sovereign Lord GEORGE the Third, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith….
FIRST EDITION, [2], 247-255, [2], woodcut coat of arms on title, woodcut floriated initial, text in black letter, folio (320 x 200mm), London, Charles Eyre and William Strahan, 1776
An extension and expansion of the Act of 1714. The previous extension, and promise of reward, was the motivation for Captain Cook to embark on his third and fatal voyage which departed the same year as this Act.
The 1776 Act expands the scope for monetary reward to successfully approaching the North Pole within 1 degree, as well as discovering a Northwest Passage.
“The rules had changed. It was no longer a requirement to discover the Passage by way of Hudson Strait; instead, another condition for collecting the prize was put in place. Any passage must be discovered north of the northern 52nd parallel. As an added sweetener, £5,000 went to anyone reaching 89N latitude by sea.” [Stein]
It was recognised that British whale fishers sailed in northern waters on a routine basis, with frequent opportunities to approach high latitudes, but without adequate time during their fishing season to complete a northern passage. The act makes clear the potential importance of a Northwest Passage discovery for both trade and science, and it details how potential rewards will be split between those responsible for the discovery. In setting a hefty monetary reward and promoting the potential benefits to society, this act of Parliament likely intensified the Northwest Passage fervour and motivated explorers to venture deep into the Arctic.
[Stein: Discovering the Northwest Passage]