WILLIS, John
455
King Street
Deptford
17 Sept 1819
My Lord,
I hope your Lordship will pardon the liberty I take in thus addressing your Lordship but the intention of His Majesty’s Government of extending the Colonization of the Cape of Good Hope has induced me to offer my humble services in furtherance of the views of the Colonial Department in any capacity for which my abilities may qualify me. I beg leave most respectfully to state to your Lordship that the Most Noble the Marquis of HUNTLEY has considered me worthy of his Lordship’s patronage & recommendation, having been recommended by My Lord Marquis to the notice and consideration of His Grace of RICHMOND, His Grace of MANCHESTER, the Rt. Hon’ble Lord Viscount MELVILLE, the Rt.Hon’ble the Earl of LIVERPOOL, the Rt. Hon’ble Charles ARBUTHNOT, Sir Byam MARTIN &c &c. I beg leave to inform your Lordship that I have already written to My Lord Marquis on the subject as also to my friend Sir Jas. GRAHAM Bart. who has equally interested himself in my favor: their distance from town may deprive me perhaps of an early recommendation to your Lordship’s notice but should My Lord Marquis already have honored me with a recommendation to your Lordship, qualifications would perhaps be a principal consideration in your Lordship’s attention to such application.
With the greatest respect have to state to your Lordship am 34 years of age, have been between 14 & 15 years a Master in His majesty’s Navy, having been actively employed as My Lord Marquis is aware of & have served as a Master in the Line; was Master of HMS Eugenie which conveyed Mr. Mungo PARK to the Gambia & [have?] afterwards proposals for the same service myself have been employed in several expeditions & in na expedition to Java completed some surveys for which by command of the Rt. Hon’ble the Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty their satisfaction was made known to me by Mr. COOK’s letter to me of 12th Dec. 1812 since which time the completed surveys on the Coast of Affrica, [Primus?] Island, part of St. Thomas’s &c&c which their Lordships have lately honored by their publication & the correctness of which have been generally admitted as likewise a survey in a large scale of Port Manners on the Labrador & several series of remarks, observations &c for later improvements in the mariner’s compass for commuting the deviation of Magnetic Needle has not only met the approbation of Public Boards but I flatter myself has given general satisfaction & will prove of general utility. Captain HURST of the Admiralty has kindly requested I would make use of his name in any way I may deem necessary in reference to ability &c. I humbly hope your Lordship will thus pardon my thus trespassing upon your Lordship’s valuable time or if I may have been too explicit, but should the humble offer of my services be deemed acceptable in furthering the views of the Colonial Department I trust I should prove myself qualified to undertake the survey of any portion of land & coast adjacent which might be deemed necessary [obscured] any other situation I might be interested in, humbly trusting my Lord my testimonials would be found worthy your Lordship’s kind attention & the noble & kind patronage I have already experienced. The half pay restriction my Lord has hitherto been an obstacle to the exertions of my friends in procuring a civil employment, but such restrictions being now removed by the generous order of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent in Council I should most gratefully exert myself to deserve any attention your Lordship might be pleased to afford the humble application of
With great respect my Lord
Your Lordship’s most obedient humble servant
John WILLIS