Greetings fellow dialists,

Regarding the time of start of the day may I quote from the biography of
Captain Cook written by Rupert T. Gould (he who salvaged the four
Harrison chronometers).  He writes: There were three different systems
of dating in use in the "Endeavour". Cook kept his journals, and the
ship's log, in Ship Time, now obsolete. In this system, the day begins
at noon, not at midnight, and twelve hours before the ordinary Civil
Day. Thus for Cook October 6 ended at noon, Civil Time, on that day,
October 7 immediately beginning. Events which happened in the afternoon
and evening of October 6 Civil Time (which Banks used all through his
journal) would be noted by Cook as beginning in the pm. of October 7.
After midnight Cook (and of course Banks also) would write of them as
happening in the am. of October 7.

On the other hand Green kept his journal in Astronomical Time - a system
discontinued in 1925. Like Cook, he reckons his day from noon to noon -
but instead of beginning twelve hours before the Civil Day his day is
twelve hours behind it; and consequently a whole day behind Cook's.

Frank 55N 1W
-- 
Frank Evans

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