The Frederica naval action was a naval battle during the American Revolutionary War in which three galleys of the Georgia State Navy captured a British raiding party off the coast of Georgia . The action occurred on April 19, 1778.
98-586: The state of Georgia had twice attempted, without success, to invade the British colony of East Florida . In 1778 a third attempt was launched, to be headed by Colonel Samuel Elbert . The catalyst for the invasion was the discovery, in April of that year, that four British ships were sailing in St. Simons Sound . Two of these, the sloop Rebecca and the watering brig Hatter , were private vessels under contract to
196-445: A diurnal tide—one high and low tide each day. A "mixed tide"—two uneven magnitude tides a day—is a third regular category. Tides vary on timescales ranging from hours to years due to a number of factors, which determine the lunitidal interval . To make accurate records, tide gauges at fixed stations measure water level over time. Gauges ignore variations caused by waves with periods shorter than minutes. These data are compared to
294-677: A day were similar, but at springs the tides rose 7 feet (2.1 m) in the morning but 9 feet (2.7 m) in the evening. Pierre-Simon Laplace formulated a system of partial differential equations relating the ocean's horizontal flow to its surface height, the first major dynamic theory for water tides. The Laplace tidal equations are still in use today. William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin , rewrote Laplace's equations in terms of vorticity which allowed for solutions describing tidally driven coastally trapped waves, known as Kelvin waves . Others including Kelvin and Henri Poincaré further developed Laplace's theory. Based on these developments and
392-523: A few days after (or before) new and full moon and are highest around the equinoxes, though Pliny noted many relationships now regarded as fanciful. In his Geography , Strabo described tides in the Persian Gulf having their greatest range when the moon was furthest from the plane of the Equator. All this despite the relatively small amplitude of Mediterranean basin tides. (The strong currents through
490-505: A given day are typically not the same height (the daily inequality); these are the higher high water and the lower high water in tide tables . Similarly, the two low waters each day are the higher low water and the lower low water . The daily inequality is not consistent and is generally small when the Moon is over the Equator . The following reference tide levels can be defined, from
588-451: A gravitational field that varies in time and space is present. For example, the shape of the solid part of the Earth is affected slightly by Earth tide , though this is not as easily seen as the water tidal movements. Four stages in the tidal cycle are named: Oscillating currents produced by tides are known as tidal streams or tidal currents . The moment that the tidal current ceases
686-534: A group of Americans, mostly from Georgia, calling themselves the "Patriots", declared the short-lived Republic of East Florida at Amelia Island with semi-official support from the U.S. government . Border disputes between the United States and Seminoles in Florida continued after the war. By 1817, much of Spanish West Florida had been occupied and annexed by the United States over Spanish objections, with
784-559: A population of about 950 people. Three hundred of whom had some degree of African descent whether they were enslaved or not. With the return of the Spanish, the system of plantation agriculture developed in the colony during the British period remained. Although the production levels were not as high as other British colonies, cash crops like indigo, hemp, and rum made in Spanish East Florida led to economic growth there. As
882-626: A result, St. Augustine became less dependent on the royal situado (royal financial payments for support). Trade became less restrictive during the second Spanish period as the Spanish monarchies enacted reforms allowing for trade between Spanish and non-Spanish areas, which benefited St. Augustine. St. Augustine was the largest port on the Atlantic Ocean south of Charleston. Ships would travel often to Charleston, South Carolina and Cap Français in Haiti where goods were traded and crews learned
980-446: A ship loaded with soldiers to assist Hinchinbrook and Rebecca . Elbert received some intelligence regarding the two British ships; he decided, however, that it was too late in the evening to initiate an attack, and ordered his men to rest for the night. Early on the morning of April 19, Elbert took the galleys down the river to attack the British ships, which were already ranged in their order of battle . The galleys likely initiated
1078-570: A single unit, British officials divided Florida into two colonies separated by the Apalachicola River : the colony of East Florida, with its capital located in St. Augustine ; and West Florida , with its capital located in Pensacola . East Florida was much larger and comprised the bulk of the former Spanish colony and most of the current state of Florida . It had also been the most populated region of Spanish Florida, but before control
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#17327762970041176-464: A smooth sphere covered by a sufficiently deep ocean under the tidal force of a single deforming body is a prolate spheroid (essentially a three-dimensional oval) with major axis directed toward the deforming body. Maclaurin was the first to write about the Earth's rotational effects on motion. Euler realized that the tidal force's horizontal component (more than the vertical) drives the tide. In 1744 Jean le Rond d'Alembert studied tidal equations for
1274-526: A system of pulleys to add together six harmonic time functions. It was "programmed" by resetting gears and chains to adjust phasing and amplitudes. Similar machines were used until the 1960s. The first known sea-level record of an entire spring–neap cycle was made in 1831 on the Navy Dock in the Thames Estuary . Many large ports had automatic tide gauge stations by 1850. John Lubbock was one of
1372-455: Is a useful concept. Tidal stage is also measured in degrees, with 360° per tidal cycle. Lines of constant tidal phase are called cotidal lines , which are analogous to contour lines of constant altitude on topographical maps , and when plotted form a cotidal map or cotidal chart . High water is reached simultaneously along the cotidal lines extending from the coast out into the ocean, and cotidal lines (and hence tidal phases) advance along
1470-422: Is at once cotidal with high and low waters, which is satisfied by zero tidal motion. (The rare exception occurs when the tide encircles an island, as it does around New Zealand, Iceland and Madagascar .) Tidal motion generally lessens moving away from continental coasts, so that crossing the cotidal lines are contours of constant amplitude (half the distance between high and low water) which decrease to zero at
1568-418: Is called slack water or slack tide . The tide then reverses direction and is said to be turning. Slack water usually occurs near high water and low water, but there are locations where the moments of slack tide differ significantly from those of high and low water. Tides are commonly semi-diurnal (two high waters and two low waters each day), or diurnal (one tidal cycle per day). The two high waters on
1666-457: Is called the spring tide . It is not named after the season , but, like that word, derives from the meaning "jump, burst forth, rise", as in a natural spring . Spring tides are sometimes referred to as syzygy tides . When the Moon is at first quarter or third quarter, the Sun and Moon are separated by 90° when viewed from the Earth (in quadrature ), and the solar tidal force partially cancels
1764-446: Is never time for the fluid to "catch up" to the state it would eventually reach if the tidal force were constant—the changing tidal force nonetheless causes rhythmic changes in sea surface height. When there are two high tides each day with different heights (and two low tides also of different heights), the pattern is called a mixed semi-diurnal tide . The changing distance separating the Moon and Earth also affects tide heights. When
1862-408: Is not necessarily when the Moon is nearest to zenith or nadir , but the period of the forcing still determines the time between high tides. Because the gravitational field created by the Moon weakens with distance from the Moon, it exerts a slightly stronger than average force on the side of the Earth facing the Moon, and a slightly weaker force on the opposite side. The Moon thus tends to "stretch"
1960-461: Is not the case due to the free fall of the whole Earth, not only the oceans, towards these bodies) a different pattern of tidal forces would be observed, e.g. with a much stronger influence from the Sun than from the Moon: The solar gravitational force on the Earth is on average 179 times stronger than the lunar, but because the Sun is on average 389 times farther from the Earth, its field gradient
2058-402: Is shorter than average, and stronger tidal currents than average. Neaps result in less extreme tidal conditions. There is about a seven-day interval between springs and neaps. Tidal constituents are the net result of multiple influences impacting tidal changes over certain periods of time. Primary constituents include the Earth's rotation, the position of the Moon and Sun relative to the Earth,
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#17327762970042156-419: Is the time required for the Earth to rotate once relative to the Moon. Simple tide clocks track this constituent. The lunar day is longer than the Earth day because the Moon orbits in the same direction the Earth spins. This is analogous to the minute hand on a watch crossing the hour hand at 12:00 and then again at about 1: 05 + 1 ⁄ 2 (not at 1:00). The Moon orbits the Earth in the same direction as
2254-689: The American Revolution . The colony became a haven for Loyalist refugees and fugitive slaves fleeing to British lines from the Southern Colonies during the American War of Independence , and several military units were established by Loyalists in East Florida. Spain participated indirectly in the war as an ally of France and captured Pensacola from the British in 1781. In the 1783 Treaty of Paris , which ended
2352-502: The Apalachicola River : East Florida, with its capital in the old Spanish city of St. Augustine , and West Florida , with its capital at Pensacola . However, most of the Spanish population departed following the signing of the treaty, with the entirety of St. Augustine emigrating to Cuba . The settlement of East Florida was heavily linked in London to the same interests that controlled Nova Scotia. The East Florida Society of London and
2450-606: The Coriolis effect , is generally clockwise in the southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere. The difference of cotidal phase from the phase of a reference tide is the epoch . The reference tide is the hypothetical constituent "equilibrium tide" on a landless Earth measured at 0° longitude, the Greenwich meridian. In the North Atlantic, because the cotidal lines circulate counterclockwise around
2548-722: The Euripus Strait and the Strait of Messina puzzled Aristotle .) Philostratus discussed tides in Book Five of The Life of Apollonius of Tyana . Philostratus mentions the moon, but attributes tides to "spirits". In Europe around 730 AD, the Venerable Bede described how the rising tide on one coast of the British Isles coincided with the fall on the other and described the time progression of high water along
2646-530: The North Sea . Much later, in the late 20th century, geologists noticed tidal rhythmites , which document the occurrence of ancient tides in the geological record, notably in the Carboniferous . The tidal force produced by a massive object (Moon, hereafter) on a small particle located on or in an extensive body (Earth, hereafter) is the vector difference between the gravitational force exerted by
2744-725: The Royal Navy ; the other two, the frigate HMS Galatea and sloop HMS Hinchinbrook , were Royal Navy ships. For defense, Elbert had the galleys of the Georgia State Navy ; four of these, Washington , Lee , Congress , and Bulloch , had been underwritten by the Continental Congress and constructed in Savannah between 1776 and 1777. All four were under the command of Commodore Oliver Bowen . On April 15 Elbert received word that
2842-522: The South Carolina and Georgia coasts. More importantly, it helped to delay by over eight months a British attempt to capture Fort Morris and the town of Sunbury . At the same time, it demonstrated the effectiveness of heavily armed galleys in confined waters. Elbert, for his part, was deeply impressed with the victory, writing to General Robert Howe that ...you must imagine what my feelings were, to see our three little men of war going on to
2940-506: The ebb tide combined with the lack of wind to give the Americans the advantage; with no wind, the British ships were unable to sail forward to board and storm the galleys, and were forced to remain stationary. Consequently, the galleys began by firing a few random shots at the British vessels before anchoring a safe distance away and beginning a heavy cannonade . Hinchinbrook and Rebecca carried four-pounder guns that were no match for
3038-545: The flotilla had entered the Frederica River and anchored at Pikes Bluff, close to a mile and a half above Fort Frederica . Troops under Colonel Robert Rae and Major Daniel Roberts were the first to land, followed, under Elbert's orders, by Captain George Young and the artillery detachment. They set up the field piece on the island. Officers were chosen to command troops on the galleys. Colonel John White
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3136-440: The lunar theory of E W Brown describing the motions of the Moon, Arthur Thomas Doodson developed and published in 1921 the first modern development of the tide-generating potential in harmonic form: Doodson distinguished 388 tidal frequencies. Some of his methods remain in use. From ancient times, tidal observation and discussion has increased in sophistication, first marking the daily recurrence, then tides' relationship to
3234-541: The proclamation line that colonists in the northern British colonies wanted to move beyond. However, this plan was generally unsuccessful as many of those who got land grants did not end up settling on those lands. By 1783 the population of East Florida was about 17,000. During the American Revolution, East Florida sided with the British and became a loyalist haven. With the end of the Revolution and
3332-473: The "Minorcan Quarter" or the "Greek Quarter". It is unclear what the population of East Florida was prior to the American Revolution but it is estimated to have had a population of close to 3,000, making it much larger in population than West Florida, which is believed to have had only several hundred residents. The British tried to encourage settlement in East and West Florida, thinking it would take pressure off
3430-527: The 1783 treaty in which Britain officially recognized the independence of thirteen of its former colonies as the United States , it ceded both Floridas back to Spain, which maintained them as separate colonies while moving the boundary east to the Suwannee River . By the early 1800s, Spain had proved uninterested in and incapable of organizing or defending either of the two Floridas much beyond
3528-460: The American Revolution, many Georgians and Carolinians moved to Florida along with their slaves. The colonial government, along with slave-owners, used slaves to construct defensive fortifications. A militia act that allowed for conscripting slaves as laborers and soldiers was passed in 1781. Goods produced and exported in East Florida included sugar, timber, indigo, rice, naval stores, and barrel staves; most of these goods came from plantations along
3626-612: The American position on this issue. Adams accused Spain of breaking Pinckney's Treaty by failing to control the Seminoles . Faced with the prospect of losing control, Spain formally ceded all of its Florida territory to the U.S. under the Adams–Onís Treaty in 1819 (ratified in 1821), in exchange for the U.S. ceding its claims on Texas and the U.S. paying any claims its citizens might have against Spain, up to $ 5,000,000. In 1822,
3724-401: The British period and newly arrived Spaniards. The rural areas settled by colonists were described as being "exclusively Anglo". During the Spanish period, the population of St. Augustine "hovered" at about 3,000 people, with half of its population being black slaves. There were nine Native American towns in Florida, but those towns were not counted in the 1786 census. In 1786, St. Augustine had
3822-426: The Earth rotates on its axis, so it takes slightly more than a day—about 24 hours and 50 minutes—for the Moon to return to the same location in the sky. During this time, it has passed overhead ( culmination ) once and underfoot once (at an hour angle of 00:00 and 12:00 respectively), so in many places the period of strongest tidal forcing is the above-mentioned, about 12 hours and 25 minutes. The moment of highest tide
3920-419: The Earth slightly along the line connecting the two bodies. The solid Earth deforms a bit, but ocean water, being fluid, is free to move much more in response to the tidal force, particularly horizontally (see equilibrium tide ). As the Earth rotates, the magnitude and direction of the tidal force at any particular point on the Earth's surface change constantly; although the ocean never reaches equilibrium—there
4018-586: The Earth's accumulated dynamic tidal response to the applied forces, which response is influenced by ocean depth, the Earth's rotation, and other factors. In 1740, the Académie Royale des Sciences in Paris offered a prize for the best theoretical essay on tides. Daniel Bernoulli , Leonhard Euler , Colin Maclaurin and Antoine Cavalleri shared the prize. Maclaurin used Newton's theory to show that
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4116-427: The Moon and its phases. Bede starts by noting that the tides rise and fall 4/5 of an hour later each day, just as the Moon rises and sets 4/5 of an hour later. He goes on to emphasise that in two lunar months (59 days) the Moon circles the Earth 57 times and there are 114 tides. Bede then observes that the height of tides varies over the month. Increasing tides are called malinae and decreasing tides ledones and that
4214-459: The Moon is closest, at perigee , the range increases, and when it is at apogee , the range shrinks. Six or eight times a year perigee coincides with either a new or full moon causing perigean spring tides with the largest tidal range . The difference between the height of a tide at perigean spring tide and the spring tide when the moon is at apogee depends on location but can be large as a foot higher. These include solar gravitational effects,
4312-462: The Moon on the particle, and the gravitational force that would be exerted on the particle if it were located at the Earth's center of mass. Whereas the gravitational force subjected by a celestial body on Earth varies inversely as the square of its distance to the Earth, the maximal tidal force varies inversely as, approximately, the cube of this distance. If the tidal force caused by each body were instead equal to its full gravitational force (which
4410-457: The Moon's altitude (elevation) above the Earth's Equator, and bathymetry . Variations with periods of less than half a day are called harmonic constituents . Conversely, cycles of days, months, or years are referred to as long period constituents. Tidal forces affect the entire earth , but the movement of solid Earth occurs by mere centimeters. In contrast, the atmosphere is much more fluid and compressible so its surface moves by kilometers, in
4508-449: The Moon's tidal force. At these points in the lunar cycle, the tide's range is at its minimum; this is called the neap tide , or neaps . "Neap" is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "without the power", as in forðganges nip (forth-going without-the-power). Neap tides are sometimes referred to as quadrature tides . Spring tides result in high waters that are higher than average, low waters that are lower than average, " slack water " time that
4606-449: The Moon. Abu Ma'shar discussed the effects of wind and Moon's phases relative to the Sun on the tides. In the 12th century, al-Bitruji (d. circa 1204) contributed the notion that the tides were caused by the general circulation of the heavens. Simon Stevin , in his 1608 De spiegheling der Ebbenvloet ( The theory of ebb and flood ), dismissed a large number of misconceptions that still existed about ebb and flood. Stevin pleaded for
4704-684: The Northumbrian coast. The first tide table in China was recorded in 1056 AD primarily for visitors wishing to see the famous tidal bore in the Qiantang River . The first known British tide table is thought to be that of John Wallingford, who died Abbot of St. Albans in 1213, based on high water occurring 48 minutes later each day, and three hours earlier at the Thames mouth than upriver at London . In 1614 Claude d'Abbeville published
4802-520: The Nova Scotia Society of London had many overlapping members, and Council frequently followed their suggestions on the granting of lands to powerful merchant interests in London. Perhaps it is strange to think of such dissimilar geographic areas with such opposing climates as having much in common. But if one considers naval and military strategy, one can see that these areas have a common significance, especially when viewed from London by
4900-751: The Royal Navy had been spotted off the coast, and detailed around 360 men of the Georgia Continental battalions of Fort Howe to march to Darien ; from here they were to embark upon three of the galleys, Washington , Bulloch , and Lee . The first was led by Captain John Hardee , the second by Captain Archibald Hatcher , and the third by Captain John Cutler Braddock . By the middle of the afternoon on April 18,
4998-561: The Scottish slave trader Richard Oswald and the British general James Grant , who would later become governor of East Florida. A list of the grantees in both Florida and Canada shows that the plums fell to a well-connected—and inter-connected—group. Lincoln's Inn barrister Levett Blackborne, grandson of Sir Richard Levett , a powerful merchant and Lord Mayor of London , came in for grants of 20,000 acres (81 km ) in both locales, for instance. Other aristocrats, nobles, and merchants did
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#17327762970045096-457: The St. Marys and St. Johns rivers that used slave labor. Bernard Romans wrote the first account of Spanish fishing ranchos existing along Florida's southwest coast in 1770. When the British took control of Florida, they monitored the fisherman but let them continue their activities. Governor James Grant was ordered to stop the fisherman from operating but did not enforce that order. At one point
5194-450: The Sun and Moon, the phase and amplitude of the tide (pattern of tides in the deep ocean), the amphidromic systems of the oceans, and the shape of the coastline and near-shore bathymetry (see Timing ). They are however only predictions, the actual time and height of the tide is affected by wind and atmospheric pressure . Many shorelines experience semi-diurnal tides—two nearly equal high and low tides each day. Other locations have
5292-531: The Sun and moon. Pytheas travelled to the British Isles about 325 BC and seems to be the first to have related spring tides to the phase of the moon. In the 2nd century BC, the Hellenistic astronomer Seleucus of Seleucia correctly described the phenomenon of tides in order to support his heliocentric theory. He correctly theorized that tides were caused by the moon , although he believed that
5390-531: The Two Chief World Systems , whose working title was Dialogue on the Tides , gave an explanation of the tides. The resulting theory, however, was incorrect as he attributed the tides to the sloshing of water caused by the Earth's movement around the Sun. He hoped to provide mechanical proof of the Earth's movement. The value of his tidal theory is disputed. Galileo rejected Kepler's explanation of
5488-473: The U.S. Congress organized the Florida Territory , merging East Florida and the portion of West Florida that had remained under Spanish control until 1821. In 1845, Florida was admitted as the 27th state of the United States. With the transfer of Florida to Spain, a number of former British subjects decided to stay while some Spaniards came to Florida. St. Augustine had a mix of both residents from
5586-600: The United States while fish, grain and foodstuffs were imported from the United States. Spain was concerned about the Haitian Revolution , fearing that ideas of independence could be spread to their own colonies, including Florida, with Governor Quesada doing his best to follow the Spanish government's policy of prohibiting interactions with French possessions, "...forbidding the introduction of French ideas, books, citizens, or slaves originating from French possessions." Tide#Tidal terminology Tides are
5684-423: The amphidromic point, the high tide passes New York Harbor approximately an hour ahead of Norfolk Harbor. South of Cape Hatteras the tidal forces are more complex, and cannot be predicted reliably based on the North Atlantic cotidal lines. Investigation into tidal physics was important in the early development of celestial mechanics , with the existence of two daily tides being explained by the Moon's gravity. Later
5782-429: The amphidromic point. For a semi-diurnal tide the amphidromic point can be thought of roughly like the center of a clock face, with the hour hand pointing in the direction of the high water cotidal line, which is directly opposite the low water cotidal line. High water rotates about the amphidromic point once every 12 hours in the direction of rising cotidal lines, and away from ebbing cotidal lines. This rotation, caused by
5880-547: The atmosphere which did not include rotation. In 1770 James Cook 's barque HMS Endeavour grounded on the Great Barrier Reef . Attempts were made to refloat her on the following tide which failed, but the tide after that lifted her clear with ease. Whilst she was being repaired in the mouth of the Endeavour River Cook observed the tides over a period of seven weeks. At neap tides both tides in
5978-435: The attack of these three vessels who have spread terror on our coast, and who were drawn up in order of battle; but the weight of our metal soon damped the courage of these heroes, who soon took to their boats: and, as many as could, abandoned the vessels with everything on board, of which we immediately took possession. What is extraordinary, we have not one man hurt... Fresh from the victory at Frederica, Elbert went on to lead
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#17327762970046076-448: The attack shortly after first light, around 5:30 that morning, beginning their assault on Hinchinbrook , Rebecca , and Hatter . Galleys are lightly built craft that are optimized for rowing. They are fragile and at a severe disadvantage against strongly built sailing vessels. However, galleys have a tactical advantage against pure sailing vessels in restricted waters or when there is no wind. Either by happenstance or by brilliant planning,
6174-410: The coast. Semi-diurnal and long phase constituents are measured from high water, diurnal from maximum flood tide. This and the discussion that follows is precisely true only for a single tidal constituent. For an ocean in the shape of a circular basin enclosed by a coastline, the cotidal lines point radially inward and must eventually meet at a common point, the amphidromic point . The amphidromic point
6272-660: The current state of Florida . Under the terms of the 1763 Treaty of Paris , which ended the Seven Years' War (the French and Indian War ), Spain ceded Spanish Florida to Britain. At the same time, Britain received all of French Louisiana east of the Mississippi River , with the exception of New Orleans, from France. Determining the new territory too large to administer as one unit, Britain divided its new southeastern acquisitions into two new colonies separated by
6370-480: The daily tides were explained more precisely by the interaction of the Moon's and the Sun's gravity. Seleucus of Seleucia theorized around 150 BC that tides were caused by the Moon. The influence of the Moon on bodies of water was also mentioned in Ptolemy 's Tetrabiblos . In De temporum ratione ( The Reckoning of Time ) of 725 Bede linked semidurnal tides and the phenomenon of varying tidal heights to
6468-401: The decision to abandon ship . Most of the officers and men crowded into the ship's boats and rowed downriver to Galatea , which was still anchored in the sound. A few of Hinchinbrook 's crew were left behind. Although the battle was comparatively minor, it had a galvanizing effect on the people of Georgia, for it disabled two ships that had been capturing American merchant ships off
6566-541: The disastrous Third Florida Expedition later that year. East Florida East Florida ( Spanish : Florida Oriental ) was a colony of Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 to 1821. The British gained control over Spanish Florida in 1763 as part of the Treaty of Paris that ended the Seven Years' War . Deciding that the colony was too large to administer as
6664-538: The first to map co-tidal lines, for Great Britain, Ireland and adjacent coasts, in 1840. William Whewell expanded this work ending with a nearly global chart in 1836. In order to make these maps consistent, he hypothesized the existence of a region with no tidal rise or fall where co-tidal lines meet in the mid-ocean. The existence of such an amphidromic point , as they are now known, was confirmed in 1840 by Captain William Hewett, RN , from careful soundings in
6762-419: The fishing boats were suspected of being a threat to British control, but a complete review in 1767-68 found they were harmless. The East Florida Gazette was a pro-loyalist newspaper that was published weekly in St. Augustine from 1783 to 1784. It was founded by a loyalist printer, John Wells, and his brother, William Charles Wells, who had moved to St. Augustine from Charleston, South Carolina . The paper
6860-515: The go-between for Richard Oswald and James Grant, particularly after those two gave up their Nova Scotia Grants to focus on East Florida, where a drumbeat of steady speculation (particularly from Andrew Turnbull and William Stork ) had fanned the flames of interest in London. It was not until March 1781 that the Governor of East Florida, Patrick Tonyn, called elections for a provincial legislature. East Florida remained loyal to Great Britain during
6958-560: The handing over of both Floridas to the Spanish, many loyalists were hesitant to leave. In the end, most of the loyalist and British residents, approximately 10,000 people, left with most of these going to the Bahamas or West Indies and some going to Nova Scotia and England. Another 4,000 people "melted away into the wilderness", with some going as far away as the Mississippi River. A town named St. Johns Bluff or St. Johns Town
7056-407: The heavier ordnance on the galleys, so they began dropping downriver, hoping to find a place to maneuver and possibly catch a breeze. They thought that the channel was deep, and sailed accordingly; however, at around 10 in the morning, Rebecca suddenly grounded at a place called "Raccoon Gut". Hinchinbrook and Hatter soon suffered the same fate. As the galleys were drawing nearer, the British made
7154-420: The highest level to the lowest: The semi-diurnal range (the difference in height between high and low waters over about half a day) varies in a two-week cycle. Approximately twice a month, around new moon and full moon when the Sun, Moon, and Earth form a line (a configuration known as a syzygy ), the tidal force due to the Sun reinforces that due to the Moon. The tide's range is then at its maximum; this
7252-415: The idea that the attraction of the Moon was responsible for the tides and spoke in clear terms about ebb, flood, spring tide and neap tide , stressing that further research needed to be made. In 1609 Johannes Kepler also correctly suggested that the gravitation of the Moon caused the tides, which he based upon ancient observations and correlations. Galileo Galilei in his 1632 Dialogue Concerning
7350-468: The interaction was mediated by the pneuma . He noted that tides varied in time and strength in different parts of the world. According to Strabo (1.1.9), Seleucus was the first to link tides to the lunar attraction, and that the height of the tides depends on the moon's position relative to the Sun. The Naturalis Historia of Pliny the Elder collates many tidal observations, e.g., the spring tides are
7448-460: The land eventually becoming portions of the states of Louisiana , Alabama , and Mississippi . After a decade of intensifying border disputes and American incursions, Spain ceded both Floridas to the U.S. in the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819. The U.S. officially took possession in 1821; in 1822, all of East Florida and the few remaining portions of West Florida were combined into a single Florida Territory with borders that closely approximated those of
7546-440: The latest news as well. East Florida became economically dependent on the United States after Spain started to align with France and declared war on the British in 1796; as a result British trade largely stopped. Charleston began to surpass Havana as St. Augustine's biggest trading partner while Savannah , Philadelphia and New York City had become trading partners with the city. East Florida exported oranges, lumber and cotton to
7644-525: The military or worked as overseers, artisans, or merchants. There were very few white yeomen farmers. White residents generally lived in or around St. Augustine with an exception being generally made for overseers and those who resided in New Smyrna . Due to the poor treatment of Minorcans in New Smyrna, some left for St. Augustine, where a large number of them lived in a section of the city known as
7742-514: The ministry. Halifax (Nova Scotia) was the command post for both the admiral and general in charge of the American forces.... St. Augustine evoked the same strategic considerations. These posts have been described as the two centers of strength to which the British Army was withdrawn in the late 1760s. The apportionment of lands in the new colonies fell to the same group of English and Scottish entrepreneurs and merchant interests, led chiefly by
7840-412: The month is divided into four parts of seven or eight days with alternating malinae and ledones . In the same passage he also notes the effect of winds to hold back tides. Bede also records that the time of tides varies from place to place. To the north of Bede's location ( Monkwearmouth ) the tides are earlier, to the south later. He explains that the tide "deserts these shores in order to be able all
7938-514: The more to be able to flood other [shores] when it arrives there" noting that "the Moon which signals the rise of tide here, signals its retreat in other regions far from this quarter of the heavens". Later medieval understanding of the tides was primarily based on works of Muslim astronomers , which became available through Latin translation starting from the 12th century. Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi (d. circa 886), in his Introductorium in astronomiam , taught that ebb and flood tides were caused by
8036-650: The newly formed United States. There were several territorial disputes between the U.S. and Spain, some resulting in military action, including the Patriot War in 1812 and the filibuster at Amelia Island in 1817. An American army under Andrew Jackson invaded East Florida during the First Seminole War . Jackson's forces captured San Marcos on 7 April 1818; as well as Fort Barrancas at West Florida's capital, Pensacola , on 24 May 1818. James Monroe 's Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams , defined
8134-420: The obliquity (tilt) of the Earth's Equator and rotational axis, the inclination of the plane of the lunar orbit and the elliptical shape of the Earth's orbit of the Sun. A compound tide (or overtide) results from the shallow-water interaction of its two parent waves. Because the M 2 tidal constituent dominates in most locations, the stage or phase of a tide, denoted by the time in hours after high water,
8232-408: The problem from the perspective of a static system (equilibrium theory), that provided an approximation that described the tides that would occur in a non-inertial ocean evenly covering the whole Earth. The tide-generating force (or its corresponding potential ) is still relevant to tidal theory, but as an intermediate quantity (forcing function) rather than as a final result; theory must also consider
8330-412: The reference (or datum) level usually called mean sea level . While tides are usually the largest source of short-term sea-level fluctuations, sea levels are also subject to change from thermal expansion , wind, and barometric pressure changes, resulting in storm surges , especially in shallow seas and near coasts. Tidal phenomena are not limited to the oceans, but can occur in other systems whenever
8428-564: The rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun ) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can be used for any given locale to find the predicted times and amplitude (or " tidal range "). The predictions are influenced by many factors including the alignment of
8526-646: The same. The most powerful lubricant between the East Florida speculators and the Nova Scotia speculators was Col. Thomas Thoroton of Flintham , Nottinghamshire. Thoroton, the stepbrother of Levett Blackborne, had married an illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Rutland and often lived at Belvoir Castle , where he acted as principal agent to the Duke, who, along with his son, the Marquis of Granby, were heavily involved in overseas ventures. Thoroton frequently acted as
8624-448: The sense of the contour level of a particular low pressure in the outer atmosphere. In most locations, the largest constituent is the principal lunar semi-diurnal , also known as the M2 tidal constituent or M 2 tidal constituent . Its period is about 12 hours and 25.2 minutes, exactly half a tidal lunar day , which is the average time separating one lunar zenith from the next, and thus
8722-494: The tides. Isaac Newton (1642–1727) was the first person to explain tides as the product of the gravitational attraction of astronomical masses. His explanation of the tides (and many other phenomena) was published in the Principia (1687) and used his theory of universal gravitation to explain the lunar and solar attractions as the origin of the tide-generating forces. Newton and others before Pierre-Simon Laplace worked
8820-614: The two small capital cities. American settlers moved into the territory without authorization, causing conflict with the Seminoles , a new Native American culture formed by indigenous refugees from the American Southeast . During the War of 1812 , the American military invaded Florida, occupying West Florida while East Florida remained in Spanish hands. American settlers in East Florida further weakened Spanish control in 1812 when
8918-555: The war, the British ceded both Floridas to Spain. The same treaty recognized the independence of the United States, directly to the north. During the period of British rule in East Florida, the black population came to outnumber the white population in the province by a ratio of 2 to 1. The ratio of blacks to whites in East Florida was lower than in British West Florida but higher than in the other southern British colonies. Those who were white in Florida generally served in
9016-480: The work " Histoire de la mission de pères capucins en l'Isle de Maragnan et terres circonvoisines ", where he exposed that the Tupinambá people already had an understanding of the relation between the Moon and the tides before Europe. William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) led the first systematic harmonic analysis of tidal records starting in 1867. The main result was the building of a tide-predicting machine using
9114-603: Was a loyalist refugee from Savannah, Georgia, printed the first book in the colony, a copy of John Tobler 's Almanack , at his home. Under Spanish rule, the provinces of East Florida and West Florida initially remained divided by the Apalachicola River , the boundary established by the British. However, Spain moved it eastward to the Suwanee River in 1785. Spain continued to administer East and West Florida as separate provinces. The Spanish offered favorable terms for acquiring land, which attracted many settlers from
9212-536: Was assigned to Lee , Captain George Melvin to Washington , and Lieutenant Barnard Patty to Bulloch . Elbert ordered Rae to take 100 of his men and march them to the fort, where British prisoners were taken. Some of the men in the scouting party which had been landed escaped by boat, taking word to Galatea to alert Captain Thomas Jordan to the imminent American attack. Jordan responded by sending
9310-485: Was established by Denys Rolle 30 miles (48 km) southeast of St. Augustine, on the east shore of the St. Johns River, south of Deep Creek. St. Augustine, the capital of the colony, was much smaller and less advanced than the capitals of the other Thirteen Colonies . East Florida did not establish a formal slave code until 1782. Those who were black or of mixed race of European and African origin and could not prove they were free were considered to be slaves. During
9408-414: Was laid out in 1779 along the St. Johns River. The planned community was the first town to be established on the river. Most of those who fled to Florida settled at that town and St. Augustine. St. Johns Bluff became a port and had 300 houses in it by the spring of 1783. With the end of the British period, it was renamed as St. Vincent Ferrer before it was eventually abandoned. A settlement named Rollestown
9506-708: Was printed "'...at the Printing-office in Treasury-lane'" Prior to the establishment of a newspaper, most news came into St. Augustine through gazettes that were published in Savannah, Georgia , and Charleston. The Wells brothers also published two books: Nature and the Principles of Public Credit , by Samuel Gale, along with The Case of the Inhabitants of East Florida , written by John Wells himself. In 1783, another printer named David Zubly, who
9604-526: Was transferred to Britain, most residents – including virtually everyone in St. Augustine – left the territory, with most migrating to Cuba . Britain tried to attract settlers to the two Floridas without much success. The sparsely populated colonies were invited to send representatives to the Continental Congress but chose not to do so, and they remained loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War . However, as part of
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