The scientific exploration of the North American continent was a major priority of the American Philosophical Society from at least the time of its reorganization in 1769. Surveyors, cartographers, and natural historians carried their work westward, ultimately culminating in the expedition of Lewis and Clark in 1803, but particularly in the years prior to the Revolution, others also sought to explore the southeast. Particularly after the APS began publishing its Transactions in 1771, the Society became a hib of activity for exploration and maping. Bernard Romans, Thomas Hutchins, and John and William Bartram were all members of the Society -- indeed, John Bartram was one of its founders -- and they and others, like William Stork, all submitted the results of their explorations to the APS for discussion, commentary, and dissemination.
Between 1764 and 1781, the Scots surveyor George Gauld was assigned by the British Admirality to chart the waters of the Gulf Coast off British West Florida, an area that extended from New Orleans to the western coast of modern-day Florida. Viewing his work as a benefit for navigators of all nations, not just Britain, Gauld readily shared his work, including with the APS. He was elected to the Society in 1774. His subsequent history, however, was less happy. In 1776, Gauld was forced to suspend his work in the Dry Tortugas and Florida Keys due to the depredations of American privateers, and he was taken prisoner at the Siege of Pensacola in 1781. Carried off the Havana and then New York, Gauld was repatriated to England, dying shortly thereafter at age 50. He is buried at the chapel in Tottenham Court Road, London.
From the guide to the A general description of the sea-coasts, harbours, lakes, rivers, etc. of the province of West Florida, 1769, 1769, (American Philosophical Society)
