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103:, a volcanic Island to the east of Great Andaman, which was in full eruption, with red-hot rocks being ejected, but no lava. As a result of his report, the Governor-general decided to colonise the islands in order to provide a safe harbour in the war against pirates. He returned to establish a permanent colony later in 1879. Over the next few years he completed his survey of the Islands, and a number of charts were published. The settlement, however, did not prosper. It never achieved self-sufficiency, nor were any permanent settlers attracted. It relied on contracted labourers, and latterly on convict labour. In 1792 Blair was ordered to relocate the settlement to
61:. Archibald Blair joined the Bombay Marine, received his first commission in 1771 and was promoted captain in 1792. In 1772, as a midshipman, he went on his first survey mission along the coasts of India, Iran and Arabia. In 1780 he was lieutenant on a ship captured by a French man-of-war off the Cape of Good Hope. He was kept prisoner by the French until 1784 when they handed him over to the Dutch who returned him to the Bombay Marine that same year. He was given the then considerable sum of £200 on account of his long captivity and suffering. Between 1786 and 1788 he took part in a number of survey missions, to the
76:. A British attempt to form a settlement in 1786 was unsuccessful, as the islands were unable to support the necessary cultivation, and were considered difficult to fortify. But Blair, head surveyor on the expedition, carried out a detailed survey, starting with Diego Garcia, and then examining the other islands in the group. He established longitude both by
95:, again with a view to establishing a settlement. On his first voyage, between December 1788 and April 1789, he surveyed the southern part of Great Andaman Island, identifying several harbours that might be useful, including a fine natural harbour on the SE of the island which he initially named Port Cornwallis (later renamed
261:
Archibald Blair Esqr of
Bayford, Herts, Captain on the Maritime Establishment of the East India Company at Bombay a Gentleman distinguished in his profession and for astronomical observations and having been employed by The East India Company in forming an Establishment at the Andamans
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for a total of £262.10 shillings. The works on the harbour he would oversee would total a cost of £24,420.12.4. He was to die while undertaking this work in
Cornwall and was buried at Sithney Church. He died on 25 March 1815 aged 63.
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In 1803, he received a government commission in
England on all cotton belonging to the Company and exported from Bombay as the reward for inventing a machine which made "a considerable improvement in the packing of cotton."
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In 1814, he was given the role of
Director of works for the Porthleven Harbour Company, Cornwall. It was here he directed the works which would build the harbour wall and create a safe harbour in
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A later chart published in 1805, simply refers to it as a good harbour. Another description of the harbour is just "The channel between Tanj.Peniabong and Keban I., N.Johore".
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and by using an eclipse of one of the moons of
Jupiter. The work resulted in the publication of several charts and views, as well as a report on the survey, published by
401:
Spray, William A. (1970). "British surveys in the Chagos
Archipelago and attempts to form a settlement at Diego Garcia in the late eighteenth century".
23:
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122:. It is not clear when Blair surveyed this, but his plan of the harbour was published in 1793. On the plan the harbour is described as:
72:, was of interest both as a hazard to shipping, being low lying, and as a potential staging post for vessels en route to India via the
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and hand over command to Major
Alexander Kyd. The new location proved to be less healthy, and the colony was closed down in 1795.
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after him). He surveyed hazards such as
Invisible Bank, a shoal area to the SE of Great Andaman, and also visited
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Chart of Great
Andaman showing parts surveyed by Blair in 1788-1789, including Barren Island and Invisible Bank
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Remarks and
Observations in a Survey of the Chagos Archipelago, by Lieutenant Archibald Blair, 1786 and 1787
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Blair's (or Blair) Harbour is also named after Archibald Blair. This anchorage is located between
88:. The charts were the most accurate made to that time, and remained in use for about sixty years.
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433:"Miscellaneous papers relative to the settlements in the Andaman Islands in the XVIIIth Century"
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Fry, H.T. (1967). "Early British Interest in the Chagos Archipelago and the Maldive Islands".
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His father was the Rev. Archibald Blair, minister of Garvald, East Lothian. His older brother
46:. He is particularly noted for his surveys of the Chagos Archipelago and the Andaman Islands.
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Extracts from the Bengal consultations of the XVIIIth century relating to the Andaman Islands
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Sen, Satadru (2011). "On the Beach in the Andaman Islands: Post-mortem of a Failed Colony".
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Letters and Papers of a scientific nature submitted for publication by the Royal Society
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264:". He read an account of the Andaman Islands to the Society in London in 1799.
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Blair's chart of Manori Creek, Island of Salsette (now part of
531:"An account of the Andaman Islands and their inhabitants"
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in May, 1799, his candidacy citation describing him as "
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Dawson, L.S. (1883) Memoirs of Hydrography Part I p.18
357:Blair, Archibald; Dalrymple, Alexander (1788).
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219:Chart of Diego Garcia Harbour, Published 1787
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494:A Descriptive Dictionary of British Malaya
243:Chart of Blair's Harbour, Published 1793]]
68:The Chagos archipelago, in the southern
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338:from the original on 25 December 2010
38:(1752–1815) was a naval surveyor and
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313:Andaman Society Pioneer Biographies
91:Blair's next assignment was to the
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267:Retiring in 1800, he settled at
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508:"Library and Archive Catalogue"
481:Chart of the Strait of Malacca
415:10.1080/00253359.1970.10658515
388:10.1080/00253359.1967.10659404
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456:Economic and Political Weekly
363:. London: East India Company.
332:"Archibald Blair (died 1815)"
16:For Virginia politician, see
594:Fellows of the Royal Society
257:Fellow of the Royal Society
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318:December 25, 2010, at the
255:in 1795. He was elected a
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529:Blair, Archibald (1799).
18:Archibald Blair (burgess)
59:University of Edinburgh
553:reprinted a series of
269:Bayford, Hertfordshire
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84:, Hydrographer of the
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492:Dennys, N.B. (1894).
114:on the east coast of
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403:The Mariner's Mirror
376:The Mariner's Mirror
194:Wells 5 feet deep 20
105:North Andaman Island
53:became Professor of
116:Peninsular Malaysia
82:Alexander Dalrymple
31:), surveyed in 1777
559:Indian Antiquary"
462:(26/27): 177–186.
251:Blair returned to
200:high water mark.
118:and the island of
86:East India Company
63:Chagos Archipelago
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514:15 December
342:15 December
143:Po. Teoman
583:Categories
443:: 323–331.
291:References
276:Porthleven
190:abundance
150:It is very
147:Lat.2°43‘N
145:10 leagues
139:South End
127:Bearing 11
97:Port Blair
40:lieutenant
192:by making
156:skreened
55:Astronomy
468:23018644
431:(1899).
336:Archived
316:Archived
137:S of the
280:Sithney
253:England
173:bottom
169:access
152:secure
132:⁄
57:at the
42:in the
571:; and
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181:water
162:and is
120:Tioman
112:Pahang
51:Robert
464:JSTOR
165:easy
154:being
516:2010
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185:good
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411:doi
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
![Chart of Blair's Harbour, Published 1793]]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Admiralty_Chart_No_997_Blair%27s_Harbour%2C_Published_1793.jpg/270px-Admiralty_Chart_No_997_Blair%27s_Harbour%2C_Published_1793.jpg)