The United States Survey of the Coast,…
November 1807 CE
It will represent the interest of the administration of President Thomas Jefferson in science and the stimulation of international trade by using scientific surveying methods to chart the waters of the United States and make them safe for navigation.
A Swiss immigrant with expertise in both surveying and the standardization of weights and measures, Ferdinand R. Hassler, is selected to lead the Survey.
Hassler has submitted a plan for the survey work involving the use of triangulation to ensure scientific accuracy of surveys, but international relations prevent the new Survey of the Coast from beginning its work; the Embargo Act of 1807 will bring American overseas trade virtually to a halt only a month after Hassler's appointment.
Work will not begin until August 3, 1816.