Edward Shickle Cowper

Edward Shickle Cowper (1790-1852) served for many years as head of the Department of Engineering at King’s College, London. In cooperation with his brother-in-law, Augustus Applegath, he developed significant improvements in the newspaper printing press. His son, Edward Alfred Cowper (1819-1893), became one of the leading mechanical engineers of his day, supervising the redesigning of the Crystal Palace, 1852-1854. Cowper’s recommendations, given in this letter, mirror almost exactly the specifications and design of the original Dove, the schooner purchased by the BMS in 1843.