British antiquarian and linguist William Coxe was a Senior Fellow of King's College at Cambridge. He visited St. Petersburg and later published four editions of an important summary of Russian maritime explorations. Much of his work was originally based on a German compilation published in Hamburg by Johann L. Schulze in 1776. The first Coxe edition was, Account of the Russian Discoveries Between Asia and America. To which are added the Conquest of Siberia and the History of the Transactions and Commerce Between Russia and China (London: 1780; 3rd edition 1787; 4th edition 1803). The third edition added 'A Comparative View of the Russian Discoveries with Those Made by Captains Cook and Clerke'. Coxe's later work encouraged more British investment in the exploration of the North Pacific because it confirmed the observations of James Cook in Cook's journals regarding the extent and potential value of the North Pacific fur trade. Two French translations appeared in 1781 and a German one in 1783. Reverend Coxe, an Archdeacon of Wilts, provided the first published accounts of the voyages of Shalaurof, 1761-1763; Sind, 1764-1768; and Krenitzin and Levashef, 1764-1771; and others.

[BCBW 2003] "1700-1800" "Russian"