Born in London to a British Navy captain , he came to New England in the 1680s , where he established a reputation for his seamanship and his chart-making skills . The charts he made of the coast of northeastern North America were among the most accurate of their time . He engaged in privateering activities during King William 's War in the 1690s , and was hired by the Province of Massachusetts Bay as captain of its armed vessel , the '' Province Galley '' . In that role he participated in several military actions during Queen Anne 's War , including relieving present-day Portland , Maine from attack before joining Benjamin Church 's 1704 raids of Acadia , and the 1707 and 1710 Sieges of Port Royal in Nova Scotia . He was asked by Admiral Hovenden Walker to pilot his 1711 expedition to Quebec up the Saint Lawrence River , but refused , disclaiming detailed knowledge of that river . ( Walker 's expedition ended disastrously , suffering more than 800 deaths when parts of the fleet foundered on rocks near the mouth of the Saint Lawrence . ) After Queen Anne 's War Southack continued in a variety of public service positions , including a seat on the Nova Scotia Council
1711 expedition to Quebec
Quebec Expedition
Cyprian Southack