198 Mr. T. T. Wilkinson on Mathematics and Mathematicians : 



that case it will be best to convey a barrel of gunpowder into the 

 vessel, and by means of a saucisson to blow her up. The guns 

 may thus be come at by means of the Diving Machine, and the 

 place may likewise be cleared of the wreck and remains of the 

 vessel. I have only given a hint of the method, as I do not 

 expect any attention will be paid to it. 



"'lam, &c, 



" r Reuben Burrow/ " 



Some of Mr. Burrow's plans for the recovery of the Royal 

 George or blowing her up appear feasible enough ; but I have 

 not been able to ascertain whether any of his suggestions were ever 

 carried into effect. His object would seem to have been to ob- 

 tain the greatest effect from the least force possible ; and in the 

 absence of galvanic agency, the water-tight sausage of gunpowder 

 was no unworthy contrivance. 



" We stayed along with Lord Howe's fleet, and did not make 

 way with the wind as we might have done. There was some 

 rough weather, and through a neglect of our Carpenter we had 

 like to have sunk, for the rascal had forgot to fasten the ports, 

 and the water came in at an amazing rate, and the officers were 

 terribly frightened. We hung out a flag to say that we were in 

 danger, and that the other ships should get out of our way, and 

 we then changed our course for some time and ran before the 

 wind. The weather continued pretty much the same till the end 

 of September, and the wind was sometimes favourable. On Sep- 

 tember 30 we were in Lat. 48° 6', and the French W r est India 

 fleet was expected every moment with a convoy of five ships of 

 the line. I took the earliest opportunity of trying the method 

 of finding the Latitude by observing how long the Sun took in 

 ascending or descending its diameter, according to the rule 

 given by Mr. Lyons ; but I did not find it answer nearer than 

 by several degrees. I also attempted the method by the Moon, 

 but not having a watch that could be depended upon, and having 

 nobody on board capable of helping me, I never got a good ob- 

 servation. I took the distance of the Moon from the Sun with- 

 out using the telescope ; but the Moon's Altitude was very bad, 

 owing to a ship being in the way of the horizon : however, it 

 gave the Longitude about 17°, and the dead reckoning gave 14 

 or 15 degrees 



" October 9. The altitude of the Thermometer was 72°. 



" October 12. This day we were, at noon, in Latitude 29° 41', 

 and last night, at seven o'clock, an observation of the Moon's 

 distance from Fomalhaut gave the Longitude 19° 2' west of 

 Greenwich. I deduced the time from the Altitude of the Moon. 

 I took the distance and two of the Mates took the Altitudes, but 

 out of three sets of observations only one was anything like right, 



