202 DISCOVERIES OF 



1612. 



foureof the clocke, 17 minutes and 24 seconds. 

 Which, when I had done, I found by mine ephe- 

 merides, that the moone came to the meridian at 

 London that morning at foure of the clocke, 25 

 minutes, 3-i seconds, which 17 minutes, 24 seconds, 

 subtracted from 25° 34' leaveth 8° 10' of time, 

 for the ditYerence of longitude betwixt the meri- 

 dian of London and the meridian passing by this 

 place in Grocnland. Now the moone's motion 

 that day was 12 degrees 7 minutes, which con- 

 verted into minutes of time, were 48 m.inutes 

 29 seconds ; which, working by the rule of pro- 

 portion, the worke is thus : if 48 minutes 29 

 seconds (the time that the moone commeth to the 

 meridian sooner that day, then she did the day 

 before) give 360 (the whole circumference of the 

 earth), w^hat shall 8 minutes 10 seconds give — to 

 wit, 60 degrees 30 minutes, or neere thereabout; 

 which is the difference of longitude betweene the 

 meridian of London and this place in Groenland, 

 called Cockin's Sound, lying to the westward of 

 London.''* 



Baffin admits that the operation is somewhat 

 difficult and troublesome, and liable to error ; yet 

 the importance of knowing the longitude of places 

 renders it, in his opinion, highly expedient that 

 mariners should practise such things; and, he 



* Purchas, vol. iii. p. 832. 



