1772. SAMUEL IIEARNE. 303 



latitude of the river's mouth to be 72^; but the 

 late Mr. Dalrymple, after carefully comparing 

 Hearne's distances and the direction in which he 

 travelled, with Canadian and other authorities, and 

 after him Mr. Arrowsmith and other geographers, 

 have agreed to cut down Mr. Hearne's latitude to 

 that of about 69°, which falls in pretty nearly 

 with that of the supposed sea-coast visited by 

 Mackenzie afterwards farther to the westward. 



The correctness of Mr. Hearne's narrative may 

 be questioned in many respects. For instance, the 

 sun could not " always be a good height above the 

 horizon" in the latitude 69°, especially when he 

 was there, for his declination on the 18th July, 

 being about 20° N., he could have been only, in 

 the middle of the night of that day, just in the 

 horizon. In that part of his journal where the 

 expression occurs, and which is quoted by Doctor 

 Douglas, there is not a word of this " sunshine all 

 night." The journey of Mr. Hearne proved how- 

 ever the practicability of reaching the northern 

 shore, and it is much to be res^retted that this 

 journey has not been followed up by the Hudson's 

 Bay Company. 



CONSTATNINE JOHN PHIPPS. 177S. 



The Honourable Daines Harrington having pre- 

 sented to the Royal Society a series of papers on. 



