CAPTAIN SABINE'S LETTER. 345 



is wanting a corresponding measurement, or mea- 

 surements at the Polar extremity of the meri- 

 dian, with which they may be combined. 



Several stations have been named for this 

 purpose besides Spitzbergen ; viz., the North 

 Cape, Greenland, and Iceland. From personal 

 knowledge of all these countries (except Iceland, 

 to which, however, the remark equally applies), 

 I can venture to give a practical opinion, that 

 there can be no question as to the superior 

 eligibility of Spitzbergen ; a water communi- 

 cation along the whole line of operations, con- 

 stitutes the superiority ; and to those who have 

 thought much on the details of such proceed- 

 in o-s, it will not be necessary to explain that 

 this is a point of the very first importance ; a 

 view of the chart of Spitzbergen will best show 

 its remarkable fitness in this respect. 



An arc, falling a little short of 4^°, is com- 

 prised between Hope Island and Seven Islands, 

 being the northern and southern extremities of 

 the group which passes under the general name 

 of Spitzbergen, and which may be seen by the 

 chart to be so connected by intermediate land 

 as to admit of their being united trigonome- 



trically. 



The value of an arc of 4|° in the latitude 

 of Spitzbergen towards the deducing the pro- 



