1??4. ftOUND THE WOULD. 149 



no-mauwe is not more than half a degree, or thirty 

 minutes ; because the distance between Queen Char- 

 lotte's Sound and Cape Palliser has been found to be 

 greater by 10' of longitude than it is laid down in the 

 chart. I mention these errors, not from a fear that 

 they will affect either navigation or geography, but 

 because I have no doubt of their existence ; for, from 

 the multitude of observations which Mr. Wales took, 

 the situation of few parts of the world is better ascer- 

 tained than Queen Charlotte's Sound. Indeed, I 

 might, with equal truth, say the same of all the other 

 places where we made any stay ; for Mr. Wales, 

 whose abilities are equal to his assiduity, lost no one 

 observation that could possibly be obtained. Even 

 the situation of those islands which we passed with- 

 out touching at them, is, by means of Kendal's watch, 

 determined with almost equal accuracy. The error 

 of the watch from Otaheite to this place was only 

 43' 39"! i n longitude, reckoning at the rate it was 

 found to go at, at that island and at Tanna ; but by 

 reckoning at the rate it was going when last at Queen 

 Charlotte's Sound, and from the time of our leaving 

 it, to our return to it again, which was near a year, 

 the error was 19' 31", %5 in time, or 4° 3% 48" | in 

 longitude. This error cannot be thought great, if we 

 consider the length of time, and that we had gone 

 over a space equal to upwards of three-fourths of the 

 equatorial circumference of the earth, and through 

 all the climates and latitudes from 9° to 71°. Miv 

 Wales found its rate of going here to be that of gain- 

 ing 12", 576, on mean time; per day. 



The mean result of all the observations he made 

 for ascertaining the variation of the compass and the 

 dip of the south end of the needle, the three several 

 times we had been here, gave 14° 9' \ E. for the for- 

 mer, and 64>° 36" f for the latter. He also found, 

 from very accurate observations, that the time of 

 high-water preceded the moon's southing, on the 



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