372 IIYDROGRAPIIER'S DEPARTMENT OF THE ADMIRALTY. 



Western Europe and Africa nearly to Cape Verde, was drawn in 

 London in 1448. 



In 1500 the Spanish pilot, Juan da la Casa drew a ma]) of 

 North America, from Cape Breton to Hatteras, which, traced on 

 a Ijullock's hide, still hangs in the Navy Office in Madrid. Many 

 early sailors advocated the making of charts, and in 1581 William 

 Burrough, afterwards Comptroller of the Admiralty, published 

 his discoveries of the Variation of the Compass, and, later, sun- 

 dry charts and sailing directions.* 



About the same time the celebrated Dutch cartographer, 

 <^Ttrardus M creator, was at work, and also Waghenair, who com- 

 piled the collections of charts known as " waggoners," which 

 were in use for many years. So far as the English and adjoin- 

 ing coasts are concerned, " waggoners " were superseded by the 

 English Pilot of John Sellers, who is styled Hydrographer Royal. 

 It consists of a collection of rude sketches of the coasts of Eng- 

 land and the North .Sea, France, Spain, etc., with sailing direc- 

 tions. The name " waggoner," however, survived, and in 1699 

 collections under this name were still in use for the East Indies, 

 as appears from Dampier's account of his approach to the Cape.f 



I should like to call special attention to this ({notation, as it 

 gives such a comjjlete summary of the difficulties and methods of 

 navigators before the days of charts and chronometers. 



Longitude continued to puzzle navigators for 200 vears 

 more, and until the discovery of the chronometer its determina- 

 tion was ])ractically impossible. What the true method was, if 

 the instruments could be obtained, was well-known from as early 

 as 1530, and it is clear that Cemnia Phrysius expected to see an 

 instrument capable of measuring time with sufficient accuracy 

 in his own day. He writes as follows, about the year above- 

 mentioned : — 



Wc sec in these our da3s certain little clocks very artificially made, 

 the whicli for their small quantity are not cumbrous to be carried about 

 in all voyages. These often times move continuously for the space of 

 24 hours, and may with help continue their moving in their manner per- 

 petually. P>y the help therefor of these the longitude may be found. 



(iemma also mentions " Ephemerides and the Tables of Alphon- 

 sus," the first almanac having been ])u1ilished in 1457. 



The seaman's view of the matter was that there be some that are very 

 inquisitive to have a way to get the longitude, hut that is too tedious for 

 seamen, since it requireth the deep knowledge of astronomy. Wherefore 

 I would not have any man think that the longitude is to be found at sea 

 by any instrument, so let no seaman trouble himself with any such rule 

 but according to their accustomed manner let them keep a perfect account 

 and reckoning of the way of their ship. 



Ilie navigator's general procedure was to .sail until the re- 

 (juisite latitude, or height as they called it, was reached, and then 

 run along this parallel east or west, as might be necessary, using 



* Appendix T. 

 t Appendix If. 



