1801.] 389 fH'^y^^- 



civilization, tban respect for the flag under which our explorations 

 had been made. 



Plaving sailed from Boston, I considered that a proper respect for 

 those who gave me the vessel required that I should return to that 

 port. Leaving Halifax on the 19th of October, we arrived in Boston 

 on the 23d, after an absence of fifteen months and thirteen days. 



I have dwelt thus at length upon the narrative of the Expedition, 

 in order that you may have a clear understanding of the region 

 covered by it. I will now pass to a brief statement of the results of 

 our labors. 



Soon after entering our winter harbor, an observatory was erected 

 upon shore near the vessel, under the superintendence of Mr. Sonn- 

 tag. It was a frame structure, covered first with canvas and then 

 with snow, and was eight feet square. In this, a fine pendulum 

 apparatus, constructed under Mr. Sonntag's supervision, by the 

 Messrs. Bond of Boston, after the plan of Foster's instrument, was 

 immediately mounted; and satisfactory sets of experiments were then 

 obtained by Mr. Sonntag, assisted by Mr. Radcliff. The pendulum 

 beat nearly seconds; that is, rudely, 3607 beats in 3600 seconds of 

 time. The readings were made when the knife-edge passed the zero 

 point of the graduated arc. The interval of the readings was ten 

 seconds, and eleven readings generally made a set. These observations 

 were continued from September 26th until October 12th. They are 

 yet unreduced, and I am therefore unable to announce to what con- 

 clusions they lead. I may mention that experiments were made by 

 Mr. Sonntag and Professor Bond at the Cambridge Observatory, prior 

 to the sailing of the Expedition ; and that the instrument will be 

 placed in Professor Bond's hands, for a repetition of the experiments 

 at the same place. 



Upon removing the pendulum apparatus, a fine unifiliar magneto- 

 meter was mounted upon a firm support in the centre of the observa- 

 tory, and the scale readings were recorded hourly every seventh day, 

 and three times daily during the interval, from November to March. 

 The same instrument was subsequently used for obtaining several 

 sets of experiments in declination, deflection, and vibration. A cor- 

 responding number of sets of experiments for the determination of 

 dip were also made with a well-adjusted instrument. These latter 

 four classes of observations were, with certain omissions, subse- 

 quently repeated at Cape Isabella on the west side of Smith Strait, 

 at Netlik in Whale Sound, at Upernavik, and at Godhavn. All of 

 these observations are yet unreduced. I may mention that the instru- 



VOL. VIII. — 3a 



