330 



Eesults of Makeestoun Observations, 1844. 



TABLE I. — Mean Westerly Declination for each Civil Week-Day, Week, and Month, in 1844. 



As no observations were made on Sundays, the places wliicli the means for Sundays would have occupied 

 have been filled up by the means of the three prece<hng and three succeeding days ; these means are therefore 

 weekly means, and may be considered as approximate means for the Sundays. They have been used in the 

 summations having reference to the Moon's position, as it was considered that the want of any means on these 

 days would affect the accuracy of the results more seriously than the use of the approximations. 



Mean Declination and the Secular Change. 



The mean westerly declination for the year 1844, , . . . ^ 26° 17''06 



The mean westerly declination for the year 184.3 (1843, p. 221), . = 25 22 -85 



Hence, the value of the secular change for the year 1843-4, . . =z — 5 '79 



Theseoular change for the year 1842-3 (1843, p. 224), . . . = - 5 -62 



We may therefore conclude that the yearly diminution of westerly declination was nearly constant from 

 1842 to 1844, or that the north extremity of the declination needle approached the true north at the average 

 rate of 5'' 70 a-year. 



