J 28 Mr Downie's charts. Al>ril \\, 



INTELLIGENCE RESPECTING LITERATURE AND ARTS. 



Downie's charts of the east coast of Scotland. 



JNoTHiNG deserves a higher degree of praise thap that 

 kind of attention in profefsional men which prompts them 

 to perfect the businefs in which they are employed. Na- 

 tional improT^ements are thus obtained, that are of great 

 consequence, and at a very trifling expence to the pub- 

 lic. 



Such is the nature of that public spirited enterprise I 

 now have the pleasure to announce to the public. Mr 

 Downie, while master of his majesty's (hip the ChampioHj 

 which was for several years upon the Leith station, know- 

 ing there were no very accurate charts of the eastern coast 

 of Scotland, made it his businefs to collect all the informa- 

 tion he could, respecting the tides, currents, (hoals, rocks> 

 and other circumstances that could affect the navigation on- 

 this coast, which he marked in his own charts, for his own 

 information in navigating the vefscl. By a continued at- 

 tention to this- businefs for many years, the discoveries he 

 made became numerous and important. His chart hap- 

 pened to be seen, occasionally, by profefsional men, who- 

 encouraged him to prosecute liis discoveries still farther, 

 iind prompted him to publilh them. Encouraged by the 

 approbation and patronage of captain Duncan in St An- 

 drews, ar)d several other sea-faring men of distinguifhed 

 merit, he appliedihiraself to make a survey of the whole 

 coast, from the Staples off the coast of Northumberland, to^ 

 Duncanfby-head on the northern extremity of Caithnefs. 

 The whole of thecoast was laid down by actual trigononxe- 

 trical survey, conducted in a very simple, ingenious, and 

 accurate manner^ that .v/iD be described in the work itself. 



