eS 
7 
in the Neighbourhood of Iceland. 233 
- ) 
now Captain Grove, to cruife about with this fmall veffel in 
the neighbourhood of the place where the volcanic ifland had 
been feen. He remained there fome days, and though he 
often founded with a line of more than a hundred fathoms, 
found no bottom, fo that he loft all hope of making any dif- 
covery ; but, juft when he was about to return, he obferved; 
contrary to all expectation, that the waves broke over fome 
rocks lying exactly level with the furface of the water. As 
he now entertained no doubt that he had found what he had 
been fent in queft of, he took the bearings and diftances from 
the neareft part of the coat of Iceland, and tranfinitted to me 
an account of his obfervations, 
When the bufinefs of the expedition was ended, and I 
was about to return at the end of the fummer, I refolved to 
vifit this interefting point myfelf, and to afcertain its real 
pofition by actual obferyation. I took my departure, there- 
fore, from fome {mall iflands, or rocks, which lie before Cape 
Reikianés, the fouth-weit extremity of Iceland, and the out- 
ermoft of which is called the Grenadier’s Cap, diftant 32 
miles fouth-weft from the Cape. As the weather was exceed- 
ingly favourable, I was fo fortunate as to obtain its latitude 
by the meridian altitude of the fun, and its longitude by a 
timekeeper. Though the timekeepers which I carried with 
me were not of the beft kind, as I had quitted the fame day 
one of the ports of Iceland, where [ obferved their rate of 
going, their relative errors could not be of reat importance. 
I determined, therefore, the pofition of the rock called the 
Grenadier’s Cap at 63° 43’ 40” north latitude, and 25° 
35’ 40" weft longitude from the meridian of Paris, This 
agreed pretty nearly with the oblervations of Verdun de la 
Creune, Borda, and Pingré *; efpecially as 1 have good rea- 
fon to believe, that, from a want of fufficient knowledge of 
the coaft of this country, they placed Cape Reikiands three 
minutes too far north, as they make the latitude to be 63° 
55’ As I found alfo, by the moft accurate obfervations that 
could be made at fea, that thefe dangerous rocks lie 47° in a 
' direction fouth-weft from the true meridian, and juft four 
J 
* Forage fait par erdre du Rei en 39734 317% 
mG 00% tuiles 
