Igo J5r. Gregory's Strictures on Don Rodriguez, 



in great measure attributable to the imperfections in Majof 

 Lambton's sector, which is only of five feet radius (while 

 the English is of eight feet), and is provided with but few 

 comparatively of the requisite means of adjustment: but 

 whether they are to be ascribed to the observer or his in- 

 struments, they prove that Don Rodriguez has been rathef 

 precipitate in saying, " the same Major Lambton, who has 

 siicceeded so well in Asia, and is in possession of such per- 

 J'ect instruments for the purpose, would be singularly qua- 

 lified for a similar undertaking in Africa." In matters 

 which admit of examination and proof, it is not the custom 

 with Englishmen to bow at once to the authority of a mere 

 ipse dixit. Was Don Rodriguez really ignorant that, with 

 respect to accuracy of observation, the English proceeding^ 

 are thus greatly superior to those of the French and of 

 Major Lambton ! If so, how greatly is he to be pitied for 

 •writing so much on a subject he had previously so little 

 considered ! If he was aware of this superiority, how much 

 more is he to be pitied, for giving so unfair and unnatural 

 a representation of the business before him ! 



From one or other of the reasons I have thus examined, 

 Don Rodriguez says, **' it is almost beyond a doubt that it 

 is to errors in the observations of latitude," the singularity 

 in Col. Mudge's results must be ascribed. There must be 

 an error of some seconds in the observations, " especially 

 at Arhury Hill." And he asks " How is this to be disco- 

 vered ? " How ? Why, by simpiv repeating the observations 

 at Arbury Hill. The position of the, station is so clearly 

 described in the Philosophical Transactions, that any person 

 may find it within twentv leet ; and the farmer who owns 

 the field can show the identical spot. Don Rodriguez or 

 some one of his friends has doubtless handy circular in- 

 struments of the French construction, by which the zenith 

 distances could readilv have been- taken, and then the cor- 

 rectness or incorrectness of the English observers might 

 have been proved in a way from which there could be no 

 appeal. Though to be sure, if that plan had been adopted, 

 and the English results had in consequence been verified, 

 Don Rodriguez's paper could never have appeared. 



There is, however, a method of determining the point, 

 even without taking this trouble. Having then shown, 

 I trust satisfactorily, that Don Rodriguez's reasons for 

 iujpiiting an error of four or five seconds to the English ob- 

 servations are nugatory; I shall now proceed, with all pos- 

 sible conciseness, to show that there cannot be an error of 



one- 



