On the Nautical Almanac for 1820. 441 
Board of Longitude has been at length turned towards the nu- 
merous errors with which that work rene lately abound ed. Iwas 
in hopes, however, that when a reformation bad commenced, it 
would have been complete ; and that the Nautical Almanac 
would have assumed a character and appearance similar to other 
works of the same kind which are published at Paris and Berlin ; 
and thereby have prevented the necessity of referring to either i 
those works for information, which is actuaily ‘her case in tlie: 
present ephemeris, as we are referred by Mr. Pond, in his pre- 
face, to the Connaissance des Tems for acatalogue ai stars which 
together with many other tables &c. ought to accompany our 
own publication. As the Commissioners’ however have: not: 
thought proper to enlarge the work, I shall confine my observa- 
tions to such matters as actually appear in it. 
My attention was very soon attracted to the singularity of two 
prefaces: that of Dr. Maskelyne being ordered by the Commis- 
sioners to be retained, out of respect to his memory. How the 
retention of the few lines which he has there written can add any 
respect to his memory I am at a loss to conceive. They are 
chiefly historical, and have nothing todo with the present vo- 
lume. Surely the material part of what he has there stated might 
have been more properly engrafted in any new preface, and would 
have prevented that confusion and ambiguity which arise from 
the two prefaces as they now stand.—For Dr. Maskelyne assures 
us that the Tables, edited by Mr. Vince, ‘ will be used. for the 
calculations of the Nautical Almanac for succeeding years: 
whilst Mr. Pond, in his preface, hints at the tables of Burckhardt 
having been used in computing the place of the moon: but whe- 
ther such practice commenced in the year 1817, 1818, 1819 or 
1820, does not appear quite clear, as he is not so explicit on these 
points as his illustrious predecessor. It is most probable like- 
wise that Mr. Pond, or Mr. 8rown, or Messiewrs the Commis- 
sioners, (for we are wholly af loss to conjecture under whose 
management the work is now pubsished,) may think it right to 
make use of Delambre’s 7ew tables of Jupiter’s satellites ; as well 
’ as of other tables which have been published since those of Mr. 
Vince, 
But it appears that Mr. Pond was directed to retain the pre- 
face only ; he has therefore retained the whole of the explanation 
at the end, on his own responsibility : and any stranger taking up 
the work oad naturally consider it as the production of Mr, 
Pond. But, how must the reader be amused at the present day 
with the description (page 151) which he gives of hinsself in his 
voyage to Barbadoes in the year 1763, sitting in Mr. Irving’s 
marine chair, with a telescope from fifteen to twenty feet long, 
which he assures us is the proper telescope for observing the 
eclipses 
