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Life and Character of Nathaniel Bowditch. 9 
culations.’ The cook soon returned with his books under his 
arm. He had Bowditch’s Practical Navigator, the Requisite Ta- 
bles, Hutton’s Tables of Logarithms, and the Nautical Almanac. 
I saw all this negro’s calculations of the latitude, the longitude, 
and the true time, which he had worked out on the passage. He 
answered all my questions with wonderful accuracy, not in the 
Latin of the caboose, but in the good set terms of navigation.” 
Capt. Prince relates a little incident that occurred under his ob- 
servation, that is worth preserving. »In the year 1796, there was 
an Paglishinarl% in Boston, who called himself a professor of math- 
ematics. He boasted a great deal about his mathematical know- 
ledge, and said that he had not found any body in this country 
who knew any thing about the science. “I have a question,” 
said he, “ which I have proposed to several persons here who are 
reputed the most knowing, and they cannot solve it.” This Eng- 
lishman was a friend of E. H. Derby, Jr. of Salem, to whom Capt. 
Prince had some time previously said that he thought Mr. Bow- 
ditch “the greatest calculator in America.” Mr. Derby and the 
Englishman being one evening at the theatre, and the latter re- 
peating the remark about his question, “ Well,” says Mr. Derby, 
‘there is a young man sitting opposite: “oe peared ‘who, I think, 
will do it for you... You had Lccord- 
ingly, after the play was over, the problem was brought to the 
house where Capt. Prince and Mr. Bowditch boarded, by a man 
named Hughes, who asked him whether he thought he could 
solve it. “Yes,” was his instantaneous reply. The next morn- 
ing Hughes called and asked him how he was getting along with 
the question. “I’ve done it,” says Mr. Bowditch, “and I wish 
you would tell the Englishman that the answer is the logarithm 
of such a number,” naming it. In addition to this, I have mee 
* that the 2 th ematician said, “Tell your friend that 
have got a question which puzzled me once a good while <a 
I could make it out, and 1 Should like to have him try his hand 
upon it.” He gave him the question, and it was handed over to 
the Englishman; but nothing more was heard of it. For once, 
he had probably got enough be mathematics. s. 
- Capt. Prince states some facts in relation to the origin of one of 
Mr. Bowditch’s principal works, which will be interesting to all, 
particularly to all seafaring men. Every thing relating to “ The 
Sailor’s Own Book,” must be moe to them. He states, 
Vou. XXXYV. _-Digh i 2 
a 
