50 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION A. 



ever been an anxiety and a trouble to naval surveyors, and to 

 Admiral King not less than to others. In so remote a position 

 as the southern extremity of South America it was obviously of 

 importance that such a turning point as Cape Horn should be 

 acurately placed in this respect. And with this in view he 

 devoted much attention to astronomical observations, setting vip 

 whenever his ship was likely to be detained, an observatory in 

 which he had his own private transit instrument, and in addition 

 to his purely professional duties he devoted himself to every 

 scientific pursuit within the range of his stock of instruments, 

 and opportunities for collecting specimens of natural history. 

 The narative of his voyage shews also the interest he took in the 

 intercourse he had with the Patagonian and Fuegian natives. 

 Differences of longitude by chronometric measuz^ements — and 

 lunar observations, magnetic intensity by means of a small 

 apparatus given to him by Professor Hansteen, the temperature of 

 the sea and its specific gravity in different latitudes, observations 

 of the " dewpoint" with Daniell's Hygrometer and the prevalence 

 of winds and ocean currents were his continual study. 



In continuation of Capt. King's survey, Capt. Robert Fitzroy 

 re-commissioned the "Beagle" in 1831, and proceeded to South 

 America. He had supplied himself partly from the Admiralty, 

 but also on his own account with twenty chronometers, eleven of 

 which kept fairly accurate rates during the voyage, which lasted 

 five years. With these he carried a connected chain of chrono- 

 metric measurements of differences of longitude from station to 

 station round the globe. The result is given in the appendix to 

 the "Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of H.M.S. "Adventure" 

 and "Beagle," (8vo., London, 1839.) On completing his obser- 

 vations and calculations. Captain Fitzroy found that the aggregate 

 of all the differences amounted to thirty-three seconds of time in 

 excess of the true sum of exactly twenty-four hours, or an error 

 of 8^ miles of longitude. 



This error, neither he nor Captain King, who took much interest 

 in the work, could account for, but it is now ascribed to what is 

 known as the " personal error " of an observer. Sir John 

 Herschell, who was at the Cape of Good Hope when Captain 

 Fitzroy touched there, told him he need not expect to bring any 

 result within some minutes of time of the twenty four hours. 

 This chain of measurements corroborated Captain King's 

 longitudes determined in the previous expedition. 



On Captain King's return to Australia, he retired from active 

 service in the navy, and amongst other works of utility, applied 

 himself to the advocacy of the use of the " Inner Passage " to and 

 through Torres Straits. To the Captain of every sliip bound from 

 Port Jackson in that direction he gave the fullest information of 

 the track he had himself proved to be safe, and which is laid 

 down in modern charts as Captain King's Track. Many followed 



