ASTRONOMICAL RESULTS OP PUBLIC SURVEYS. 303 



peake Bay, we shall obtain an arc of over five degrees * 

 and the Florida coast will furnish us a continuous arc of 

 more than seven degrees. 



The survey of the boundary between the United 

 States and Texas, in the year 1840, and the survey of 

 the north-eastern boundary of Maine between the years 

 1840 and 1844, furnished the occasion for the determina- 

 tion .of the latitude and longitude of numerous points, 

 chiefly by Major J. D. Graham of the corps of Topo- 

 graphical Engineers. 



In the summer of 1835, Captain Talcott was employed 

 by the government of the United States, to make a series 

 of observations near the southern line of Michigan, to settle 

 the disputed question of boundary between that Territory 

 and Ohio. In this expedition the latitude and longitude 

 of several places were determined with great precision. 



The most important astronomical survey hitherto un- 

 dertaken by any State government was that commenced 

 by the State of Massachusetts, in 1830, and completed in 

 1838. This survey was founded upon a base of 7*39 

 miles in length, measured on the banks of the Connec- 

 ticut river, from which a net-work of triangles com- 

 menced and spread over the entire State. The latitude 

 and longitude of twenty-seven places were determined 

 independently by Mr. E. T. Paine; and the results of 

 the two surveys agree remarkably with each other. 



A topographical survey of the State of Maryland has\ 

 recently been executed, under the direction of Mr. J. H. 

 Alexander. 



