390 



WLLOA's voyage to south AMERICA. 



A Table of Variations obferved in federal Parts of the South Sea, the Longitude reckoned 



from the Meridian of Panama. 



We fliould, for feveral days, have been without knowing certainly the latitude, 

 an object of the laft importance in any voyage, had not Mr. Godin had the pre- 

 caution to take with him a Hadley's quadrant. This ingenious gentleman having 

 been pitched upon for the voyage to America, undertook a journey to London, purely 

 to purchafe feveral inftruments, and amon§ others bought that already mentioned, 

 and which proved of the greateft ufe to us in finding the latitude during this paffage ; 

 a point the more difficult and neceffary, on account of feveral perplexing circum- 

 ftances, the courfe being fometimes north, fometimes fouth, and the currents fetting 

 in the fame diredion. Affifted by this inftrument, we were enabled to take the 

 meridian altitude of the fun, whilft, from the denfity of the vapours which filled the 

 atmofphere, the Ihadow could not be defined on the ufual inftruments. 



CHAP. IL — Account of the Voyage from P erica to Puna, 



THE brifas, by their return, as we before obferved, occafion an alteration in the 

 weather of Panama, by introducing the fummer, as they alfo do in the paffage from 



Perico 



