CORRESPONDANCE. 1665. 205 



fix cens licuës de chemin, fans changer de route: après quoy trouvant lèvent 

 favorable, il tira vers les colles d'Affrique, droit au Nord Nordeft. Mais comme 

 il eut fait fur ce Rhombe quatre à cinq cens lieues, les Pilotes des trois navires 

 qui eftoient fous fa conduite, appréhendant de manquer d'eau, devant que d'arri- 

 ver au lieu où ils pretendoient aller, luy propofcrent d'aller faire equadc aux 

 Barbades. Sur cela ce Capitaine les ayant fait afTembler, & fait apporter leur 

 Journaux, ils fe trouvèrent efloignez dans leur calcul de celuy de ce Capitaine, 

 l'un de 80 lieues; l'autre de loo & l'autre de 1 20. car ce Capitaine jugeoit par les 

 Pendules, qu'il n'eftoit plus gueres efloigné que de 30 licuës de l'IOc del Fuego, 

 qui eft une de celles du Cap-vert, que ces Pilotes eftimoient encore fort loin. 



fervation in his laft voyage to Guiny by fome of our Eminent Virtuofi, and 

 Grand Promotors of Navigation) is as folio weth ; 



The faid Major having left that Coail, and, being corne to the Ifle of St. Tho- 

 mas under the Line, accompanied with four Vefîels, having there adjurted his 

 Watches, put to Sea, and failed Wertward, feven or eight hundred Leagues, 

 without changing his courfc; after which, finding the Wind favourable, he 

 fteered towards the Coaft of Africk, North-North-Eaft. But having failed 

 upon that Line a matter of two or three hundred Leagues , the Mafters of the 

 other Ships, under his Conduél, apprehending that they fhould want Water, 

 before they could reach that Coaft, did propofe to him to fteer their Courfe 

 to the Barbadoes, to fupply themfelves with Water there. Whereupon the faid 

 Major, having called the Mafters and Pilots togethcr, and caufed them to 

 produce their Journals and Calculations, it was found,that thofe Pilots did 

 differ in their reckonings from that of the Major, one of them eighty Leagues, 

 another about an hundred, and the third, more; but the Major judging by his 

 Pendul-Watches, that they were onely fome thirty Leagues diftant from the 

 Ifle of Fuego, v^hich is one of the Ifles of Cape Verd, and that they might rcach 

 it next day, and having a grcat confidence in the faid Watches, refolvcd to 

 fteer their Courfe thither, and having givcn order fo to do, they got the very 

 next day about Noon, a fight of the faid Ifle of Fuego, finding themfelves to 

 fail direftly upon it, and fo arrived at it that Afternoon, as he had faid. Thcfe 

 Watches having been firft Invented by the Excellent Mounficur Chriftian 

 Hugens of Zulichcm, and fitted to go at Sea, by the Righr Honourable, the 

 Earl of Kincardin, both Fcllov^s of the Royal Society, are now brought by a 

 New addition to a wonderfull pcrfcélion. The faid Monficur Hugens, having 

 been informed of the fuccefs of the Experiment, made by Major Holmes, 

 wrote to a friend at Paris a Letter to this eifcét. 



Suit la traduction anglaise de la Lettre de Chr. liuygens à J. Chapelain. Voir la Lettre 

 N°. 1324. 



