VOL. 1.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 7 



place, yet without striking or doing any harm. These whales are supposed to 

 resemble that species called jubartes; they are without teeth, and longer than 

 the Greenland whales, but not so thick. Their feeding on grass, growing at 

 the bottom of the sea, appeared by cutting up the great bag or maw, in which 

 was found about two or three hogsheads of a greenish grassy matter. The 

 largest sort of these whales might afford seven or eight tuns of oil. The cubs 

 yield little, and that a kind of jelly only. The oil of the old ones congeals like 

 hog's lard, yet burns well. The oil of the blubber is as clear and fair as whey; 

 that boiled out of the lean interlarded, hardens like tallow, sputtering in the 

 burning; and that made of the caul resembles hog's lard. 



A Narrative conceiving the Success of Pendulum Watches at Sea for 

 the Longitude. By Major Holmes. iV" 1, p. 13. 



The relation lately made by Major Holmes concerning the success of the 

 pendulum watches at sea, two of which were committed to his care and ob- 

 servation in his last voyage to Guinea, by some of our eminent virtuosi and 

 grand promoters of navigation, is as follows : — 



The Major having left that coast, and being come to the isle of St. Thomas 

 under the Line, he adjusted his watches, put to sea, and sailed westward, 

 seven or eight hundred leagues, without changing his course ; after which, 

 finding the wind favourable, he steered towards the coast of Africa, N. N. E. 

 but having sailed upon that line about two or three hundred leagues, the 

 masters of the other ships, under his conduct, apprehending that they should 

 want water, before they could reach that coast, did propose to him to steer 

 their course to the Barbadoes, to supply themselves with water there. 

 The Major having called the master and pilots together, and caused them 

 to produce their journals and calculations, it was found that those pilots dif- 

 fered from the Major in their reckonings, one of them eighty leagues, 

 another about a hundred, and the third more ; but the Major judging 

 by his pendulum watches, that they were only some thirty leagues distant 

 from the isle of Fuego, which is one of the isles of Cape Verde, and that 

 they might reach it next day, and having a great confidence in the said 

 watches, resolved to steer their course thither ; and having given order so to 

 do, they got the very next day about noon a sight of the said isle of Fuego, 

 finding themselves to sail directly upon it, and so arrived at it that afternoon, 

 as he had said. 



These watches having been first invented by the excellent M. Huygens, and 

 fitted to go at sea by the Right Honourable the Earl of Kincardin, both fel- 



