GEOGEAPHICAL POSITIONS. 43 



&c.. between Sierra Leone and Cape Lopez; they included those previously given by 

 the officers of H.M. ships Arc/o, Amelia, Inconstant, Tartar, and others, and we finally 

 appended to such as we selected for the tabular statement the following remarks : — 

 " Although we have paid the utmost attention in the comparison of different results, 

 charts, and descriptions, as shown in the Tables and Notes, we are by no means satisfied 

 with the conclusions as to many points eastward of Cape Palmas and St. Andrew's Bay. 

 Indeed, all that has yet been done by the naval officers, and others, prove only the 

 necessity of a new series, in order to establish so much as may be correct, and to rectify 

 so much as may not be so." Happily, such rectification has taken place to a great 

 extent, and many doubts, on the most important points, have recently vanished. 



We give a specimen, on the longitude of Cape Sierra Leone. Many years ago, the late 

 Sir George Young gave the longitude of this Cape as 12° 33' 47 ; the French tables after- 

 ward, as 12° 54'; the Eequisite Tables, 13° 9' 17" ; H.M.S. Arc/o, 1802, as 13° 12'; the 

 Inconstant, 1816, the same ; the Amelia, in 1812, 13° 17' 30" ; the Leveu (Captain Owen), 

 in 1826, 13° 18' 0" ; the Eden (Captaua Owen), in 1827, 13° 18' 10" ; Captain Sabme, 

 Eoyal Artillery, m 1822, 13° 19' 0" ; and Captain Purchas, in 1827, 13° 19' 12 ". Captain 

 Owen's longitude, as given in the Table, appears to be correct. It may be added, that 

 Lieut. Eaper assumed the North Battery to be in 13° 14' 30", or nearly as in the Table. 



By 318 lunar distances (23 sets), taken in the West Bastion of Fort Thornton, at 

 Freetown, Captain Sabine, in 1822, made the longitude of that spot 13° 15' 11" W. ; and 

 in 1827, Captam Owen, m the Eden, made that of the Victualling Office 13° 14' 30". 

 Latitude of the latter, 8° 30' 6" ; of Fort Thornton, by Captain Sabine, 8° 29' 21". 



6. AssiNiE. — Observations made by the officers of the French vessel Guichen, in 1886, 

 place the old Powder MUl in lat. 5° 4' 45" N., long. 3° 18' 15" W. 



The COAST of GUINEA, between Cape Three Points and Cape Lopez, including the 

 off-lying islands. Although this portion of the coast of Africa is described in the 

 " Directory for the South Atlantic Ocean," we have considered it proper to continue the 

 series of points in the Table. For the description of the coast, and remarks upon the 

 positions, we refer the reader to the above work. 



7. KoTONOU. — In 1890, Lieut. Serres, of the French Navy, determined the longitude 

 telegraphically from Libreville, as 0*^ 0" 24-86^ East of Paris, equivalent to 2° 26' 30" East 

 of Greenwich. 



8. Bonny and St. Thomas Island. — These positions were accurately determined by 

 means of telegraphic signals with the Cape of Good Hope Observatory, by Commander 

 Pullen, R.N., in 1891. 



The Variation of the Compass is decreasing on tine West Cciast of Africa, at Ihe rate of 

 8' to 4' per annum. 



