88 



GEOGEAPHICAL POSITIONS. 



6. St. Thomas. — With regard to the position of Fort Christian, we received the follow- 

 ing communication from Major Sir Andrew Lang :— " The bearings of the flagstaff of 

 CoweWs Battery, from my observatory (see note 7), N. 21° 54' 27" W., from the trua 

 meridian, were determined by myself with a Tronghton's altitude, azimuth, and transit 

 cu-cle. Notwithstanding the distance (37^ miles), the flagstaff was distinctly seen with the 

 telescope of the circle, and intersected with the vertical wire. Considering the latitude 

 of the flagstaff, 18° 19' 32" N., which must be near it, then its longitude is as stated, 

 64° 55' 45" W., as deduced from my position ; but I now strongly suspect that it is a 

 little more to the North, say m 18° 19' 45"; if so, its longitude, as deduced from my 

 station, will be 64° 55' 50" W., and the latitude and longitude of Fort Christian would, 

 on the same data, be lat. 18° 20' 39" N., long. 64° 55' 39" W. Fort Cowell is on the very 

 iop of an eminence (275 ft. above the level of the sea) which rises at the southern 

 extremity of a tongue of land, forming the western side of the entrance, and also the 

 western shore of St. Thomas Harbour." Sir Andrew Lang's observations, therefore, 

 show a very close apjH-oximation to the most recent examinations, the results of which 

 are given in the Table. 



7. Observatory of Sir Andrew Lang. — " The height of the Observatory, which is 

 about 1 mile to the E.S.E. of the town of Christianstaed, is 440 English feet above the 



The latitude is true to within one second. The longitude is the result, I may say. 



sea. 



of the labour of years, and the present assumption of 64° 41' 0" in arc, or 4'> 18" 44" in 

 time. West from Greenwich, I consider to be determined with almost such absolute 

 certainty, that I do not think the error in the determination can exceed four seconds in 

 time, or one minute in arc, and I trust less. On that datum the longitudes of the other 

 stations are accurately determined. All the latitudes are certain to one or two seconds." 

 — Andrew Lang. 



Later determinations, with the aid of telegraphy and more perfect instruments, have 

 tended to show the accuracy of Sir Andrew Lang's observations. 



The Variation of the Compass is decreasing around the Coasts of Haiti, and increasing 

 around those of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands, at the rate of about 2' per annum. 



20. THE GARIBBEE AND LEEWARD ISLANDS. 



lat. n. 



long. w. 



VAR. 



WEST. 



1895. 



AUTHORITIES. 



Caribbee Islands. [1] 



Sombrero, Lighthouse ... 

 Dog Isle, landing on S. side 

 Anguilla, Custom House on 



North side 



Scrub Island, East point... 



.St. Martin's; Philipsburgh, 



Stadt House 



"West Point 



Saba, the centre 



St. Bartholomew, Gustaf 



Harbour, Fort Oscar ... 

 Barbuda, Martello Tower 



on S.W. side 



18 35 

 18 16 



40 

 15 



63 27 

 63 16 



55 

 10 



63 



62 



63 

 63 

 63 



4 40 

 55 40 



3 

 10 

 14 



36 

 

 



2 



Captain E. Barnett, R.N. 



Lieut. E. Lawrence, 

 Mr. Parsons, E.N., &c. 



B.N. 



62 51 31 



61 49 36 I 2 20 



