GEOGEAPHICAL POSITIONS, 91 



NOTES. 



1. Windward and Lkeward Islands. — Under the denomination of Windtcard Islands, 

 the navigators of France and Spain include the whole range from the Virgins to Trinidad; 

 and, under that of Leeward Islamic, the range which lies between Trinidad and the 

 Gulf of Maracaybo. This distinction is natural and proper, and we have adopted it, in 

 preference to the former distinction in the English charts, which include, under the 

 name of Leeward Islands, those from Porto Kico to Dominica ; and, under that of 

 Windward Islands, those from Martinique to Tobago. 



The observations of the Spanish officers for determining the respective situations of 

 the Caribbee Islands were very numerous and important, and oxu charts have been 

 regulated chiefly thereby. Later corrections have, however, been made. 



2. St. Cheistophbr's. — In January, 1782, the Marquis de Chabert took nine meridian 

 altitudes, whence he concluded the latitude to be nearly as in the Table. The longitude 

 by his marine clocks, previously examined at Martinique, appeared as 62° 52' 30". Mr. 

 Zahrtmann made the difference of longitude between it and St. Thomas's 2° 13' 27", 

 placing it in 62° 42' 18", nearly as in the Table. 



3. Desirade. — The Chevalier de Borda computed the latitude of the N.E. point as 

 16° 20' 30". Captain Monteith, in lat. 16° 58', by three observations ; longitude of ship 

 by chronometer, 61° 9' 45" ; by lunars, 61° 14' 38" ; mean, 61° 12' 12 ' ; the bearing of 

 Desirade was S. 5° E., distance £6 miles, which gives 3' of departure — long. 3' 5". Hence 

 longitude of the centre of Desirade, 61° 9' 7", about 8' too far West. 



4. Boseau. — The latitude of this place, according to the result of observations by 

 Messrs. Verdim, &c., is 15° 18' 23". French officers have given the longitude to the 

 westward of that shown in the Table, but the latter is probably correct. 



5. Martinique. — The latitude accords with that resulting from the observations of 

 Messrs. Verdun, Borda, &c., who concluded the longitude as 61° 0'. Captain Dunsterville 

 gave the longitude of Diamond Rock as 61° 6'. 



In fbe Survey of Martinique, executed by order of the French Government in 1824 and 

 1825, the longitude of the flagstaff of Fort St. Louis, on which all the other longitudes 

 depend, was assumed by M. Monnier as 61° 1' 25". This was arrived at by measurements 

 from Rio Janeiro, &c., and is 3' less than that now given. 



The longitude in the Table is that given by the latest French surveys, and is only 8" 

 to the eastward of a mean of chronometric measurements by M. Zahrtmann and 

 M. Lartique, between this and the Observatories of St. Croix and St. Thomas. 



6. Barbados. — The late Dr. Nevil Maskelyne communicated the latitude of St. 

 Michael's Church, in Bridgetown, as 13° 5' 30". The longitude was afterwards given as 

 59° 53' 40" and 59° 41' 15". From four separate measurements, the meridional difference 

 between Port Royal and Barbados appeared to be 17° 30' 10", which would give 59° 20' 28" 

 as the longitude of Barbados. In 1850, Lieutenant G. B. Lawrence, by a careful measure- 

 ment from St. Thomas, with seventeen chronometers, made Fort Beckwith in longitude 

 59° 36' 45-6" W., a close approximation to that given in the Table. 



7. Grenada. — In 1779, M. de Chabert concluded the latitude of Fort St. George as 

 12° 2' 54", and its longitude 42^' West of Fort Royal, Martinique. This varies only 2' 

 from the statement in the Table. Captain G. Daniell, of H.M.S. Victor, in 1833, made 

 the longitude 61° 48' 30". It was smrveyed by Mr. James Young. 



8. Tobago. — This island was very doubtfully placed on the charts previous to the 

 survey by Mr. J. Parsons, R.N., assisted by Messrs. J. P. Dillon and W. B. Calver, in 

 1864-5. The positions given by these officers are those stated in the Table. 



9. Port Spain in Trinidad. — Captain Foster made Fort St. David at Port Spain, 

 C 52'° 0-8« West of Para, which telegraphic observations place in 48° 30' 0" (South 

 Atlantic Directory, page 9), therefore this would make it in 61° 30' 12". M. Zahrtmann 

 stated it to be 3° 10' 12" East of St. Croix— 61° 30' 48". Captain Owen made it 15° 19' 0" 

 East of Port Royal, or 61° 31' 45". The longitude, according to Lieutenant Lawrance, 



