MERIDIAN ON THE COAST OF COROMANDEL. 187 



Of the Polar Star Observations at Carangooly and 

 Curnatighur, and the Length of a Degree, per- 

 pendicular to the Meridian, deduced therefrom, 

 for the Latitude of 1 g'* 32' nearly. 



As the method of determining the difference of 

 longitude of two places, by taking the angle with 

 the meridian and each station reciprocally, requires 

 very gredt accuracy, I have thought it necessary 

 to give an account of the observations for that pur- 

 pose, and to state at the same time, the difficulty 

 of taking them, particularly at Curnatigur, whose 

 great height subjected it to a constant haziness, 

 whereby the blue lights at Carangooly were repeat- 

 edly fired v/ithout effect, appearing too faint to be 

 seen when the wires of the telescope were illumin- 

 ated : some nights, however, were favourable, when 

 the whole of the lights were distinctly seen ; but 

 the anxiety, which occurs on such occasions, will 

 sometimes cause irregularities in the angles ; a few 

 on that account, when the lights expired before 

 the observations were thought sufficiently satisfac- 

 tory, have been rejected. Those which appear in 

 the following account, are such as I have deemed 

 good, though there is a greater difference among 

 them than I could have wished. But as I had no 

 positive reason for setting them aside, I have accord- 

 ingly used them ; and have endeavoured to lessen the 

 error, by increasing the number of observations,atC«- 

 rangooly, between the polar star, at its greatest west- 

 ern elongation, and the referring lamp at Sallawauk. 



March 20, in the evening, .... 34 48,4 



21, 5%9 



22, . 52,8 



23, 48,8 



25, 50,2 



26, 48,0 



27. 46,9 



29, 40;4 



