CANADIAN LONGITUDES. 457 



two miles, and the work of leading the wire through the town and 

 into the Observatory presented many difficulties — one, the ground being 

 frozen hard could not be opened for sinking the posts, and another, 

 the interference with private property ; but by the hearty co-operation 

 of the Superintendent of the Telegraph Office, Mr. Dwight, and by 

 some contrivance, these difficulties were surmounted. 



The cloudy state of the atmosphere prevented our working until the 

 17th January, which was fair for observations. As our object was to 

 determine the time by the face of our respective clocks at the same 

 instant, thirty dots were sent at intervals of a second in each minute, 

 so that if the clocks were not beating together, the fraction of a second 

 that one clock was after the other might be guessed at. The fraction 

 being known, the second, minute, and hour are sent, and consequently 

 the readings of the two clocks are known at the same moment. 



The errors of the clocks were obtained by observations of many 

 stars on the same night, and the errors applied to the respective clocks ; 

 the true difference of time between Quebec and Toronto was thus 

 known, and hence the longitude. See Table. 



On the 5th February I left Quebec for Kingston, and on my arrival 

 was offered a home and every assistance by Dr. Yates. The site which 

 I selected for the temporary Observatory is situated in a cross street 

 between Earl street and Barrie street. Two large blocks of limestone 

 were brought and placed in the corner of a yard, and some planks 

 about six feet long were fixed around them, covering in a space about 

 eight feet square. This was also some distance from the Telegraph 

 Office, but by taking advantage of an old fence and of an occasional 

 tree, the wire was brought to the Observatory without much difficulty. 



My past experience had taught me to avoid the tops of houses, and 

 to select the solid earth and solid rock for the support of my transit 

 instrument. Still I had another lesson to learn. This neighborhood 

 was infested with boys, who when they saw a light shining through the 

 cracks of the boards, commenced throwing stones with a determina- 

 tion and precision worthy of a better cause ; and some of the few clear 

 nights that occurred in this month were lost in consequence of boys' 

 love of mischief. I first tried mild entreaties and then severe threaten- 

 ings ; they laughed at the former, and made faces at the latter. I then 

 procured the service of the police, who partly succeeded in keeping the 

 boys from further interference with my duties. 



On the night of the 20th February, all being ready, and the weather 



