458 CANADIAN LONGITUDES. 



favorable, we made arrangements for sending signals to Quebec. I 

 found that the method adopted at Montreal, of sending a signal to the 

 Observatory at Quebec each time a star passed the wire of the teles- 

 cope, involved the necessity of employing a telegraph operator for 

 some hours ; but by merely exchanging the time, the operator was not 

 required for a longer period than half-an-hour ; consequently, in this 

 case, we sent thirteen taps, at intervals of twenty seconds, from King- 

 ston to Quebec, from a mean solar chronometer. As a sidereal clock 

 gains one second on the mean solar chronometer in six minutes, Quebec 

 listened for and marked down the second of the sidereal clock which 

 •was co-incident with the signal sent from Kingston, and consequently 

 without any guess-work, had the fraction of a second. Quebec then 

 sent similar signals from the sidereal clock, and Kingston listened for 

 and marked down the second which was co-incident with the signal 

 sent from Quebec ; in this way was the difference between the two 

 places ascertained to the hundreth part of a second. I conceive that 

 signals sent from one end of the line by mean time and from the other 

 end by sidereal time ensure the most satisfactory results. Although 

 the observations for time were not very satisfactory, still from the 

 severity of the weather, and the nuisance above alluded to, I resolved 

 not to stay any longer for further trials, but left for Montreal on the 

 30th. On my arrival, I accompanied you, and we reconnoitred in the 

 neighbourhood of Viger Square, where we were glad to find that there 

 appeared to be a scarcity of boys, and those that did heave in sight 

 were perfectly tame. The gardener's tool-house, in Viger Square, ap- 

 peared well suited to our purpose, and by placing a large block of 

 limestone on a solid basis built beneath it, we had in perfection the 

 principal requisite for the support of a transit instrument — that of 

 fixity. 



In order that I might avail myself of every opportunity of taking 

 observations, I took up my residence there, and although great cold 

 was experienced, nevertheless the advantage of being close to my work 

 far more than compensated for the severity of the weather. 



The night of the 1 2th March was clear, the instrument firmly fixed 

 and well adjusted, and signals were sent to and from Quebec. Although 

 the electric current was weak, and the signals at the Montreal end of 

 the line difficult to be heard, still the results were most satisfactory, 

 and I left on the following morning for Quebec. 



Chicago being placed on some charts, in a longitude differing by 



