Latitude and Distance. 241 



that the latitude was rarely stated closer than half a degree, 

 except to add that it was " more " on four occasions and " scant " 

 on another. 



From latitude 23° 23' to 28° 6' the average correction to eleven 

 determinations is — 0° 48', with a range from — 87' to — 58' ; from 

 latitude 28° 55' to 31° 45' the average correction to nine deter- 

 minations is — 1° 4', with a range from — 42' to — 75' ; from lati- 

 tude 31° 51' to 34° 27' the average correction to nine determna- 

 tions is — 1° 24', with a range from — 60' to — 123'. This line 

 of coast includes San Diego, San Buenaventura and point Con- 

 ception. From latitude 36° 3' to 38° 31' the average correction 

 to eight determinations is — 1° 18', with a range from — 79' to 

 — 91', including the determination in the gulf of the Farallones 

 and of the landfall of Cahto mountain, which are not closely 

 located. 



It is somewhat remarkable that the position of San Diego 

 bay and of point Conception, which latter was to them a notable 

 cape, should present larger errors of the instruments than any 

 other places on the coast. At San Diego the correction to Fer- 

 relo's determination is — 1° 40'; and at point Conception — 1° 33' 

 " and more " to Ferrelo, and — 2° 3' to Cabrillo. In these extreme 

 and infrequent cases I suspect erroneous readings of the instru- 

 ments, amounting to not less than thirty minutes of arc, or of 

 the whole diameter of the sun. 



These corrections must govern the high latitudes which the 

 navigators report to have reached wdien they were struggling for 

 life in the great storms far from land, and almost up to the 

 latitude reached by Drake less than thirty-seven years later. 



Erroneous Estimates of Distances. 



The estimates of distances along the exposed seaboard, when 

 the vessels w^ere buffeted by the regular northw^esters and the 

 large swell and offshore adverse current, are, as a rule, so irregular 

 and erroneous that they are almost useless for determining in- 

 termediate positions. When they reached the quieter waters of 

 the -Santa Barbara channel, with little wind, before the rainy 

 season, with very small swell and little current, it was jDossible 

 to proportion the erroneous estimate of distance between San 

 Buenaventura and point Conception, and with a personal knowl- 

 edge of localities I was able to fix every anchorage they made 

 under that pleasant and populous coast, and where the}^ held 

 frequent intercourse with the friendly Indians. 



32— Nat. Geog. Mag., vol. V, 1893. 



