8 Life and Character of Nathaniel Bowditch. 



anecdote which is contained in the fourth volume of Baron von 

 Zach's " Correspondance Astronomiqiie," page 62. The Baron 

 is relating the sensation caused at Genoa, by the arrival there, in 

 1817, of that splendid packet, the " Cleopatra's Barge," owned 

 by George Crowninshield, Esq. of Salem. He says that he went 

 on board with all the world, " and it happened," to use his own 

 words, " that in inquiring after my friends and correspondents at 

 Philadelphia and Boston, I mentioned, among others, the name of 

 Mr. Bowditch. ' He is a friend of our family and our neighbor 

 at Salem,' replied the captain, a smart, little old man, ' and that 

 young man whom you see there, my son, was his pupil ; in fact, 

 it is he, and not myself, who navigates the ship. (Question him 

 a little, and see if he has learnt any thing.' Our dialogue was as 

 follows : — ' You have had an excellent teacher of navigation, 

 young man ; and you could not well help being a good scholar. 

 In making the Straits of Gibraltar, what was the error in your 

 reckoning ?' The young man replied, ' Six miles.' ' You must 

 then have got your longitude very accurately ; how did you get 

 it ? ' First by our chronometers, and afterwards by lunar distan- 

 ces.' ' What ! do you know how to take and calculate the lon- 

 gitude by lunar distances ?' The young captain seemed some- 

 what nettled at my question, and answered me with a scornful 

 smile — ' / know how to calculate the longitude ! Why, our cook 

 cnn do that P 'Your cook /^ Here the owner of the ship and 

 the old captain assured me that the cook on board could calculate 

 the longitude very well, that he had a taste and passion for it, and 

 did it every day. ' There he is,' said the young man, pointing 

 with his finger to a negro at the stern of the ship, with a white 

 apron before him, and holding a chicken in one hand and a butch- 

 er's knife in the other. ' Come forward, Jack,' said the captain 

 to him ; ' the gentleman is surprised that you can calculate the 

 longitude ; answer his questions.' I asked him, ' What method 

 do you use to calculate the longitude by lunar distances ?' His 

 answer was, ' It's all one to me : I use the methods of Maskelyne, 

 Lyons, Witchell, and Bowditch ; but, upon the whole, I prefer 

 Dunthorne's ; I am more used to it, and can work with it quicker.' 

 I could not express my surprise at hearing this black face talk in 

 this way, with his bloody chicken and knife in his hand. ' Go,' 

 said Mr. Crowninshield to him, ' lay down your chicken, bring 

 your books and your journal, and show the gentleman your cal- 



