8 THE TRANSATLANTIC LONGITUDE. 



encia and Newfoundland in June following ; but, with extreme kindness, he placed 

 me in possession of all his special information pertaining to the subject, and aided 

 our operations with word and deed. Subsequently, — when, to my own regret as 

 well as to his, it proved necessary to establish our station at the cable terminus, 

 near the western end of the island of Valencia, rather than at either of the two 

 points for which he had already determined the longitude from Greenwich, — he 

 carried out a third determination of longitude for Valencia, by a telegraphic inter- 

 change of signals between Greenwich and our station at Foilhommerum Bay. 



On the 1st October I met Mr. Mosman at Killarney. According to previous 

 arrangement he had already brought the instruments to that point by rail, and 

 had visited Valencia to examine the ground, and learn what provision would be 

 required for the stone piers of our transit-instrument and clock, and for the mate- 

 rials of our astronomical station. From his report it was manifest that the requi- 

 site supplies could be obtained upon the island, or in its immediate vicinity, and 

 early on the morning of October 2 we started westward. The six large boxes of 

 instruments were piled and carefully made fast upon a large " Irish car," the only 

 vehicle upon springs to be found in the town ; and the transportation of this huge 

 tower on wheels for 42 miles, to the ferry across the Straits of Valencia, and the 

 deposit of the instruments in a place of shelter, were accomplished without acci- 

 dent before daylight had wholly disappeared. 



The longitude-stations occupied by Mr. Airy in the great chronometer expedi- 

 tion of 1844 (Greenw. Obs'ns, 1845), was at Feagh Main, an elevated position 

 previously used as a station by the British Trigonometrical Survey; his transit 

 instrument being placed upon the station-point. For the telegraphic determination 

 of 1862, the instrument used in determining time was mounted in the village of 

 Knightstown, at the eastern extremity of the island. The employment of the same 

 station-point, the position of which was well marked, was, of course, highly desira- 

 ble. Moreover, it was situated at that point of the island which afforded by far 

 the greatest conveniences, and it was close to the hotel. But the electricians of 

 the Company have always been extremely averse to any connection, however brief, 

 between the cable and any land lines, on account of the possibility of injury to the 

 cable by lightning. This fact, to say nothing of others connected with prompt 

 exchange of messages with Newfoundland, and a readiness to avail ourselves of any 

 sudden change of weather at either place, rendered it imperative that our station 

 should be established very near the building of the Telegraph Company at Foil- 

 hommerum Bay, 6 1 miles west of Knightstown, and remote from any other 

 dwelling-house except the unattractive cabins of the peasantry. 



Here, as close to the telegraph house as was consistent with an unobstructed 

 meridian, the astronomical station was established, and a building constructed, 

 11 feet wide and 23 in length. This was divided by a transverse partition into 

 two apartments, the larger of these serving as an observatory, while the eastern 

 end was used as a dwelling-place. This building was bolted to six heavy stones 

 buried in the earth, and was protected from the southwest gales by the telegraph 

 house, the corner of which Avas within a very few yards at the nearest point, while 

 rising ground to the northwest guarded us against the winds from that quarter. 



