80 Differences of Meridian at Madras, [No. 97- 



on my return to Calcutta in 1826, I instituted a series of 

 these observations in the small temporary observatory on 

 the roof of my house, No. 37, Park Street, Chowringhee. The 

 transit telescope, of thirty-four inches focus, had five wires, 

 though not large, was good, and firmly mounted, and the clock 

 and other astronomical apparatus, were of the best kind. The 

 transits were taken by the native assistant, the Syud, Mhir 

 Mhosin, a most respectable man and steady observer ; the calcu- 

 lations were made in my office, immediately after the transits 

 were taken, by the computer, Mr. Vincent Rees, aided by the 

 young men, apprentices, in the Survey Department. 



The whole of these calculations in detail, were inserted in 

 lithographic forms, and were forwarded by the Government 

 to the Royal Astronomical Society of London. They are con- 

 tained in two large folio volumes. I need here only mention 

 the results. 



From \9th Nov. 1826, to 13th Dec. 1827. 



h. m. s. 



5 53 29-43 



82 transits of stars and moon'sl 



preceding limb J 



82 transits do. do. following limb . . 5 53 12* 



Mean reduced to Flag-Staff 5 53 21-16 



These results, it is to be remarked, are deduced from the data 

 in the Nautical Almanac, and not from comparisons with ob- 

 servations made at Greenwich, from which a better determi- 

 nation would be obtained, if so great a number of transits 

 had been taken at Greenwich or Cambridge ; but that is not likely 

 to have been done in so short a space of time, in the cloudy 

 climate of England ; because, results from those transits, though 

 very numerous, are only merely from calculation from the Nau- 

 tical Almanac. I have thought it better, not to allow them a 

 place in the general mean ; though I did so in some obser- 

 vations I gave to the Marine Surveyor General, Captain Ross, 

 and which, with observations he had taken, gave for the Flag- 

 Staff 5h. 53m. 20s*7. as he has mentioned, in the notice pub- 

 lished by him in 1829. It seems, I think, likely, from the 



