130 



TJie First Battle of Lake Champlain. 



strament was picked up in 1867, on one of Champlain's portages of 1613 

 in the township of Ross, County Renfrew, in the province of Ontario, 

 bearing the date of 1603, which good authorities concur in believing 

 to be Champlain's astrolabe. The instrument is described by Mr. A. 

 J. Russell, the author of a brochure published in 1879, entitled, 

 " Champlain's Astrolabe, lost on the 7th of June, 1613, and found in 

 August, 1867," as a circular brass plate, having a diameter of five 

 inches and five-eighths. He says : " It is of plate brass, very dark with 

 age, one-eighth of an inch thick above, increasing to six-sixteenths of 

 an inch below, to give it steadiness when suspended, which apparently 

 was intended to be increased by hanging a weight on a little projecting 

 ring at the bottom of it, in using it on shipboard. Its suspending 

 ring is attached by a double hinge of the nature of a universal joint. 

 Its circle is divided into single degrees, graduated from its perpendic- 

 ular of suspension. The double-bladed index, the pivot of which 

 passes through the centre of the astrolabe, has slits and eyelets in the 

 projecting sights that are on it." The manner of using the astrolabe 

 is described thus: " Let the astrolabe be suspended so that it shall 

 hang plumb. Direct the index to the sun at noon, or to the North 

 star, so that the same ray of light may shine through both holes in 

 the two tablets or pinules on the index, and the index will point to 

 the degree of the sun's meridian altitude, indicated on the outer rim 

 of the astrolabe." 



It will be observed from the description that the entire span of the 

 graduated circle is less than eighteen inches, and that consequently 

 the length of each degree as marked upon it is less than one-twentieth 

 of an inch. When this is taken into consideration, together with 

 the fact that Champlain's observations were made while surrounded 

 by a war-party of savages, in an enemy's country, with but little 

 leisure, it would not be strange if he made an error. As a matter of 

 fact his records of latitude throughout his explorations are now defi- 

 nitely known to be full of errors, notwithstanding most of them were 

 made under far more favorable circumstances than these on Lake 

 Champlain. 



Thus, in Champlain's first exploration in Canada in 1604, he 

 marked the harbor of St. Margaret, now Weymouth Harbor, on the 

 southern shore of St. Mary's Bay, as in latitude 45° 30' an error of 

 1° V, the true latitude being 44° 23'. The true latitude of the Island 

 of St. Croix is 45° 37' and he made it 46° 40', an error of 1° 3'. He 

 made a point in the Richelieu river north of Chambly Basin in lati- 

 tude 45°, an error of some 45'. To a well-marked cove in Moisie Bay 



