Ch. II. SOUTH AMERICA. 113 



employed our time to the beft advantage, making fe- 

 veral obfervations, particularly on the latitude and the 

 pendulum ; but the proximity of Jupiter at that time 

 to the Sun hindered us from fettling the longitude^ 

 i alfo employed myfelf in taking a plan of the place, • 

 with all its fortifications, and adjacent coait. At 

 length, all thitigs being in readinefsj we embarked 

 without any farther lofs of time. 



G H A P. 11; 



Defcription of the City of i^anama* 



PANAMA is built on an iflhmus of the fame 

 name, the coail: of which is wafhed by the fouth 

 fea. From the obfervations we made here, we found 

 the latitude of this city to be 8° 57' 48'' | north. With 

 fegard to its longitude, there are various opinions 5 none 

 of the aftronomers having been able, from obferva- 

 tions made on the fpot, to afcertain it fo that it is 

 flill doubtful, whether it lies on the eafi: or weft fide 

 of the meridian of Porto Bello. The French geo- 

 graphers will have it to lie on the eaO: fide, and ac- 

 cordingly have placed it fo in their maps ; but, in 

 thofe of the Spaniards, it is on the wed fide ; and, I 

 conceive the latter, from the frequent journies they 

 make from one place to the other, may be con- 

 cluded to have a more intimate knovvledge of their 

 refpeflive (ituations whereas the former, being 

 flrangers in a great meafure to thofe places, have not 

 the opportunity of making fo frequent obfervations. 

 I allov/ indeed, that, among the Spaniards who make 

 this little journey, the number is exceeding fmall of 

 thofe, who have either capacity or inclination for 

 forming a well-grounded judgement of the road they 

 travel ; but there have been alfo many expert pilots, 

 and other perfons of curiofity, who have employed 

 Vol. L 1 their 



