243 



Literary and Scientific Intelligence : 



[July 



now discovered to be dependent on the declination of the moon north 

 or south of the equator, but which has not hitherto been regarded in 

 any of the published Tables of the daily tides, although the differences 

 thus caused are of great magnitude, and are of material importance in 

 the navigation of rivers and shallow seas. 



In noting the time, it should be stated whether apparent, or true 

 time, is intended; and if the time of the moon's passage over the 

 meridian is mentioned, it will be a means of checking the rate of the 

 clock. 



Those gentlemen who may not be able to take observations them- 

 selves, from the situation of their houses or other causes, may fre- 

 quently be able to instruct and employ a Classy or servant to note 

 daily the most simple and essential points, the time and height of high 

 water. 



By way of ensuring results as comparable as possible, the months 

 of July, October, January and April are selected, commencing with 

 the new moon first occurring in each : — but it is by no means intended 

 to restrict observations to these months, as any full period of a lunation 

 will give information whence, what is called, " the tidal establishment'' 

 of a port may be deduced. 



The Society has no intention of imposing a pecuniary tax on those 

 who are willing to lend their aid in the prosecution of these enquiries ; 

 I am therefore directed to request that you will oblige me with a note 

 of any trifling expense to which they may lead, relying, with confi- 

 dence, on your judgment and discretion to effect the object as cheaply 

 as possible. 



I have the pleasure to remain, 

 Dear Sir, 



Yours very faithfully, 



J. Prinsep, 



Secretary, 



Asiatic Society's Apartments, 7th June, 1837. 



Suggestions for Persons who have opportunities to make or collect 

 Observations of the Tides, 

 11 It was shewn by Newton, nearly 150 years ago, that the fact of 

 the Tides and several of their circumstances, resulted from the law of 

 the Universal Gravitation of matter. But in this interval of time 

 scarcely any thing has been done which might enable us to combine 

 into a general view the phenomena of the Tides as they take place in 

 all the different parts of the world; and a very few places have good 

 and continued observations been made and published. It is conceived 

 that by collecting such observations as have been made, or may easily 

 be made, the connexion and relation of the Tides of all the parts of 

 the Ocean may be in a short time clearly made out: and that persons 



