( ) 
tion. The Service they do, is to abate that Friction 
on the Pin’s Point, which retards the horizontal Ver- 
ticity ; for when the* Fridion is divided between the 
horizontal Verticity, and the Librations or Tremblings 
(either of the two latter roiling on the Pin more fpee- 
dily) the far greater Part of the Fridion is fpent on 
the Librations, or Tremblings, and confequeritly there 
is but little left to retard the horizontal Verticity. I 
take fuch a Needle to be far better for my Purpofe 
than the common ones, which have a heavy Socket 
of Brafs, or Steel, in the Middle, ufeful only to render 
them ^portable, but very detrimental in nice Experi- 
ments^ becaufe the Weight of the Socket not only 
blunts the Pin fooner, but alfo encreafeth the Fridion, 
though the fame Acutenefs of the Pin Ihould be fup- 
pofed to continue. To renew the Tremblings when 
they began to abate, I rarely jogged the Box on the 
Table, for fear of giving it (and the Needle within it) 
a circular Motion, which obftruds the Defign:. But I 
found it belt to do it, by jogging the Table gently. 
When I had Occalion to turn the Needle to ariy Other 
Point of the Compafs, I elevated that Part of the Box ' 
which was under one End, until it reded on the Bot- 
tom, and in that Pofture could turn it as I would ^ 
but before 1 could let down the Box again to an hori- 
zontal Pofition, was forced to wait till the Needle 
was very dill, and to let down the elevated Side eafily, 
and vi^ith a dired Motion ; otherwife the Needle, as 
foon as both its Ends were free, would have more or. 
Lefs of an horizontal Motion. 
