ioo Mr. Topping's Account of the Measurement 
except a party of black fellows to carry my flags. I need not 
tell you how many thousand miles I have travelled to take the 
angles ; nor what the labour and fatigue of such a work must 
be in this burning climate, where I have frequently had the 
thermometer at io6° in my tent. 
(Signed) M. TOPPING. 
An Account of the Measurement of a Base Line upon the Sea 
Beach, near Porto Novo, on the Coast of Coromandel, in 
May, 1788; by Mr. Michael Topping. 
As a necessary foundation for the chain of triangles now 
carrying on, I have, for some time past, had my thoughts 
bent towards measuring, with all possible accuracy, a base line . 
This base line, could I have chosen its situation, should have been 
determined as near the middle of the line of coast I am survey- 
ing as possible ; but circumstances have not permitted me to 
make unrestrained choice of its place. On my arrival at Cud- 
dalore, I was told that, as I proceeded southward, I should 
meet with frequent rivers, and other water courses, that would 
certainly obstruct me in the design I had formed of measuring 
it on the sea beach, farther south ; and, soon after my removal 
from that place, I found, with much satisfaction, that the 
coast, between Cuddalore river and Porto Novo, would serve 
my purpose extremely well. The beach hereabouts is flat, 
broad, and remarkably smooth ; the only specious objection 
that can be made to it, is its not being straight, but forming a 
curved line, concave towards the sea. This, however, I knew 7 
to be, in reality, of no bad consequence, since several right 
