391 
to accompany Mr. Calder’s Paper. 
running survey could have afforded opportunity. He was but 
three days on the western coast, and only once was able to obtain 
observations for longitude; but from his acknowledged abilities 
as an observer, and nautical astronomer, it is not probable that 
the longitude he has assigned to the principal points of the coast, 
near to the spot where his observations were obtained, could be 
very much in error. At noon, on the 12th December (the day 
on which his lunars were obtained), Rocky Point bore N. 3° W., 
six or seven miles ; thus leaving little difficulty in determining its 
longitude: and the coast from Rocky Point to Cape Sorell, at 
the entrance of Macquarie Harbour, runs nearly north and south. 
I cannot therefore agree with Mr. Calder’s view as to the large 
amount of error, which he considers to exist in the longitude of 
the coast near Macquarie Harbour. 
It is however unquestionable that Frankland’s map is full of 
errors, in the astronomical positions of the principal headlands, 
and the recent survey of H.M.S. Beagle, on the north coast, from 
which I will take a few examples, confirms the statement. It is 
surely a reproach, that after 40 years of colonization, the latitude 
(to say nothing of the longitude) of the most important points in 
the island should be in error, in some cases more than six miles. 
I will first quote one example, viz., the S.W. Cape, a headland 
for which all ships must steer, who propose to visit the Derwent, 
when coming from the southward or westward : 
Furneaux..March 9th, 1773..placed it in. .43° 34', S. 
Cook.Jan. 24th, 1777.. „ . .43°324', „ 
Flinders ..Dec. 13th, 1798.. „ ..43° 32' „ 
Stokes ....Feb. 25tb, 1842.. „ ..43° 35', „ 
Mean of all... .43° 33', 
Frankland s map places it 43° 41', eight miles further south ! 
South Cape is similarly in error. Had the error been the other 
way it is impossible to forsee what might have been the conse- 
quence to ships running in thick blowing weather, with night 
coming on, and anxious to get hold of the land before dark; or 
trusting to their reckoning and the accuracy of the chart, running 
boldly for the cape at night, without having previously made the 
land. 
