| The latitude, by the mean of several observed meridian altitudes of the sun, | 53° 5' 0" | |
| By the mean of 20 sets | ||
| of lunar observations, | 193 47 45 | |
| with the sun east of the | ||
| The longitude | moon | |
| By the mean of 14 sets, | ||
| with the sun and stars | 193 11 45 | |
| west of the moon | ||
| ———— | ||
| The mean of these | 193 29 45 | |
| The longitude assumed | 193 30 0 | |
| By the mean of equal altitudes of the sun, taken on the 12th, 14th, 17th, and 21st, | ||
| the time-keeper was found to be losing on mean time 8", 8 each day; and, on | ||
| the last of these days, was too slow for mean time 13h 46m 43s, 98. Hence the | ||
| time-keeper must have been too slow on the 4th, the day after our arrival, by 13h | ||
| 44m 26s, 62; and the longitude, by Greenwich rate, will be 13h 23m 53s, 8 | 200 58 27 | |
| By King George's (or Nootka) Sound rate, | ||
| 12h 56m 40s, 4 | 194 10 6 | |
| The 30th of June, the time-keeper, by the | ||
| same rate, gave | 193 12 0 | |
| The error of the time-keeper, at that time, was | 0 18 0 W. | |
| At this time, its error was | 0 39 54 E. | |
| The error of the time-keeper, between our | ||
| leaving Samganoodha, and our return to | ||
| it again, was | 0 57 54 | |
| On the 12th of October, the variation | A.M. | 20° 17' 2" | Mean 19° 59' |
| By the mean of three compasses, | P.M. | 19 41' 27 | 15" East. |
| Dip of the needle | Unmarked end | Dipping, | 68° 45' | Face | 69° 30' |
| Marked end | face East | 69 55 | West | 69 17 | |
| Mean of the dip of the north end of the needle 62° 23' 30". | |||||
Footnote 1:[ (return) ]
Mr Arrowsmith has filled up the coast betwixt the two points now mentioned, and supplied it also with rivers, according to the conjecture of Captain Cook. But it is obvious, that this is not sufficient authority; and therefore, unless better be given, Mr Coxe seems to have done more correctly, in indicating the space by a dotted line, the usual mark of an unexplored region.—E.
Footnote 2:[ (return) ]
It is somewhat singular, that neither Arrowsmith nor Coxe mentions Anderson's Island. The former, on additional authority, has marked but one island in the position specified, under the name of Eivoogiena, or Clerke's Island.—E.
Footnote 3:[ (return) ]
Mr Arrowsmith, as in the case of the island mentioned in the last note, has given the native name to this island, viz. Matwi, retaining also, however, the name of Gore.—E.
Footnote 4:[ (return) ]
We must be allowed to notice some particulars in the history of this remarkable enough man, well known, it is probable, to most readers, who have been interested in the operations of the African Association, but, perhaps, not immediately recognised in the humble situation of a corporal of marines. Some years after this voyage, viz. in 1786, Lediard, by birth an American, resolved on a pedestrian excursion across his native continent; for which purpose, he, first of all, fixed on travelling to Siberia, whence he expected to be able to obtain a passage to its north-west coast. Sir Joseph Banks, and other gentlemen, favouring his project, subscribed a sum of money, not much exceeding fifty pounds, to enable him to put it into execution. He proceeded to Hamburgh; from thence to Copenhagen; and, as the gulf of Bothnia was not frozen over, actually walked round its shores by the way of Tornea, till he arrived at Petersburgh, in the beginning of March 1787. Here he remained till May, when he obtained permission to go with a convoy of military stores, intended for Captain Billings, formerly his ship-mate in Cook's voyage, and now waiting for it to commence his own examination of the American coast, &c. With this convoy, Lediard, in the month of August, reached Irkutsk, in Siberia, at which place, after having gone to Yakutsk, where he met with Billings, he purposed to remain a part of the winter, till an opportunity occurred of going to Ochotsk, from which his passage to America seemed very practicable. So far, then, he had to congratulate himself on his success. But his enterprise was speedily interrupted, and all his hopes frustrated, by an order from the empress; in consequence of which he was arrested, and, under the guard of an officer and two soldiers, hurried off in a sledge for Moscow, without being suffered to carry with him either his clothes, his money, or his papers. The reason of this extraordinary conduct has not been explained in the communication made by Sir Joseph Banks to the Biographia Britannica, from which we have collected these particulars. We are told, however, that the disappointed adventurer was successively conveyed from Moscow to Moialoff, in White Russia, and Tolochin, in Poland; at which last place, he was informed, that the empress had directed he should never enter her dominions again without her express permission. During the whole of his route, since he had been made a prisoner, he suffered extreme hardship from ill health, fatigue, and mortification. At last he reached Konigsberg; and, to use his own words, in a letter to his patron, after "a miserable journey, in a miserable country, in a miserable season, in miserable health, and with a miserable purse," arrived in England. The ardour of his mind, however, was still entire; and he appeared as ready as ever to engage in any service, however perilous, which promised to gratify his own curiosity, and was recommended by men whose judgment he respected. Accordingly, almost immediately on his return, it was proposed to him to undertake the first speculative excursion which the society alluded to projected. On this occasion it was, as is noticed by the ingenious Mr Forster, in his valuable Essay on Decision of Character, that he surprised the official person, who put the Question to him, "When he would be ready for his African journey?" by instantly answering, "To-morrow!" It may be doubted, if his acquirements were altogether equally well suited to this undertaking, as his undaunted spirit and enterprising disposition. These, indeed, promised interest; and no one could hesitate to believe, that he would zealously employ every faculty he possessed in accomplishing the objects committed to him. It was appointed him to traverse the continent of Africa from east to west, in the latitude of the river Niger. But this he never accomplished; as, on his arrival at Cairo, he was seized with a bilious disorder, which terminated in his death. So much, it seemed but justice to record in this place, of the person now employed by Captain Cook.—E.
Footnote 5:[ (return) ]
See the little that is known of Synd's voyage, accompanied with a chart, in Mr Coxe's Russian Discoveries, p. 300.—D.
Footnote 6:[ (return) ]
This may be considered as a very decisive testimony to the truth of the character given of him in Mr Coxe's publication. We are indebted to the same work for ample evidence in proof of the following remarks of Captain Cook—E.
Footnote 7:[ (return) ]
The latest expedition of this kind, taken notice of by Mr Muller, was in 1724. But in justice to Mr Ismyloff, it may be proper to mention, which is done on the authority of a MS. communicated by Mr Pennant, and the substance of which has been published by Mr Coxe, that, so late as 1768, the Governor of Siberia sent three young officers over the ice in sledges to the islands opposite the mouth of the Kovyma. There seems no reason for not supposing, that a subsequent expedition of this sort might also be undertaken in 1773. Mr Coxe, p. 324, places the expedition on sledges in 1764, but Mr Pennant's MS. may be depended upon.—D.