Account of the Russian Discoveries between Asia and America / To which are added, the conquest of Siberia, and the history of the transactions and commerce between Russia and China - William Coxe

The same eclipses, as calculated by the tables of Mr. Wargentin, for the meridian of Paris, are as follow:

			h	´	´´		h	´	´´
Feb. 7.	Imm.	I.	2	49	0	Difference of	8	29	35
27.	Imm.	I.	12	3	10	the meridian	8	21	1
29.	Imm.	II.	4	38	17	of Paris—	8	28	37
Mar. 1.	Imm.	I.	3	3	37	and Yakutsk	8	29	23
Apr. 9.	Em.	I.	3	54	12		8	29	46
		The mean of which is					8	29	5

The observations of Mr. Islenieff [135], made at Yakutsk in the year 1769, to which place he was sent to observe the transit of Venus, have received the sanction of the Imperial Academy. The longitude which he fixes for Yakutsk is 8^h 29´ 34´´. this corresponds, to a sufficient degree of exactness, with the longitude inferred from, the observations of Krassilnikoff.

Thus the longitude of Yakutsk from Paris being 8^h 29° 4´´. or in degrees 127 16 0. and of Bolcheresk 10 17 17, or in degrees 150° 19´ 15. the difference of the longitude of these two places, from astronomical observations, amounts to 1 48 8. or in degrees 27° 3´ 0. The latitude of Bolcheresk is 52° 55´ 0´´. and that of Yakutsk 62° 1´ 50´´. and the difference of their longitudes being from the preceding determination 27 3 0. the direct distance between the places measured on a great circle of the earth will appear by trigonometry to be 16° 57´. or about 1773 versts reckoning 104-1/2 versts to a degree. This distance consists partly of sea, and partly of land; and a constant intercourse is kept up between the two places, by means of Ochotsk, which lies between them. The distance by sea from Bolcheresk to Ochotsk is estimated by ships reckonings to be 1254 versts, and the distance by land from Ochotsk to Yakutsk is 927 versts, making altogether 2181. The direct distance deduced by trigonometry, (on a supposition that the difference of longitude between Bolcheresk and Yakutsk is 27° 3´.) is 1773, falling short of 2181 by 408. a difference naturally to be expected from considering, that neither roads by land, or the course of ships at sea, are ever performed precisely on a great circle of the earth, which is the shortest line that can be drawn on the earth's surface between two places.

By this agreement between the distance thus estimated, and that deduced by computation, on supposing the difference of longitude between Yakutsk and Bolcheresk to be 27° 3´. it seems very improbable, that there should be an error of many degrees in the astronomical determination.

Since then the longitude between Fero and Petersburgh is acknowledged to be 48°—that between Petersburgh and Yakutsk 99° 21´—and as the distance in longitude between Yakutsk and Bolcheresk cannot be materially less than 27° 3´. it follows that the longitude of Bolcheresk from Fero cannot be much less than 174° 24´. Where then shall we find place for so great an error as 27 degrees, which, according to Mr. Engel, or even of 11°. which, according to Mons. Vaugondy, is imputed to the Russian geographers, in fixing the longitude of Kamtchatka?

		From the isle of Fero
Longitude	of Yakutsk	147	0	0
	of Ochotsk	160	7	0
	of Bolcheresk	174	13	0
	of the Port of St. Peter and Paul	176	10	0

Longitude of the extreme parts of Asia determined by the Russians.

As no astronomical observations have been made further to the East than the Port of St. Peter and Paul, it is impossible to fix, with any degree of certainty, the longitude of the North-Eastern promontory of Asia. It appears however from Beering's and Synd's coasting voyages towards Tschukotskoi Noss, and from other expeditions to the parts by land and sea, that the coast of Asia in lat. 64. stretches at least 23° 2 30. from the Port, or to about 200° longitude from the Isle of Fero.