Oftobcr.
Tuelday 2.
Saturday 6.
refulting from the moft fmcere friendJhip; by which means they frequently
procure very valuable prefents, without making any return.
From the time of Senr- Quadra’s departure until the 26th, my time
had been moftly employed in preparing my difpatches for England;
they were now completed, and Mr. Mudge would have failed this day,
had not a hard gale of wind from the s.E., attended with a heavy rain,
prevented his departure, and retarded our operations in the equipment
o f the Chatham and Daedalus. This boifterous unpleafant weather continued
until the 30th in the afternoon, when the wind Ihifting to the
n .w . brought fair weather, with which the Fenis and St. Jofeph failed
for China.
The Hope brig, which had failed on the 20th o f laft month, and
the Spanilh armed Ihip Princilfa, arrived here from the eftablilhment
before mentioned, that the Spaniards had formed near the fouthern entrance
o f the ftraits of De Fuca; which was the fame open bay we had
paffed in the afternoon of the 29th of april laft; but its having been
found much expofed, and the anchorage very bad, owing to a rocky
bottom, the Spaniards, I was given to underftand, had been induced in-
tirely to evacuate i t ; and it appeared alfo that Serf- Fidalgo had brought
with him to this place all the live flock that had been deftined for its
eftablilhment.
Our new fuit o f fails, after foaking fome hours in the fea, were bent
on faturday. The obfervatory, with the inftruments and chronometers,
were on that day alfo taken on board, as well thofe fupplied me
by the Navy Board, as thofe intrufted by the Board of Longitude to the
care o f the late Mr. William Gooch the aftronomer, intended for .this
expedition.
The very unfettled ftate of the weather much retarded our re-equipment,
and the appearance of winter having already commenced, indicated
the whole year to be divided here into two feafons only. The
month of feptember had been delightfully pleafant, and the fame fort of
weather, with little interruption, had prevailed ever fince the arrival of
Sen'- Quadra in the fpring; during which period of fettled weather, the
day was always attended with a refrelhing gale from the ocean, and a
gentle
gehtle breeze prevailed through the night from the land : which not o S ê r
only renders the climate o f this country extremely pleafant, but the ac- 1 *
cefs and egrefs to and from its ports very eafy and commodious.
As my attention, during our continuance in. this port, had been principally
engroffed by the négociation already adverted to, I had little leifure
to profecute other inquiries ; I fhall therefore conclude this chapter by the
infertion o f fuch obfervations as were made on fhore at the obfervatory.
The obfervations commenced on the 30th o f auguft, at
which time Kendall’s chronometer, according to the Birch-
bay rate, gave the longitude - - - 233° 58' 15"
B y the Portfmouth rate - - - 231” 16 30"
Arnold’s watch, on board the Chatham, by the Birch-bay
ra te - ........................................................................232° 47' 45"
1792. Longitude of the obfervatory.
Sept. 7, Myfelf, two fets of diftances, moon and fun, 233°
— M r . W h id b e y , tw o ditto d itto 19 '
8, ditto, e igh t d itto d itto ‘ - 4 4 ' 20"
— M y fe lf, e igh t d itto ditto 38' 4 1 "
9* ditto, e ig h t d itto d itto 3 l ' 3° "
— M r .W h id b e y j e igh t ditto d itto .- i 37' 1 7 "
12 , ditto, e igh t d itto d itto 3 2 ' 3 2"
— M y fe lf, fix d itto d itto 2 7 ' 5"
23> ditto, e igh t d itto d itto 26 34"
— M r .W h id b e y , e igh t d itto d itto 1 3 ' 9"
23, d itto , e ig h t d itto d itto 1 2 ' 34"
— M y fe lf, e igh t d itto d itto 1 2 ' 50"
O f t . r , M r .W h id b e y , fix d itto m oo n and aquila, 35' 25"
A u g . 22, F iv e fets p e r J a ©, tak en b y m y fe lf a t fea, and
red uced at this place b y the chronometer, acco
rd in g to its rate o f g o in g found here 49' 9"
— F iv e fets, ta k e n b y M r . W h id b e y ,-d itto 3s 5"
24, F ou r fets, b y my felf. ditto 3 s 49"
— F ou r fets, b y M r . W h id b e y , d itto 34' 45"
3 G 2 T h e