a good opportunity of making fuch obfervations as were required to
prove the rate o f the chronometers. 1 A t noon the -latitude was found to
be g6° 23'; Kendall’s . chronometer fhewed 238° 18' ; Arnold’s No. 14,
2380 §'■ §; No. 176, 238° lo'-Ji and Karn (haw’s pocket watch, 238° 3'.
In this fituation the fputhernmoft land in fight bore by compafs s. 56 e ,;
an apparently detached piece o f land like a fmall iflet, s. 72 E .; and
point Pinos N. 31 E. This point, according to our pbfervations made
on fliore at Monterrey, is Situated in latitude. 36° 38', longitude 238° 22';
from which it appeared that the chronometers, fince they had been taken
on board, had acquired the following errors, (viz.) Kendall’s 13', Arnold’s
No. 14, 2' 30"; Arnold’s No. 176, . 5' 45", to the eaft o f the truth.
Earnlhaw’s pocket watch appeared to be correct. By thefe obfervations
Kendall’s had acquired the greated error, and Earnlhaw’s had gone per-
feftly right. The great regularity-of Kendall’s hitherto made it difficult
to account for this fudden alteration, which could be attributed to nothing
but the change that had taken place in the climate on their being
removed from the (hore to the Chip. The thermometer was found daily
to vary at the obfervatory between mid-day and the evening, from about
72” to 40“ ; the excels was more, as it would fometimes rife to 76 \ and
fall to 31°; but this did not frequently happen, though early in the mornings
it was not unufual to find the little wells we had dug (kimmed over
with thin flakes of ice, and the ground covered with hoar frod. On
board the (hip, the mean temperature of the air in which they were kept
was between 54 and 60 degrees. This opinion appeared to be particularly
corroborated in the indance o f Kendall’s watch, which evidently
went nearly at its Nootka rate during our paflage from thence to Monterrey
; but on its being there landed, the inereafe and continuation of
the cold appeared foon to accelerate its motion from that of gaining
rMB to i8 i per day. On allowing its rate of gaining at Nootka', from
the time of its lad coming on board at Monterrey, it was found to agree
very nearly with the longitude o f point Pinos, as affixed to it by our
pbfervations; and as I am perfeftly fatisfied o f the accuracy o f our
obfervations, the difference can furely be attributed to no other caufe,
2. than
than that the bed of thefe delicate pieces o f mechanifm are not yet, with '793-
all the ingenious and valuable improvements that have been made on ■ Jan“" y',
them, able to withdand, for any length of time, the tranfitions and
viciffitudes o f different climates. Mr. Arnold’s two watches on board
the Difcovery, being o f latér date by feme years than Mr. Kendall’s,
appear to have continued their rate o f going more correctly, but even
thefe felt the effeét o f their altered fituation; Mr. EarnfhaW’s was the
newed, and was the lead fenfible o f the change in the climate to which
it was removed. Future experience may however enable me to form
other conjectures, which may tend to elucidate more fully a fubjeéi o f fo
much importance to nautical fcience.
In refuming the narrative o f our proceedings it is necedary to date,
that the longitude (hewn by the chronometers will in future be infërted
according to the Monterrey rate, until an opportunity may offer of
making further obfervations,
We remained off point Pinos until the evening; when, being joined
by our Spanifh friends, we directed our eoürfe to the fouthward with fo
light a northerly breeze, that by the next day at noon we had only Wednef. 16.
reached the latitude- o f 36°, the land bearing by compafs from N. 20 e.
to s. 83 È.; the neared fbdre N. e ., didant about 4 leagues.
The ASiivë brig confiderably outfailed Our little fquadron, and the
Aranfaftï, the Word failer o f the whole party, was by fun-fet nearly Out of
fight adern. As neither Sen1' Oüadra nor myfelf wilhed to experience
the lead delay, we agreed to avail ouifelves of the favorable, gale from
the north, and without waiting for Sen1, Caamano in the Aranfafu, to
make the bed o f our Way. By thé r 8th at noon we had reached the Friday 18.
latitude of 3 20 30', longitude 239° 14', and the variation of the compafs
ia° eadwardly.
From this dation the tracks We each had to purfue began to diverge,
fo that by continuing together we fhould not only havé drawn each other
from the proper line of direfdion, but, in confequence o f the fuperi-
Prity which the Aftive had in point of failing, have necelfarily occa-
fioned a further detention to Sen'- Quadra; who, with Mr. Broughton,
and