*794* took the liberty of addrefling to the marquis of Branciforte, viceroy of
i i New Spain, and requelled that he would do me the favor of forwardin
them to England by the moll early and fafe conveyance.
All expectation of Mr. Broughton’s return and of his refuming the command
of the Chatham being now at an end, I appointed Lieutenant Puget
to that office, Mr. Baker, and Mr-. Swaine I remove^ to be the firlt and
fecond lieutenants of the Difcovery; Mr. Thomas Manby I appointed to
the vacant lieutenantcy, and Mr. H. Humphreys, to be the mailer of
the Chatham in his room.
Our bufinefs with the Ihore now began to draw nigh to a conclulion ;
the yards, topmalls, and topgallant-malls were got up, and the rigging
put into condition for fea fervice, but a fufEcient Hock of water was however
not yet obtained; whilft this was completing, I difpatched Lieutenant
ThurfdayE^. Swaine on thurfday morning with three boats over to the miflion of S'*
Cruz, in order to procure a fupply of garden fluff, as the continuation
o f the dry'weather, here, had made every fpecies of efculent vegetables
Saturday 27. extremely fcarce. Mr. Swaine returned on Saturday evening, having
been tolerably fuccefsful, fo that with our live flock and the other refrelh-
ments that Monterrey had afforded, we were likely to take our leave of
it; with as good a ftore for the prefervation of health, and to be as well
provided for the long and diftant paflage we had to perform, as from
any port in the known world. The two following days were employed
in receiving on board the tents, obfervatory, inftruments, and all other
matters from the Ihore, and in getting the {hip in readinefs to proceed-. ■
The variety of objeCls that had occupied my time whilft at Monterrey;
had, as at Nootka, precluded my attending to little more of our aftro-
nomical bufinefs, than that of afcertaining the rate and error of the chronometers,
according to the meridian of thefe places as fixed by our former
obfervations : yet I had confidered thefe to be of fufficient authority
to anfwer all the purpofes of correcting our furvey of the coafl in the
refpeClive vicinity of thofe ftations. By comparative obfervations made
by Mr. Whidbey with Mr. Ramfden’s circular inflrument, and thofe
made with the artificial horizon by myfelf, I was in hopes of adducing
further
further reafons in fupportof the means I had adopted for fixing of the No‘v’ ^ er
longitude," and for correcting our general furvey of this coafl during the c— ,---- 1
preceding fummer, between Trinity illands and cape Decifion; and I
had the fatisfaclion to find the fame correfponding accuracy at Monterrey
as had appeared at Nootka.
On the 13th of november in the bay of Monterrey the chronometers
Ihewed the following longitudes:
Arnold’s No. 14, - - - - 238” 0' 50"
Ditto, 176, - - - 238 33 5
Kendall’s,-, - - - - - 237 59 15
The true longitude being 238“ 25' 45", Arnold’s No. 14
appeared to be 24' 55", Kendall’s, 26' 30" to the weft-
ward, and Arnold’s No. 176, 7' 20" to the eaftward of the
true longitude. And by altitudes taken on Ihore with the,
artificial horizon on the 28th of november, Arnold’s No.
14 was found to be fall of mean time at Greenwich, at
noon on that day, - - - - 5h i 9> 2 3" ° '“
And to be gaining on mean time per day at the rate o f - 24 1
Arnold’s No. 176 was fall of mean time’ at Greenwich,
- - - - - i t 28 21 30
And gaining on, mean time per day at the rate o f - - "50 25
Kendall’s fall of mean time at Greenwich, - - - 9 58 23
And gaining on mean time per day at the rate o f - • 3° 53
By equal altitudes taken on Ihore with the circular in-
ftrument between the 13th and 29th of november, the
following are the rates at which the chronometers were
found to be gaining per day: (viz.) "
Arnold’s No. 14, - - —. . - - 23 55
Ditto 176, - - - - - 50 19
Kendall’s-, - - - r " " 3° 52
The very inconfiderable difference between the rates thus found, and
thofe afcertained by the artificial horizon, mull be received as a proof o f
V o l . III. X x . the