'795- which I had fo long laboured, I waS only able to go Once on fliOTe in
January. ^ Qf t]ie j,ayS) 0r I might poflibly have acquired more knowledge refpecting
this fmall though valuable fpot of land. The comfort we derived
from the water and the few other fupplies there obtained juftly intided it
to our confideration; and as from its lituation it is not unlikely that it
may become a place of importance to thofe whofe purfuits may direfl them
to this part of the pacific ocean, I trull I (hall be excufed for having
dwelt fo long on a iubjeft which I could not but regard as deferving attention;
not only as for as it refpecls the produftions of the ifland, but
alfo to Ihew, that the defeription of the ifland of Oocos given by Dampier
from the obfervations of others, and that Hated by Lionel Wafer; from
his own, are either extremely inapplicable to its prefent circumffances
and appearance, or have reference to fome other ifland in its neighbourhood.
It is' much to be regretted that Dampier had not himfelf
vifited this ifland, as from the great accuracy of moll o f the obfervations
made by that judicious traveller, few doubts could have arifen concerning
die identity of the ifland he meant to defcribe. I am more-inclined to attribute
this deviation from the truth to mifreprefentation, than'to any
other caufe, from our having acquired a tolerably competent knowledge
o f that part of the ocean between 'the 5th and 6th degrees of north latitude,
for at leafl 4 degrees of longitude to the weftward of the ifland in
queftion, in which fpace there is not much likelihood of there being any
other ifland.
Ear the purpofe of commemorating our vifit to the ifland of Cocos, I
direfted that the date of our arrival, with the names of the veflHs and
the commanders, Ihould he cut on the fame rock where the other infcrip-
tion was found; the two former I underltood was executed, but it fee ms
that fome obftacie arofe to prevent the, infertion of the latter. The
reafons before Hated for fuppofing that this ifland may hereafter prove
ufeful to thofe who may traverfe t'hefe Teas, demanded that the utmofl
attention Ihould be paid to the fixing with accuracy its true pofition. By
the refult of all our obfervations, comprehending 152 fets, takep between
the 29th of december 1794, and the 16th of January 1795 ; and 154 fets
taken afterwards between the 2:8th of jamjary,' and the 16th of february
following,
following, the longitude of the anchorage deduced thus from thefe 306
fets of lunar diflances from the fun and Hars, each fet as ufual containing
The mean of 37 fets-on both-tides Î before our arrival by
Mr. Whidbey, 272’ 54' 46"
Ditto 37 ditto ditto Mr. Baker, 273 1 43
Ditto 37 ditto ditto Mr. Manby, 273 3 3
Ditto 38 ditto • ( ditto Mr. Orchard, 273 4 58
Ditto 3 ditto ditto Myfelf, 273 2 55
. Ditto 32 ditto afte:r our departure. Myfelf,. 273 8.42
Ditto 34 ditto ditto Mr. Whidbey, 273 to 38
Ditto 36 ditto _ ditto Mr. Baker, 273 14 55
Ditto - 25 ditto ' .. ditto Mr. Manby, 272 53 15
Ditto -27 ditto ditto Mr. Orchard, 273 Si 53
reduced ,to the anchorage by Arnold’s No. 14* according to | .
its new rate, lhewed the true longitude to be .. . - - 273 5 34
From this authority, and from feveral fets of altitudes of
the fun carefully .taken wh-ilff in the bay, the errors and rates
of the chronometers were found to be as follow :
Arnold’s Np. 14, faff of mean time at Greenwich at noon
on the 27 th of January 1795, - - . - 5 h i 1' 3" 20'
And to be gaining per day on mean time at the rate o f 20 2
Arnold’s No. 176, faff of mean time at Greenwich at fame
time, 12 11
And to be gaining per day on mean time,
Kendall’s fafl of mean time at Greenwich at fame time,
And to be gaining per day on mean time
The latitude by twenty meridional altitudes of the fun
andfea horizon, by the back obfervation taken by five
different obfervers with different inffruments, and varying
from 50 33' to 5°B7':2o", {hewed the mean refult tp he 6° 35' 12
IO 21 19 20
21 35
*795- January.