The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VI. Being the Second of the Third VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VI. Being the Second of the Third Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
The longitude of the three several places is deduced from the mean of
145 sets of observations made on shore; some at one place, and some at
another; and carried on to each of the stations by the time-keeper. As
the situation of these places was very accurately settled during my
former voyages, the above observations were now made chiefly with a view
of determining how far a number of lunar observations might be depended
upon, and how near they would agree with those made upon the same spot
in 1769, which fixed Matavai Point to be 201° 27ʹ 30ʺ. The difference,
it appears, is only of 5ʹ 2ʺ; and, perhaps, no other method could have
produced a more perfect agreement. Without pretending to say which of
the two computations is the nearest the truth, the longitude of 210° 22ʹ
28ʺ, or, which is the same thing, 208° 25ʹ 22ʺ, will be the longitude we
shall reckon from with the time-keeper, allowing it to be losing, on
mean time, 1.ʺ69 each day, as found by the mean of all the observations
made at these islands for that purpose.
On our arrival at Otaheite, the error of the time-keeper in longitude
was,
by { Greenwich rate, 1° 18ʹ 58ʺ
{ Tongataboo rate, 0° 16ʹ 40ʺ
Some observations were also made on the tide; particularly at Otaheite
and Ulietea; with a view of ascertaining its greatest rise at the first
place. When we were there, in my second voyage, Mr. Wales thought he had
discovered that it rose higher than I had observed it to do, when I
first visited Otaheite in 1769. But the observations we now made, proved
that it did not; that is, that it never rose higher than twelve or
fourteen inches at most. And it was observed to be high-water nearly at
noon, as well at the quadratures, as at the full and change of the moon.
To verify this, the following observations were made at Ulietea:
Day of Mean time Perpendicular
the Water at stand, of rise.
Month. from to High Water. Inches.
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