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
Having, as before related[1], taken our final leave of the Friendly
Islands, I now resume my narrative of the voyage. In the evening of the
17th of July, at eight o’clock, the body of Eaoo bore north-east by
north, distant three or four leagues. The wind was now at east, and blew
a fresh gale. With it I stood to the south, till half an hour past six
o’clock the next morning, when a sudden squall from the same direction
took our ship aback; and before the ships could be trimmed, on the other
tack, the main-sail and the top-gallant sails were much torn.
The wind kept between the south-west, and south-east, on the 19th and
20th; afterward it veered to the east, north-east, and north. The night
between the 20th and 21st, an eclipse of the moon was observed as
follows; being then in the latitude of 22° 57-1/2ʹ south:
Apparent time, A. M.
H. M. S.
Beginning, by Mr. King, at 0 32 50} Mean long.
Mr. Bligh, at 0 33 25} 186° 57-1/2ʹ.
Myself, at 0 33 35}
End, by Mr. King, at 1 44 56} Mean long.
Mr. Bligh, at 1 44 6} 186° 28-1/2ʹ.
Myself, at 1 44 56} Time keep.
186° 58-1/2ʹ.
The latitude and longitude are those of the ship, at 8^h 56^m A. M.,
being the time when the sun’s altitude was taken for finding the
apparent time. At the beginning of the eclipse, the moon was in the
zenith; so that it was found most convenient to make use of the
sextants; and to make the observations by the reflected image, which was
brought down to a convenient altitude. The same was done at the end;
except by Mr. King, who observed with a night telescope. Although the
greatest difference between our several observations is more than fifty
seconds, it, nevertheless, appeared to me, that two observers might
differ more than double that time, in both the beginning and end. And
though the times are noted to seconds, no such accuracy was pretended
to. The odd seconds, set down above, arose by reducing the time, as
given by the watch, to apparent time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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