Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2- Appendix): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

352 APPENDIX. Having vhus endeavoured to give a view of the Beagle's principal measurements of meridian distances, vi'ith some of the collateral de- terminations which are at present within my reach, I •wUHngly refrain from their discussion. It is for those who have access to more extended information, and who are not personally interested in the question, by having assisted in malving any of these measures themselves, to discuss and assign values to them. For this reason, an intention which I entertained of attempting to make some enquiry into the grounds on which the longitudes of Jamaica, the Havannah, Chagres, Panama, &c. are by some persons considered to be well determined, has been relinquished. I will conclude by remarking, that if so small a vessel as the Beagle, with so few chronometers going well, latterly, could attain, during a tedious and indirect voyage of five years, to within thirty- three seconds of the truth — a much nearer approach to exactness may be anticipated from measurements made in far less time, with a greater number of chronometers. END OF THE APPENDIX. Printed by J. L. Cox and Sons, 75, Great Queen Street, Lincoln's-Inu Fields.