Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia eBook

Philip Parker King
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 567 pages of information about Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia.

Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia eBook

Philip Parker King
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 567 pages of information about Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia.

GOULBURN ISLANDS.  The observations were taken upon Bottle Rock, the largest of two rocky islets at the north end of South-west Bay; but the results were so doubtful and unsatisfactory, that the longitude determined by the chronometers was preferred.  The following are the observations that were taken to fix its situation, namely: 

Latitude by fourteen meridional altitudes of the sun l. l. on the sea-horizon, taken in various parts of the bay, and reduced by survey to Bottle Rock 11 37 24.

The difference of longitude between Bottle Rock and Cassini Island by chronometers, taken in: 

1819:  7 40 47. 1820:  7 40 00. 1821:  7 38 28.

Mean difference between Cassini Island and Bottle Rock:  7 39 45.

Longitude of Cassini Island from Careening Bay, by survey:  125 38 46.

Longitude of Bottle Rock, by chronometer, from Cassini Island:  133 18 31.

The mean of the results of the lunar distances that were taken during the years 1818 and 1819, gave for the longitude of the rock 133 degrees 31 minutes 58 seconds East.  On our last voyage the mean of the Bathurst’s and Dick’s watches made it 133 degrees 19 minutes 40 seconds, which was finally adapted, since it accorded better with the chronometrical difference between its meridian and that of Cassini Island.  I have never been able to account for this extraordinary disagreement between the results of the lunar distances and the chronometers, since the former were taken with the sun on both sides of the moon, and seemed to be very good.

CAREENING BAY.  This place was fixed by a series of observations, in latitude 15 degrees 6 minutes 18 seconds South, and 125 degrees 0 minutes 46 seconds East. (See Appendix A. in a note.)

KING GEORGE THE THIRD’S SOUND.  The longitude of this place was adapted from the observations and survey of Captain Flinders, as follows; namely: 

The tent on the east shore of the entrance of Oyster Harbour.  Latitude 35 degrees 0 minutes 17 seconds, and longitude 117 degrees 56 minutes 22 seconds.

The sandy beach under the low part of the land of Bald Head (the first sandy bay round the head) is in latitude 35 degrees 6 minutes, and longitude 117 degrees 58 minutes 6 seconds.

COEPANG, in the Island of Timor.  The situation of the flag-staff of FORT CONCORDIA, where our chronometers were rated, is in latitude 10 degrees 9 minutes 6 seconds, and longitude 123 degrees 35 minutes 46 seconds, according to the observations of Captain Flinders.

...

APPENDIX B.

CONTAINING A LIST AND DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECTS OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTED DURING CAPTAIN KING’S SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL AND WESTERN COASTS OF AUSTRALIA.

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Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.