Peter: Seems like a terrible waste of 'roos. Bradford R. Crain Quoting PeterO <rebyl_kayak_at_energysustained.com>: > Brad wrote > .........Craig: Is the answer to the last question kangaroos?........... > > Cook wrote in his journal > http://southseas.nla.gov.au/journals/cook/contents.html > .......... > 17 April 1770 > > Tuesday 17th At 2 PM the wind came to WSW at which time we tack'd and stood > to the NW, before 5 oClock we was obliged to close reef our topsails having > a strong gale with very heavy squals, about this time a small land bird was > seen to pearch upon the riging, we sounded but had no ground with 120 > fathoms of line. At 8 oClock we wore and stood to the Southward until 12 at > night than wore and stood to the NW untill 4 AM when we again stood to the > Southd haveing a fresh ^gale at WSW attend with squals and dark hazey > unsettled weather untill 9 oClock at which time it fell little wind and the > weather ^soon after clear'd up which a little after a 11 gave us an > oppertunity of takeing several observations of the Sun and Moon the mean > result of which gave 2070..56' West Longitude from the Meridion of > Greenwich, from these observations the Longitude of the Ship at Noon was > 2070..58' and by the Log 2080..20' the difference being on^ly 22' and ^this > error may as well lay in the one as the other, our Latitude at noon was > 390..36' So and Longde made from Cape Farewell 220.22' Wt > ........... > > G'Day, > > Cook didn't make any mention of kangaroos in his journal Brad:~) However, he > was trained in astronomy and had astronomers with him for measuring the > transit of Venus in Tahiti. I think he was also on the Board of Longitude > and would have been well aware of the tables produced by Warner and > Maskelyne. I was well pleased to have found his journal entry above. It > looks as if Cook might have used a process such as recalibrating his clock > for local time every day against sunrise, sunset and noon. The clock would > then only have to remain within spec for 24 hours and not for months or > years to maintain synchronism with Greenwich. Presumably there were enough > stars visible in both the southern and northern hemispheres so that Cook in > Australia could use the tables developed at Greenwich. Cook was within a > degree of longitude when he reached the equator after surveying the east > coast of Australia on his first voyage. As Robert said it was such a tricky > method and judging from the above journal entry not much better than using > the kind of clock that was available prior to Harrison. When Cook went on > his 2nd voyage he took along a Harrison clock. > > Robert, Longitude is a wonderful book and the illustrated version is well > worth getting, it has a great many side notes that are missing from the text > only version. > > All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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