,,remarks                               
,,on ,a                                 
,,pamphlet                              
,lately published by the                
,rev4 ,mr4 ,,maskelyne1                 
,under the ,,authority of the           
,,board ,,of ,,longitude4               
,by ,,john ,,harrison4                  
,,the ,,second ,,edition4               
,,london3                  ,printed for 
,w4 ,,sandby in ,fleetstreet4           
,,mdcclxvii4                            
7,,price ,,sixpence47     ,,remarks1    
,,on ,a ,,pamphlet1 c4   ,a ,publication
 having lately been made by the ,rev4   
,mr4 ,maskelyne ,astronomer ,royal1     
under the ,authority of the ,board of   
,longitude1 manifestly tending1 by the  
,suppression of some ,facts and the     
,misrepresentation of others1 to impress
 the ,world with an unjust ,opinion of  
my ,invention1 and falsely asserting    
that my ,watch did not at certain       
,periods therein mentioned keep ,time   
with sufficient ,exactness to determine 

the ,longitude within the ,limits       
prescribed by the ,act of the #abth of  
,queen ,anne2 ,i think it incumbent upon
 me to submit some ,observations thereon
 to the impartial ,publick2 and the     
rather1 because the said ,pamphlet is   
rendered so confused by unnecessary     
,repetitions1 and voluminous ,tables1   
that a ,man must be pretty conversant in
 these ,matters1 to trace and combine   
the ,facts1 so as to check the          
,conclusions1 which would consequently  
be taken upon ,trust by the generality  
of ,readers1 unless publickly           
contradicted4 ,as it will be my         
,endeavour so far to avoid the ,use of  
all ,terms of ,art as to make the       
,subject generally intelligible1 ,i     
flatter myself ,i shall not be thought  
impertinent for giving a short          
,explanation 7though quite unnecessary  
to the far greater ,part of my ,readers7
 of what the ,longitude is1 and what the
 ,service required of the ,watch4  ,the 
,longitude of any ,place is its         

,distance ,east or ,west from any other 
given ,place2 and what we want is a     
,method of finding out at ,sea1 how far 
we are got to the ,eastward or ,westward
 of the place we sailed from4 ,the      
,application of a ,time-,keeper to this 
,discovery is founded upon the following
 ,principles3 ,the ,earth's ,surface is 
divided into #cfj equal ,parts 7by      
imaginary ,lines drawn from ,north to   
,south7 which are called ,degrees of    
,longitude2 and it's daily ,revolution  
,eastward round it's own ,axis is       
performed in #bd ,hours2 consequently in
 that ,period1 each of those imaginary  
,lines or ,degrees1 becomes successively
 opposite to the ,sun 7which makes the  
,noon or precise ,middle of the ,day at 
each of those ,degrees72 and it must    
follow1 that from the ,time any one of  
those ,lines passes the ,sun1 till the  
next passes1 must be just four ,minutes1
 for #bd ,hours being divided by #cfj   
will give that ,quantity2 so that for   
every ,degree of ,longitude we sail     

,westward1 it will be ,noon with us four
 ,minutes the later1 and for every      
,degree ,eastward four ,minutes the     
sooner1 and so in ,proportion for any   
greater or less ,quantity4 ,now1 the    
exact ,time of the ,day at the ,place   
where we are1 can be ascertained by well
 known and easy ,observations of the    
,sun if visible for a few ,minutes at   
any ,time from his being ten ,degrees   
high 'till within an ,hour of ,noon1 or 
from an ,hour after ,noon 'till he is   
only #aj ,degrees high in the           
,afternoon2 if therefore1 at any ,time  
when such ,observation is made1 a       
,time-,keeper tells us at the same      
,moment what o',clock it is at the      
,place we sailed from1 our ,longitude is
 clearly discovered4 ,to do this1 it is 
not necessary that a ,watch should      
perform it's ,revolutions precisely in  
that ,space of time which the ,earth    
takes to perform her's2 it is only      
required that it should invariably      
perform it in some known ,time1 and then

 the constant ,difference between the   
,length of the one ,revolution and the  
other1 will appear as so much daily     
gained or lost by the ,watch1 which     
constant ,gain or ,loss1 is called the  
,rate of its going1 and which being     
added to or deducted from the ,time     
shewn by the ,watch1 will give the true 
,time1 and consequently the ,difference 
of ,longitude4  ,i shall now proceed to 
make such ,remarks as occur to me on    
,perusal of ,mr4 ,maskelyne's ,pamphlet4
  ,mr4 ,maskelyne begins by telling us  
that the ,board of ,longitude1 at their 
,meeting1 ,april #bf1 #agff1 came to a  
,resolution that my ,watch should be    
tried at the ,royal ,observatory under  
his ,inspection1 and that he accordingly
 received it on the #eth of ,may1 #agff4
 ,he then says1 ,i most ,days wound up  
and compared the ,watch with the transit
 ,clock of the ,royal ,observatory      
myself2 at other times it was performed 
by my ,assistant ,joseph ,dymond1 and   
afterwards ,william ,baily2 this was    

always done in the ,presence of1 and    
attested by one of the ,officers of     
,greenwich ,hospital1 when he came to   
assist in unlocking the ,box in which   
the ,watch is kept1 in order to its     
being wound up4  ,not one of those      
,attestations appears in the ,book3     
,perhaps ,mr4 ,maskelyne thinks his     
,assertion of the ,fact will be         
sufficient for the ,publick1 and indeed 
so it might have been to me1 had ,i not 
received different ,information3 ,but   
the ,truth is1 the ,commissioners       
appointed a ,set of ,gentlemen to attend
 by ,rotation the winding up of the     
,watch2 they were to unlock the ,box the
 ,watch was in1 to see it wound up and  
compared with the ,clock1 then to lock  
the ,box again and take the ,key with   
them1 and ,mr4 ,maskelyne was to have   
another ,key1 there being two ,locks to 
the ,box3#a ,the ,officers of ,greenwich
 ,hospital were appointed for this      
,service1 some of whom from the         
,infirmities of ,age1 and ,misfortunes  

in the ,service1 were scarce able to get
 up the ,hill to the ,observatory1 so   
that when they came there1 as can be    
proved from undoubted ,eye ,witnesses1  
they only unlocked the ,box1 sate down  
'till ,mr4 ,maskelyne had done what he  
thought proper1 and then locked the ,box
 again1 and departed3 and whatever      
,attestation they may be supposed to    
have made1 ,i can prove that at several 
,times when ,gentlemen of my            
,acquaintance happened to be present1   
the ,attendance of the ,officers was by 
no ,means an effectual ,check upon the  
,comparison of the ,watch with the      
,clock4 ,i would not be thought to      
accuse those ,gentlemen of ,neglect of  
the ,duty imposed upon them2 on the     
contrary ,i applaud their ,diligence in 
being ready at all ,hours of the ,day to
 attend when ,mr4 ,maskelyne was pleased
 to appoint2 and therefore ,i will even 
for the present 7though contrary to     
,fact7 suppose they have been the ,check
 proposed by the ,commissioners of      

,longitude against any unfair ,access to
 the ,watch1 still the ,clock with which
 it was compared was left entirely in   
,mr4 ,maskelyne's ,power1 and an        
,alteration of the one could not but    
produce just the same ,effect as an     
,error of the other1 nor is there even  
the least ,pretence of a ,check either  
on the ,clock1 or on its ,comparison    
with ,observations of the ,sun2 nay on  
the contrary1 ,mr4 ,maskelyne did at    
this ,time take the ,key of the ,clock  
from ,mr4 ,dymond in whose ,custody it  
used to be1 and kept it himself4  ,mr4  
,maskelyne then proceeds to give us an  
,account of the ,watch's going from ,day
 to ,day1 which in his #aeth ,page he   
concludes thus3 ,from the foregoing     
,numbers it appears1 that the ,watch was
 getting from the very first near #bj   
seconds per day2 a circumstance which is
 not my business to account for2 but    
which1 as it kept near mean ,time in the
 ,voyage to ,barbadoes1 seems to shew   
that the ,watch cannot be taken to      

pieces and put together again without   
altering its ,rate of going             
considerably1 contrary to ,mr4          
,harrison's ,assertions formerly4  ,when
 ,i made the ,discovery1 upon ,oath1 of 
the ,principles and ,construction of the
 ,watch1 to six ,gentlemen appointed by 
the ,board of ,longitude and to ,mr4    
,maskelyne1 7who insisted on having a   
,right to attend1 as being a            
,commissioner7 which ,discovery was     
finished on the #bb;d ,day of ,august1  
#agfe1 as appears by the annex'd        
,certificate1#b the ,watch then remained
 in my ,hands1 all taken to pieces3 ,i  
little imagined the ,board of ,longitude
 would take it from me1 as not          
conceiving any ,use they could make of  
it2 and having besides received         
,assurances from them1 that they only   
wanted the formal ,delivery of it1 in   
compliance with the ,terms of the new   
,law1 without meaning to deprive me of  
the ,use of it3 ,i therefore went on    
making some experiments1 and alter'd the

 ,rate of its going1 thereby to         
determine a ,fact ,i wanted to be       
satisfied about4 ,the ,watch was under  
this ,experiment the latter ,end of     
,october1 #agfe1 when upon receiving the
 ,certificate for the ,remainder of the 
first ,moiety of my ,reward1 ,i was     
ordered to deliver it to the ,board4 ,my
 ,son1 attending with it1 being asked if
 it was then as fit as before to        
ascertain the ,longitude1 reply'd in the
 ,affirmative2 for as ,i have before    
shewn1 the ,rate of its going1 when once
 ascertained1 does not prevent its      
keeping the ,longitude4 ,he was not     
asked the present ,rate of its going1   
nor could he have answer'd with         
precision if he had1 because we had not 
had ,notice sufficient to determine that
 ,point2 but we did1 at that ,time1 tell
 several of our ,friends that it went   
about #ah or #ai ,seconds a ,day1 fast1 
and we have at several ,times since     
7without ever dreaming that this was to 
become a ,point of public ,discussion7  

had ,occasion to mention the same ,thing
 to several ,members of ,parliament1    
,commissioners of ,longitude and other  
,gentlemen1 insomuch that we did not    
believe any body was uninformed of it1  
who at all attended to the ,business of 
the ,longitude4  ,this may serve to     
account for the ,circumstance which ,mr4
 ,maskelyne declares1 it was none of his
 ,business to account for1 why the      
,watch was getting near #bj ,seconds per
 ,day2 but as to his ,inference1 ,i must
 say it betrays the most absolute       
,ignorance of ,mechanics1 and of this   
,machine in particular1 in which it is  
obvious 7and for this ,fact ,i appeal to
 the ,watchmakers who saw it taken to   
,pieces7 that its going at the same     
,rate when put together again1 as       
before1 depends 7if none of the ,parts  
are alter'd7 upon nothing more          
complicated than putting a single ,screw
 into the same ,place from whence it was
 taken4 ,indeed this ,passage1 and the  
ignorant and puerile ,remarks which ,mr4

 ,maskelyne has been suffer'd to prefix 
to my written ,description of the ,watch
 7to the ,disgrace of this ,country in  
those foreign ,translations it has      
already undergone7 bring strongly to my 
,remembrance an ,observation made by    
some of the ,gentlemen present at the   
,discovery1 that they wonder'd at his   
,patience in attending so long to a     
,subject he seem'd so totally           
unacquainted with4  ,mr4 ,maskelyne then
 proceeds to tell us of a ,change that  
happen'd in the going of the ,watch1 and
 says1 this ,change began in the        
,beginning of ,august1 on the few and   
only hot ,days we had last ,summer1     
which yet were not extreme1 the         
,thermometer within ,doors having never 
risen above #gc deg44 ,the ,rest of the 
,summer in general was remarkably cool  
and temperate4 ,when ,i took this ,watch
 to ,pieces ,i informed ,mr4 ,maskelyne 
and the other ,gentlemen1 that in trying
 any ,experiments with it1 in ,respect  
to ,heat and ,cold1 it would be proper  

that it should be so fixed that1 as far 
as could be1 the ,heat should have an   
equal ,influence on all ,sides of it2   
and it is obvious that the ,thermometer 
ought to have been kept in the same ,box
 with it2 but as this was not done1 ,i  
apprehend the ,effects of ,heat         
mention'd above do not merit much       
,attention2 and therefore shall only    
observe that the ,watch was placed in a 
,box with a ,glass in the ,lid and      
another in one ,side1 in the ,seat of a 
,window level with the lowest ,pane of  
the ,window1 and exposed to the ,south  
,east1 whilst the ,thermometer1 which   
was to ascertain the ,degree of ,heat   
the ,watch was exposed to1 was placed in
 a shady ,part of the ,room3 ,now 'tis  
obvious that while the ,air surrounding 
the ,thermometer might be very          
temperate1 there might1 if the ,sun     
shone upon it1 be a heat in the ,box1   
superior to what was ever felt in the   
open ,air in any ,part of the ,world2   
and perhaps greater than any human being

 could subsist in1 and consequently     
improper1 or at least unnecessary for   
this experiment4  ,mr4 ,maskelyne next  
tells us of an irregularity which he    
says happened in cold ,weather1 and     
says1 ,however1 it seems in general that
 the ,frost must have been the cause of 
these irregularities1 as well as of the 
,watch's going so much slower in the    
,month of ,january1 than it had gone    
before4 ,mr4 ,maskelyne ought along with
 this1 to have published what ,i told   
him when ,i explained it2 that the      
,provision against the effects of ,heat 
and ,cold was not in this ,machine      
extended to all ,degrees2 that ,i never 
had tryed it so low as the freezing     
,point1 which according to the best     
,informations ,i have been able to      
procure is a ,degree of ,cold that never
 did exist between the ,decks of a ,ship
 at ,sea1 in any ,climate yet explored  
by ,mankind4  ,mr4 ,maskelyne then comes
 to the ,rate of its going in different 
,positions2 and says1 ,it is obvious1   

these last-mentioned ,trials of the     
,watch in a vertical ,position could not
 be designed to shew how near it would  
go at ,sea1 where it can never obtain   
these ,positions3 the ,intent of them is
 to prove how near ,mr4 ,harrison's     
,execution of his ,watch comes up to his
 ,principles1 with respect to the making
 all the ,arcs described by the balance1
 whether large or small1 to be performed
 in the same ,time1 as ,mr4 ,harrison   
asserts them to be4 ,mr4 ,maskelyne here
 also might have had ,candour enough to 
inform the ,public1 as ,i did him1 that 
although the ,watch was quite sufficient
 to answer the ,purposes required of it 
in ,navigation1 and to fulfil what was  
prescribed by the ,act of ,queen ,anne1 
yet it was far from being in a state of 
,perfection1 as an universal exact      
,time-,keeper for every ,purpose3 ,i    
shew'd him and the rest of the          
,gentlemen the ,reasons why the ,machine
 then before them1 would not go at the  
same ,rate in such different ,positions 

into which the ,motion of a ,ship could 
never put it2 and whilst ,i explained to
 them those ,imperfections in the       
particular ,machine we were examining1  
,i also in the clearest ,manner ,i was  
able1 pointed out the means of remedying
 them with certainty in others1 which   
the ,gentlemen skill'd in ,mechanics    
seem'd perfectly to comprehend1 and to  
be satisfied of the ,truth which ,i     
again assert1 that ,watches made on my  
,principles will endure a much greater  
,motion and change of ,position than    
they can ever be subject to in a ,ship2 
and that they will not be affected by   
any ,degree of ,heat or ,cold1 in which 
a ,man can live4  ,if any ,thing was    
meant to be concluded with respect to me
 by this ,experiment1 either in ,point  
of ,property or of ,reputation1 common  
,justice would have required that ,i    
should have had an ,opportunity of      
seeing the ,facts ascertained2 and when 
such a ,trial was directed as put the   
,result in the absolute ,power of a     

single ,person1 that ,i should have been
 satisfied of his ,integrity1           
,disinterestedness and ,ability for the 
purpose4 ,i would not be understood to  
attack ,mr4 ,maskelyne's ,knowledge of  
the ,theory of ,astronomy2 as for any   
,thing ,i know to the contrary1 it may  
be of the very first ,rate1 especially  
as the ,commissioners have thought      
proper to entrust him with the          
,execution of their commands2 and which 
he has ever been as ready to undertake3 
,but alas6 as to his skill in           
,mechanics1 he knows little or nothing  
of the matter he has ventur'd to take in
 ,hand4  ,i think it more consistent    
with the respect ,i owe to the ,public1 
and myself1 to speak out plainly1 than  
to have recourse to ,insinuations1 on a 
,subject of this nature3 ,i therefore   
declare1 that ,i am not satisfied with  
the ,truth of his reporting other       
,observations relative to the           
,longitude1 as ,i do maintain that in   
both his ,voyages the ,observations     

which he said he made the ,land by1 were
 not calculated till after he had seen  
the ,land2 and ,i am certain those he   
has given1 in the ,publication now      
before us1 are not genuine1 for he      
pretends to find each ,observation of   
the ,transit of the ,sun to the         
hundredth part of a ,second of ,time1--a
 ,degree of exactness about twenty      
,times beyond what any other ,observer  
has hitherto found practicable3         
,moreover ,i know him to be deeply      
interested in the ,lunar ,tables1 a     
,scheme set up some ,years ago for the  
,reward in ,competition with my         
,invention1 and for which large ,sums of
 ,money have already been paid by the   
,public4  ,although ,i flatter myself   
the ,reader is already in ,possession of
 very sufficient ,reasons for rejecting 
the whole ,pamphlet as partial and      
inconclusive1 yet ,i entreat his patient
 ,attention whilst ,i advance one step  
farther1 and shew1 that although ,mr4   
,maskelyne has presented us with a set  

of ,observations which according to his 
mode of ,calculation1 prove what he     
advances1 yet those very ,observations  
when rightly reasoned upon prove the    
contrary2 and that in each of the       
,periods he refers to1 except those of  
the severe ,frost and improper          
,positions 7against which ,mr4          
,maskelyne ought to have informed the   
,world ,i never warranted this          
particular ,watch7 it kept ,time with   
sufficient correctness to determine the 
,longitude within the limits of the ,act
 of ,queen ,anne4  ,the ,reader by this 
,time knows enough of the ,subject to   
see1 that in order to try whether the   
,watch would or would not keep ,time    
with sufficient ,exactness to determine 
the ,longitude1 ,mr4 ,maskelyne's first 
,operation1 after receiving it1 should  
have been to ascertain the ,rate of its 
going4 ,but no such ,thing happened3 he 
knew it had not gone exactly            
correspondent to mean ,time1 during the 
,voyage to ,barbadoes2 it had been      

publickly enough declared that its ,rate
 of going had been since altered2 and1  
if he had not received that             
,information1 he might nay must have    
discovered it in the first #bd ,hours   
,tryal2 however1 without once attending 
to this essential ,circumstance1 he goes
 to work1 comparing the first ,period of
 six ,weeks 7which he observes is       
generally reckoned the ,term of a       
,west-,india ,voyage7 when it was in an 
horizontal ,position1 with mean ,time1  
instead of the corrected ,time1 and each
 succeeding ,period with that           
immediately preceeding it6 ,who can     
hesitate in pronouncing that his        
,conclusions must be all erroneous8 ,he 
should first have ascertained the ,rate 
of its going by a ,length of            
,observations of the ,sun or ,stars1 or 
by a perfect ,pendulum ,clock if he had 
such a one1 and then have corrected the 
,time shewn by the ,watch accordingly4  
,however1 supposing for a ,moment his   
,facts to be genuine1 ,i will deduce the

 real ,result in the best ,manner the   
,observations will admit1 rejecting     
those made while the ,watch was in      
improper ,positions1 and those during   
the ,frost1 for the same ,reasons that  
,mr4 ,maskelyne lays no ,stress upon    
them1 and for those ,i have already     
stated4 ,i shall therefore 7pursuing his
 ,idea of six ,weeks7 take it during the
 first tranquil six ,weeks that it had1 
viz4 from ,july the #fth1 to ,august the
 #agth1 in which ,time it gained in all 
#aa ,minutes1 #ej ,seconds1 or #af-i_/aj
 ,seconds per ,day which ,i will assume 
as the ,rate of its going1 or if ,mr4   
,maskelyne pleases ,i will take the     
,average of his whole ,time of          
,examination1 from the #fth of ,july to 
the #c;d of ,january and from the #ith  
of ,january to the #dth of ,march1 which
 will come out at the ,rate of #af-h_/aj
 ,seconds per ,day fast1 and ,i say that
 according to either of those ,rates of 
going1 the ,watch kept the ,longitude   
within the ,limits of the ,act of ,queen

 ,anne1 during any ,period of six ,weeks
 that can be pointed out1 excepting     
those of extreme ,cold1 and improper    
,position which have already been       
explained4 ,i do not trouble the ,reader
 with the ,calculations3 ,if ,i assert  
an ,untruth1 ,i shall hardly escape     
,contradiction4  ,there is another      
,inaccuracy1 which tho' of less         
,consequence1 ought not to escape       
notice4 ,one would naturally suppose    
when ,mr4 ,maskelyne found the ,watch   
went at this ,rate of gaining on ,mean  
,time1 he would have been very exact in 
his ,time of comparing it with his      
,clock2 but on the contrary we find he  
was so irregular as to vary his         
,comparisons on succeeding ,days from   
half an ,hour to four ,hours and #dh    
,minutes1 and this not for a ,time or   
two1 but for one third of the whole     
,time he had it4  ,mr4 ,maskelyne having
 shewn from the ,result of his          
,calculation 7which ,i have here proved 
to be false7 that the ,watch is not to  

be depended upon to determine the       
,longitude in a ,voyage of six ,weeks1  
then says1 these ,considerations are    
sufficient to explain the ,motives which
 might have actuated ,mr4 ,harrison1 as 
a ,man of ,prudence1 in desiring to send
 his ,watch two ,voyages to the ,west   
,indies1 upon his ,idea that he should  
be intitled to the large ,rewards       
prescribed in the ,act of the #abth of  
,queen ,anne1 in ,case his ,watch kept  
,time within the ,limits there          
mentioned1 whether the ,method itself   
was or could be rendered generally      
useful and practicable1 or not2 this    
,insinuation 7published under the       
,authority of the ,commissioners of     
,longitude7 that ,i had contrived a     
,trial which ,i knew the ,watch would   
fulfil1 whilst ,i was conscious that it 
would not answer the general ,purposes  
of the ,act of ,queen ,anne1 and        
consequently that ,i had formed a       
villainous ,scheme to rob the ,publick  
of the ,reward without really and       

effectually performing the ,conditions1 
strikes me as a ,charge of so atrocious 
a ,nature1 that ,i think myself not only
 justified in publishing to the ,world  
what has been done with respect to      
,trials of the ,merit of my ,invention1 
but even indispensably obliged so to do4
 ,i well know what ,i hazard thereby1   
and if the rest of my ,reward cannot be 
obtained on ,principles of ,national    
,faith and ,publick ,spirit1 ,i am      
contented to forego it1 but ,i will not 
descend into the ,grave loaded with that
 ,dishonour which my ,enemies1 availing 
themselves of their ,rank or ,offices1  
have1 in various ,ways1 attempted to    
throw upon me4  ,in the first ,place ,i 
must remark1 that the ,trial referred to
 was not fixed by me1 but by an ,act of 
,parliament passed so long ago as the   
,year #agad1 which 7after vesting       
certain discretionary ,powers in        
,commissioners to judge what ,methods   
are likely to prove practicable1 and    
authorizing them to issue smaller ,sums 

of ,money7 goes on to fix the last grand
 ,test of the ,merit of any such        
,invention1 and enacts that when a      
,ship1 under the ,appointment of the    
said ,commissioners1 shall thereby      
actually sail from ,great ,britain to   
the ,west ,indies without losing her    
,longitude beyond certain ,limits1 the  
,inventor shall be intitled to certain  
,rewards4 ,having from the ,year #agbf1 
employed myself in adapting those       
,principles which ,i had at that ,time  
executed in a ,pendulum ,clock1 to an   
,instrument or ,time-,keeper so         
constructed as to endure the ,motion of 
a ,ship at ,sea1 and having made a      
,voyage to ,lisbon and done sundry other
 ,things during a ,course of ,years1    
mostly under the ,direction of the      
,commissioners of ,longitude1 by way of 
preparatory ,experiments1 ,i thought the
 ,invention sufficiently perfect about  
the latter ,end of the ,year #agfj1 to  
go upon the ultimate ,trial1 which ,i   
accordingly applied for4 ,my ,son1 after

 being sent to ,portsmouth with the     
third ,time-keeper 7the fourth or ,watch
 being to be sent to him7 was kept there
 five ,months1 waiting for ,orders2     
which having by returning to ,london at 
,length obtained1 he went to ,jamaica in
 the ,deptford ,man of ,war1 and        
returned in the ,merlin ,sloop of ,war1 
having fulfilled every ,instruction of  
the ,commissioners4 ,it remained to     
compute from the ,astronomical          
,observations made at ,portsmouth and   
,jamaica1 whether the ,watch had or had 
not kept the ,longitude within the      
prescribed ,limits2 and as my ,title to 
#bj1jjjl4 was to be determined thereby1 
,i thought it but reasonable that ,i    
should name some ,person to check the   
,computations1 which was refused4 ,the  
,commissioners appointed three          
,gentlemen for that ,purpose1 and on    
receiving their ,report were pleased to 
declare that the ,watch had not kept its
 ,longitude within the above mentioned  
,limits4#c ,thoroughly convinced of the 

contrary 7for ,i had the same ,materials
 they had to calculate from7 ,i required
 a ,copy of the ,computations which was 
also refused me2 nor could ,i ever      
obtain a ,sight of them either          
officially or through private ,favour1  
'till three ,years afterwards1 when they
 were ordered to be laid before the     
,house of ,commons2 and it then appeared
 that two of the three ,computations    
were absolutely inconclusive1 proving   
nothing1 and the third decided in my    
,favour4 ,further ,proof of the ,watch  
having succeeded in this ,voyage may be 
found in the ,journals of the ,house of 
,commons1 ,vol4 ,,xxix4 ,p4 #edf1 in the
 ,evidence of ,george ,lewis ,scott     
,esq2 and ,mr4 ,james ,short4  ,the     
,reader will easily believe ,i did not  
feel perfectly easy under this          
,treatment of an ,invention to the      
perfecting of which 7encouraged by the  
long continued ,patronage of a ,graham1 
a ,halley1 a ,folkes1 c4 c4----learned  
,friends to ,society1 and ,publick      

,good1 whose ,minds were too enlarged1  
and ,spirits too liberal to admit that  
little ,jealousy of inferior ,artists1  
which since their ,death ,i have been   
exposed to7 ,i gloried in sacrificing   
every ,prospect of ,advantage from other
 ,pursuits1 and had willingly submitted 
to lead a ,life of ,labour and          
,dependence4 ,however 'twas too late to 
retreat2 and ,i had only one ,means of  
,success left which was to follow the   
,commissioners in their own ,way4       
,accordingly after many ,difficulties   
7with a ,relation of which ,i will not  
tire the ,reader1 as it is by no ,means 
my ,intention to meddle with any        
,subjects of ,complaint1 except such as 
are material to the forming a right     
,judgment of the ,trials made and       
proposed7 a second ,voyage to the ,west 
,indies was agreed to in the latter ,end
 of the ,year #agfb1 which ,agreement   
was afterwards well nigh overset by the 
,commissioners insisting on such        
,astronomical ,observations being       

previously made1 as were next to        
impracticable in this ,climate1 and     
could be put into the ,instructions for 
no other ,reason that ,i could conceive1
 but to throw insuperable ,difficulties 
in my ,way1 as they were not at all     
material to the ,determination of the   
,matter in ,question4 ,however the      
,commissioners at ,length gave up this  
,point on my ,opinion of the            
,impracticability being confirmed by    
that of an ,officer of the ,navy        
distinguished for his ,abilities and    
,skill in ,matters of ,astronomy4 ,to   
take away all ,possibility 7as ,i       
thought7 of this ,voyage being rendered 
fruitless like the last1 ,i then desired
 to have inserted at the ,end of the    
,instructions some few ,words to this   
,purpose1 that provided the ,experiment 
answered1 the ,commissioners present    
were of ,opinion ,i should without      
further ,trouble receive my ,reward2 but
 my ,son attending the ,board with this 
,proposition was told by ,lord ,sandwich

 at that ,time ,president1 that it would
 be mere ,tautology1 for that their     
giving ,instructions implyed the same   
,thing1 and that if the ,watch kept its 
,time within the ,limits of the ,act    
there could be no ,doubt of my being    
entitled to and receiving the ,reward1  
and nobody could take if from me4 ,upon 
the ,faith of this1 my ,son went the    
,voyage to ,barbadoes1 in which the     
,watch kept its ,time considerably      
within the nearest ,limits of the ,act  
of ,queen ,anne1 as certified1 even by  
the ,commissioners themselves4  ,on the 
,success of this ,trial being known1 and
 after having employed near forty ,years
 of my ,life on the ,faith of an ,act of
 ,parliament1 was a ,doctrine broached  
to me 7as ,i solemnly declare for the   
first ,time7 that the ,commissioners    
were invested with a discretionary      
,power of ordering other ,trials and the
 fulfilling of other ,conditions than   
those specially annexed by ,act of      
,parliament to the ,reward2#d ,an       

,exposition of the ,law1 which ,i ever  
did and ever shall 7until it is         
supported by legal ,authority7 totally  
reject and refuse ,obedience to2 for ,i 
do maintain1 that before passing the    
last ,act of ,parliament ,i had as full 
and perfect a ,right to the ,reward of  
#bj1jjjl4 as any ,free-holder in        
,britain has to his ,estate2 and ,i     
never would have desired nor ever will  
desire any better ,satisfaction than a  
judicial ,determination of that ,point2 
which however it was very soon thought  
proper to preclude me from1 by a new    
,law1 passed at the ,instance of the    
,commissioners of ,longitude1 placing me
 too certainly under the ,discretion of 
the ,commissioners and totally changing 
the ,terms on which the ,reward was to  
be given me1 enacting that ,i should    
have half of it when ,i had disclosed   
the ,principles and ,construction of the
 ,machine1 and assigned over for the    
,use of the ,publick the last made      
,timekeeper1 together with the three    

others which were not so perfect as the 
last2 and the other half when ,i should 
have made more ,watches1 without        
determining how many1 and proved them to
 the ,satisfaction of the               
,commissioners1 without defining the    
,mode of ,trial4  ,i frankly confess    
that from thenceforward ,i considered   
the second ,moiety of the ,reward as    
lost for ever4 ,the first ,moiety ,i    
obtained1 tho' it was with great        
,difficulty1 as the ,act required me to 
explain my ,invention upon ,oath1 and   
the ,commissioners were pleased to put  
into that ,oath1 ,words of an           
indeterminate and unlimited ,meaning1   
and refused to explain them1 or even    
permit me or my ,son to ask what was    
meant by them4 ,we at length agreed to  
take it 7finding we should never get any
 ,thing if we did not1 such was now the 
,power of the ,commissioners7 and they  
declared that themselves and the        
,gentlemen appointed by them to whom we 
were to explain it1 would be upon       

,honour not to disclose it1 that ,i     
might have an ,opportunity of obtaining 
the ,reward promised by foreign ,powers2
 however1 in less than a ,month an      
,account of it appeared in the public   
,news-,papers1 signed by the ,rev4 ,mr4 
,ludlam1 one of the six ,gentlemen named
 by the ,commissioners to receive the   
,discovery1 and therefore1 ,i make no   
doubt1 by ,leave of the ,board4 ,nor did
 they stop here1 for they have since    
published all my ,drawings without      
giving me the last ,moiety of the       
,reward1 or even paying me and my ,son  
for our ,time at the ,rate of common    
,mechanicks2 a ,discouragement to the   
,improvement of ,arts and ,sciences1 and
 an ,instance of such ,cruelty and      
,injustice as ,i believe never existed  
in a learned and civilized ,nation      
before4  ,i have already had ,occasion  
to mention1 that at the ,time ,i        
receiv'd the ,certificate for the first 
,moiety of the ,reward1 the ,watch was  
delivered up2 it remained six ,months   

locked up at the ,admiralty1 and was    
then removed to ,greenwich1 to be the   
,subject of those ,experiments          
concerning which ,i now trouble the     
,public4 ,the other three ,machines1    
were 7by ,order of the ,commissioners7  
soon after demanded of me by ,mr4       
,maskelyne4 ,one of them which had been 
going more than thirty ,years1 was broke
 to ,pieces under his careful and       
ingenious management1 before it got out 
of my ,house2 and the other two were so 
far abused in the ,carriage by ,land to 
,greenwich1 as to be rendered quite     
incorrect1 and as far as ,i can learn1  
incapable of being repaired without     
having some essential ,parts made anew3 
,thus perished the first ,essays of this
 long-wished for ,invention6  ,unwilling
 however that the ,public should lose   
the ,benefit of the ,discovery1 or the  
,chance of further ,improvement1 ,i     
applied1 by repeated ,letters1 to the   
,board1 praying that the ,watch might be
 lent to me 7offering ,security for it  

if required7 for the ,sake of employing 
other ,workmen to make the different    
,parts by ,model1 with quicker          
,dispatch1 and in ,order to determine by
 ,experiments1 whether some expensive   
,parts of the ,machinery might not be   
abridged or totally left out4 ,still    
have my ,requests been refused1 and of  
late they have alledged that they cannot
 keep their ,engagements with ,mr4      
,kendall if they were to lend me the    
,watch4 ,what those ,engagements are may
 be seen below4#e ,the new ,act1 as ,i  
have already observ'd1 did not determine
 how many more ,watches were to be made 
before ,i should receive the other      
,moiety of the ,reward3 it was seven    
,months before ,i could get them to fix 
how many1 and then they would neither   
agree to any ,mode of ,trial proposed by
 me1 nor propose any themselves till    
eleven ,months after that1 viz4 not till
 the #aath ,day of ,april last1 when 7an
 ,enquiry having been set on ,foot in   
the ,house of ,commons7 they were       

pleased to propose1 that instead of the 
,length of a ,west-,india ,voyage1 which
 is about six ,weeks1 the ,watches      
should be placed with their very good   
,friend and ,well-wisher ,mr4 ,maskelyne
 for ten months1 and then be sent for   
two months on board a ,ship in the      
,downs2 and all this ,i am required to  
submit to1 without the least ,shadow of 
,assurance on their ,part1 that they    
will be satisfied with this ,trial1 let 
it answer ever so well1 or that ,i shall
 thereby be brought at all the nearer   
receiving what is due to me1 altho'     
7independent of making the ,watches7 it 
must necessarily employ one whole ,year 
of mine or my ,son's ,time1 in          
superintending an ,examination1 which1  
after all1 can only prove that ,i1 who  
have made one ,machine1 can make another
 like it2 and the ,point of general     
,practicability1 about which so much    
stir is affected to be made1 would not  
be one ,jot advanced beyond what it is  
at present4  ,i cannot help begging the 

,reader will here allow me to add a     
,remark or two upon the general         
,practicability of my ,invention1 as    
that is now said to be the only ,thing  
that was in ,dispute between the        
,commissioners and me1 and that they    
only wanted to be satisfied as to this  
,point4 ,in order to clear it up then1  
,i will submit to the ,public to        
determine whether the general ,use and  
,practicability of my ,invention can1 in
 the ,nature of ,things1 be attacked1   
unless under one of these three         
following ,heads3  #a4 ,that a          
,time-keeper1 however perfect1 is an    
insufficient ,means of ascertaining the 
,longitude at ,sea4  #b4 ,that such     
,information has not been given as will 
enable other ,workmen to make other     
,time-keepers of equal goodness with    
that which is certified to have kept the
 ,longitude4  ,or #c4 ,that they will   
come to so enormous a ,price as to be   
out of the ,reach of ,purchase4  ,from  
the ,benefit of the first ,objection    

7even if it was founded in ,truth1 which
 ,i utterly deny7 the ,commissioners    
have surely precluded both themselves   
and the ,nation1 as with ,respect to me1
 by their repeated ,orders and          
,instructions1 and after leading me on  
for near ,half a ,century1 to employ my 
whole ,time and make long ,voyages for  
perfecting the ,invention1 they can     
never be permitted now to come and say  
the ,invention itself is good for       
nothing4 ,should any one however        
continue to propagate such an ,opinion1 
,i beg leave1 in ,contradiction to it1  
to offer that of ,sir ,isaac ,newton1   
and that of ,martin ,folkes1 ,dr4       
,halley1 ,dr4 ,smith1 ,mr4 ,graham1 and 
eight other ,persons of great ,eminence1
 both publicly given to the ,house of   
,commons and to be found in the         
,journals1 viz4 ,sir ,isaac's in ,vol4  
#ag1 ,page #fgg1 and the others in ,vol4
 #bi1 ,page #edg4  ,the second          
,objection is flatly contradicted by    
,evidence lately before the ,house of   

,commons1 by which it appears that the  
,description and original ,drawings from
 which the ,watch was made1 as given in 
by me upon ,oath1 are printed and       
published2 and that ,mr4 ,mudge 7the    
only one of the ,watchmakers to whom the
 ,discovery was made1 who has been      
examined by the ,house of ,commons7     
declar'd he could make these ,watches as
 well as ,i can4 ,moreover ,i am ready1 
on ,condition of receiving the          
,remainder of what's due to me1 upon    
,oath to give all manner of future      
,information and ,instruction in my     
,power2 and ,i hope it could never enter
 into any ,man's ,idea of general       
,practicability1 that ,i should actually
 teach every indifferent ,workman in the
 ,nation1 and furnish each of them with 
a ,set of ,tools for the ,trial of his  
,ability1 at my own ,expence1 before ,i 
could be entitled to the ,reward4  ,with
 ,regard to the third ,objection1 no    
,estimate of the future ,expence can    
7from the ,nature of the ,subject7 be   

grounded upon any ,authority better than
 that of ,opinion4 ,the ,price of common
 ,watches1 where each ,part is made by a
 different ,workman1 bears no           
,proportion to what must necessarily be 
charged by any ,man who was to make the 
whole with his own ,hands3 the same     
,reduction will naturally take place    
when a ,number of ,workmen are          
instructed to make the different ,parts 
of these4 ,my ,opinion is1 that they    
might in a very few ,years be afforded  
for about ,l4#ajj a-piece1 and if a     
,reduction of the ,machinery can be     
effected 7which ,i am strongly inclined 
to think is the ,case1 but have not had 
an ,opportunity of proving by           
,experiment for want of my ,models7 the 
,expence may be reduced to about #gj or 
#hj l4  ,by this ,time ,i think the     
,reader may naturally exclaim1 ,how can 
all these ,things be8 ,what can induce a
 ,number of ,noblemen1 ,statesmen and   
,officers of the first ,rank and most   
unblemished ,characters2 what can induce

 the ,president of the ,royal ,society1 
and the ,professors of the ,universities
 7to each of whom his ,majesty has been 
most graciously pleased to order        
,payment of #ae l4 per ,day for every   
,board of ,longitude they attend7 and   
what can induce the ,astronomer ,royal1 
thus to discourage an ,invention which  
they are specially constituted to       
improve1 protect1 and support8 ,i might 
answer with ,mr4 ,maskelyne1 that's none
 of my ,business to account for4--,the  
,facts are so1 and this public ,relation
 of them is extorted from me1 by a      
,conviction that no other ,way is left  
me to obtain ,justice1 or so likely to  
prevent the ,invention from perishing4  
,however1 if it is expected of me1 like 
,mr4 ,maskelyne1 to deliver an ,opinion 
on this ,point1 ,i shall declare what ,i
 believe very sincerely1 that by far the
 greater ,part of the ,commissioners are
 perfectly innocent of the ,treatment ,i
 have met with3 most of them are        
,commissioners by ,virtue of great      

,employments which engage their ,time   
and ,attention3 ,a ,board so constituted
 is continually changing2 and this being
 a ,matter of ,science which to many may
 seem rather abstruse1 it was very      
naturally left to the ,management of a  
few of those ,members who stand in the  
most immediate ,relation to ,science1   
and whose ,opinions1 upon a ,business of
 this ,nature1 the rest of the ,board   
had too much ,modesty to call in        
,question4 ,how well they have merited  
that ,degree of ,confidence is left to  
the impartial ,world to determine4  ,to 
return again to ,mr4 ,maskelyne's       
,account3 ,he1 as ,i think has been     
already shewn1 having said and done     
every ,thing in his ,power to the       
,dishonour and ,discouragement of my    
,invention1 scruples not to sum up his  
,opinion of it in the following ,terms3 
,that ,mr4 ,harrison's ,watch cannot be 
depended upon to keep the ,longitude    
within a ,degree1 in a ,west-,india     
,voyage of six ,weeks1 nor to keep the  

,longitude within ,half a ,degree for   
more than a ,fortnight1 and then it must
 be kept in a ,place where the          
,thermometer is always some ,degrees    
above freezing3 that1 in case the ,cold 
amounts to freezing1 the ,watch cannot  
be depended upon to keep the ,longitude 
within ,half a ,degree for more than a  
few ,days1 and perhaps not so long1 if  
the ,cold be very intense3 nevertheless1
 that it is a useful and valuable       
,invention1 and in ,conjunction with the
 ,observations of the ,distance of the  
,moon from the ,sun and fixed ,stars1   
may be of considerable ,advantage to    
,navigation4  ,having sufficiently      
refuted the first ,part of this ,opinion
 already1 it only remains for me to make
 such ,remarks on the ,lunar ,method of 
finding the ,longitude1 as this coupling
 of my ,invention with it seems to call 
upon me for4  ,it is with ,reluctance   
that ,i follow ,mr4 ,maskelyne into a   
,subject in which ,i may seem1 like him1
 to be actuated by a selfish ,preference

 to my own ,scheme2 however1 as ,i shall
 give my ,reasons for what ,i advance1  
,i will not hesitate to submit them to  
the ,public4 ,i beg to be understood as 
a warm and declared ,friend to that and 
every other ,mode which can be devised  
of ascertaining the ,longitude at ,sea1 
so long as they keep within the ,bounds 
of ,reason and ,probability4 ,here are  
now two ,methods before the ,public2    
,wou'd to ,god there were two ,hundred6 
,the ,importance of the ,object would   
warrant public ,encouragement to them   
all2 but1 called upon to say something  
on the ,subject1 ,i think it incumbent  
upon me to point out those ,limits      
beyond which its ,utility cannot1 from  
the ,nature of the ,thing1 be extended4 
,the ,method of finding the ,longitude  
by the ,moon1 in which ,mr4 ,maskelyne  
is in a pecuniary way interested1 is    
this4--,if the apparent ,distance       
between the ,sun and ,moon1 or between  
the ,moon and some fix'd ,star1 at any  
certain ,part of the ,globe1 was for    

every ,hour of the ,year known2 and if a
 ,navigator1 when at ,sea1 could also1  
by ,observations1 ascertain what is the 
apparent ,distance1 at the ,place where 
he is1 between the ,sun and ,moon1 or   
between the ,moon and a ,star1 and      
likewise their respective ,altitudes2   
and if he could also1 at the same       
,moment1 ascertain the ,time of the     
,day1 either by an immediate            
,observation of the ,sun1 or by a ,watch
 which would keep ,time pretty exactly  
from the last solar ,observation2 these 
,matters of ,fact being given1 the      
,difference of ,longitude may from      
thence be calculated4 ,i admit the      
,principle to be absolutely true in     
,theory4 ,the ,lunar ,tables1 for which 
the ,rewards have been given1 are       
calculated to shew the ,distance between
 the ,sun and ,moon1 or ,moon and       
,stars1 at ,greenwich2 ,i admit the     
,practicability of making such ,tables2 
but with ,regard to the other           
,requisites1 ,i beg ,leave to observe   

that1 for six ,days in every ,month1 the
 ,moon is too near the ,sun for         
observing1 consequently1 during those   
,days1 the ,method falls totally to the 
,ground2 that for about other thirteen  
,days in every ,month1 the ,sun and     
,moon are at too great a ,distance for  
observing them at the same ,time1 or are
 not at the same ,time visible2         
therefore1 during those #ac ,days1 we   
must depend upon ,observations of the   
,moon and ,stars1 and upon a ,watch to  
keep ,time1 from the last ,solar        
,observation with sufficient ,exactness1
 which common ,watches cannot be        
depended upon to do2 well therefore     
might ,mr4 ,maskelyne admit that my     
,invention would become of considerable 
,value1 even if taken in ,aid of the    
,lunar ,tables4 ,i leave the ,reader to 
judge of the ,practicability of making  
these ,observations from what follows3  
,to ascertain the ,longitude by the     
,moon and a ,star1 requires a distinct  
,horizon to be seen in the ,night1 which

 is next to impossible1 and if you have 
not an ,horizon1 the ,altitude of       
neither ,moon nor ,star can be taken3   
,it also requires 7and this perhaps when
 a ,ship is in a high ,sea7 the         
,distance of the ,moon and ,star1 in    
order to come at which1 the ,image of   
one of them must be reflected through a 
silvered ,glass1 and the other seen     
through an unsilvered ,part of the same 
,glass2 and they must be brought into   
,conjunction in the ,line that connects 
the silvered and unsilvered ,parts1 and 
this to an ,exactness only true in      
,theory1 for an ,error of a ,minute of a
 ,degree committed in this ,observation1
 will mislead the ,mariner ,half a      
,degree in his ,longitude2 ,now ,i call 
upon any ,astronomers of ,reputation    
publickly to declare1 that they have1   
even at ,land1 and with the best        
,instruments ,europe affords1 been able 
to make this ,observation of the ,moon  
and a ,star with any thing like the     
,precision required to determine the    

,longitude within the ,limits required  
by the ,act of the #abth of ,queen      
,anne2 ,i know it cannot be done4 ,nay  
,i further call upon any such           
,astronomers to declare1 whether even in
 ,observations of the ,distance between 
the ,sun and ,moon1 two of them         
observing together have generally       
speaking agreed in this ,observation    
within a ,minute of a ,degree3 ,i know  
that in general the ,difference between 
the best ,observers even at ,land will  
be more1 and as a farther ,proof of this
 ,assertion1 ,i refer the ,reader to the
 ,note below3#f ,and if these ,matters  
of ,fact are still doubted1 ,i shall beg
 ,leave to call upon ,mr4 ,maskelyne and
 ,mr4 ,green to declare how near they1  
with ,admiral ,tyrrel agreed in         
determining the ,longitude by the ,sun  
and ,moon in their ,voyage to           
,barbadoes2 and also whether during that
 ,voyage they ever did determine their  
,longitude by the ,moon and ,stars4--,i 
know they did not1 for they found the   

,observation too difficult1 and indeed  
it is only true in ,theory4  ,from the  
foregoing ,premises ,i infer1  #ast4    
,that during six ,days in every ,month1 
no ,observations can be made by this    
,method to ascertain the ,longitude at  
,sea4  #b;dly1 ,that during #ac other   
,days in each ,month1 it is             
impracticable to ascertain it by this   
,method with any ,instruments hitherto  
contrived1 or which the ,nature of the  
,service to be performed seems to admit 
of  ,and #c;dly1 ,that during the       
remaining #aa ,days in each ,month1 when
 the ,sun and ,moon may1 if the ,weather
 is clear be observed at the same ,time1
 no ,reliance can safely be placed upon 
the best ,instruments in the ,hand of   
the best ,observer for ascertaining the 
,longitude within the ,limits of the    
,act of ,queen ,anne2 and consequently1 
that how valuable soever the ,lunar     
,tables may be for correcting a long    
dead ,reckoning1 and thereby telling us 
whereabouts we are1 when we are not     

afraid of falling in with the ,land1 yet
 even during these #aa ,days1 they do   
not extend to the ,security of ,ships   
near the ,shore4  ,this ,method of      
ascertaining the ,longitude by the ,moon
 has already cost the ,publick the ,sum 
of #f1fjjl4 at least1 and yet no proper 
,experiment has been made of it4  ,i    
shall not presume to make any           
,reflections on the different ,treatment
 the two ,inventions have met with1 nor 
will ,i take up more of the ,reader's   
,time by a ,detail of the very earnest  
,attention paid by the ,french          
,government to this ,object4 ,if our    
,rivals in ,commerce and ,arts should   
rob us of the ,honour as well as the    
first ,advantages of the ,discovery1 ,i 
hope it will be admitted that the ,fault
 is not mine3 ,and ,i likewise flatter  
myself that ,i have now furnished       
sufficient ,materials for the           
,justification of my ,friends1 and for  
shewing that the ,cause which they from 
publick spirited ,motives had the       

,goodness to espouse1 was not unworthy  
of their ,patronage4                    
,red-,lion-,square1   ,june #bc1 #agfg  
,,john ,,harrison4      ,,finis4        
,,footnotes3      ,footnote #a3 ,it may 
not perhaps be improper here to observe1
     that the ,locks were such as might 
be picked with a crooked ,nail1     that
 the ,lock of which the ,officers had   
the ,key was on the #ajth     of ,july  
out of ,order1 and that ,mr4 ,maskelyne 
was sorry this     should ever come to  
the ,ear of the ,publick4      ,footnote
 #b3 ,we whose ,names are hereunto      
subscribed do certify1     that ,mr4    
,john ,harrison has taken his           
,time-,keeper to ,pieces in     the     
,presence of us1 and explained the      
,principles and     ,construction       
thereof1 and every ,thing relative      
thereto1 to our     entire              
,satisfaction2 and that he also did to  
our ,satisfaction     answer to every   
,question proposed by us or any of us   
relative     thereto2 ,and that we have 

compared the ,drawings of the same with 
the ,parts1 and do find that they       
perfectly correspond4      ,august #bb1 
#agfe4          ,nevil ,maskelyne1      
,john ,michell1         ,william        
,ludlam1         ,john ,bird1           
,thomas ,mudge1         ,william        
,matthews1         ,larcum ,kendall4    
,footnote #c3 ,it may not be amiss to   
take ,notice here of an     ,objection  
that was raised by two of the           
,commissioners1 both     famous for     
their ,knowledge in ,astronomy2 viz4    
,that the     ,observations of equal    
,altitudes made at ,portsmouth1 could   
not     be depended on1 because the     
equal ,altitude ,instrument had been    
removed from the ,place of ,observation 
in the ,morning1 to another     ,place  
to make the ,afternoon ,observations2   
from which it is plain     that these   
great ,astronomers did not understand   
either the     ,principles or ,use of   
one of the most simple ,instruments in  
,astronomy4      ,footnote #d3 ,if this 

,interpretation of the ,act was true1   
and the     ,commissioners had a general
 discretionary ,power1 where was the    
,reason or ,use of specifying any ,trial
 at all in the original     ,act8       
,footnote #e3 ,the ,board contracted    
with ,mr4 ,kendall 7one of the     six  
,persons to whom the ,discovery was     
made7 to make a ,watch     after the    
,model of mine4 ,he was to be paid for  
every ,thing     before-hand1 and to    
begin in a ,twelvemonth after making the
     ,bargain2 he is to make ,parts like
 ,parts1 but is not to be     answerable
 for his ,watch's going at all4 ,my     
,timekeeper is now in     his           
,possession1 tho' he is not yet ready to
 make ,use of it2     ,there are some   
,parts in the making of which the ,model
 can be of     little or no ,use to him2
 ,i only desired it for six or eight    
,months1 and am confident he can have no
 ,occasion for it before     that ,time 
is expired3 however ,i have offered to  
have it forth     coming whenever ,mr4  

,kendall declares that he wants it1     
therefore ,i apprehend their            
,engagements with ,mr4 ,kendall         
afford no solid ,reason for the         
,commissioners to refuse lending     it 
to me4      ,footnote #f3 ,in the fifth 
,volume of ,m4 ,,de ,,la ,,caille's     
,ephemerides1 ,page #ca1 he says1 that  
any ,person would be in the     wrong to
 suppose that the ,longitude at ,sea can
 be determined by     the ,moon1 to a   
less ,error than two ,degrees1 let the  
,method which     is employed be never  
so perfect1 let the ,instruments1 of the
     ,sort now in use1 be never so      
excellent1 and let the ,observer be     
the most able and accomplished4 ,for if 
we examine1 without     prejudice1 all  
the ,circumstances which enter into the 
,calculation and into the ,observation  
of a ,longitude at ,sea1 we     shall be
 easily convinced1 that it would be     
ridiculous to     maintain1 that the    
,sum of the inevitable ,errors should   
not     amount to five ,minutes of a    

,degree1 that is1 to two ,degrees and   
a half of ,longitude4 ,n4 ,b4 ,m4 ,,de  
,,la ,,caille published this in     the 
,year #agee1 and is universally allowed 
to have been an     excellent ,observer1
 and made several ,voyages by ,sea1     
where he     made ,trials of this       
,method by the ,moon4      ,dr4 ,,halley
 and ,dr4 ,,bevis 7as appeared to the   
,honourable ,house of     ,commons upon 
an ,examination of the latter7 did1 with
 an     excellent ,,hadley's ,quadrant1 
rectified by ,mr4 ,,hadley himself1     
and in his presence1 attempt to take the
 angular ,distance of the     ,moon from
 ,,aldebaran1 a ,star of the first      
,magnitude2 but with     such bad       
,success 7some of the ,observations     
removing ,,greenwich     from itself    
almost as far as ,,paris7 that ,dr4     
,,halley seemed to be     out of ,hope  
of obtaining the ,longitude by this     
,method4    ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,this
 ebook has been transcribed from the    
original print edition1 published in    

#agfg4 ,obvious printing errors have    
been corrected1 while minor             
irregularities in the spelling have been
 retained4 ,the table below lists all   
corrections applied to the original     
text4  p4 #i3 the ,rest of the ,summer -
 ,the ,rest p4 #aa3 added comma his     
,integrity1 ,disinterestedness and      
,ability p4 #ac3 a set of               
,observavations - ,observations         
,footnote #f3 added closing quotes to   
two ,degrees and a half of ,longitude4