Anjenga, which cannot be more than 38 G. miles of horizontal distance; and falls fhort of my expectations, more than 9 miles. All that I could do, was to give the coaft fuch a form, as my mind had conceived of it, by perufing thefe different accounts: at the fame time, I confefs, none of them appear conclufive: and until we know the exact pofition of Poolytopu, in respect of Cape Comorin, we cannot allow Mr. Pringle's measurement, to difcredit in the leaft, Mr. Dalrymple's difference of longitude. We may here obferve, by the way, that coafts of fuch rotundity of figure, as the termination of this great peninfula, are seldom fo well determined, as those that embay, and where the fame point remains long in view, and is of eafy difcrimination. Here the projecting points fucceed each other too rapidly to allow a fufficient degree of precifion in calculating either the bearing, or the distance. The latitude of Cape Comorin I have taken at 8 degrees. Coylan or Quilon, a Dutch factory about 14 G. miles to the NNW or NW of Anjenga, is the next place, whose longitude is noted by Capt. Huddart; but as it cannot be expected that places differing only a few minutes of longitude from each other, can be determined with precifion by this means; I fhall país on to Porca, another Dutch factory, in lat. 9° 15', and longitude by Capt. Huddart 76° 10. I can by no means reconcile this longitude with the Dutch MS. maps of this coaft; for as the difference of longitude between Cochin and Porca by Capt. Huddart is only 8', the bearing ought to be S 10° E; whereas in the map, it is S 25 E. In order not to do too much violence to either report, I have allowed 16' difference of longitude, inftead of the 8' of Capt. Huddart's, and the 10' of Capt. Dundas. The Dutch MS. in queftion contains the whole coaft from Coylan in lat. 8° 51', to Cranganore in lat. 10° 23'; together with that vaft affemblage of lakes, that extend in fome places 30 miles inland; and are the repofitories of the waters that spring from the west fide of the Gauts; the whole country hereabouts being very flat, marshy, and unwholfome. This MS. 1 MS. map, which is alfo in Mr. Dalrymple's collection, contains a most valuable addition to the geography of this part of the pe ninfula. Cochin, the principal settlement of the Dutch, on this coast, is the next place in Capt. Huddart's table of longitudes: and is reckoned by him, in 76° 2′; lat. 9° 58'. Capt. Dundas makes it 75° 58'; and M. D'Apres, in his new Neptune Orientale, 76° 3′. Capt. Huddart has not noted the longitude of any place between Cochin and Tellicherry, in lat. 11° 48′: and there being only a single observation at the latter, I am inclined to pass over the confideration of it; and proceed to the next point of obfervation, Mount Dilla (or Delly) where 3 observations were taken. Mount Dilla is a remarkable promontory fituated in lat. 12° 1′; lon. 75° 2′; or 1° weft of Cochin. We have two accounts of the bearings of the coaft between these places; the one from M. D'Apres, the other has its particulars from different authorities. Neither of the two, differ effentially; and it is neceflary to examine them carefully, as the refult is to be used in comparing the longitudes of Paniany and Tanore, deduced from Capt. Huddart's obfervations; with that deduced from the marches of the Colonels Fullarton and Humberstone, across the peninfula. The whole, added together, gives a bearing of N 25° 30' W, diftance 144,5 G. miles; on which, the difference of latitude is 2° 10′ 30′′, and wefting 10,62. But as the true difference of lati tude tude is only 2° 3', there is an excess of 7,5 in northing, and 3,6 in wefting and the corrected departure, 58,4, gives the fame difference of longitude as fet forth in Capt. Huddart's table. The fecond feries of bearings and distances, are these: This feries, corrected by the difference of latitude, gives about 2′ of longitude, more than that of D'Apres; a matter hardly worth confidering. Paniany is much the fame in both accounts; and when corrected in pofition, by the proportion applied as above to D'Apres' feries, will be in lat. 10° 41′ 45′′, lon. 75° 55′ ; or 7′ weft of Cochin. And Tanore, by D'Auvergne's account of its position, in respect of Paniany, will be in lat. 10° 55', and lon. 75° 49′; or 13′ west of Cochin. It may be observed that De Funck's bearing of Mount Dilla from Mahe is NW by W, while that of D'Apres' is NW, and 1,6 more in distance. The fact is, that the compass in De Funck's plan is erroneous, the bearing of Mount Dilla being there W 22° 45' N. from Mahé; and W 23° 30' N. from Tellicherry; although the difference of latitude requires it to be almost a point more northwardly. The true bearing is still a defideratum, but I have obtained an approximation towards it, by means of bearings taken by two ships in Tellicherry road. By the medium of these, the bearing of Mount Dilla from Mahé, appears to be W 33° 15' N. * or nearly NW by W; and the distance on De Funck's plan (which is un-. derstood to be measured) is 28,4 G. miles. This gives 24′ 30′′ difference of longitude, or 75° 26' 30" for the longitude of Mahé; whofe latitude is 11° 45′ 18′′. And Tellicherry being by the fame plan 3′ 30′′ weft of Mahé, will be in 75° 23′ lon. and lat. 11° 48′. Capt. Huddart's Table gives only 16' difference of longitude between Mount Dilla and Tellicherry, although stated above to be 21'; but I have before observed that these sort of observations are more to be depended on, in great differences of longitude than in fmall ones: not to mention that in the calculation of these differences, the actual place of observation (that is, on board the ship at anchor in a road, or coafting along fhore) is often adjusted to the place whofe longitude is to be recorded, and which may be styled the nominal place of obfervation; by estimated distances. Deducing the longitude back again from Mount Dilla to Tanore, a difference of 2 muft of course be expected, as the two feries of bearings give that difference in the longitude; and Tanore, will of course be 75° 51', or 2 more eafterly than the deduction from Cochin in the last page. And now it will be proper to examine how far the lines of bearing and distance, drawn by Col. Kelly, and Lieut. D'Auvergne, across the peninfula, in the parallels of Tritchinopoly and Tanore, agree with the results drawn from Capt. Huddart's observations. Col. Kelly's furvey of Col. Fullarton's march to Palicaudcherry, was, according to the paper accompanying it, in the East India House, measured the whole way. The refult, according to the One of thefe bearings was NW W. at 3 of a mile off fhore: the other, faid to be 2' off fhore, was NW by W. By reference to a plan of the road, it appears that the latter ftation could have been only 1 off fhore, as the depth of water, was no more than 5 fathoms. We may obferve that Mount Dilla fhould have bore more wefterly from the obferver that was nearest the thore, than the one fartheft off: but there is feldom much nicety obferved in taking bearings on fhipboard, although fo much depends on it. By calculation, the difference of the angle between an obferver at off shore, and another at Mahé, would have been 3° 15′; and that at 1 off fhore, 3° 30. So that Mount Dilla would bear from Mahé by the first compafs W 36 N.; and by the fecond, W 30° 30′ N.: the medium of which, is W 33° 15′ N. map, map, gives 184,25 G. miles of wefting from Negapatam, or 3° 7′ 48" difference of longitude; placing Palicaud in 76° 48′ 47′′; and in lat. 10° 51'; that is, 5' north of Negapatam. Of the route of Col. Humberstone from Tanore to Palicaud, I have feen no less than 5 different plans; fome of them differing 6' in longitude (that is, in diftance) where the whole fpace did not exceed 57 miles. One alone among these had the author's name to it, and therefore demanded the preference: It was by Lieut. D'Auvergne. I am yet to learn, whether the distance was measured or not; but I fhould hope and expect it was, or a great part of it; for one of the copies, and which appears to have been tranfmitted during the march, distinguishes between the measured and estimated parts *; the former feeming to be the part marched over, and the latter, the part the detachment had yet to march. D'Auvergne's plan gives 56 G. miles of wefting between Tanore and Palicaud, or 58′ 15′′ difference of longitude; thereby placing Tanore in lon. 75° 50′32′′, according to the abovementioned longitude of Palicaud, deduced from Negapatam. The copies of this route, inserted in the maps of Col. Kelly and of Baron Wefebe, give only 50 G. miles, or 6 lefs of wefting than D'Auvergne's. Another map (communicated by Mr. J. Sulivan) and probably in this part, copied from D'Auvergne's, gives 57 miles; and a fifth, transmitted by an Officer in Col. Fullarton's army, precifely the fame as D'Auvergne's; that is 56. If we adopt D'Auvergne's diftance, the longitude of Tanore, deduced from Negapatam, will be Deduced from Capt. Huddart's obfervations at Mount Dilla And from the fame at Cochin 75° 50′32′′ } 75 51 75 49 Medium of all 75 50. 10 * It fhould be a rule obferved in all plans, to note how the fcale was obtained; whether by actual m afurement; difference of latitude; or estimation of diftances: to which may be added, that the meridian line or parallel fhould be drawn across the whole space in the plan, to prevent errors in meafuring the angles of bearing. |