It is thought even that the Pyramids, by the position of their sides toward the cardinal points, attest Egyptian acquaintance with a meridional line.

The meridional distance of the sun from the zenith of Alexandria he estimated to be 7° 12', or a fiftieth part of the circumference of the meridian.

small Meridional Zenith Distances.

Moon's Orbit from Meridional Observations of the Moon.

Since our object could not be effected without communicating with their Rajah, and as another opportunity might offer at some future time of communicating with these people, it was abandoned for the present; and we steered into the bay, and anchored within a small island at the entrance, in time to observe the sun's meridional altitude.

As we proceeded, the depth continued to be so even, and to shoal so gradually, that we ran up it for six miles, when, as it was near noon, we anchored and landed on the eastern bank, to observe the sun's meridional altitude; but, from the muddy state of the banks, we had great difficulty in reaching the shore.

The following morning we sailed and steered for Whitsunday Passage; a little before noon, I landed with Mr. Roe and Mr. Cunningham in a small bight round the north side of Cape Conway, for a meridional observation and bearings.

The summit of the back hills (which were named by Mr. Cunningham's desire after John Bellenden Ker, Esquire) now began to be enveloped in clouds, and the wind to increase; and no meridional altitude was obtained, from the unfortunate state of the weather.

By a meridional observation at noon the latitude of the Cape was found to be 10 degrees 59 1/4 minutes, which is 19 minutes more northerly than the land which bounded Captain Flinders' view when he passed by in the Cumberland.

There was however an error of ten miles in the latitude, which was so unusual an occurrence in the charts of that navigator that for some time I doubted the justice of my suspicions; but on referring to the account of his voyage it appeared that no meridional observation was obtained by him for the latitude near this channel; and also that the weather when he passed through was thick and cloudy.

Between Port Essington and Cape Van Diemen we steered so as to see several parts of the coast of Melville Island in order to compare their relative meridional distances with those of last year's survey.

On leaving these rocks I hoped to have reached in time some part of the north-east shore of Adolphus Island where I could observe the sun's meridional altitude on the sea horizon; but we were detained in the arm by strong ripplings and a fresh sea-breeze until it was too late.

where at noon, by a meridional observation to the south, the latitude was found to be 15 degrees 21 minutes 53 seconds South.

The sea-breeze set in from North-West with the change of tide; as soon as the sun's meridional altitude was observed we got under sail and steered to the West-South-West; but were soon after obliged to alter the course to avoid a shoal on which the sea was breaking within fifty yards of us.

The next day we landed on the west head of the bay, Crystal Head, where the meridional altitude of the sun was observed and sights for the chronometers taken; in the evening we ascended its summit and by a bearing of the land of Cape Bougainville the survey was connected with Vansittart Bay.

At daylight land was seen to windward, which, from the distance we had ran, was supposed to be about Port Stevens; but we found ourselves at noon by a meridional observation, off Jervis Bay; so that the current during the gale had set us one hundred and fifty miles to the southward, and for the last twenty-four hours at the rate of nearly three knots per hour.

On the 30th, having hitherto carried on our occupation without seeing or hearing anything of the natives, whilst I was busily employed with Mr. Roe in observing the sun's meridional altitude, I happened on looking round to espy five natives standing about forty or fifty yards off among the high grass watching our movements.

As I did not intend running farther than Sunday Island for my next anchorage we did not weigh the following day until we had visited the island and obtained a meridional altitude for its latitude and sights for the time-keeper.

A meridional altitude of the sun was obtained on the north side of the island; and before we embarked the boat's crew found fresh water enough to fill our barica: this was so unusual a discovery that the island was complimented with a name which will serve rather to record the fact than to distinguish it as a place where so important an article of refreshment may be procured with certainty.

Meridionals!...

During our absence Mr. Roe, who was fast recovering from the effects of his fall, had obtained the sun's meridional altitude upon the islet at the entrance of the river, which gave 15 degrees 25 minutes 46 seconds for its latitude, differing from the plan of last year by only fifteen seconds.

At four o'clock in the morning (13th) the latitude by the moon's meridional altitude was 32 degrees 16 minutes 17 seconds, and soon afterwards Rottnest was in sight in the North-North-East.

The position of the vessel when we saw the breakers was in latitude 28 degrees 53 minutes and in longitude 114 degrees 2 minutes, and from the short interval between our obtaining sights for the chronometer and the meridional observation at noon, the position may be considered to be tolerably correct.

When Captain Flinders passed round Van Diemen's Land in the Norfolk he obtained a meridional supplementary altitude of the sun to the south, his vessel being under the land, which made the South-west Cape in 43 degrees 29 minutes South; but finding the next day that his instrument was 2 minutes 40 seconds in error to the north he assigned to the cape a position of 43 degrees 32 minutes.

The situation of the observatory at Endeavour River was found by lunar distances, taken during my visits to that place in 1819 and 1820, as follows: Latitude by meridional altitudes of the sun, taken in the artificial horizon, being the mean of twenty-seven observations: 15 degrees 27 minutes 4 seconds.