It is nearly completed, and when fitted up with the
telescopes and other astronomical instruments sent out by the Board of
Longitude, will afford a desirable retreat from the listlessness of a
camp evening at Port Jackson. One of the principal reasons which induced
the Board to grant this apparatus was, for the purpose of enabling
Lieutenant Dawes, of the marines, (to whose care it is intrusted) to
make observations on a comet which is shortly expected to appear in the
southern hemisphere. The latitude of the observatory, from the result of
more than three hundred observations, is fixed at 33 deg 52 min 30 sec
south, and the longitude at 151 deg 16 min 30 sec east of Greenwich. The
latitude of the south head which forms the entrance of the harbour, 33
deg 51 min, and that of the north head opposite to it at 33 deg 49 min
45 sec south.
Since landing here our military force has suffered a diminution of only
three persons, a serjeant and two privates. Of the convicts fifty-four
have perished, including the executions. Amidst the causes of this
mortality, excessive toil and a scarcity of food are not to be numbered,
as the reader will easily conceive, when informed, that they have
the same allowance of provisions as every officer and soldier in the
garrison; and are indulged by being exempted from labour every Saturday
afternoon and Sunday.
Pages:
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121