Star.
London, England, 1818-03-07 00:00:00

LONGITUDL

to move for leave to bring in
re Acts relative to Rewards to
very of the Longitude. He
were about 21 in number, and
Lrious times, before and since
me, but though parts of all of
n, yet not one of them was
a of them awarded 4,000/. for
of them 20,0001. ; and a pro-
:over a more perfect mode, if
longitude than that now ge-
t claim 4,0001. under one Act,
Lather. The Honourable Gen-
nto a complete history of the
a made in various attempts to
'itude since the time of Philip
mentioning all the discoveries
o the invention of Harrison's
much improved upon by mo-
iis, with the addition of Euler's
now brought the subject to
everal Officers of his Majesty**
longitude of Saint Helena to
the fraction of a degree, of
ch it was laid down. This
and what the great Sir Isaac
have expected. He thought
ited to shew that the policy
done much towards accom-
hey had had in view, for the
e country, but of mankind in
woud reflection that such had
it measures, and that the coup
of ascertaining the longitude,
prosecution of it, stood allied
une of Newton. No reflection
cast on the present Board of
happy to offer them his humble
d praise. The Bill he wished to
re the Commissioners of Longi-
ed by right of their Professor-
situation ; but it was intended to
nes of six Gentlemen of rank In
in fact, to revive the original
Boards The respectable Pro-
imposed it, would not, he was
o the consolidation of the Acts
der to add to its efficiency. As
been discussed in that House for
1 years, he was anxious to bring
uestion fully before them. The
, invented by Dr. Maskelyne (a
mentioned but with reverence),
he found it necessary to men-
d over that work, and within a
riod he had not been able to dis-
one or two errata. He was sorry
xerly maintained its reputation.
r this year, there were no fewer
3, and in that for the next year
liese were not scientific errors.—
pographical, but these, he con-
dangerous than the former would
miag the Nautical A lmar.ack had
to make the observations.
i to Cat. Computors, who formed
ley laid before the Comparer.—
len on the science of the country
Mai had occurred. To correct
I that a responsible officer should
e.,•:ater.d the amputatiotu and

comparisons. To discover a Northt rn Passage be-
tween the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, had been an
object of much interest to the world in general, since
the time of George 11. and to this country in particu-
lar. Parliament-had offered a reward of 20,0001. to
him who should discover such a passage. The re-
ward, it was hardly necessary to say, had never been
claimed. It was however found that fishermen en-
gaged in catching whales, had approached nearer
the North Pole than any other navigators, and a re-
ward of ten thousand pounds had been offered to him
who should get within one degree of it. By another
Act, however, these persons were obliged to swear
they had no object in view but that which was
to arise to them from catching whales. He wished
to reconcile these two measures, and to make the oath
so as to except the reward offered by Parliament.—
Three of the scientific persons that he proposed to associate with
the Board—Gentlemen residing near town, who could always
be referred to—it was thought ought to receive a moderate re-
muneration for their trouble. With the concurrence of the
venerable and respectable President of the Royal Society, he
thought the remuneration given might be so low as 1001. each,
and he thought the House would be of opinion that the sum of
300/. could not be better employed. The sums to be given for
future approaches to &lie discovery of the Longitude, it was pro-
posed should be 50001. 71001. and 10,0001. The limits within
which these were to be granted, to be settled from time to time
by the Board, according to the advances made in science, so that
the reward held out should act as a perpetual spring to human
industry and scientific research. He hoped the MU would be I
suffered to be brought in ; he would then move that it should
be printed, and name a distant day for the second reading. He
moved for leave to bring in a Bill to provide for the more effec-
tually discovering the Longitude, and to encourage and reward
the discovery of a Northern Passage between the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans, approaching the Worth Pole.
Mr. D. GILBERT most cordially approved of the Bill. He
noticed the recent advances in science ; and, in particular, the

marvellous degree of perfection to which the sextant had been
brought within the last fifty years. Dr. Maskelyns he stated
to have been assisted in the Nautical Almanaek by the Rev. Mr.
Hitchins in the comparisons. These were astonishingly correct
while that Gentleman was alive, but since his death it ap-
pears, from some circumstance or other, the character of the
Nautical Almanack had declined. A Mr. Edwards had assisted
as a computor, and his widow (who had been taught by lxim),
had, with her daughters, made the computations for thirty
years, and he had often heard them praised by Mr. Hitchins as
most accurate He was sorry to learn they were no longer so
employed, and could not conceive for what reason they had been
dismissed.
BROUGHAM did not so mucli object to the remunera-
tion which it was proposed to give to the scientific Gentlemen
to be attached to the Board, as to the patronage which would
thus be given to Ministers. He wished to know if there had
been a disagreement between the present members of the Board?
Mr. CROKER said there had been no disagreement. Though
some patronage might accrue to Ministers, it would be most
atrocious to suppose that in such a case it could be misapplied.
That course had been taken which was thought best calculated
to guard against abuse in this respect, and with this view it was
intended that the sums granted should be placed on the ordinary
estimates of the Navy, that the manner in which they were
disposed of might be canvassed every year. The elections were
to be annual, and he had no objection to state the names of the
Gentlemen who would first be proposed, that it might he seen
what were really the intentions of Government. The Gentle-
men it was in contemplation to name were Dr. Wolaston, .
Young, and Capt. Taylor. The other three were to be selected
by the President and Council of the Royal Society.
A short conversation followed, in which Mr. SMYTH (of
Cambridge), Mr. Witizaroact, Mr. Fosses, and the Cl/PO.-
I=l4l of the EXCUZQUZIL participated, in the course of which
Mr. Camelia stated it to be intended by his Right Hon. Friend
(the Chancellor of the Exchequer) to relieve the Nautical Al-
manack, whrch was only an almanack in name, from the alma-
neck duty.—Leave was given to bring in the lin—Adjourned.

THE EVENING STAR.

LONDON.

,?

SATURDAY, MARC!! 7, 1818. ,
TILE FUNDS.
PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT TWELVE °CLOCK:
Reduced shut—Cons. 77fi—Cous. for Ac. 77k 78
4 per Cent. shut—Navy Annuities 106 ft
India Bonds 94 96 pr.—Exchequer Bills 10 16 pr.

A Flanders Mail arrived this morning, and has
brought us Brussels Papers to the 3d inst. The fol-
lowing are extracts. The late reports from Genoa,
respecting Algiers, are, it will be seen, now cor-
rected by another article from the same place:—
" BRUSSELS, FEBRUARY 25.

" Hia Majesty the King is expected at the Palace of Laken,
immediately after the termination of the present Session of the
States General, which appears not to be far distant—The Court
of Caseation will not decide on the appeal of the Duke o f
Wellington against the Editors of the Journal of East and West
Flanders before the month of April next.
" GF.NOA, FEBRUARY 6.

" A Foreign Journal, in mentioning the late events at Al-
giers, has committed some mistakes, which may be rectified, as
follows, from authentic information :
" The Sardinian brig was not declared a prise ; the cargo was
pillaged, but the vessel and crew were set at liberty, and the
Cpatainh ad his freight paid him. It is not the son of the English
Consul that the Dey canted to be arrested, but a person of the
name of Ben Zaman, son of an ancient English Vice Consul.
This young man has not been imprisoned, but obliged to be-
come a Musselman, and the Dey has given him an employ-
ment in his service. Lastly, it Is not the daughter of the Sar-
dinian Vice-Consul who has been carried off, and shut up in the
Seraglio, but the daughter of a person, named Ponsibinio, a
Sardinian subject, who, after having been for twenty years Is'
slavery at Algiers, now lives there at liberty, and carries on a
little trade. This young person is only the god-daughter of M.
Ddpino, the Sardinian Vice.-Consul, who has formerly been se-
veral dines in Africa."

" COLOGNE,.FEBRUARY 25.

" An erdele in the Gazette of Mayence, of the 18th, posi-
tively states, that the free navigation of the Rhine, decreed by
the Aet of the Congress of Vienna, 1815, will soon be put into
execution, and that the fetters which have till now impeded it,
will be Immediately removed."

u BRUSSELS, MARCH 1.

" Letters from Paris, of the 27th ult. announce, that the
Police has had three individuals arrested, who are suspected of
being concerned in the horrible crimes attempted against the
Duke of Wellington. People are extremely impatient for in-
formation on this subject ; it will doubtless fully exisose an at-
tempt which has filled all France with indignation."

“ BERLIN, FEBRUARY 11.

" A notice was published yesterday, in our Journals, to all
Swdish and Norwegian subjects here, or at Potsdam, to appear
on the 15th of 31arch, at three o'clock in the afternoon, at the
Hotel of the Swedish Ambassador, to take the oath of alle-
giance to his Majesty, CILARLYS Joust, King of Sweden and Nor-
way.—Baron Jaube, Minister Plenipotentiary of Sweden, re-
ceived the special news d his Sovereign's death by a co:trier, the
day before yesterday—ha notified this event to the King and the
Royal Family, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
" His Highness Prince Frederick Louis of flolienlolic In-
viting, General of Cavalry, in the Prussian service, died en the
15th instant, as Schlawanetz,in Upper Selesia, aged 71 years.n!