The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-02-27
FROM TINE NAr1oxAL 1xrE1L1oexaga
To the People ot"th United STATES.

Having announced to the public. some
months ago my intention of entering into as
Economical calculations to determine. by one of
the most approved methods of computation hih-
erto devised, the longitude fthe Capitol in the
City OF Washington from Greenwich Observable
ry, IN England, for the purpose of fixing q first
meridian .0r the United States, at the Eefmanen,
Seat OF their government, | have thought il du
ty incumbent me to fulfil the promise then
made, so far as the data afforded By a siugie oh
servation would admit. The result has been ob
famed with great accuracy, Ola the folio wing prn
ciples
LIST. Surprising the form off the Earth to be that
OF Per5ect sphere, the length Of whose polar is
exactly The same as its equatorial diameter, con.
seqnentiy, no reduction has been made, in that
case elther osthe latitude of the Capitol, by OBJ
servatian, Of the Moons equatorial horizont al
parsllax.
I'd. Admitting the figure or shape of the
harth to be an oblate Sthero;d tie ratio of whose
equatorial TO the polar axis, is assumed to be az
oS4 to 33S according to winch ratio, reduc
ton OF tie latitude OF the place and of the Noo,s
hor'zonta! parallax, has been made.
Sd Allowing the ratio of The axes to be as $50
to 22o -
Several considerations induced me to under.
take this work, among which, are
The regret with Which have seen for a num-
Der OF years, patient rather a ,epsrdless aD.
"GS vi aCtlulescencS IN degrading state
OF dependence on a foreign nation, by submitting
to the custom OF reckoning orr departure, ores,
umatlng our longitude from Greenwich observa-
tory, III England, as If a prominent link in the
clain OF our former colonial vassalare could not
DC broken, as well the others
by the plan OF the City Of Washington In the
territory OF CoiumbIa, the Capitol in that CITY,
Is Intended TO be first meridian for the u States
but III order TO establish it as such, the distance
between II and some other known meridian in
europe, or Elsewhere, measured or estin ted on
parallel to the tator, and referred to rhe
Center OF the Ea' under the respective merid-
'ans for which the computation may be made
should he ascertained correct principles and
with due precision however exact the data or
elements connected with single observation
may be, the result ought not TO be depended up
on as conclusive, without comparing, it with
those winch may, respectively be found in future
by skiliul persons, and with good Instruments
solar eclipSes and occultatiOns 0f SHOWN fixed
stars by the moon, afford the best mcana hitherto
discovered for determining the longitude of
place with sufficient accuracy but when fh-p
cannot be rcsortcd TO other methods which rive
a near approximation to the truth, ought not to be
disregarded.
The improvements made in tine lunar tables
since the year 1904, from the discovery of new g.
quaiions by NJ. de la Place, make it necessaryto
test the result founded on the occutation of n
flS'"uuh', iFyoHeD by the moon, on Tie night
OF the 2Otb OF October, in that year, with other
msanslo fresearch, especially when a first meri.
dian for airy country is proposed To be fixed. |.
therefore, consider the abstract Of calculations
winch will be shortly sub'nlt.ed to the american
pubic, to be only the foundation of superstruc.
ture which may, aud probably will be completed
at no distant period, With such evidcuccs Of stabi
lily in the materials End workmanship, as shall
defy the storms of prejudice or malice to over
turn.
WILLIAM LAMBERT.