Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-01-08
: REMARKABLE TRIUMPH OF SCIENCE.

FROM rHE s~s fRAScIsco cALIFoRxIAS on DEcEsBKR l.
olnce the arrival Of the magnificent ship Sovereign Of
ne Seas in this harbor OF the most interesting cir
cumstances has transpred connected with her late pas
sage that has ever been in the annals Of
70 this ocean The incident is fraught with the deepest
Importance to the cause Of science and we hasten to Law
the particulars before the public
The Sovereign Of The Seas left New York on the al dav
Of August and arrived in this port on the 18th day Of
November her passage occupying 103 days and two
hours few weeks previous her departure her can
tain, L. MCKAY, addressed letter to Lieut. NJ MAuRy
the welknown superintendent of the Washington obser
vatory requesting copies of the fourth edition Of his
sSailing Directions" for during the voyage Capt
ircKAY received shortly before sailing the annexed letter
in reply
This letter furnishes of the most remarkable in
stances of scientific foresight and knowledge that has
come into possession The astronomer in his stu
dio at Washington predicts from the observance of certain
sailing directions which he himself has resolved and laid
down. the passage of vessel bound a voyage over
1900 miles in length and does err in his calcula
ton Of the tine occupied tuo hours Here is the letter:
NATIONAL OBSERVATORY,
WASHINGTON, july 80, 1852
SIR If you have not the charts and old sailing direc
tons that accompany them, please call my agent
George Manning, No. l42 Pearl street. and he will fur
nish you with them
am driving through the press the fourth edition of
Sailing Directions. hope to have the chapter on the
route to California out in time for the Soreyeiqn Of The
Seas II so, viii send you them in the sheets and yours
will be the first vessel that takes them. f f3
fyou get them, stick them and have average luck
predict for you passage Of not Asdred and
sdrss 1sys MAr MAIfpy
Captain L. MCKAY, ,yN1 VI lfNfr
(Care Of Messrs. Grinnel ,hIinturn Coz n York.
s. For fear the directions should not be out in
time, do this Follow the old third edtion) they are
for doubling Cape Horn. After you get round make
much westng where the degrees short the winds
will conveniently allow, aiming to the parallel of 40
south between 100 and 105 the paraeof 80 about no.
Don't fight head winds to do this Cross the line
10 deg west, which you will do considering you have
clipper under your feet, before the 25th October
You will hardly get the northeast trades south of 10 deg
north Make due north through the dodrums"
and when you get the northeast trades along through
them with topmass studding sails full of going no
further west than the winds drive you taking
the parallel of 20 deg north the of 125 deg
west.
When you lose the northeast trades, if you get
breeze make eastward But if you have horse latitude
weather. make the best of your way due north until you
get good wind find yourself in the variables (wester
y winds between 80 and 40 degs Then stick her away
for port
Capt MCKAY crossed the line' fourteen hours behind
the time specified above Lieut. MAuRYs directions were
fully observed and with what success it may be seen
His prediction fully verified, and glorious triumph
achieved for American Science.