Year: 1866

One of the remarkable circumstances on board
of any vessel in ancient times, when traversng
the Atlantic ocean, as we have been narrating our
own voyage in the year 1916, was then to ascer-
tain the longitude by means of the moons eelipses.
This happened upon our journey. 1t must be re-
collected that at that time chronometers by which
now the ships longitude or situation in sea is as
certained, were then not yet in use, although the
initial measures had been taken by scientific men
to put this means of knowing the whereabouts Of
navigators to practical use. AS for lunar OBJ
servations, they were not within the capacity
of ordinary sea captains; hence little pro-
ftable application of this method would be made.
But not so with the happening of visible lunar
eclipse. This so exactly indicated;to take place
at certain hour, under certain meridian, in the
Annual Nautical Almanack, that nothing was
more easy than to ascertain by this means the
exact longitude of theSnavigators' or observers
situation. We shall also, upon this occasion,
make mention of the beautiful southern skies that
we had all along our voyage, after once coming
down to the latitude of the Mediterranean chan
nell that is in the thirtysixth degree, correspond
ing nearly with the capes of the Chesapeake bay
on the other side of the Atlantic.


These clear starlight skies would very often
invite the passengers, fond of these studies, to
make researches among the consultations figured
upon the astronomical charts, generally attached
to nautical books and to observe the many scin-
tillating stars exhibited upon the blue clear frma
ment during the long tranquil watches on board
the vessel, that, under the regular impulse of the
trade winds, pursuedits UNMARRIED course. l cannot
here refrain from observing how facile it is under
such favorable circumstances, thatis on board ofa
ship surrounded by an open and unlimited horizon,
to pursue the study of science that is the obser
vation of the uprising and down setting of the
heavenly consultations, and by which science,
when properly attended to, it is very easy to find
out the latitude and longitude, or the exact situa.
ton upon our globe of the place Of observation.
Hence, without pretending to. any particular
knowledge Of astronomy it isno longer an enigma
to US why the ancient Egyptians and Indians or
Hindoos should have been enabled to make such
momentous observations as have been preserved
to US in their monumental remains, their rock en-
gravened hieroglyphics, which allmark the events
of their times with the exact dates, expressed by
the conjunctons and positions of the heavenly con-
stellations This is, indeed, chronological lmethod


of preserving historical events, much superior to


our modern inventions Of consigning our memora-
Bile epoohs upon perishable paper testimonials.
Another remark upon ancient navigation was like
wise presented to US in the frequent of the log
to ascertain the rapidity of the sailing of our ves
sci, and by which means, with the daily observa-
tion Of the at meridian which never is failing
in these southern latitudes, enables the mariner to
put down upon the nautical chart the exact place
of the ships position at II o'clock at noon. Upon
this occasion ithappened that when we approached
the line of the Cancer, in the month of June, our
mariners had to turn themselves with their sun
quadrant towards the north, instead of the south,
because the great luminary having come up to-.
wards the northern altitude, our vessel found her.
self towards the south. that is to say the sun had
passed through our zenith. This happening just
Whereabout the observation was being taken at
noon, iteaused somewhat Of a surprise to our OBJ
servers, who all at once lost sight of their object
it having passed, as before remarked, over their
heads towards the north. That the aspect of the
heavenly armament is a changing one, according
to the observers position upon planet requires
no great elucidation; but for mere land resident
one that has never been away from his native
home or abode, it may not be so very easy to
conceive Of the unaltered aspect of the heavenly
armament, which traveller or mariner upon the
great ocean experiences. Equally easy is it, no
doubt, for an inhabitant of the great plains or
desert countries-such as Arabia, Persia, or even
ourEown great American sayannahs-to take notes
of the astronomical daily movements, and thereby
mark the seasons and months of the year. But
all these useful observations become quite un-
necessary to the inhabitants of great cities, who
have little dealings with these Scientific Objects
not being governed in their routine business by
any of these occurrences Yet there was time
when even the people of great cities would attach
great value to the science of astronomy but that
was at the epoohs when it was believed that the
heavenly bodies had great influence upon the fate
of mortals, and might be consulted with profit to
ascertain fatal events or personal specialities
that was the time when the pretended science of
astrology was fourishing among the people, great
and small Navigation owes, no doubt, its
first attempt into the wide ocean, to the steady
observance of the polar star--that being
invariably in the direction of he North pole aIt
tude, and when the magnetic needle had not yet
supplanted more certain medium for ascertain
ing that quarter of the world.


Still it cannot be denied that in the navigation
of that great inland sea, the Mediterranean, the
Polar constellation was of the most invaluable
use, for according as the mariner would approach
within sight of the northern European shores, or
fall back south towards the African coast, the
stand Of the Polar star would invariably indicate
their several nautical motions. Again, not having
any means to ascertain, in those remote times of
navigation, their distance from east to west-in
default of all our modern means, chronometers,
Lunar observations, etc.-such phenomena as the
smoking and fame.emitting Htna, upon the island
of Sicily, seen from great distances, must have
been of vast assistance to early navigation; and
it may be that from this natural beacon they first
took the idea of erecting public phases at the en-
trance of their harbor, or lighthouses, such as
the great Colossus of the harbor of Rhodes, in
order to indicate the way to the searching sea-
tossed mariner. That our modern seafaring
science has been enriched with so many valu-
able additions, with respect to ocean navi-
CATION, even to the late indication of the
winds and currents, as per Commodore Maury's
special charts and nautical works, is no doubt a
triumph of persevering research, and the accumu-
lated gathering of the many experiences of our day


But this only renders the former unassisted
method Of navigating the ocean so much more
meritorious, and we may well be astonished at the
great efforts made by former seafarers, and the
surprising or astounding progress made by our
predecessors when almost deprived of every