_7th November, 1769_.
At the desire of several members of the Chamber, they had requested
the President to apply to Messrs. David Rittenhouse and John Montresor
to take the Latitude of the Flag Bastion on Fort George in the City of
New York.
NEW YORK, _October 12th, 1769_.
At your request, in behalf of the Chamber of Commerce of the City of
New York, I have made the following observations with the Pennsylvania
sector of six feet radius on the Southwest Bastion in this city.
Zenith distance on the Meridian
of Capella
° ′ ″
Octr. 9th, morn 5 2 0½
10th, do 5 1 59
of Castor
° ′ ″
10th, morn 8 19 51
12th, do 8 19 51
Having carefully computed the Declinations of the above stars from
their latitudes as settled by Dr. Bradley, reduced to the present time
and corrected by the observation of light and variable motion of the
earth’s axis, I find, the Latitude of the place from the observations
of Capella to be 40° 42′ 9″ and from those of Castor 40° 42′ 7″, a
mean whereof is the Latitude of the Fort, 40° 42′ 8″.