Page:Arrian's Voyage Round the Euxine Sea Translated.djvu/133

130 The third intance brought by Mr. Rennel is from the voyag of Nearchus. "That commander," he ays, "reckoned the promontory of Maceta to be a day's ail from him, when he firt dicovered it; and it is hewn by circumtances, that this ditance was about 38 Greek miles." The words of Nearchus are, that "ailing 800 tadia from Bades, they came to a deert hore, from whence they viewed a long promontory extended a great way into the ea, and which appeared 'to them to be about a day's ail ditance."

In this hort account there is much uncertainty. We know not the pot from whence this promontory was viewed. The deert hore was not a point, and might allow a latitude of everal miles. The judgment of a day's ail by the view of a ditant object is very imperfect, and was probably (till more o in the time of Nearchus than at preent. The entence referred to in Arrian has two expreiiions of doubt or uncertainty in eight words. Nothing therefore can be concluded from uch a random computation.

The fourth intance which Mr. Rennel brings is from Scylax, who, he ays, allows 75¼ days for the navigation from Canopus to the Pillars of Hercules, which is equal to about 32 Greek miles a day. Canopus lies o near to Alexandria, that it may in o large a ditance be taken for the ame place. The longitude of Alexandria from London is, by the Nautical Almanack, 30° 10′ 30″ E. L. that of Gibraltar 5° 22′ W. The um of thee, 35° 38′ 30″, is equal, in the latitude of Gibraltar, (3O° 5' ao") to 20092000 [sic] Englih miles.