Page:Memoirs of a Trait in the Character of George III.djvu/167

110 position, with mean time, instead of the corrected time, and each succeeding period with that immediately preceding it! Who cam hesitate, in pronouncing that his conclusions mast be all erroneous? He should first have ascertained the rate of its going by a length of observations of the Sun or Stars, or by a perfect pendulum Clock if he had such a one, and then have corrected the time shewn by the Watch accordingly. However, supposing for a moment his facts to be genuine, I will deduce the real result in the best manner the observations will admit, rejecting those made while the Watch was in improper positions, and those during the frost, for the same reasons that Mr. Maskelyne lays no stress upon them, and for those I have already stated. I shall therefore (pursuing his idea of six weeks) take it during the first tranquil six weeks that it had, viz. from July the 6th, to August the 17th, in which time it gained in all 11 minutes, 50 seconds, or $16 9⁄10$ seconds per day which I will assume as the rate of its going, or if Mr. Maskelyne pleases I will take the average of his whole time of examination, from the 6th of July to the 3rd of January, and from the 9th of January to the 4th of March, which will come out at the rate of $16 8⁄10$ seconds per day fast, and I say that according to either of those rates of going, the Watch kept the Longitude within the limits of the Act of Queen Anne, during any period of six weeks that can be pointed out, excepting those of extreme cold, and