to. No opportunity
was lost of making astronomical and nautical observations; from which
the following table was drawn up:

Place. Latitude. Longitude. Variation of Dip of the
South. East. the Compass. Needle.
Matavai Point,
Otaheite, 17 deg. 24-1/4' 210 deg. 22' 28" 5 deg. 34' East 29 deg. 12'

Owharre Harbour 16 deg. 42-3/4' 208 deg. 52' 24" 5 deg. 13-1/2" East 28 deg. 28'
Huaheine,

Ohamaneno Harbour 16 deg. 45-1/2' 208 deg. 25' 22" 6 deg. 19' East 29 deg. 5'
Ulietea,

[Transcriber's Note: It is possible that the compass variation at
Owharre Harbour should read 5 deg. 13-1/2' not 5 deg. 13-1/2" (minutes not
seconds)]

The longitude of the three several places is deduced from the mean of
145 sets of observations made on shore; some at one place, and some at
another; and carried on to each of the stations by the time-keeper. As
the situation of these places was very accurately settled, during my
former voyages, the above observations were now made chiefly with a
view of determining how far a number of lunar observations might be
depended upon, and how near they would agree with those made upon the
same spot in 1769, which fixed Matavai Point to be in 210 deg. 27' 30".
The difference, it appears, is only of 5' 2"; and, perhaps, no
other method could have produced a more perfect agreement. Without
pretending to say which of the two computations is the nearest the
truth, the longitude of 210 deg. 22' 28", or, which is the same thing,
208 deg. 25' 22", will be the longitude we shall reckon from with the
time-keeper, allowing it to be losing, on mean time, 1,"69 each day,
as found by the mean of all the observations made at these islands for
that purpose.

On our arrival at Otaheite, the error of the time-keeper in longitude
was,

by {Greenwich rate, 1 deg. 18' 58"
{Tongataboo rate, 0 deg. 16' 40"

Some observations were also made on the tide; particularly at Otaheite
and Ulietea, with a view of ascertaining its greatest rise at the
first place. When we were there, in my second voyage, Mr Wales thought
he had discovered that it rose higher than I had observed it to do,
when I first visited Otaheite, in 1769. But the observations we now
made proved that it did not; that is, that it never rose higher
than twelve or fourteen inches at most. And it was observed to be
high-water nearly at noon, as we