greed that even
were they inclined yet no effectual resistance could be made, the
permission was given, and a place assigned for the encampment of the
troops to the west of the town. A part of the 85th was afterwards
quartered in the Loo Fort and in that of St. Diego, which command both
the town and the road; and the men were employed in putting these
fortifications into a state of defence.

These arrangements caused no change in the administration of the
government, nor in the trade of the island; but the governor was said to
be not satisfied that his conduct would be approved. On the day of our
arrival, he received intelligence of peace being concluded between
Portugal and Spain, but that the war with France was continued; and
before we sailed, His Majesty's sloop Voltigeur brought despatches from
the Court of Lisbon, which directed the governor to receive the British
troops; and it was supposed that every thing connected with the defence
of the island would be committed to them. This was the state of things
when I took leave of captain Bowen and of colonel Clinton.

Water, wine, and fresh beef, were the supplies procured at Madeira. Wine
for the ship's company was charged at the enormous price of 5s. 8d. per
gallon, and the beef at 10d. per pound; I therefore took only small
quantities of each. For good Madeira, we paid as much as L42. the pipe.
Fruit and onions were in abundance, and probably were not of less
advantage to the health of the people than the more expensive articles.

The latitude observed in Funchal Road was 32 deg. 37' 44" north. The
longitude, as given in the Requisite Tables, is 17 deg. 6' 15" west; but in
the _Connoissance des Temps_ for 1792, it is laid down by a member of the
Academy of Sciences, probably the _Chevalier de Borda_, at 16 deg. 56' from
Greenwich. Arnold's watch No. 1736, in my care, gave 16 deg. 22' 42", and the
greatest longitude shown by any of the six time keepers was 16 deg. 54' 26".
This was given by Earnshaw's watch No. 465, which had kept an uniform
rate during fifteen months previously to its being brought on board. We
made use of this watch to reduce some lunar observations taken a few days
before arriving, and others after sailing, to the place of anchorage; and
the result was as follows:

Ten sets of distances, east and west of the moon,
taken by Mr. Crosley in Funchal Bay and afterwards,
with a Troughton's sextant, 16 deg. 59' 21" W.