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William Falconer's Dictionary of the Marine![]()
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Table of Contents
V VAN to VEER away the cable VAN VANE Dog-VANE VANGS VARIATION VEER and haul VEER away the cable VEERING to VOYOL Search Contact us
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VARIATION (continued)Where the west variation, in the longitude 4O° E. is the same in both the above years; and in 1700 the west variation seemed to be regularly decreasing from longitude 50° E. to the longitude 100° E. but in 1756, we find the west variation decreasing so fast, that we have east variation in the longitude 80°, 85, and 90° E. and yet in the longitude 950 and 100° E. we have west variation again. Philosophical Transactions for the year 1757.To these remarks may be subjoined the following extracts from the Exposition du calcul astronomique, by M de la Lande. At the royal observatory in Paris, a magnetical needle of four inches deviated from the N. 18° 10' towards the wet, on the 15th of February 1759: and on the 22d of April 1760, the same needle varied 18° 20'. It is indeed natural to conceive, that nothing can be precisely ascertained by ten minutes upon a circle whole diameter is only four inches. It is nevertheless sufficiently evident, that this variation continues to increase at Paris. In 1610 the needle declined 8° towards the eat, so that the variation has changed 26° 20' in the space of 150 years; and this appears particularly since 1740: for the same needle, which has always been used by M. Maraldi, is more than 3° advanced towards the west, beyond what it was at that. period; and this makes 9' in one year.
© Derived from Thomas Cadell's new corrected edition, London: 1780, page 306, 2003 Prepared by Paul Turnbull https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/refs/falc/1444.html |