[uator,el willconse-Jt ap-ititudeable tounderiftance>ns arearallel,globe.>w theian, asBut aslature,cessary1 agreeippose,e placeeridian2: thisng theiftancerom it

aeen aoth to:t theyations.n pass

LET.IX. OF THE LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE. 147

through the ifland of Ferro, one of the Canaries;and the Dutch have fixed upon another of thoseislands, called Teneriffe, as the properest situationfor this purpose. But the English, with morepropriety, make their first meridian pass overLondon, or rather Greenwich, on account of theRoyal Observatory being at that place. Thisdisagreement amongst the astronomers of diffe-rent nations is not, however, to be consideredas a matter of much importance ; for whichever is considered as the first meridian, the restmay be easily deduced from it, by noting thedifferent points where they intersect the equator,and finding the difference.

The idea of making the meridian pass over thecapital of a kingdom is a very natural one; butyou will, no doubt, be curious to know whythe islands of Ferro and Teneriffe were fixed uponbefore all other places for this purpose. Theprincipal reason seems to have been, on accountof the westerly situation of these islands; for asthey lie in the Atlantic ocean, between Europeand America, the first meridian being made topass over this part of the globe, might then beconsidered as the western boundary of Europe.Besides this, the Dutch and Germans imaginethe Pike of Teneriffe, on account of its being°ne of the highest mountains in the world, toBe a place peculiarly proper for this purpose.

L 2 These