ing eleven
inches and a quarter in circumference, and having fourteen feet eatable.

At Oneeheow they brought us several large roots of a brown colour, shaped
like a yam, and from six to ten pounds in weight. The juice, which it
yields in great abundance, is very sweet, and of a pleasant taste, and was
found to be an excellent substitute for sugar. The natives are very fond of
it, and use it as an article of their common diet; and our people also
found it very palatable and wholesome. We could not learn to what species
of plant it belonged, having never been able to procure the leaves; but it
was supposed, by our botanists, to be the root of some kind of fern.

Agreeably to the practice of Captain Cook, I shall subjoin an abstract of
the astronomical observations which were made at the observatory in
Karakakooa Bay, for determining its latitude and longitude, and for finding
the rate and error of the time-keeper. To these are subjoined the mean
variation of the compass, the dip of the magnetic needle, and a table of
the latitude and longitude of the Sandwich Islands.

The latitude of the observatory, deduced
from meridian zenith distances of the
sun, eleven stars to the south, and four
stars to the north of the zenith 19 deg. 28' 0" N.
The longitude of the observatory, deduced
from 253 sets of lunar observations;
each set consisting of six observed
distances of the moon from the
sun or stars; 14 of the above sets were
only taken at the observatory, 105 sets
being taken whilst cruising off Owhyhee,
and 134 sets when at Atooi and
Oneeheow, all these being reduced to
the observatory, by means of the timekeeper 204 deg. 0' 0" E.
The longitude of the observatory, by the
time-keeper, on the 19th January,
1779, according to its rate, as found
at Greenwich 214 deg. 7' 15' E.
The longitude of the observatory, by the
time-keeper, on the 19th January,
1779, according to its rate, corrected
at different places, and last at Samganoodha
Harbour, in Oonalaschka 203 deg. 37' 22" E.
The daily rate of the time-keeper losing
on mean time, was 9",6; and, on the
2d February, 1779, it was 14^h 41' 1"
too slow for mean time.
The variation of the compass, by azimuths,
observed on shore with four
different compasses 8 6 0 E.
The variation of the compass, by azimuths,
observed on boa