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° 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° 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° 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° 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 board the Resolution, with four different compasses 7 32 0 E. Dip of the north /Balanced needle\ 40 22 30 E. pole of the magnetic | | needle on | Unbalanced, or | shore, with \ plain needle / 40 41 15 E. Dip of the north /Balanced needle\ 41 50 0 E. pole of the magnetic | | needle on | Unbalanced | 40 30 5 E. board, with \ needle /