II. On testing chronometers for the mercantile marine

The late Admiral Beechey, on looking over the records of the Liverpool Observatory in 1854, was strongly impressed with the importance of some systematic plan being adopted for testing the chronometers employed in the Mercantile Marine. He consulted many persons on the subject who were interested in the security of navigation, but the difficulty which presented itself at that time was the long period required for the test, five or six months at least being supposed to be necessary.