萬物簡史 第59期:事物的測定(17)

In comparison, the disappointments experiencedby Britain's eighteen scattered observers were mild.Mason found himself paired with a young surveyornamed Jeremiah Dixon and apparently they gotalong well, for they formed a lasting partnership.

比較而言，英國派到各地的18名觀測人員所經(jīng)歷的失望就不算一回事。梅森與一位名叫杰里邁亞·狄克遜的年輕測量員搭檔，相處得顯然不錯，兩人還結(jié)成了持久的伙伴關(guān)系。

Their instructions were to travel to Sumatra andchart the transit there, but after just one night atsea their ship was attacked by a French frigate. (Although scientists were in an internationallycooperative mood, nations weren't.)

他們奉命去印度后西遷蘇門答臘，在那里繪制凌日圖。但他們的船出海的第二天晚上就受到了一條法國護(hù)衛(wèi)艦的攻擊。(盡管科學(xué)家們處于一種國際合作的心態(tài)之中，但國家并非如此。)

Mason and Dixon sent a note to the Royal Society observing that it seemed awfully dangerouson the high seas and wondering if perhaps the whole thing oughtn't to be called off. In replythey received a swift and chilly rebuke, noting that they had already been paid, that thenation and scientific community were counting on them, and that their failure to proceedwould result in the irretrievable loss of their reputations.

梅森和狄克遜給皇家學(xué)會發(fā)了一封短信，說看來公海上非常危險，不知道整個計劃是不是應(yīng)該取消。他們很快收到一封令人寒心的回信，信中先是對他們一頓臭罵，然后又說他們已經(jīng)拿了錢，國家和科學(xué)界都對他們寄予希望，他們不把計劃進(jìn)行下去就會令國人顏面掃地。

Chastened, they sailed on, but en route word reached them that Sumatra had fallen to theFrench and so they observed the transit inconclusively from the Cape of Good Hope. On the wayhome they stopped on the lonely Atlantic outcrop of St. Helena, where they met Maskelyne,whose observations had been thwarted by cloud cover. Mason and Maskelyne formed a solidfriendship and spent several happy, and possibly even mildly useful, weeks charting tidal flows.

他們改變了想法，繼續(xù)往前駛?cè)?，但途中傳來消息說，蘇門答臘已經(jīng)落入法國人之手。因此，他們最終是在好望角觀測這次凌日現(xiàn)象的，效果很不好。回國途中，他們來到大西洋一個孤零零的小島--圣赫勒拿島上，作了短暫停留，在那里遇上了馬斯基林。由于烏云覆蓋，馬斯基林的觀測工作無法進(jìn)行。梅森和馬斯基林建立起了牢固的友誼，一起繪制潮流圖，度過了幾周快活的，甚至是比較有意義的日子。