as just
disappearing from the deck in the N. 60 deg. E., other azimuths then showed
the variation to be 1 deg. 35' west, the ship's head being S. S. W.; it
therefore appears, that there is a difference off the north, and off the
south-west sides of the island. From the first observations I deduce the
true variation to be 4 deg. 14' west, and from the last 1 deg. 50' west. Captain
D'Auvergne marks the variation 0 deg. 45' west, in 1782; but under what
circumstances it was ascertained, does not appear.

TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 1801

The trade wind having again arisen from east-south-east, we were enabled
to make between eighty and ninety miles a day. It afterwards veered
gradually round, by the north-east and north, to the westward, and blew
fresh; so that on the 29th, our latitude was 31 deg. 2' and longitude 26 deg. 0'
west. This was 17' to the south, and about 6 deg. west of the situation
usually assigned to _Saxemberg_; an island which has been frequently
sought by the East-India, and other ships, in the place which it still
occupies in the charts; and not finding it there, they have run a few
degrees to the _eastward_, in the same parallel, but always without
success. The opportunity which presented itself of now adding 6 deg. of
longitude to the examined space, and on the opposite side, I should have
thought myself culpable in neglecting; and therefore, having placed the
ship in the supposed parallel of the island, we steered due east for it;
adopting the same regulations for the look-out at night, as when
searching for St. Paul's.

We had seen an unusual number of pintado and sooty petrels on the
preceding afternoon, as also of a brown bird, apparently one of the
sea-swallow tribe, having a white belly and the form and size of a
woodcock; and this evening it was reported to me from the mast head, and
confirmed by others on deck, that a turtle was seen lying upon the water.
These indications of land gave me some hope that the long lost Saxemberg
might be brought to light. On the following noon [WEDNESDAY 30
SEPTEMBER], the observed latitude was 30 deg. 41' and longitude 22 deg. 46'; and
nothing further had transpired to betoken the vicinity of land. Next day
[THURSDAY 1 OCTOBER], our observations gave 30 deg. 34' south, and 20 deg. 28'
west; and I then steered east-south-east, a course which should have
taken us almost directly over the supposed situation of Saxemberg, if the
same current of 11' north had prevailed,