tude 35 deg. 4' south, and longitude 12 deg. 50' east. It is worthy of being
mentioned, that in the year 1797, and near the same place, I observed the
variation to be 19 deg. 40' west, on board His Majesty's ship Reliance; and
as the compass was upon the binnacle in both cases, the sole cause to
which I can attribute this great difference is, that the ship's head was
west, instead of E. by S. The true variation could not be far from the
mean of the two observations, since it was 26 deg. at the Cape of Good Hope.
In the English Channel, the compass on the binnacle had shown nearly 4 deg.
too much west variation, when the ship's head was at _west_; but here, it
gives at least 2 deg. too much, with the head in an opposite direction! This
difference in the two hemispheres merits particular notice; it is part of
a series of apparent anomalies in the compass which have hitherto
remained unaccounted for; but which seem reducible to one general cause,
as I have attempted to show in the Appendix No. II. to the second volume.

FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER 1801

At daybreak of the 16th, we expected to see the high land of the Cape;
but the weather being hazy, it could not be distinguished until eight
o'clock, when it bore north-east, eight leagues; being _three leagues
more_ than Earnshaw's pocket time keeper, in which we had most
confidence, led us to expect, and _four miles less_ than was given by my
uncorrected lunar observations of the 14th p.m., brought forward by the
time keeper.

At this time we had not a single person in the sick list, both officers
and men being fully in as good health, as when we sailed from Spithead. I
had begun very early to put in execution the beneficial plan, first
practised and made known by the great captain Cook. It was in the
standing orders of the ship, that on every fine day the deck below and
the cockpits should be cleared, washed, aired with stoves, and sprinkled
with vinegar. On wet and dull days they were cleaned and aired, without
washing. Care was taken to prevent the people from sleeping upon deck, or
lying down in their wet clothes; and once in every fortnight or three
weeks, as circumstances permitted, their beds, and the contents of their
chests and bags, were opened out and exposed to the sun and air. On the
Sunday and Thursday mornings, the ship's company was mustered, and every
man appeared clean shaved and dressed; and when the evenings were fine,
the drum and fife announced the fore castl