the noon's extreme at the distance of four
miles. It is a steep, rocky cape, named in the French chart, Point
D'Entrecasteaux; and is one of the most remarkable projections of this
coast. I make its latitude, from the bearings, to be 34 deg. 52' south, and
longitude by time keepers 116 deg. 1' east. A low rock lies two or three
miles to the east-south-east, from the point, and a patch of breakers
nearly the same distance from the south; and soon after passing the
point, two other rocks, white and rather high, were seen lying from it
five leagues to the south-east. At a quarter past seven, when the night
closed in

The two white rocks bore N. 20 deg. E.
Furthest extrem of the land, like a steep head, N. 71 deg. E.

TUESDAY 8 DECEMBER 1801

The wind was then at south-west, and we stretched onward until one in the
morning, before tacking to the north-west for the land. At daylight the
ship was found to have been carried to the eastward, and neither Point
D'Entrecasteaux nor the two white rocks were in sight; but in the N. 19 deg.
E., about eight miles, was a head not far from the extreme set in the
evening. It afterwards proved to be a smooth, steep rock, lying one mile
from the main; and is the land first made upon this coast by captain
Vancouver, who called it Cape Chatham. Its latitude is very nearly 35 deg. 3'
south, longitude 116 deg. 29' east, and it was sketched by Mr. Westall.
(Atlas Plate XVII. View 2.)

Whilst stretching in for the shore, with the ship's head
north-west-by-north (magnetic) I took azimuths with two compasses on the
binnacle; after which they were immediately placed on a stand near the
taffrel and other azimuths taken. The variation resulting from the
observations on the binacle was 5 deg. 59' west, and from those near the
taffrel 8 deg. 24' west; affording another instance of the effect produced by
changing the place of the compass. In 1803, and at twenty leagues to the
west of Cape Leeuwin, we had 10 deg. 4' variation on the binnacle, with the
head south-east; from which, and the above 5 deg. 59', the true variation off
the cape, or such as would be obtained with the ship's head at north or
south, should be 7 deg. 48' west.*

[* The mode by which these, and other observations made with the compass
on the binnacle, are reduced to what is conceived to be the true
variation, is explained in the Appendix No. II, to the second volume.]

At seven o'clock we got sight of the