ude from six sets of distances of stars east and west of
the moon, 139 deg. 39', but by the time keepers corrected, 139 deg. 45' east. Not
more than seven or eight leagues from this situation, there should lie an
island according to the account given by captain Turnbull of the
Britannia south whaler, who saw it in his passage out to Port Jackson.
Having thick weather at the time, he was not able to ascertain its
latitude or longitude, otherwise than by the log; and as it was not in
sight from our mast head, its position must be considered as very
uncertain.

The variations observed this day, with the same compass always on the
binnacle, were as under:

By morning's amplitude, ship's head S. E. by S. 2 deg. 39' east.
By morning's azimuth, ship's head S. S. E. 2 2
By evening's azimuth, ship's head N. E. 2 2

The mean, reduced to the meridian, will be 4 deg. 5' east. Nine leagues to
the north, and half the distance nearer to the land, an amplitude had
been taken with the ship's head in the meridian, which gave 4 deg. 8' east.

On the three preceding days many tacks had been made from the shore, and
I had frequently taken bearings just before the helm was put down; and so
soon as the ship was round and the compass steady, they were again taken.
Differences always took place; and without any exception the bearings
required a _greater_ allowance of variation to the right after tacking,
when the head was _westward_, than before, when eastward; agreeing with
the differences so frequently found in the azimuths and amplitudes, which
had always been to show a greater east or less west variation when the
head was on the west side of the meridian. The least average difference
in any one of five sets of bearings was 5 deg., the greatest 61/2 deg., and the
mean 5 deg. 54'; and according to the system adopted in correcting the
variations, explained in the Appendix No. II. to the second volume, the
mean difference arising from the five changes in the direction of the
ship's head, should be 5 deg. 33'.

The eastern wind died away at noon of the 16th, and the ship scarcely had
steerage way until after midnight; a breeze then sprung up from the
north-westward, and we steered north-east to make the land near Cape
Buffon. At half-past seven [SATURDAY 17 APRIL 1802] the cape bore N. 1 deg.
W. seven miles, and was ascertained to be in nearly 37 deg. 36' south and
140 deg. 10' east. There is a bight in the coast on its nort