as desirous to have made an excursion to the top, to see the
interior of the island; but the state of the ship being such as to press
us forward with all practicable haste, it was not attempted; nor did I
stop to examine particularly the head of the bay, since it appeared to be
shallow, and of little interest to navigation.

The wood on Groote Eylandt was mostly composed of different species of
_eucalyptus_; the trees were small, and might do for fire wood and very
common purposes, but did not seem calculated for any superior use. Chasm
Island was the sole place where the nutmeg was found, though in general,
the gleanings of the botanists were tolerably fortunate. None of the
native inhabitants were seen, nor any kangaroos or other quadrupeds; and
birds seemed to be scarce. Small quantities of water, deposited in holes
of the rocks by the late rains, were useful to the seamen for washing
their clothes; but we did not find any from which a ship could be
supplied, nor were there any beaches convenient for hauling the seine.

The _latitude_ of Finch's Island, from a meridian observation to the
north and south, is 14 deg. 43' 31" S.

_Longitude_ from six sets of distances of the sun east of the moon, taken
by myself, 136 deg. 38' 47", and from twelve sets by lieutenant Flinders (see
Table V. of Appendix No. I), 136 deg. 23' 38"; but there being no
observations of the moon at Greenwich within two or three days, the
longitude from survey and the position of Caledon Bay afterwards fixed,
is preferred, and is 136 deg. 36' 53" E.

_Dip_ of the south end of the needle, 39 deg. 22'.

_Variation_ of the theodolite, 3 deg. 6' east.

The variations of the surveying compass, from amplitudes taken near
different parts of Groote Eylandt during the circumnavigation, were
these:--

Near the main, opp. the S.W. Pt., head E. by S., 0 deg. 43', cor. 2 deg. 44' E.
Near the south-west point, S. E., 1 9 , cor. 2 36
Off the east side, N. E. by N., 2 57 , cor. 4 4
Near the north-east isles., N. W. by W., 3 33 , cor. 1 58
Off the north end, S. W. by W., 5 51 , cor. 4 14

Whether the small variation near the north-east isles arose from any
peculiar attraction, or from some oversight in taking the amplitude, I
cannot determine; if from the latter, it would appear that the variation
is a degree and a half less on the south-west, than on the east and north
sides of Groote E