1802
January.
Tuesday 19.
nearest cliffs, are all the documents that remain for the construction of a chart. Point Culver and Point Dover are exceptions to this general uniformity; but it requires a ship to be near the land before even these are distinguishable. The latter point was somewhat whiter than the cliffs on each side, which probably arose from the front having lately fallen off into the water.
In the night of the 19th, the wind shifted round to the eastward, and continued there for three days; and during this time we beat to windward without making much progress. Several observations were taken here for the variation of the compass: with the ship's head east-by-north, azimuths gave 7° 15′ west, and at south, 4° 26′; five leagues further eastward they gave 6° 13′ with the head north-east, and eight leagues further, an amplitude 4° 18′ at south-by-east. These being corrected, would be 4° 13′, 4° 26′, 4° 2′, and 3° 42′ west; so that the variation had now reassumed a tolerably regular course of diminution. The mean of the whole is 4° 6′ west variation in the longitude of 125° 51′ east.
Friday 22.At the end of three days beating, our latitude in the evening of the 22nd and was 32° 22′, and longitude 126° 23′; the depth in that situation was 7 fathoms, at two miles from the land, and the furthest extremes visible through the haze, bore west-half-north and east, the latter being distant four or five miles. The bank which before formed the cliffs, had retired to a little distance from the coast, and left a front screed of low, sandy shore. Several smokes arose from behind the bank, and were the first seen after quitting the archipelago.
The barometer had kept up nearly to 30 inches during the east and south-east winds, but it now fell to 29,65; and we stretched off for the night in the expectation of a change of wind, and probably of blowing weather. At ten, the sails were taken aback by a breeze from the westward; Saturday 23.but at daylight it had veered to south-by-west, and the mercury was rising. We then bore away for the land; and having reached in with the low, sandy point, which had borne east in the evening, steered along the coast at three or four