Page:A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume 2.djvu/35

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Keppel Bay.]
TERRA AUSTRALIS.
31

1802.
August.

The latitude of our anchorage, from the mean of three meridian altitudes to the north, was
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 23° 29′ 34″ south.
Longitude from twenty-four sets of distances of the sun and moon, the particulars of which are given in Table I. of Appendix No. I. to this volume, 151° 0′ 28″; but from fifty other sets, reduced by the survey from Broad Sound, the better longitude of the anchorage is
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150 58 20 east.

According to the time keepers the longitude would be 150° 57′ 43″; and in an interval of six days, they were found to err no more than 5″ of longitude on the Port-Jackson rates.

From three compasses on the binnacle, lieutenant Flinders observed the variation 6° 48′, when the ship's head was north, and 5° 47′ when it was south-south-east. This last being reduced to the meridian, the mean of both will be
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 6 47 east,

nearly the same as in Bustard Bay; but 2° less than was observed off Gatcombe Head. At the different stations round Keppel Bay whence bearings were taken, the variation differed from 5° 10′ to 6° 30′ east.

Whilst beating off the entrance, I had 7° 52′ east variation, from azimuths with the surveying compass when the head was N.W., and from an amplitude, with the head N. by W., 6° 54′; the mean reduced to the meridian, will be for the outside of the bay
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 6 16 east.

Captain Cook had 7° 24′ near the same situation, from amplitudes and azimuths observed in 1770, with the Endeavour's head W.N.W.

The rise of tide in the entrance of Keppel Bay seems to vary