177& THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 95 



with him, on his voyage towards the North Pole. 

 Whoever knows any thing of the distance between 

 Sheerness and Greenwich, will be a judge which of 

 these two observations is nearest the truth. 



The variation of the needle here, by a mean of 

 different sets, taken with different compasses, was 

 20 37' west. 



On the 25th, about noon, we weighed anchor, and 

 made sail for the Downs, through the Queen's Chan- 

 nel, with a gentle breeze at north-west by west. At 

 nine in the evening we anchored, with the North 

 Foreland bearing south by east, and Margate Point 

 south-west by south. 



Next morning, at two o'clock, we weighed and 

 stood round the Foreland ; and when it bore north, 

 allowing for the variation of the compass, the watch 

 w r atch gave 1 24/ east longitude, which, reduced to 

 the Foreland, will be 1 21' east. Lunar observations 

 made the preceding evening, fixed it at 1 20' east. 

 At eight o'clock the same morning, we anchored in 

 the Downs. Two boats had been built for us at Deal, 

 and I immediately sent on shore for them. I was 

 told that many people had assembled there to see 

 Omai ; but to their great disappointment he did not 

 land. 



Having received the boats on board, and a light 

 breeze at south south-east springing up, we got 

 under sail the next day at two o'clock in the after- 

 noon. But the breeze soon died away, and we were 

 obliged to anchor again till ten o'clock at night. We 

 then weighed, with the wind at east, and proceeded 

 down the channel. 



On the 30th, at three o'clock in the afternoon, 

 we anchored in Plymouth Sound, where the Dis- 

 covery had arrived only three days before. I saluted 

 Admiral Amherst, whose flag was flying on board 

 the Ocean, with thirteen guns, and he returned the 

 compliment, with eleven. 



It was the first object of our care, on arriving at 

 Plymouth, to replace the water and provisions that 



