Deviation of the Compass, . .v^x 33 



Or, supposing the same ship to sail 20C leagues on a S. S W. 

 course (a course often pursued on the homeward passage from 

 the Greenland Sea), the error in the reckoning, neglecting the 

 deviation, would be 86.4 miles too far southerly, and 160-8 

 miles too far westerly ! That is, the ship would prove to be 

 189 miles to the eastward and northward (or in the direction E. 

 27° N. true) of her position, as calculated without the applica- 

 tion of a correction for the deviation. Such an error, existing 

 without its being known or compensated, it is evident, might be 

 productive of the most fatal consequences *. 



Hence, besides the many hair-breadth escapes to which navi- 

 gators have been exposed from ignorance of the deviation, there 

 can be no doubt but that some of the most dreadful shipwrecks 

 which are to be found in our naval annals are to be ascribed to 

 the same cause. I shall mention an instance or two where very 

 fatal consequences have resulted from ignorance of, or inatten- 

 tion to, the deviation of the compass. 



A fleet of sixty-nine sail of merchant ships, bound to the 

 West Indies, sailed from Cork, under the convoy of His Majes- 

 ty'*s ships Carysfort and Apollo, on the 26th of March 1804. 

 On the 27th they were out of sight of land, with a fair wind, 

 blowing strong, under which they steered W. S W. until the 

 31st. At noon of Sunday, 1st April, they observed in Latitude 

 40°.51' N., Longitude, by account, 12°.29' W. At 8 p. m. of 

 the same day, the wind shifted to S. W., and began to blow 

 very hard -. course about S. S E. During the night the Apol- 

 lo lost some of her canvas, and had to reduce sails to a fore-sail 

 with main and mizen storm-stay-sails. At 3^ a. m. of the next 

 morning, when by their reckoning they were above 100 miles 

 from any land, tlie Apollo, to the astonishment of every one on 

 board, struck the ground. After beating over a shoal, she was 

 again afloat for aboj.it five minutes ; she then met the ground, 

 and beat with such tremendous violence, that it was apprehend- 

 ed she would instantly go to pieces. Getting, however, at length 

 firmly wedged on shore, she became more quiet; but the sea 

 broke continually over her. At day-light many other ves- 



• See the Aubhor'8 Voyage to the " Northern Whale Fishery " in 1822, 

 p. 94, where this subject is enlarged upon^ and from which these illustrative 

 examples have been superadded. 



VOL. XIV. NO. XXVII. JANUARY 1833. C 



