4, A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



whereas now there were three hundred boats and twelve hundred men 

 engaged : and that owing to this unexpected addition to the fishery, 

 he had been unable to provide the number of persons required for 

 the service of the Hudson's Bay Company. This was unpleasant in- 

 formation, as it increased the apprehension of our being detained at 

 York Factory the whole winter, if boatmen were not taken from 

 hence. I could not therefore hesitate in requesting Mr. Geddes to 

 engage eight or ten men well adapted for our service, on such terms 

 as he could procure them, though the Secretary of State's permission 

 had not yet reached me. 



Next to a supply of boatmen, our attention was directed towards 

 the procuring of a house conveniently situated for trying the instru- 

 ments, and examining the rates of the chronometers. Mr. Geddes 

 kindly offered one of his, which, though in an unfinished state, was 

 readily accepted, being well situated for our purpose, as it was placed 

 on an eminence, had a southern aspect, and was at a sufficient dis- 

 tance from the town to secure us from frequent interruption. Ano- 

 ther advantage was its proximity to the Manse, the residence of the 

 worthy and highly respected minister of Stromness : whose kind hos- 

 pitality and polite attention of his family, the party experienced al- 

 most daily during their stay. 



For three days the weather was unsettled, and few observations 

 could be made, except for the dip of the needle, which was ascertained 

 to be 74° 37' 48", on which occasion a difference of eight degrees and 

 a half was perceived between the observations, when the face of the 

 instrument was changed from the east to the west, the amount being 

 the greatest when it was placed with the face to the west. But on 

 the 8th, a westerly wind caused a cloudless sky, which enabled us 

 to place the transit instrument in the meridian, and to ascertain the 

 variation of the compass, to be 27° 50' west. The sky becoming 

 cloudy in the afternoon, prevented our obtaining the corresponding 



observations to those gained in the morning ; and the next day an 



