110 



APPENDIX. 



obfervations. One is, that the variation near the latitude of 

 eighty, if it alters at all with time, does not alter in any 

 degree as it does in thefe latitudes : the variation having 

 been found by Poole in 1610 to be 22° 30' W in lati- 

 tude 78° 37' ; 18° 16' W inCrofs Road in latitude 79° 15' 

 N; and 17° 00' within the foreland in latitude 78° 24'. 

 By Baffin in 161 3, in Home Sound, latitude 76° 55", the 

 variation from the meridian was 12" 14' W; but by 

 his compafs 17°: hiscompafs " was touched 5 1 Eafterly," 

 that being the variation in London at that time ; in 

 Green Harbour, latitude 77° 40', he obferved the varia- 

 tion 13° 11' W. Fotherby in 16 14, made the variation 

 in Magdalena Bay, latitude 79° 34' N, 25° 00' W; 

 and in latitude 79° 8', two points. Neither Poole nor 

 Fotherby mention whether their variations are reckoned 

 from the meridian, or whether their compafles, like 

 Baffin's, were fitted to the variation at that time in London. 

 If Fotherby's were taken with a compafs in which a cor- 

 rection was made for the variation at London, his obfer- 

 vation agrees exaftly with thofe made by me in Vogel 

 Sans and Smeerenberor ; and thofe of Poole and Baffin 

 differ fo little from mine, that the difference need not be 

 regarded. But the variation in London now differs from 

 what it was at that time above twenty-fix degrees. 



The other inference is, that in going to the Eaft- 

 ward in the latitude of eighty, the Wefterly varia- 

 tion decreafes very confiderably from a difference in the 

 longitude. 



5 Table 



