28 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 
that this is the only instance in which the true vari- 
ation was ascertained since we left England; for 
magnetic observations taken on board of a ship in 
these high latitudes, especially in this part of the 
world, are not to be much relied upon, on account 
of the compasses being so much affected by. local 
attraction, which is, at the same time, continually 
changing, according as the ship changes her position. 
In other words, in proportion as she approaches, 
or recedes from the magnetic pole, so will the effects 
of the local attraction be increased or diminished. 
_ About eight o’clock in the evening, the weather 
having cleared up, we had a distant view of the land 
about Cape Desolation *, it was estimated to be from 
twelve to fourteen leagues from us, a distance by far 
too great to enable us to'say any thing respecting it, 
except that it appeared to be high and rugged, and 
seemed as if it consisted of a number of islands, 
seen in detached pieces. 
I understand that we sailed this forenoon over the 
place where His Majesty’s ship Sybille laid down 
Cape Farewellt ; how far that promontory was from 
us at the time it is impossible to say, but it may be 
presumed to have been some distance off, for there 
was no land in sight. I ought to observe, indeed, 
that the state of the weather nearly throughout the 
day was not very favourable for seeing to any great 
distance. We found a current setting 8. 50° W. at 
the rate of six miles per day. 
* The northern extreme of the land bore by compass E. 41° N. 
and the southern extreme E. 24° S. the ship’s head at the time 
being N. N. W. 
+ We were at noon in latitude 59° 48’ 26” N. (by meridian 
altitude) and longitude 47° 47’ 36” W. by the chronometers. 
