TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 81 
also be procured; for we have seen, during the time 
that we have been in this inlet, hundreds of narwhals, 
or sea unicorns, and [ understand that their horns are 
very good ivory. I have of late spoke so often of 
magnetisni, that introducing that subject again, will, I 
have no doubt, appear little better than a recapitula- 
tion of what has already been said. I cannot help 
mentioning, however, that we observed to-day the 
compasses to be so much affected by local attraction, 
that, in whatever direction the ship’s head happened 
to be placed, the north point of compass pointed 
towards it. This. was more particularly obvious in 
Captain Kater’s suspended needle, which, from the 
delicacy of its construction, went round regularly as 
the ship’s head moved, when she went about: the 
other compasses, indeed, traversed so badly, that they 
frequently remained almost stationary for some time 
after the ship changed her course; but by being 
tapped a little by the hand they generally traversed 
round, until, as I have stated, their north point coin- 
cided with the direction of the ship’s head. The 
cause of this directive power of the ship on the com- 
passes may easily be accounted for, at least, it appears 
to me to be simply thus: that, as the greatest part of 
the iron in the ship is situated before the binnacles, 
i.e. between them and the ship’s head, the north 
point of the needle will of course be attracted in that 
direction. It is unnecessary to observe, after what 
has been said, that the compasses are now become 
totally useless. An instrument was got up to-day, 
however, that promises to be a very good substitute 
for them whenever the sun shines; but when that 
luminary is not visible, it will be of no man- 
ner of use, for it is in fact a sun-dial, divided like 
G 
