370 Capt. Graydon's Celestial Compass, 



" Barlow's plate now became useless, and its want of effect 

 was decided by finding Gilbert's compass, while under its im- 

 mediate influence, the dullest in the ship." 



Ellis, in his account of the Expedition of the Dobbs and 

 California, in 1746, says : — 



" 1 cannot help taking notice in this place (while off" Ches- 

 terfield Inlet), while amongst these islands, and in sailing 

 through the ice, the needles of our compasses lost their mag- 

 netical qualities : one seeming to act from this direction, and 

 another mider that ; and yet they were not for any consider- 

 able time constant to any. We laboured to remedy this evil, 

 by touching them with an artificial magnet, but to very little 

 purpose ; for if they recovered their powers by this means, 

 they presently lost them again." — Ellis's Account, page 220, 

 in theYear 1748. 



Appendix. — No. III. 



Extract from Capt. Franklin's Journey to the Polar Sea. — 18 1 9. 



^^ August 12th. — Azimuths were obtained this evening that 

 gave the variation 58° 45' O", which is greater than is laid 

 down in the Chart, or than the officers of the Hudson's Bay 

 ships have been accustomed to allow. Latitude 57° North." 

 —Page 26. 



" August 19th. — Nothing worthy of remark occurred, except 

 the rapid decrease in the variation of the magnetic needle. 



" N. B. At York factory the variation is only 6° OO' 21" 

 East."— Page 32. 



" September 25th. — About half a mile from the bend or 

 knee of the lake, there is a small rocky islet, composed of 

 magnetic iron ore, which affects the magnetic needle at a con- 

 siderable distance. Having received previous information re- 

 specting this circumstance, we watched our compasses care- 

 fully, and perceived that they were affected at the distance of 

 three hundred yards, both on the approach to and departure 

 from the rock ; on decreasing the distance, they became more 

 and more unsteady ; and on landing they were rendered quite 

 useless, and it was evident that the general magnetic influence 

 was totally overpowered by the local atti'action of the ore. 

 When Kater's compass was held near to the ground on the 

 North-west side of the island, the needle dipped so much that 

 the card could not be made to traverse by any adjustment of 

 the hand ; but on moving the same compass about thirty yards 

 to the West part of the islet, the needle became horizontal, 

 traversed freely, and pointed to the magnetic North. The dip- 

 ping needle being landed on the South-west point of the islet, 

 was adjusted as nearly as possible on the magnelic meridian, 



