THE EARTH A MAGNET. 31 



*ar peculiarity. We have said that at present the dec- 

 lination is toward the west in Europe. In Columbus's 

 time it was toward the east. Thus we learn that the 

 declination varies with the progress of time, as well as 

 with change of place. 



The genius of modern science is a weighing and a 

 measuring one. Men are not satisfied nowadays with 

 knowing that a peculiarity exists ; they seek to deter- 

 mine its extent, how far it is variable whether from 

 time to time or from place to place, and so on. Now 

 the results of such inquiries applied to the magnetic 

 declination have proved exceedingly interesting. 



"We find, first, that the world may be divided into 

 two unequal portions, over one of which the needle has 

 a westerly, and over the other an easterly, declination. 

 Along the boundary-line, of course, the needle points 

 due north. England is situated in the region of west- 

 erly magnets. This region includes all Europe, except 

 the northeastern parts of Russia ; Turkey, Arabia, and 

 the whole of Africa ; the greater part of the Indian 

 Ocean, and the western parts of Australia ; nearly the 

 whole of the Atlantic Ocean ; Greenland, the eastern 

 parts of Canada, and a small slice from the northeastern 

 part of Brazil. All these form one region of westerly 

 declination ; but, singularly enough, there lies in the 

 very heart of the remaining and larger region of east- 

 erly magnets an oval space of a contrary character. 

 This space includes the Japanese Islands, Mantchooria, 



