APR. 1770 VARIATION OF THE COMPASS 263 
Medusa radiata, pelagica ; Dagysa gemma, strumosa, cornuta ; 
Holothuria obtusata ; Phyllodoce velella and Mimus volutator. 
The master to-day, in conversation, made a remark on the 
variation of the needle, which struck me much. As to me it 
was new, and appeared to throw much light on the theory 
of that phenomenon. The variation is here very small: he 
says that he has three times crossed the line of no variation, 
and that at all those times, as well as at this, he has 
observed the needle to be very unsteady, moving very easily 
and scarcely at all fixing. This he showed me; he also told 
me that in several places he had been in, the land had a very 
remarkable effect upon the variation, as in the place we were 
in now: at one or two leagues distant from the shore, the 
variation was two degrees less than at eight leagues distance. 
27th. Some bodies, three feet long and half as broad, 
floated very buoyantly past the ship: they were supposed 
to be cuttle bones, which indeed they a good deal resembled, 
but for their enormous size. 
28th. An opening appearing like a harbour was seen, 
and we stood directly in for it: a small smoke arising from 
avery barren place directed our glasses that way, and we 
soon saw ten people who, on our approach, left the fire, and 
retired to a little eminence, whence they could conveniently 
see the ship. Soon after this two canoes carrying two men 
each landed on the beach under them: the men hauled up 
their boats, and went to their fellows upon the hill. Our boat, 
which had been sent ahead to sound, now approached the 
place, and they all retired higher up the hill. We saw, how- 
ever, that at the beach or landing-place one man at least was 
hidden among some rocks, and never, so far as we could see, left 
that place. Our boat proceeded along shore, and the Indians 
followed her at a distance; when she came back the officer 
who was in her told me that in a cove, a little within the 
harbour, they came down to the beach and invited our 
people to land by many signs and words which he did not 
at all understand, All, however, were armed with long 
pikes and a wooden weapon made like a short scimitar.’ 
1 A boomerang. 
