38 Mtfcellanea Curiofa. 



Pole overcoming that of the European, the Needle 

 has chiefly refpe& thereto, and turns ftill more 

 and' more towards it as you approach it. Whence 

 it comes to pais, that on the Coaft of Virginia, 

 New- England, New-found-Land, and in Hudfons- 

 Straights the Variation is Weftward ; that it de- 

 creafes as you go from thence towards Europe, 

 and that it is lefs in Virginia and New-England, 

 than in New-found- Land, and Hudfon s*$traights. 

 This Wefterly Variation again decreafes, as you 

 pafs over the North America ; and about the 

 Meridian of the middle of California the Needle 

 again points due North ; and from thence Weft- 

 ward to Ted^o and Japan, I make no doubt but 

 the Variation is Eafterly, and half the Sea over 

 no lefs than fifteen Degrees, if there be any 

 truth in this Hypothefis of mine. Therefore I 

 propofe this as a Trial, that the whole may be 

 fcaan'd thereby and I conceive it will not be 

 hard to know of the Spaniards how it is, who fb 

 frequently fail through that Ocean, in their re- 

 turn from the Manilla Ifles. This Eaft Variation 

 extends over Japan, Ted^o, E aft-Tart ary, and 

 part of China, till it meet with the Wefter- 

 ly, which is govern'd by the European North 

 Pole, and which 1 faid was greateft fome where 



in Rujfia. . 



Towards the Southern Pole the eftect is much 

 the fame, only that here the South Point of 

 the Needle is attra&ed. Hence it will follow, 

 that the Variation on the Coaft of Bra^ile, at 

 the River of Plate, and fo on to the Straights 

 of Magellan, mould be Eafterly (as in our third 

 Remark) ; if we fuppofe a Magneticul Pole fitu- 

 ate about twenty Degrees more Wefterly than 

 the Straights of Magellan. And this Eafterly Va- 

 riation doth extend Eaftward over the greateft 



part 



