Towards Madeira.] TERRA AUSTRALIS. 
17 
1801. 
July. 
CHAPTER II. 
Departure from Spithead. Variation of the compass. The Dezertas. 
Arrival at Madeira. Remarks on Funchdl. Political state of the 
island. Latitude and longitude. Departure from Madeira. Tiie ■ 
island St. Antonio. Foul winds ; and remarks upon them. The ship 
leaky. Search made for Isle Sable. Trinidad. Saxemberg sought 
for. Variation of the compass. State of the ship's company, on 
arriving at the Cape of Good Hope. Refitment at Simon's Bay. 
Observatory set up. The astronomer quits the expedition. Rates of 
the time keepers. Some remarks on Simon's Bay. 
On July 18 we sailed from Spithead ; and in the afternoon of the Saturday is. 
20th, having a light breeze from the eastward, with fine weather, Monday, 20. 
our departure was taken from the Start, bearing N. 18* W. five or six 
leagues. On the following day we fell in with vice-admiral Sir Tuesday, 21. 
Andrew Mitchell, with a detachment of four three-decked ships 
from the grand fleet cruizing before Brest. It was gratifying to learn 
from the admiral, that although he had not dropped an anchor for 
seventeen weeks, there was not a scorbutic man on board ; nor any 
in the sick list, except from slight hurts. 
The variation of the compass off St. Alban's Head, had been 
observed by Mr. Thistle, the master, to be 28 0 43' west, from ampli- 
tude ; off the Start it was 29 0 34' from a western azimuth, and 
2 9° 3°' from amplitude ; but on the following afternoon, where the 
variation should have been nearly the same, azimuths gave 24 0 12' 
and an amplitude 23 0 43' west ; the mean 5 0 35' less than off the 
Start. The same compass was always used, and the ship's head 
was at west (magnetic), or within one point of it, in all the cases; 
but in the first observations the compass was placed on the binnacle^ 
