60 
A VOYAGE TO 
[East Coast. 
1802. 
September. 
Thursday 9. 
The stone of the hill had in it specks of quartz or feldtspath, 
and was not much unlike that of Pier Head ; but it had a more 
basaltic appearance. A piece of it applied to the theodolite, drew 
the needle two degrees out of its direction, and yet the bearings did 
not show any great difference from the true variation ; for an ampli- 
tude taken on board the ship by Mr. Flinders, when the head was 
N. N. E., gave 6° 18', or corrected to the meridian, 7 0 17' east, and 
the variation on the eastern side of the hill was 8° 15', according to 
the back bearing of Pier Head. 
From an observation of the sun’s upper aad lower limbs in an 
artificial horizon, the latitude was 21 0 50' 18", and the ship bore 
from thence S. 68° E. two miles and a half ; the latitude of the ship 
should therefore have been 21 0 51' 14"; but a meridian altitude ob- 
served to the north by lieutenant Flinders, gave 21 0 49' 54"; and I 
believe that altitudes from the sea horizon can never be depended on 
nearer than to one minute, on account of the variability of the hori- 
zontal refraction. From this cause it was that, when possible, we 
commonly observed the latitude on board the ship both to the north 
and south, taking the sun’s altitude one way and his supplement the 
other, and the mean of the two results was considered to be true ; 
separately, they often differed i', s', and even 3', and sometimes 
they agreed. The observation to the north most commonly gave 
the least south latitude, but not always, nor was there any regular 
coincidence between the results and the heights of the barometer or 
thermometer ; though in general, the more hazy the weather, the 
greater were the differences. At this time, the wind was light from 
the eastward and weather hazy ; the thermometer stood at 7 2 0 , and 
barometer at 30,15 inches. 
At two o’clock we got under way to go up Broad Sound, it 
being then near low water. After steering south-east one mile, the 
depth rapidly diminished and we tacked ; but the ship was set upon 
a bank of sand, where she hung five minutes and then swung off. 
I afterwards steered nearer to the shore, in deeper water; and at 
