3 16 The V O Y 
covered by thick Exhalations or Smoke, that afcends from 
them. The Air of this Bland is extremely wholfome. It 
is well furnifhed with Flefh and Fowl ; and the Sea on its 
Coafts abounds with all forts of Filh. The fineft Ebony in 
the World grows here. It is a tall, ftrait Tree, ol a 
moderate Thicknefs, covered with a green Bark, very thick, 
under which the Wood is as black as Pitch, and as clofe as 
Ivory. There are other Trees on the Eland, which are of 
a bright Red, and a third Sort as yellow as Wax. The 
Ships belonging to the Eaft India Company commonly 
touch at this Eland for Refrefhments, in their Paffage to 
Batavia. 
I left this Eland on the Eighth of Odioher , and continued 
my Courfe to the South, to the Latitude of 40° or 41 \ 
having a ftrong North- weft Wind ; and, finding the Needle 
vary 23, 24, and 25 0 to the 22d of Odtober , I failed from 
that Time to the 29th to the Eaft, inclining a little to the 
South, till I arrived in the Latitude of 45 1 47' South, and 
in the Longitude of 89° 44' ; and then obferved the Va- 
riation of the Needle to be 26 Degrees 45 Minutes towards 
the Weft. 
As our Author was extremely careful in this Particular, 
and obferved the Variation of the Needle with the utmoft 
Diligence, it may not be amifs to take this Opportunity of 
explaining this Point, lb that the Importance of his Re- 
marks may fufficiently appear. The Needle points exadlly 
North only in a few Places, and perhaps not conftantly in 
them ; but in moft it declines a little to the Eaft, or to the 
Weft, whence arifes Eaftern and Weftern Declination : 
When this was firft obferved, it was attributed to certain 
Excavations or Hollows in the Earth, to Veins of Lead, 
Stone, and other fuch-like Caufes. But when it was found, 
by repeated Experiments, that this Variation varied, it ap- 
peared plainly, that none of thofe Caufes could take place *, 
fince, if they had, the Variation in the fame Place muft al- 
ways have been the fame, whereas the Faft is otherwife. 
Here at London, for Inftance, in the Year 1580, the 
Variation was obferved to be n° 17' to the Eaft ; in the 
Year 1666, the Variation was here 34' to the Weft ; and 
in the Year 1734, the Variation was fomewhat more than 
10 Weft. In order to find the Variation of the Needle 
with the leaft Error poftible, the Seamen take this Method : 
They obferve the Point the Sun is in, by the Compafs, any 
time after its Rifing, and then take the Altitude of the 
Sun ; and, in the Afternoon, they obferve when the Sun 
comes to the fame Altitude, and obferve the Point the Sun 
is then in by the Compafs *, for the Middle, between thefe 
two, is the true North or South Point of the Compafs ; and 
the Difference between that and the North or South upon 
the Card, which is pointed out by the Needle, is the Va- 
riation of the Compafs, and ftiews how much the North 
and South, given by the Compafs, deviates from the true 
North and South Points of the Llorizon. It appears 
dearly from what has been faid, that, in order to arrive at 
the certain Knowledge of the Variation, and or the Vari- 
ation of that Variation of the Compafs, it is abfolutely re- 
quifite to have, from time to time, diftindl Accounts of 
the Variation, as it is obferved in different Places: Whence 
the Importance of Captain Tafmaii s Remarks, in this re- 
fpecl, fufficiently appears. It is true, that the learned and 
Ingenious Dr., KalUy has given a very probable Account of 
this Matter j but as the Probability of that Account arifes 
only from its Agreement with Obfervations, it follows, thofe 
are as neceffary, and as important, as ever, in order to 
ftrengthen and confirm it. 
3. On the 6th of November , I was in 49 0 4' South La- 
titude, and in the Longitude of 1 14 0 56' ^ theVariation was 
at this Time 26° Weftward •, and, as the Weather was 
foggy, with hard Gales, and a rolling Sea, from the South- 
weft, and from the South, I concluded from thence, that 
it was not at all probable there fhould be any Land between 
thofe two Points... On November 1.5. 1 was in the Lati- 
tude of 44 0 33" South, and in the Longitude 140° 3.2k 
The Variation was then i&° 30' Weft, which Variation 
decreafed every Day, in fuch a manner, that,, on the 21ft 
of the fame Month, being in the Longitude of 158 ', I 
obferved the Variation to be no more than 4 0 . On the 2 2d 
©f that Month, the Needle was in continual. Agitation, 
AGES of '■ Book I. ^ 
without refting in any of the eight Points ; which led me to 
conjecture, that we were near fome Mine of Loadftone. 
This mays at firft Sight, feem to contradict what has 
been before laid downs as to the Variation, and the Caufes 
of it : But, when ftridtly confidefed, they will be found to 
agree very well •, for when it is aflerted, that Veins of Load- 
ftone have nothing to do with the Variation of the Com- 
pafs, it is to be underftood of the conftant Variation of a 
few Degrees to the Eaft, or to the Weft : But in Cafes of 
this Nature, where the Variation is abfolutely irregular, and 
the Needle plays quite round the Compafs, our Author’s 
Conjecture may very well find Place : Yet it muft be owned, 
that it is a Point far enough from being clear, that Mines 
of Loadftone affeCt the Compafs at a Diftance •, which, 
however, might be Very eafily determined, fince there are 
large Mines of Loadftone in the Ifland of Elba i on the 
Coaft of Eufcany. 
4. On the 24th of the fame Month, beifig in the Lati- 
tude of 42 0 25' South, and in the Longitude of 163° 50'* 
I difcovered Land, which lay Eaft Soudi-eaft, at the Di- 
ftance of ten Miles, which I called Van Diemens Land* 
The Compafs pointed right towards this Land. The Wea- 
ther being bad, I fleered South and by Eaft along the CoafL 
to the Height of 440 South, where the Land runs away 
Eaft, and afterwards North- eaft and by North. In the 
Latitude of 43° \o' South, and in the Longitude of i 6 y* 
55k I anchored on the firft of December, in a Bay, which 
I called the Bay of Frederic Henry, I heard, or at leaft 
fanfied I heard, the Sound of People upon the Shore •, but 
I faw nobody. All I met with, worth obferving, was two 
Trees, which were two Fathoms, or two Fathoms and an 
half, in Girth, and 60 or 65 Feet high from the Root to 
the Branches : They had cut with a Flint a kind of Steps in 
the Bark, in order to climb up to the Birds-nefts : Thefe 
Steps were the Diftance of five Feet from each other *, lo 
that we muft conclude, that either thefe People are of a 
prodigious Size, or that they have fome way of climbing 
Trees that we are not ufed to : In one of the Trees the 
Steps were fo frefh, that we judged they could not have 
been cut above four Days. 
The Noife we heard refembled the Noife of fome fort of 
Trumpet ; it feemed to be at no great Diftance, but we 
faw no living Creature notwithftanding. I perceived alfo* 
in the Sand, the Marks of wild Beafts Feet, refembling 
thofe of a Tyger, or fome fuch Creature ; I gathered alia 
fome Gum from the- Trees, and likewife fome Lack. The 
Tide ebbs and flows there about three Feet. The Trees in 
this Country do not grow very clofe, nor are they incum- 
bered with Bufhes or Underwood. I obferved Smoke in 
fevcral Places ; however, we did nothing more than fet up 
a Poft, on which every one cut his Name, or his Mark, and 
upon which I hoifted a Flag. I obferved that, in this Place, 
the Variation was changed to three Degrees Eaftward. Ors 
December 5. being then, by Obfervation, in the Latitude 
of 41 0 34', and in the Longitude 169% I quitted Van Die- 
men s Land , and refolved to fleer Eaft to the Longitude of 
195 , in hopes of difcovering the Elands of Soloman. 
5. On September 9.. I was in the Latitude of 42° 3 f 
South, and in the Longitude of 176 29' ; the Variation 
being there 5 0 to the Eaft. On the 12 th of the fame 
Month, finding a great rolling Sea coming in on the South- 
weft, I judged there was no Land to be hoped for on that 
Point. On the 13th, being in the Latitude of 42 0 10' 
South, and in the Longitude of 188 0 28, I found the 
Variation 7 0 30' Eaftward. In this Situation I difcovered 
an high mountainous Country, which is at prefent marked 
in the Charts, under the Name of New Zeland. I coafted 
along the Shore of this Country to the North Nortlveaft, 
till the 1 8th ; and being then in the Latitude of 40 50' 
South, and in the Longitude of 19 1 3 41', I anchored in a 
fine Bay,, where I obferved the Variation to be 9 towards 
the Eaft. , 
We found here abundance of the Inhabitants : They had 
very hoarfe Voices, and were very large-made People. 
They durft not approach the Ship nearer than a Stone s- 
Throw ; and we often obferved them playing on a kind of 
Trumpet, to which we anfwered with the Inflruments tnat 
were on board our Veffel. Thefe People were of a Colour 
between 
