84$ 
made during the recent Northern Expedition. 
results as he has hitherto adopted, and not allow himself to spe- 
culate on accordances which may have no existence in nature. 
Another extensive table of experiments, is a joint communi- 
cation by Captain Parry and Lieutenant Foster, on the daily 
variation of the horizontal needle, in which they were assisted 
by most of the officers in the expedition. These experiments 
were commenced the 1st of January 18&5, and continued, by 
hourly observations, to June; the results are highly curious 
and interesting. The daily variation of the needle in England 
ranges from about 6 or 7 minutes of a degree to 15 minutes ; the 
former being the quantity due to the winter months, and the 
latter to the summer. It is, however, in either case but an 
inconsiderable quantity, and without great care, and very deli- 
cate suspensions, is not easily observed. Mr Barlow, some time 
back, proposed to increase this daily motion, by diminishing the 
directive powers of the needle by the application of other mag- 
nets, and having succeeded by this means in rendering it a very 
observable quantity, it became desirable to trace this motion in 
other and higher latitudes ; and, accordingly, it furnished a 
very favourite pursuit to Captain Parry, lieutenant Foster, and 
the other officers of the expedition. The apparatus was erected 
in December, and it was soon found, that instead of a variation 
of 6 or 7 minutes, as we have stated, to be the quantity at that 
season in England, they had a daily motion of nearly as many 
degrees, without using the means which were obliged to be had 
recourse to in England to increase the amount. In short, the 
needle was in a perpetual state of vibration, but still following a 
certain order in its motion, and which increased as the sun ad- 
vanced to the summer solstice. The dip of the needle at Port 
Bowen was 88°, consequently the directive power of the needle 
was very small, and being in almost constant motion, it was im- 
possible to ascertain the true mean magnetic meridian ; but it was 
observed by Mr Hooper (who had made a graphical represen- 
tation of the motion, according to a plan which Mr Christie had 
employed on a former occasion), that there was only one meri- 
dian, out of the many which the needle had traversed, which 
had been passed every day during the needle’s motion ; and for 
this reason the preference was given to this, and it was accord- 
ingly assumed as the true magnetic meridian. The mean time 
