102 Mr. *S*coresby, jun. on the anomaly in the 
bably always stand N. and S., by the attraction of the ship. 
This position clearly follows from the inference above, pro- 
vided the compass be placed near the ship's stern in midships ; 
but if placed as described in inference No. 8, the ship's head 
by the compass on the starboard side of the main deck, would 
always appear to be east, and on the larboard side west. 
6 . A compass placed near the stern, amidohips of the 
quarter-deck, is subject to the greatest anomaly or deflection 
from the magnetical meridian, when the ship’s course is about 
west or east; because the focus of attraction then operates at 
right angles to the position of the compass needle; but the 
anomaly disappears when the course is about north or south, 
because the focus of attraction is then in a line with, or parallel 
to, the compass needle, and consequently has no power to 
deflect it from its direct position. [See Observations, No. 4, 
10, 11, and 12 of the prefixed table. J 
This situation for the binnacle is deemed one of the best in 
the ship, and is very properly preferred. Being abaft the 
focus of attraction, the north point of the compass, in this 
magnetic hemisphere, is always attracted forward, and the 
errors at equal distances from the magnetic meridian, in the 
same dip, are alike in quantity both on easterly and westerly 
courses, and always towards the north; the correction, when 
applied to the apparent course, must therefore be towards the 
south, to give the true course steered. Thus in high north- 
ern latitudes, where the anomaly is great, (say 20°, or 10 de- 
grees on each side of the magnetic meridian) a ship steering 
west by the compass 100 leagues, and then east 100 leagues, 
instead of coming to the place from whence she started, will 
be 104 miles to the southward of it. 
7. The greatest anomaly with the compass in the position 
