Mr. Crosley, the astronomer, brought with him an assortment of instruments from the Board of Longitude; part for use at sea, and the larger instruments for making observations on shore, at such ports and bays as we might anchor in during the voyage.  His time keepers were the numbers 543 and 520, and watch 465 of Earnshaw; and the numbers 176 and 82 of Arnold.  Amongst the instruments supplied to me by the Navy Board, which were unconnected with the above and mostly intended for surveying, was Arnold’s watch number 1786, sent for the purpose of being taken up rivers in the tender, or in boats.  Its error from mean Greenwich time, at noon July 17, was 2’ 38.71” slow, and its rate of losing per day 4.41”.  This error and rate were given me by Mr. Bayly, mathematical master of the naval academy at Portsmouth, who had the kindness to take charge of the watch during our stay at Spithead.

CHAPTER II.

Departure from Spithead. 
Variation of the compass. 
The Dezertas. 
Arrival at Madeira. 
Remarks on Funchal. 
Political state of the island. 
Latitude and longitude. 
Departure from Madeira. 
The 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.

1801.  JULY.

[TOWARDS MADEIRA.]

On July 18 we sailed from Spithead; and in the afternoon of the 20th, having a light breeze from the eastward, with fine weather, our departure was taken from the Start, bearing N. 18 deg.  W. five or six leagues.  On the following day we fell in with vice-admiral Sir Andrew Mitchell, with a detachment of four three-decked ships from the grand fleet cruising 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 deg. 43’ west, from amplitude; off the Start it was 29 deg. 34’ from a western azimuth, and 29 deg. 30’ from amplitude; but on the following afternoon, where the variation should have been nearly the same, azimuths gave 24 deg. 12’ and an amplitude 23 deg. 43’ west; the mean 5 deg. 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, and in the last, was upon the booms.  In order to ascertain clearly what effect this change of place did really produce, I took