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Island, might be made a delightful situation to a college of monks, who could bear the heat of the climate, and were impenetrable to the stings of musketoes. Here grew the wild nutmeg, in abundance, the fig which bears its fruit on the stem, two species of palm, and a tree whose bark is in common use in the East for making ropes; besides a variety of others, whose tops were overspread with creeping vines, forming a shade to the stream underneath. But this apparently delightful retreat afforded any thing rather than coolness and tranquillity: the heat was suffocating, and the musketoes admitted not of a moment's repose.

Upon Pobassoo's Island, near the stream of water at the back of the beach, Mr. Good, the gardener, planted four of the cocoa nuts procured from the Malays; and also some remnants of potatoes which were found in the ship.

From observations made on shore in the artificial horizon, the time-keeper Nᵒ 520 was differing from its Caledon Bay rate, 15,″4 of longitude per day, to the east, but Nᵒ. 543 only 9″,8; and when the longitude of this last is corrected by the proportion afterwards found necessary, it will agree with the survey to less than half a mile.

No observations were taken for the variation of the compass, but I judge it to have been about 1° east, when not affected by any local attraction. Near the north-east end of Cotton's Island, and at the south-west point, the variation was 2° more east than upon the south-east head; as if the south end of the island attracted the north point, and the north end the south point of the needle.

On the day of the new moon, a particular observation was made upon the tide in Malay Road; and it was high water at ten minutes past eight in the morning, or nearly eight hours and a quarter after the moon had passed the lower meridian; and the rise was ten feet two inches. There were two tides in the day; but from the