Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/321

Rh Medusa radiata, pelagica; Dagysa gemma, strumosa, cornuta; Holothuria obtusata; Phyllodoce velella and Mimus volutator. The master to-day, in conversation, made a remark on the variation of the needle, which struck me much. As to me it was new, and appeared to throw much light on the theory of that phenomenon. The variation is here very small: he says that he has three times crossed the line of no variation, and that at all those times, as well as at this, he has observed the needle to be very unsteady, moving very easily and scarcely at all fixing. This he showed me; he also told me that in several places he had been in, the land had a very remarkable effect upon the variation, as in the place we were in now: at one or two leagues distant from the shore, the variation was two degrees less than at eight leagues distance.

27th. Some bodies, three feet long and half as broad, floated very buoyantly past the ship: they were supposed to be cuttle bones, which indeed they a good deal resembled, but for their enormous size.

28th. An opening appearing like a harbour was seen, and we stood directly in for it: a small smoke arising from a very barren place directed our glasses that way, and we soon saw ten people who, on our approach, left the fire, and retired to a little eminence, whence they could conveniently see the ship. Soon after this two canoes carrying two men each landed on the beach under them: the men hauled up their boats, and went to their fellows upon the hill. Our boat, which had been sent ahead to sound, now approached the place, and they all retired higher up the hill. We saw, however, that at the beach or landing-place one man at least was hidden among some rocks, and never, so far as we could see, left that place. Our boat proceeded along shore, and the Indians followed her at a distance; when she came back the officer who was in her told me that in a cove, a little within the harbour, they came down to the beach and invited our people to land by many signs and words which he did not at all understand. All, however, were armed with long pikes and a wooden weapon made like a short scimitar.