Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/254

 192 suRwY.ov THE INTERTROPICAL s. with Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Roe, to ascend one Jue 15. of the hills that overlooks the bay. APr two hours' climbing over huge rounded masses of granite, and penetrating through thick bushes of under- 'wood, we arrived only at a summit considerably beneath-the one we wished .to reach; .but, as it was too late in the day to proceed further, we halted; and I took a set of angles and made some memorand,m. for the sketch of the bay. A re- markable observation was here made upon the .magnetic influence of this. land; the variation was observed to be 10 �W., but on removing the compass eight yards off, it only gave 2� E. This, .in some degree, corresponds with Captain Cook's record of the irregularity of his compass when he passed near this part of the.coast, in consequence of which, he .called the peaked .islaod to the westward of the cape, Magnetical .Island: this irregularity, however, was. not noticed by me in my observations near the .same spot; and .the difference observed by him may very probably have been occasioned by the ship's local .attraction, which in those days was unknown. The view obtained from this station, was neither so useful nor so extensive as .I had expected: the coast for six miles back is low, and occupied by a large body of water; beyond which, is a range of fiat-topped and precipitous rocky hills, Digitized , Goog[e

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