Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/265

] at night. It was proper for us to make many tacks during the night, but it was so calm that the ship did not obey her helm.

A south-west wind brought us near New Caledonia; although we expected to meet with the winds, which generally prevailed several days before we made the land.

The small change of variation which the compass had undergone, during the transit which we had made, is very well worthy of remark. We may look upon it as nothing, from south latitude 36° 30′, and east longitude 154°, where the variation was 11° 30′ east, to south latitude 23°, and east longitude 164° 30′, where the variation was 11° 4′; for in this run of 13° 30′ of latitude, and 10° 30′ of longitude, the compass did not vary a degree; and it is well known that, at sea, the variation cannot be observed nearer than within a degree of the truth.

17th. A fire kindled by the savages, on the Isle of Pines, was seen during the night.

At break of day, we observed immense reefs on the coast of New Caledonia, stretching first towards the south, and then towards the west. The calm confined us, the whole morning, between those dangerous rocks and the Isle of Pines; but in the afternoon, a slight breeze from the south-