variation in the eastern ocean.

v ariation in the eastern ocean throughout the whole voyage to goa and the moluccas is observed by the portuguese; but they err greatly in many things, following, as they do, the first observers who note down variations in certain places with ill-adapted instruments, and by no means accurate observations, or by some conjectures. as, for instance, in brandöe island, they make the versorium deviate by 22 degrees to the north-west. for in no region or place in the whole world, of not greater latitude, is there so great a deviation; and, in reality, there the deviation is slight. also when they make out that at mosambique the compass deviates by one rumbe to the north-west, it is false; even though they use (as they are accustomed to do) the portuguese compass: for beyond all doubt on the shore of mosambique the versorium inclines ¼ rumbe or even more to the south-west. very wrongly also beyond the æquator in the course to goa they make the little compass incline by 1½ rumbe to the west: whereas they should rather have said that in the first part of the course the portuguese compass inclines by 1 rumbe: but that the true meridional compass inclines by ½ rumbe only. in order that the amount of variation in the eastern ocean may be accurately settled in most places by our rules, there is needed a more exact and truer survey of the southern land, which spreads out from the south to the æquinoctial more than is commonly described on maps and globes.