At dusk in the evening, having weathered Whidbey's Isles, we tacked near Point Avoid and stretched off to sea; but on coming in with the land at daylight of the 18th [THURSDAY 18 FEBRUARY 1802], it appeared that nothing was gained, our situation being then in the same bight to the eastward of the point.
The shore of the bight is sandy and low, and trends from Point Avoid about five miles to the east; after which it takes a more southern direction and becomes higher, and the projecting parts of the waving coast line are cliffy. Behind the shore the land rises to a moderate height, is destitute of vegetation, and of a yellow colour, but whether from the surface being of bare rock, or of sand, could not be distinguished.
In stretching off again, with the wind at east-south-east, we passed near to a small circular reef, lying nine miles from Point Avoid and six from the nearest shore. Azimuths taken at this time with three compasses on the binnacle, and the ship's head at south (magnetic), gave the mean variation 1° 12' east; but with the surveying compass alone it was 1° 39' east, which is what I allowed in the survey. On the preceding day the two guns upon the quarter-deck, nearest to the binnacle, had been struck down into the after-hold, from a persuasion that the differences so often found in the variations and bearings when on different tacks must arise from some iron placed too near the compasses. Strict search had been repeatedly made for sail needles, marline-spikes, or other implements of iron which might have been left in or about the binnacle, but I could fix on nothing unless it were the guns; for it is to be observed that, notwithstanding the constancy of the differences, the idea of any regularly acting cause to derange the needle had not yet fixed itself in my mind. The perfection to which naval science had arrived did not allow me to suppose, that if a constant and unavoidable attraction existed in ships, it would not have been found out, and its laws ascertained; yet no longer than three days before, differences had been observed sufficient, one would think, to have convinced any man that they were produced by some regular cause. Off Point Drummond, about fifteen leagues to the north of where the variation 1° 39' east was observed with the ship's head at south, both azimuths and an amplitude had been taken with the same compass. The first gave 1° 33' west, the head being south-east-by-east; and after we had tacked, and the head was south-west-by-west, the amplitude gave 3° 56' east! I did not yet see that as the ship's head was as much on the east side of the magnetic meridian in one case as it was to the west in the other, so was the variation as much too far west then as it was too far east afterward. Differences like this, of 5½°, which had frequently occurred, seemed to make accuracy in my survey unattainable from not knowing what variation to allow on the several bearings. The guns were removed in the hope to do away the differences, but they still continued to exist, nearly in the same proportion as before; and almost in despair, I at length set about a close examination of all the circumstances connected with them, in order to ascertain the cause, and if possible to apply a remedy; but it was long, and not without an accumulation of facts, before I could arrive at the conclusions deduced and explained in the Appendix No. II to the second volume.
We tacked towards the land soon after noon; and being within five miles of it at three o'clock, stood off again. The furthest extreme of the main land was a sloping low point, distant about three leagues; but two or three miles beyond it, to the south, was a small island to which I gave the name of Liguanea. Some of Whidbey's Isles were still to be distinguished, and the bearings taken just before tacking were as under:
Inner island near Point Avoid, N. 31° W.
Nearest part of the cliffs, E. N. E.
The sloping low point, S. 71 E.
Liguanea Island, highest part, S. 57 E.
At seven in the evening, we came in with the land a little further to windward, and tacked at a mile and a half from a patch of breakers which lie N. 72° W. three or four miles from the sloping low point. This point was still the furthest part of the main land visible, the coast seeming from thence to take a more eastern direction.
FRIDAY 19 FEBRUARY 1802
In the afternoon of the 19th when the wind had returned to the south, we passed to windward of Liguanea Island, and saw it surrounded with many breakers on its south and west sides. The sloping low point was also visible; and three miles further eastward there was a steep head, with two high rocks and one lower near it, of which Mr. Westall made a sketch. (Atlas Plate XVII. View 7.) This projection I named CAPE WILES, after a worthy friend at Liguanea, in Jamaica; it lies in latitude 34° 57' south, and longitude 135° 38½' east. Before dark we got sight of a hill situate upon a projecting cape, thirteen miles to the east-south-east of Cape Wiles, and observed the intermediate coast to form a large bight or bay, which I proposed to examine in the morning; and for that purpose we stood off and on during the night, with the wind from the southward.
SATURDAY 20 FEBRUARY 1802
At daylight of the 20th the hill on the east side of the bight bore N. 68° E. five or six miles, and an island, named Isle Williams, was seen to lie two miles from it to the south-east. We steered north-west soon afterward, up the bight; but in an hour were able to see the land all round, and that this place, which, I called SLEAFORD BAY, was dangerous with the wind at south-east, as it was then blowing. We therefore braced up, to work out; and at noon, our situation, with that of the surrounding lands, was as follows: