A species of _pandanus_ before found at Glass-house and Shoal Bays, grows in abundance upon Sandy Cape; and notwithstanding the extreme sterility of the soil, the sand hills were mostly covered with bushes, and the vallies contained trees of the _casuarina_ and _eucalyptus_. There was fresh water in a pool near the shore, and as a ship may lie within half a mile, both wood and water might be procured here without great difficulty; but I doubt if the water would not altogether fail in the dry season. A tolerably regular tide set past the ship, N. N. E. and S. S. W., nearly one mile an hour; and it appeared by the shore to be high water _about eight hours after_ the moon's passage, and the common rise to be between six and seven feet. No mention has been made of the variation of the compass since leaving Port Jackson, A gradual diminution seems to take place from Twofold Bay, near the southern extremity of this coast, to Sandy Cape; as will appear from the following observations. Lat. 37° 4' Azim., one compass, on shore, 9° 29' E. 33 52 do , do , do , 8 51 31 36 do , do , head north, 9 8 30 32 do , three comp., do , 8 42 26 10 do , one comp., head N. by W. 8° 40', corr. 8 7 25 0 Ampl., do , head N. W. by N. 9 39 , corr. 8 9 24 43 do , do , head S. E. ½ S. 6 33 , corr 8 14 The coast lies nearly north, and except Sandy Cape, appears to be mostly of free stone, which I have not found to produce any effect upon the needle; and what is remarkable, on comparing my observations with those of captain Cook, it appeared that little or no change had taken place in the variation, during thirty-two years; for wherever our observations were taken with the ships heads in the same direction, there the same variation was obtained to a few minutes. Within Break-sea Spit, an amplitude gave the variation when corrected, 7° 25' east; and one taken at the anchorage near Sandy Cape, but uncorrected, the direction of the ship's head being unknown, 7° 57' east. There is little doubt that on bringing the land to the eastward of the ship, the variation was diminished at least half a degree: the stone of Sandy Cape is granitic. SUNDAY 1 AUGUST 1802