Polaris in Southern Hemisphere

Flerfs have claimed that Polaris has been seen from the Southern Hemisphere. This originally comes from Samuel Rowbotham's Zetetic Astronomy: Earth Not a Globe from 1865:

If the Earth is a sphere and the pole star hangs over the northern axis, it would be impossible to see it for a single degree beyond the equator, or 90 degrees from the pole. The line-of-sight would become a tangent to the sphere, and consequently several thousand miles out of and divergent from the direction of the pole-star. Many cases, however, are on record of the north polar star being visible far beyond the equator, as far even as the tropic of Capricorn. In the Times newspaper of May 13, 1862, under the head of "Naval and Military Intelligence," it is stated that Captain Wilkins distinctly saw the Southern Cross and the polar star at midnight in 23°53 degrees of latitude, and longitude 35°46. This would be utterly impossible if the Earth were a globe.

• 
  Rowbotham quote, page 41
• 
  Rowbotham quote, page 42

However, Rowbotham's only cited source does not say the observation took place at a southern latitude:

On the 19th of April, in lat. 23°53, long. 35°46, Capt. Wilkins reports that the southern cross and polar star were both distinctly visible at midnight.

Times column "Naval and Military Intelligence" from May 13, 1862

On the contrary, the source strongly implies this observation was at the northern tropic because they were at a point north of the southern tropic and were headed away from it.