)lll I i ' ; ;
r i ;
we ath er, an d a long cross sea from th e westward, which M’as afterwards found to be the effect
o f a gale o f w ind in th e parallel o f 210 N . ; b u t which did n o t reach us.
T h e re M"as v e ry little c u rre n t in this passage: what th ere was gene rally ran to th e
southward an d westward, and averaged 3.6 miles a day. T h e barometer, though so far
en te red in th e tropical latitudes, was perceptibly affected by the changes of w e ath er, but
maintained its h o ra ry oscillations.
O n my arriv al I found th a t from the lo th to the 21st th ere had been very s trong gales
from th e westward a t Woahoo, and from th e S. W . a t Owyhe e. T h is was, no doubt, the
cause of the high cross sea we expe rienc ed from the 18th to th e 23d. I found also th a t the
H a rb in g e r, an American brig, which q u itte d M o n tere y nine days afte r the Blossom, was
obliged to lie to for th ree days, from th e 20th to 23d J a n u a ry , iu a s trong gale from the
S. AV. She had steered a direc t course for the Sandwicli Islands, in which she experienced
very variable winds, and, on the whole, bad weather, and was only one day less performing
th e passage th an ourselves : whence I think it fair to conclude th a t no th in g is lost by ru n n in g
well into th e trade. D u rin g the w in te r season, I should recommend ships g a in in g tlie 17th
p arallel before th ey shaped a direc t course for the islands. T h is seems to me to be th e best
mode to ensure a good passage and fine weather.
REMARKS ON THE PASSAGE FROM THE SANDWICH ISLANDS TO MACAO (CHINa).
M a rc h 1st to A p r il \Oth.
T h is passage was made a t a late period o f th e se a so n ; th e n orth-e ast monsoon had
become v e ry faint, and about tbe Bashee Islands appeared a ltogethe r to have finished.
From AA'’oahoo to the Ladrones th e passage occupied twenty-six d a y s ; tlience to the
Bashee Islands twelve d a y s ; and from the Bashee to Macao th ree d ay s ; in all forty-one
days.
T h e first p a rt of the ru n was within the limit of th e trad e -w in d ; it h u n g gene rally in the
ea ste rn q uarte r, and with th e exception o f a few days’ rain, squalls, and very vivid lightning,
in latitude 19° N ., and longitude 170° AAA, th e weather was v e ry fine.
O ffth e Ladrones we had a sh o rt calm; then a bre eze a t n o rth ; and made the passage
to th e Bashees with lig h t and variable winds, first from the northward, and latte rly from the
S. and S. AV. T h e weather d u ring this period was remarkably fine. Off Formosa we took
a s tro n g northerly wind, which ca rried us to Macao.
T h e cu rren ts from AVoahoo to th e Ladrones ran gen e rally to the eastward, and averaged
6.9 miles p e r clay.
I should recommend to ships m aking this passage to ru n down th e parallel o f 18“30' N.
or 19« N., tak in g care o f Wak e’s Island, which is said to lie in latitude 19° 1 8 'N . J 'h e y should
make th e Islan d of Assumption, in latitude 19« 42' N., and longitude 214'’34' AV., and jiass
to th e southward o f it.
Twe lv e miles to th e southward o f Assumption Captain F rey c in e t has discovered a re e f
o f rocks, which may be avoided by keeping close to th e above-mentioned island. Assumption
is a small conical island, 2096 fe et high, and ap p a ren tly without any danger. Perouse
anchored in th irty fathoms, within th ree qu arte rs o f a mile o f its western shore. T h e Mangs
bear from its e a ste rn p o in t N. 27° 07' W . (tru e ).
In the N . E, monsoon I would s te e r from here for th e N o rth B ashee Island, and thence
pass northward of the P ra ta S h o a l; b u t with the S. AV. monsoon a different ro u te is necessary,
for whicli see Captain Horsb u rg h ’s India D ire cto ry . T h e Bashees, Vele R e te , an d Bote i
Tobago Xima, are all very well laid down in Horsb u rg h ’s c h a rt; b u t th e Cumbrian Shoal has
since been found to lie in th e situa tion first assigned it, fifteen miles due S. o f L ittle Tobago
Xima, and in latitude 2 P 42' 15" N. I n its vicinity we found very s trong ripplings, wliich,
when th e winds were light, sounded like b re ak e rs ; b u t th ey did n o t affect our re ckoning
much, for on th e 10th of A p ril, in th e forenoon, we made P ed ro Branco, as we expected.
T h is rock is an excellent iand-ma rk; by our observation it lies 1° 33' 13" E . o f th e west
en d o f the Ty p a. S hortly afte r noon we g o t sig h t o f th e G re a t Lemma, and that n ig h t
anchored between Lantao and Chichow.
FROM THE ARZOBISPO ISLANDS TO KAMSCHATKA.
J u n e 16M to J id y 3d.
A t the commencement o f this passage it was my endeavour to g e t n ea rly into th e meridian
of Petrapaulski before 1 shaped a course for th a t place, in order to escape tlie inconvenience
likely to arise from th e prevalence o f ea ste rly winds, which we unex p e cted ly encountered
the preceding year.
Between th e parallels of 30“ N . and 35o N . we had lig h t and variable winds, as in our first
passage ; and in 39° N . took a southerly wind, which continued with a very thick w e ttin g
fog, as before, u n til within a day’s sail o f P etrapaulski, when it veered to the S.AV., and soon
afte r came fresh off the land, precisely as it liad done th e preceding yea r. In th e summer
I recommend making the land a little to the southward of Cape Gavare a, as th e wind
gene rally blows offshore, and to th e eastward o f th e promontory veers to th e n orthwa rd;
and if a vessel is n o t well in with the Cape, she will find much difficulty in b ea tin g up. U n til
we we re in latitude 34« N . longitude 153° E ., th e currents ran between N . AV. and S. AAA
twelve miles p er d a y ; th e y th e n changed to S. five miles p e r day as far as 40° N ., and off
the Kurile Islands ran s trong to th e S. E . T h e weather throughout this passage, with the
exception of the fog, was v e ry fine.
FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO SAN BLAS (mEXICO).
December Qih to
AA'^e found no difficulty in g e ttin g to the southward, th e prevailing wind a t this season
b ein g from th e N. AA'. I t is advisable, however, to stan d ab o u t fo rty or fifty leagues off
tlie coast, to avoid interru p tio n s from variable winds which occur near th e land. These
winds are in gene ral talien advantage o f b y vessels bound in tlie opposite direction to that of
our p re sen t course.
T h e we ather throughout this passage was rema rkably fine. T h e wind was from
AV. N - AV. to N. N. E . un til we made Cape San Lucas, when it vee red to E . N. E., and
obliged us to pass between the T re s Marias Islands. T h is route occasioned the loss o f a
day, and I should advise an y vessel making the passage to close th e land to th e no rtln ra rd
o f Cape San Luca s, provided the wind were iu the north-e ast q u a rte r; as in addition to the
4 N