inconvenience w hich a shift o f wind to th e E . would occasion, tlie re is anothe r arising from a
s tro n g cu rren t, which g en e ra lly sets o u t o f th e G u lf o f California. Erom th e Cape s teer
for Isabella Island, an d th en c e for P ie d ra de Mer.
B e tw e e n 33° N . an d Cape San Luca s w e .fo u n d a cu rren t to th e westward, an d from
th e Cape to th e T re s Marias to th e southward. T h e whole effect o f cu rren t from San
Francisco to these islands was S . 58° W . e ig h ty miles.
SAN BLAS TO ACAPULCO AND VALPARAISO.
M a rc h to M a y Isi, 1828.
A t th is season n o rth -w e ste rly winds prevail upon th e coast betwe en San Bias and
Acapulco, inclining toward tlie land in th e day, and to tlie sea in th e n ight. W e passed four
miles to th e westward o f C orveteiia (a small rock, situ a ted N . W . by N . n in e te e n miles from
Cape C orriente s) -wdthout hav in g soundings in e ig h ty fathoms. O n th e 10th we were
within s ig h t o f th e volcano of Colima, 12,003 fe e t above th e sea, and on th e 13tli anchored
a t Acapulco.
A t San Bias we heard various opinions upon th e best ro u te from Acapulco to Valparaiso,
some being in favour o f a passage to tlie eastward o f th e Gallapagos, b y keeping along th e
land, and ca rry in g th e N . AV. wind, an d others to th e westward, b y steerin g a t once out
to sea. W e adopted th e la tte r mode o f p ro c e ed in g ; an d afte r lig h t an d variable winds, p rin cipally
from th e eastward, crossed th e eq u a to r in 99° 40' AV., on th e eleventh day of our
p assage, ab o u t two degrees more to th e westward th an was in tended.
A f te r two days’ u n se ttled we a th e r and hard showers of ra in , we g o t th e S. E . trad e in
3° S. latitude. I t a t first held to th e southward, b u t, as we proceeded, veered gradually to
th e eastward, and obliged us to make a long sweep, in which we we n t as far to th e westward
as 108°, and having b ro u g h t us in to 23° S. an d 106° W . it left us. AVe had afterwards variable
winds and squally we ather, and found some difficulty in approaching our destination. A t this
season v e ry u n se ttled w e ath er prevails on th e coast o f Chili, an d storms an d h eavy rains
from th e northwa rd are b y no means u n frequent. I t appears to me to be advisable a t this
p eriod to s te e r direc t for th e port, i f possible, and to disregard th e chances o f winds an d of
cu rren ts n ea r th e land. T h e currents in th e first p a rt o f this passage ra n about seven miles
a d ay to th e eastward, b u t from 8° N . and 98° AV. to 19® S. and 108° AV. th ey flowed in a
S. 88° AV. direction, a t th e ave rage ra te o f ab o u t tw en ty -e ig h t miles p e r day, and on our
arrival a t A'alparaiso th e y had drifted th e ship S. 81° AV., four h undred and one miles, or
a t th e ave rage ra te o f eleven an d a h a lf m iles a day.
O n account o f these s trong currents it is desirable to cross th e equa tor well to the
eastward, in ab o u t 96° o r 97° AV., and to pass th e latitudes in which th ey prevail as quickly
as possible, b y k ee p in g clean full.
RIO JANEIRO TO ENGLAND.
A u g u s t bth to Septemher 25th.
T h is passage was remarkable for s trong S. AV. winds between the trades. Upon leaving
Rio, N. E . w inds obliged us to stand to the S. E . to th e lat. 27° S. and long. 36° AV., where we
met th e S. E . trade-wind, which carried us across th e equa tor in 24° 20' AV., and le ft us in 5° N .
latitude. I t was th ere succeeded by s trong south-west winds, a tten d e d b y a long swell from
th e same qu a rte r. T h is continued to 15° N., an d was succeeded b y th e N . E . trade , which
prevailed as far as 27° N. and 35° AV. AVe had here six days calm, and th e n variable winds,
with much bad we ather and long seas from th e northward, and did not a rriv e in En g lan d
u n til fifty-one days afte r our d ep a rtu re from Rio. H a d we been fa rther westward when th e
N . E. trad e failed, th e passage would have been shortened, an d as a t th is season N . AV.
winds prevail on the coast o f America, I should endeavour on an o th e r occasion to a rriv e a t a
more we ste rly longitude before I outran th e trade-wind.
T h e c u r r e n t in th is p a s s a g e w a s v e r y d if f e r e n t to t h a t w h ic h w e e x p e r ie n c e d o n tlie
o u tw a rd v o y a g e , a n d w a s n o d o u b t in f lu e n c e d b y th e s t r o n g S . AV. w in d s . F rom th e tro p ic
o f C a p r ic o rn to th e e q u a to r i t r a n N . 8 8° AV. a h u n d r e d a n d fif ty -o n e m ile s , o r t e n m ile s p e r
d a y , a n d from th a t l a t i tu d e to th e te rm in a tio n o f th e S . E . tr a d e S. 66° AV. tw e n ty - f iv e m ile s
a d a y . H e r e w e e n c o u n te r e d th e w in d s f rom th e w e s tw a rd , w h ic h , w h ile th e y la s te d , o c c a s
io n e d a c u r r e n t to th e e a s tw a rd a t th e r a te o f tw e n ty - s ix m ile s a d a y . AVitli th e N . E . t r a d e
th e r e w a s v e ry l i t t le in a n y d ir e c tio n .
OBSERVATIONS ON T H E COAST OF C H IL I.
CONCEPTION.
D u r in g th e s um m e r m o n th s s o u th e r ly w in d s p r e v a il a lo n g th is c o a s t, a n d o c c a s io n a
s t r o n g c u r r e n t to th e n o r thw a rd . I t is a d v is a b le , th e r e fo r e , to m a k e th e la n d w e ll to th e
s o u thw a rd o f th e p o r t , u n le s s c e r ta in o f r e a c h in g i t b e fo r e n ig h t . P u n t a R um e n a a p p e a r s to
m e to b e a p r e f e r a b le la n d - f a ll to t h a t o f S a in t M a r y ’s I s la n d , w h ic h h a s b e e n r e c om m e n d e d ,
a s i t m a y b e s e e n c o n s id e r a b ly f u r th e r , a n d h a s n o d a n g e r ly in g off i t. B u t s h o u ld th e la t t e r
b e p r e f e r r e d , i t m a y b e k n ow n b y i t s c o n tr a s t to th e m a in la n d , in h a v in g a fla t su r f a c e a n d
p e rp e n d ic u la r cliffs, a s w e ll a s b y a r em a rk a b le p e a k e d ro c k o ff its N . AA'. e x t r e m i ty * . I f
th e p o r t c a n n o t b e r e a c h e d b e fo re d a rk , i t w o u ld b e a d v is a b le to b r in g to th e w in d ,
b e tw e e n S a in t M a r y ’s a n d th e P a p s o f B io B io , a s th e r e w ill a lm o s t a lw a y s b e fo u n d a
so u th e r ly w in d in th e m o rn in g to p ro c e e d w ith . I n d o in g tliis , ta k e c a r e o f th e D o rm id o
B a n k , ly in g off th e N . AV. e n d o f S a in t M a r y ’s. H a v in g d a y l ig h t to p ro c e e d b y , c lo se th e
la n d n e a r th e P a p s o f B io B io , a n d , k e e p in g o n e a n d a h a l f m ile s f rom th e s h o r e , k e e p
a lo n g th e c o a s t o f T a lc a liu a n a P e n in s u la .
S h o u ld th e P a p s o f B io B io b e c lo u d e d , th e la n d a b o u t th em m a y s till b e k n ow n b y th e
o p e n in g in to S a in t A 'in c e n t’s B a y , a n d b y th e la n d r e c e d in g in th e d ir e c tio n o f t h e B io B io
r iv e r , a s w e ll a s b y h ig h ro c k s ly in g o ff th e p o in ts . T h e c a p e s o f S a in t A 'in c e n t’s B a y o n b o th
s id e s a r e h ig h a n d te rm in a te a b ru p t ly , a n d th e s o u th o n e h a s a la rg e ro c k ly in g som e d is ta n c e
off it. T h e n o r th e r n c ap e is ta b le d , a n d h a s a sm a ll tu f t o f tr e e s n e a r its e d g e . T a b le la n d
e x te n d s from lie r e to Q u e b r a O lla s . T h e P a p s v iew e d f rom th e w e s tw a rd a p p e a r lik e a n
i s l a n d ; th e w id e o p e n in g o f th e B io B io b e in g s e e n to th e so u thw a rd , a n d S a in t A’in c e n t’s
B a y to th e n o r thw a rd . T h e h ig h ro c k s o ff th e c a p e s , a t th e fo o t o f th e P a p s , a r e a n a d d itio n a l
* This rock bears S. 53° 08' W., tme, from the Look-out Hill, Talcahuana, and is 24' 48" W. of it. Its
latitude is 32° 58' 10" S., as foimd by Mr. Forster.