Appearance of
the Amherst
Isles, from the
top of a peaked
island.
Difficulty of estimating
the
number of
islands on this
coast.
Winds and
weather.
Barometer and
thermometer.
On the 9 th of September Captain Maxwell and a party
went to the summit of a high peak, on an island to the
south-east of the ships, in latitude 34° 20' north, and longitude
1 2 6 ° 6' east. From this spot, elevated about seven
or eight hundred feet above the sea, the view of the islands
was very striking: 1 we endeavoured to number them, but
our accounts varied, owing to the difficulty of estimating
the number in the distant groups; it will serve, however, to
give some idea of this splendid scene, to say that the lowest
enumeration gave one hundred and twenty islands.
Many of these islands are large and high, almost all are
cultivated, and their forms present an endless diversity.
High land was seen to rise above the distant islands in
the east and north-east; this probably was the main land of
Corea, for it seemed more extensive and connected than
any group of islands we had seen.
We: had now ran along upwards of two hundred miles of
this coast, and a t every part which we approached, the
islands were no less thickly sown than h e re ; so that our
attempts to enumerate them all, or even to assign places on
the chart to those which we passed the nearest to, became
after a time quite hopeless.
During our stay upon the coast of Corea, between the
1 st .and 10th of September, the winds were principally
from the northward; the weather was moderate and clear;
and occasionally calm during the heat of the day.
The barometer rose and fell gradually between. 29- 78.
and 29- 9 8 . The thermometer was never above 82?, and
never, even at night, under 72°. For further details respecting
the winds and weather, see the Meteorological Journal-
NOTICE TO ACCOMPANY THE GENERAL CHART
THE GREAT LOO-CHOO ISLAND,
CHARTS OF NAPAKIANG, AND PORT MELVILLE.
This island is called Loo-choo, and sometimes Doo-choo, W M t f *
by the natives. In our maps it is variously written, but
mostly Lekayo: the Chinese know it by the name of Low-
kow. The spelling used by Mr. Horsburgh in his directions,
Lieou-kieou, or Lieu-chew.
The island lies between 26= 47 and 26° 52*', north, and j U g
between 127° 3 4 ' and 128° 18' east, being very nearly sixty
miles long in a north-east direction, and preserving a tolerably
uniform breadth of about ten or twelve miles. The north
end is high and bold, with wood on the top of the hills.
The north-east coast is also abrupt, bu t quite barren. The
south-east side is low, with very little appearance of cultivation.
The south, south-west, and western faces, particularly
the two former, are of moderate height, and present
a scene of great fertility and high cultivation : it is to this
quarter that the mass of population have resorted. The
north-west side is generally rugged and bare.
There are two deep indentures, one on each side of the Deep bay.
island; tha t on the west has at least one hundred fathoms