Barrow’s Bay.
General caution
respecting coral
reefs.
Sugar Loaf or
Eegooshcoond.
Two safe anchoring
places.
Geographical
position of
Napakiang.
depth, and appears to have no coral in it : while the eastern
bight is extremely shallow, and is not only skirted by a
broad fringe of coral, but has reefs in the centre ; and these
last are very dangerous, for they give no warning either by
breakers or discoloration of the water, or by soundings :
and this remark will apply generally to all the reefs round
this island, rendering the navigation, particularly at night,
very dangerous. . . .
The most remarkable headland is the island called
by Captain Broughton the Sugar Loaf, and by the natives
Eegooshcoond (tower or castle) ; it can be seen
distinctly a t the distance of twenty-five miles when the eye
is elevated only fifteen feet. I t is a high conical.mountain,
varying very little in its aspect when viewed from 'different
quarters:-as there is no other peak like it on or .near, .this
island, it cannot be mistaken. .The latitude:of;theipeak is
26° 4 3 ''north ; and I have reason to !believe..that this is
within, one mile of thé truth. ; Its.longitude, is :127° 44', or
6' east of the observatory , at Napakiang,: by two chronometers.
The base of the cone and one-third of the way up
is covered with houses ; and the whole island has the
appearance of a garden. When nearly on the meridian of
the Sugar Loaf its top seems rounded off.
There are two places where ships can ride in safety,
Napakiang Roads on the south-west, and Port Melville on
the north-west side of the island. The first of these is the
one in which his majesty's ships Alceste and Lyra lay for
upwards of a month. By means of a base of 1 3 1 9 feet on
a coral reef, which dried at half ebb, we were enabled to
make the survey which accompanies this notice. The
latitude of the observatory was determined to be 26 13'
3 4 " north, the mean of three meridian altitudes of the sun
by a sextant of Cary's, and five by a circle of Troughton’s,
th e ; extreme difference being 20". The longitude is 127
38' east ; this was ascertained by measuring the difference
of longitude between th e ' observatory and Lintin Island
off Canton river in a run of six days; on which occasion
two chronometers.oniboard the Lyra gave within:one.mile
the same difference b f longitude,'viz. l3l*50', with'that:sbewn
by two o t h e r s 'on b o a r d , his;majesty's: ship. Alceste; the
longitude of Lintin being .113° 48: east of,Greenwich. The
longitude, by; lunar, observations, is ,127° 37' 28". The plan p . ^
of Napakiang roads will be .found .sufficient without many
directions for ships wishing to.fenter it; The principal danger
lies in the outer reefs, which do not show when the weather
is very fine and there is little swell; on such occasions a
boat.’ought to go a-head at least a quarter of a mile, and
the ship should put about instantly upon approaching the
reefs, which are every where bold. A ship coming from Reefis—.
the westward ought to steer between the north-eastern; of
the group of high islands .to the south-westward, and a low
green island with extensive reefs to the northward, in latitude
26° Id north. On passing which she should haul
up east by south, giving Reef Island a birth of a t least a
mile.O
n .approaching the main land a conspicuous wooded ¡ g g |g >
point will be seen, having rocks on its summit like the ruins
of an ab b ey ; this forms the south side of the anchorage,
and is considerably more to the westward than the northeast
side. The harbour of Napakiang will soon be seen at
the south side of the b ay ; steer directly in for this, giving