NO. 1 GEOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT AND STATION RECORDS 23 



Islands lie off the northeast end. These smaller islands are separated from 

 the main island by deep channels, but currents approaching 3 knots make 

 them unsafe for navigation. 



The population of the island is about 25,000 inhabitants. The prin- 

 cipal occupation is agriculture, the fertile valleys of Tobago being ideally 

 suited to the cultivation of coconut, banana, and cacao. 



Scarborough 



The principal port of Tobago is the town of Scarborough, located on 

 Rockly Bay, which extends 3^^ miles from Bacolet Point to an unnamed 

 point y2 mile east of Columbus Point. The bay is open to the southwest 

 and never free from a bad swell. Anchorage was had in 20 fathoms off 

 Fort George. However, smaller vessels can anchor farther up the bay 

 opposite Scarborough. A depth of only 4 feet of water at the end of the 

 75-foot wharf makes it necessary for the combination freight and passen- 

 ger steamer which makes triweekly trips from Port of Spain to lighter 

 all cargo ashore. The town of Scarborough is located on the hillside to the 

 right and is well concealed by trees until closely approached. 



The air temperatures at the anchorage rose from 76° F. at 2 A.M. 

 to 86° F. at 2 P.M. during the short stay of the Velero III. 



Dredging was accomplished from the small dredge boat in Rockly 

 Bay, 9-18 fathoms, mud, and a seine haul was made on the beach just 

 west of Scarborough. (See Chart no. 9) 



Four miles due west of Scarborough, but on the opposite side of the 

 island, lies Buccoo Bay. It is the most westerly of a series of four bays, 

 Great Courland, Stone Haven, Little Courland, and Buccoo, which are 

 identical except in one respect: Buccoo Bay is the only one closed by a 

 reef. Buccoo Reef extends from 1^ miles north of Pigeon Point to Wolf 

 Rock, on the opposite side of the bay, except for a narrow entrance usable 

 only by those with local knowledge and in the smallest of sailing vessels. 

 The reef is less than a fathom beneath the surface, uncovers at low tide, 

 and has a clearly defined outer edge. 



A shore collecting station was made on the outer portion of Buccoo 

 Reef, and a seine was hauled on the sandy beach of Buccoo Bay. (See 

 Chart no. 9.) 



Islands off the Coast of Venezuela 



The following five islands or island groups lay north of the course 

 of the Velero III and were not visited on the 1939 Expedition. A para- 

 graph is devoted to the description of each because they fall within the 

 general area covered by this account and because they offer an attractive 

 field for future investigation. 



