PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 127 



US ships are obliged to comevery close to the shore 

 before they can find anchorage, and then only with a 

 very long scope of cable. This bank is formed of IviiXT 

 lava and scoriae, and, being on the leeward side of the *^^''- 

 island, has probably been raised by frequent eruptions 

 of the volcano. There were no projections in any 

 part of the island, that we could perceive, sufficient to 

 afford protection to a boat attempting to land, and 

 the sea in consequence broke heavily against it in 

 every direction. 



The day being clear, we looked to the southward 

 for the island of Agrigan, which on Arrows mith's 

 chart is placed within twelve miles of the Man^s. but 

 no land could be discerned in that direction, and from 

 the state of the weather, I should think there could 

 not have been any within at least twelve leagues dis- 

 tance of us. This would make the channel be- 

 tween Assumption and Agrigan about forty miles 

 wide : the Jesuits extend it to sixty ; but this cannot 

 be the case, as it would place Agrigan near the lati- 

 tude of 18° 45' N. in which parallel Ybargottia, ac- 

 cording to Espinosa, has placed the island of Pagon. 

 It seems necessary, therefore to contract the channel 

 between Assumption and Agrigan as marked in the 

 Jesuits' plan, and to reduce the size of Agrigan in 

 order to reconcile the position of the islands. Arrow- 

 smith has incorrectly placed the Mangs on the south 

 side of Assumption ; by our astronomical bearings 

 they are situated N. 27^ 7 30" W. (true) from the 

 south-east end of that island, and are in latitude 19° 57' 

 02" N. They consist of three high rocks, lying in a 

 south-easterly direction.* 



* It is somewhat remarkable that in passing to the southward 

 of the island of Assumption, at the distance of four miles and a 

 half, we did not discover the rocks which Captain Freycinet has 



