138 VOYAGE TO THE 



attached to the island by very low land, but the shore 

 under water often assumes the character of that which 

 is above, in which case a vigilant look out for rocks 

 would here be necessary in rowing along the coast. 

 At three miles distance from the land we had no bot- 

 tom with 120 fathoms of line. 



After beating two days off Tobago Xima without 

 being able to make much progress against the cur- 

 rent, which on the average ran a mile and a quarter 

 per hour, on the 10th a change of wind enabled us to 

 steer our course. We took our departure, from Sam- 

 sanna, an island to the northward of Tobago Xima, 

 situated, by our observations, nearly in latitude 22^* 

 42' N., and exactly 8' west of the eastern extreme of 

 the Little Tobago Xima. 



I intended, on leaving Macao, to explore the sea to 

 the eastward of Loo Choo, particularly that part of it 

 where the Yslas Arzobispo, the Malabrigos, and the 

 Bonin Islands, are laid down in various charts. It 

 was, however, no easy matter to reach thus far, and 

 what with light, variable winds, and contrary currents, 

 our progress was extremely slow, so that on the 15th, 

 we found ourselves not far from the Great Loo Choo 

 with a contrary wind. 



About this time it was discovered that the water we 

 had taken on board at Macao was extremely bad, 

 owing to the neglect of the comprador in filling the 

 casks, and as I had no object in reaching Kamschatka 

 for nearly two months, I determined upon proceeding 

 to Napakiang in Loo Choo. I was further induced to 

 do this, on account of the longitude of the places we 

 might meet between it and Petropaulski. We there- 

 fore boi3 away to the westward, and in the evening- 

 saw the island bearing W. by N. ten leagues distant. 



