NAUTICAL REMARKS. 399 



to personal comfort, as the Blossom escaped the heat of a tro- 

 pical climate, of which Captain King complains so much, and 

 on the whole had better weather. 



The currents on the first part of this passage were very 

 irregular, varying their direction from N.N.E. to W.N.W. ; 

 the preponderance being in the latter direction, and in one 

 day amounting to thirty-eight miles. After losing the trade- 

 wind we had no current of consequence, excepting on three 

 days in lat. about 35° N. and long. 194° W. during very light 

 winds. On one of these days it ran S. 45" E. forty miles, on 

 another S. six miles, and on the third S. 31° E. nineteen 

 miles. The whole effect of the current between Oneehow and 

 Petrapaulski was N. 25o 30' W. fifty-two miles. 



FROM AWATSKA BAY TO KOTZEBUE SOUND. 



July 5t?i to 22d, 1826, and Jidy 20th to 5th August, 1827. 



After clearing the outer bay, between Cape Gavarea and 

 Chepoonski Noss, in both years we experienced much fog; 

 but it cleared away in the vicinity of the islands of Beering 

 and of St. Lawrence. The weather in both seasons was fine, 

 and we met no impediments from winds until after passino- 

 the island of St. Lawrence, and then only for a day. The 

 situation of Beering's Island is now well fixed, and so far it 

 may be approached with safety ; but the soundings decrease 

 very fast near the land. Fifty-three miles S.W. by W. from 

 the island we had no bottom with four hundred and twenty 

 fathoms ; twenty-seven miles in the same direction no bottom 

 at two hundred fathoms ; but at four miles we sounded in 

 sixty fathoms fine dark sand. It is not advisable to stand 

 within two miles of the western shore of this island, as there 

 are breakers and low rocky points projecting from that part 

 of the coast ; two miles and a half from these breakers we had 

 only nineteen fathoms dark sand ; nor should the southern 

 shore be approached within six miles, on account of Seal 

 Rock, unless the weather be fine. From here I would re- 

 commend steering for St. Lawrence Island, in preference to 



