308 



EXPEDITION TO JAPAN. 



of some commercial friends at Canton, who were requested to send them to Shanghai by her 

 Majesty's steamer the Rattler, to sail for that place two days after the Commodore's dejjarture, 

 and on board of which they were to be received by the polite permission of Admiral Pellew. 

 They were to be shipped then in the Saratoga, which would carry them to Lew Chew, where 

 they were duly received in time for the second expedition to Japan. 



The squadron having set sail from Hong Kong, the course was directed through Lymoon 

 passage. It was tliought desirable to get well to the northward before striking over for the 

 south end of Formosa. The northeasterly current, which is constantly setting with great 

 rapidity round the south end of this island, and with decreased velocity along its eastern coast, 

 was especially noticed during the voyage, and careful observations, the results of which 

 will be given in a future chapter, were made upon its force, direction, and other characteristics, 

 which resemble remarkably those of the G-ulf stream on our own coast. The monsoon fortu- 

 nately not having been very strong, a very favorable passage was made, with the two store ships 

 in tow, as far as the northeastern point of Formosa, when they were cast off, with orders to 

 follow the steamers to Napha, where the latter arrived on the 20th of January, and the former 

 on the twenty-fourth of the same month. Here were found the Macedonian, Vandalia, and 

 Supply. The Saratoga, however, had not yet made her appearance. 



View on the Pack-stian River. 



