refer to the chart as our guide, with a south-east wind, the starboard 

 tack is that which appears to lead to Cape Horn, and the port tack 

 appears to lead iu an opposite direction. But on referring to the globe 

 we find that the reverse is the fact : the port tack takes us towards the 

 Horn, whilst the starboard tack takes the ship further from that Cape. 

 Captain Coleman acknowledges that the " Kent," which on the 5th of 

 June had left Melbourne, at seven a.m. of the 26th of June, was seen 

 astern of the "Marco Polo," which had left Melbourne on the 10th of 

 June ; but it is equall}- true that before ten a.m. the "Marco Polo " was 

 astern of the " Kent," and that the " Kent," with a foul wind from the 

 north-east, walked out dead to windward of the " Marco Polo," and at 

 eight a.m. on the following morning the " Marco Polo" was eight miles 

 dead to leeward, bearing south-east, with the wind at north. If Captain 

 Forbes were to conduct a hundred voyages he could never receive a higher 

 testimony in favour of his nautical skill. By setting at defiance old con- 

 ventional rules, by losiug sight of the distorted figure of the earth as 

 represented on the chart, he cut off the " Kent," which had started five 

 days before — a ship which Captain Coleman's testimony proves to be a far 

 better sailing vessel than the " Marco Polo," and commanded, too, by a 

 captain of high nautical skill ; in fact, the unfavourable account he gives 

 of himself in this letter is the only disparagement that can be adduced 

 against the ability of Captain Coleman. He tells us that, with the wind 

 north-east, the " Kent" walked out dead to windward. For what purpose? 

 If to prove the weatherly qualities of the "Kent," he may have accom- 

 plished his object ; but if he imagines he neared his port by such a course, 

 he has much to learn before he will win the race against some of our 

 Liverpool captains, although he may command a ship of superior sailing 

 qualities. The " Marco Polo," however, the next morning, was found 

 dead to leeward of the " Kent" — the very situation she ought to be in. It 

 appears that the " Marco Polo," after sailing south and west for some 

 hundreds of miles, finds the wind from the north and west ; she then takes 

 the great circle track, which leads to 60° on this parallel, with fine 

 westerly winds, until, 141 W., she is stopped by ice close packed, and 

 is obliged to beat to northward to clear this ice. Notwithstandiug this 

 untoward circumstance, which prolonged the time of her voyage four 

 or five days, she still had cut off the " Kent," which had started five days 

 before her. Having thus run to northward and cleared the ice, she 

 again ran away to the southward, first to shorten her route, and next to 

 obtain more fiivourable winds, and by her old route weathered the Horn, 

 when again the "Marco Polo" is found ahead of the "Kent;" but to use 

 the words of Captain Coleman, " neither did on that occasion the flying 



