256 _ PROFESSOR SMITH’S JOURNAL. 
merable shoals of fish of different kinds, but chiefly Albicore 
and Bonitos, were swimming in all directions. Every day 
some of them were caught. Flocks of birds belonging to 
the tropical regions and now and then some men-of-war 
birds were seen. From the 10th, the weather has been 
frequently calm, but the squalls have somewhat abated. 
To day a man died on board, who had been sick a long 
time. On opening him, a quantity of coagulated and ex- 
travasated blood was found in the pericardium. It was 
not without some emotion that I witnessed for the first time 
a burial at sea. ‘Tuckey read the prayers, and two sailors 
in white shirts lowered him over the side. ‘The common 
story that the sick recover, when the ship comes in sound- 
ings, was not in his case verified. 
14th. In the afternoon we had the very amusing sight 
of a great multitude of fishes, flying over the surface of 
the water and chased by albicores, which hurried after them 
with the swiftness of anarrow. ‘The chase took place close 
to the vessel. 
15th A number of brown - - - indicated that we were 
not far from land; and on the 16th in the morning, we 
came in sight of Prince’s island, at the distance of about 
ten leagues. ‘I'his island had a singular appearance. Steep 
rocks of a cubical and conical form arose towards N. E. 
and E., some of which, on the side we passed, were per- 
pendicular, and white as chalk. It is difficult to assign a 
reason for this white colour. ‘Their forms prove that they 
are basaltic rocks, but no white substance, as far as I know, 
occurs in such large masses in this formation. Some of the 
