ISLAND OF BANTAN. 287 



storm. The rising sun discovered to us the 

 three high Richmond rocks, rising in the mid 

 dle of the strait, between the Bashi and 

 Babuyan Islands. Soon after the island of 

 Bantan appeared, with heavy clouds still lin 

 gering behind its cliffs. The weather was, 

 however, at present fine, the wind blowing 

 strongly from the north ; we therefore set as 

 much sail as the gale would permit us to carry, 

 and pursued our course through the strait 

 formed by the Richmond rocks, and the south 

 ern Bashi Islands. In clearing these straits, we 

 had reason to apprehend serious damage to our 

 rigging, or even the loss of a mast. A heavy 

 squall from the north-east put the sea in great 

 commotion. The billows chafed and roared 

 as they broke over each other, and were met 

 in the narrow channel by a current, driving 

 from the Chinese Sea into the ocean. This 

 furious encounter of the contending waves pro 

 duced the appearance of breakers, through 

 which we were compelled to work our danger 

 ous way ; the ship, sometimes tossed to their 

 utmost summit, then, without the power of re 

 sistance, suddenly precipitated into the yawn- 



