212 PACIFIC AND 



Captain Edmund Gardner, of New Bedford, having visited the 

 Pacific ocean (both North and South) several times, gave his 

 opinion as to the coasts and islands which it would seem more 

 immediately necessary to explore and survey, viz. : 



CALIFORNIA. 



This coast has been very imperfectly surveyed, particularly 

 from Ceros island, south, to the end of the peninsula. From 

 Ceros island, north, was partially surveyed by Vancouver. There 

 are, however, many bays, harbours, islands, and reefs, that were 

 not laid down by him. There has lately been a reef discovered 

 by Captain Pease, of the ship Hesper, of this port, in lat. 32 34' 

 N., long. 119 34' W., which was not seen till the ship was 

 passing over one end of it. It was seen from the mast-head, 

 nearly under the ship. They sounded on it, and found from two 

 and a half to sixteen fathoms. 



Northwest to westnorthwest from the Sandwich islands, (a 

 track much frequented by our whaling-ships,) there are a number 

 of islands and reefs but imperfectly known. In this direction 

 three ships have been lost, viz.: Two Brothers, of Nantucket, 

 and Hermes and: Pearl of London. He should consider this 

 track one of the first that should be explored. 



The next that would call the attention of the expedition would, 

 in his opinion, be a track, north and west perhaps more north 

 than west from the Ladrone islands to the islands of Japan, a 

 chain of islands extending nearly across in this direction, and the 

 true situation of which is very little known. 



Southsouthwest from South island, near the coast of Japan, 

 <Captain Clark, of the bark Elizabeth, of New Bedford, discovered 

 a reef, lat. 31 45' N., long. 137 5(X E., The Sisters, of London, 

 in company at the time. 



A rock, called the Haystack, said to lie in lat. 29 58' N., 

 long. 137 50' E., has also been recently discovered. The lati- 



