312 



Wake's Island. Ladrone or 

 Marian Islands. 



SAN FRANCISCO TO MANILLA. 



The Mangs. Abajos Shoal. 

 Manilla. 



wind was light from the north-north-east. After 

 breakfast, several boats were sent to survey the 

 island. Wake's Island is a low coral one, of tri- 

 angular form, and eight feet above the surface. It 

 has a large lagoon in the centre, which was well 

 filled with fish of a variety of species; among these 

 were some fine mullet. There is no fresh water on 

 the island, and neither pandanus nor cocoa-nut 

 trees. It has upon it the shrubs which are usually 

 found on the low islands of the Pacific, the most 

 abundant of which was the tournefortia. Mr. 

 Peale found here the short-tailed albatross, and 

 procured an egg from its nest. The birds were 

 quite tame, although they were not so nume- 

 rous as we had before met with on uninhabited 

 islands. 



The time of low water took place at one o'clock, 

 and the moon entered its last quarter on the same 

 day: the tide was setting along the shore of the 

 island with much strength to the westward; the 

 rise and fall was three feet. From appearances, 

 the island must be at times submerged, or the sea 

 makes a complete breach over it; the appearance 

 of the coral blocks and of all the vegetation leads to 

 this conclusion, for they have a very decided in- 

 clination to the eastward, showing also that the 

 violent winds or rush of the water, when the island 

 is covered, are from the westward. The reef 

 around this island is very small in extent. 



The position of Wake's Island was found by my 

 observations of equal altitudes on shore to be in 

 longitude 166 31' 30" E., and latitude 19 10' 

 54' 7 N. 



By four o'clock, P.M., all the boats had returned 

 on board, when we filled away and proceeded on 

 our course to the westward. Although these coral 

 islands resemble one another very strongly, yet 

 they afforded us some recreation for a few hours, 

 and much satisfaction in obtaining series of obser- 

 vations in magnetism. Our visit to Wake's Island 

 gave us an opportunity of adding to our collections 

 in natural history. 



In the evening we steered to pass over the posi- 

 tion of Halcyon Island, longitude 163 30' E., 

 latitude 19 13' N. ; and on the 27th, we passed 

 immediately over its locality, and had run on its 

 supposed parallel fifty miles on each side of it, but 

 nothing was seen of it. We now felt the current 

 to the south-east twelve miles in the twenty-four 

 hours. 



Folger's Island next claimed my attention: it is 

 said to lie in longitude 155 19' E., latitude 18 

 21' N. This position was passed over, but the 

 inquiry resulted as the others had, in a fruitless 

 search. 



I now bore away for Origan, the northernmost 

 of the inhabited Ladrone or Marian Islands, which 

 we made on the 29th December, at 7 A.M., bearing 

 south-south-west. As we approached these islands, 

 we had experienced a strong current to the north- 

 ward and westward ; and the wind had also veered 

 to the southward and westward. 



At midnight, we discovered the island of As- 

 sumption, bearing north-east-by-east. 



The island of Grigan appears to be about eight 

 miles in width, seen from the north, and has the 

 form of a dome. Its height, by a very unsatisfac- 

 tory observation, was two thousand three hundred 

 feet. It was my intention to stop and make it a 

 magnetic station; but the weather appeared so 



thick as to threaten delay; and this I could ill 

 afford, so I gave up the idea. 



There is said to be no other settlement than one 

 small village, on the south-west side of Grigan, 

 where a few individuals dwell, and I understood 

 that they were headed by an American; its shores 

 are almost perpendicular, and it has no coral reefs 

 to form harbours; so that in this respect it is not 

 so much favoured as the southern isles of the same 

 group. The passage between Grigan and Assump- 

 tion is free from dangers, and I am well satisfied 

 that no shoal exists where Freycinet has laid down 

 the Mangs, for we passed directly over the locality, 

 and saw nothing of the kind. The Mangs were 

 seen in their true position, to the northward of 

 Assumption. 



The wind was light and variable. On the 1st of 

 January, 1842, it changed to the south-west; with 

 this change of wind we experienced a fall both of 

 the thermometer and barometer, and excessive 

 dampness; we had some lightning, and at mid- 

 night a violent squall with rain burst upon us, 

 attended by a shift of wkid to the northward and 

 westward, which afterwards hauled to the north- 

 ward and eastward. A slight current was felt set- 

 ting to the eastward. 



We now steered for the most eastern position 

 assigned to Copper's Island, and on the 4th, ran 

 over the position in longitude 131 54' E., and 

 latitude 20 11' N. The Abajos Shoal of Arrow- 

 smith has no existence; its position was passed 

 over in broad daylight. 



On the 5th, we felt a current to the west of 

 fifteen miles. The variations of the compass were 

 now to the westward; much phosphorescence in 

 the water; its temperature was 75. The slight 

 current continued until the 8th, when we made the 

 islands of Sabtang and Batan on the starboard 

 side, and the Richmond Rocks on the larboard, 

 steering a westerly course through the Balingtang 

 Straits. The weather being remarkably fine, we 

 had excellent observations on transit bearing. The 

 longitude of the west point of Sabtang is 121 50' 

 30' 7 E., the latitude is in 20 18' N., instead of 

 20 11' N. In the strait we had strong ripples, 

 and occasionally felt the influence of the current, 

 as we passed through them. 



We had now left the Pacific Ocean, and I could 

 not but rejoice that we had all the results of our 

 cruise up to this time quite safe. 



Sabtang and Batan are of broken surface, shoot- 

 ing up into many remarkable peaks, to the eleva- 

 tion of a thousand feet. These are both inhabited, 

 and afford one or two anchorages. 



In the route from Oahu, we had experienced a 

 set to the westward of four hundred miles by cur- 

 rent; the greater part of this was felt before reach- 

 ing the meridian of the Ladrone Islands. 



I now stood to the southward along the island of 

 Luzon, to pass just clear of Cape Bolinao. On 

 the 9th, we continued to have very strong winds. 

 A very heavy sea arose, without apparent cause; 

 the progressing motion of the waves in passing the 

 ship was twenty-two miles per hour; their width, 

 as near as it could be ascertained, was one hundred 

 and forty yards. 



At sunset of the 10th, we were off Cape Capones, 

 and numerous lights were seen on shore. The 

 breeze failed us after midnight, and in the morn- 

 ing we found that we had drifted some thirty miles 



