328 



Island of Mindoro. 

 Semarara. 



SOOLOO. 



Island ol Panay. 



Shoal, which lies about mid-channel between Pala- 

 wan and Mindoro, claimed my first attention. The 

 tender was despatched to survey it, while I pro- 

 ceeded in the Vincennes to examine the more im- 

 mediate entrance to the Sooloo Sea, off the south- 

 west end of Mindoro. 



Calavite Peak is the north point of Mindoro, 

 and our observations made it two thousand feet 

 high. This peak is of the shape of a dome, and 

 appears remarkably regular when seen from its 

 western side. On approaching Mindoro, we, as is 

 usual, under high islands, lost the steady breeze, 

 and the wind became light for the rest of the day. 

 Mindoro is a beautiful island, and is evidently vol- 

 canic ; it appears as if thrown up in confused 

 masses: it is not much settled, as the more southern 

 islands are preferred to it as a residence. 



On the 23rd, we ascertained the elevation of the 

 highest peak of the island by triangulation to be 

 three thousand one hundred and twenty-six feet. 

 The easternmost island of the Palawan Group, 

 Busvagan, was at the time just in sight from the 

 deck, to the south-west. 



It had been my intention to anchor at Ambolou 

 Island; but the wind died away before we reached 

 it, and I determined to stand off and on all night. 



On the 24th, I began to experience the truth of 

 what Captain Halcon had asserted, namely, that 

 the existing charts were entirely worthless, and I 

 also found that my native pilot was of no more 

 value than they were: lie had evidently passed the 

 place before; but whether the size of the vessel, 

 so much greater than any he had sailed in, con- 

 fused him, or whether it was from his inability to 

 understand and to make himself understood by us, 

 he was of no use whatever, and we had the misfor- 

 tune of running into shoal water, barely escaping 

 the bottom. These dangers were usually quickly 

 passed, and we soon found ourselves again floating 

 in thirty or forty fathoms water. 



We continued beating to windward, in hopes of 

 being joined by the Flying-Fish, and I resolved to 

 finish the survey towards the island of Semarara. 

 We found every thing in a different position from 

 that assigned it by any of the charts with which 

 we were furnished. 



Towards evening, I again ran down to the 

 south-west point of the island of Mindoro, and sent 

 a letter on shore to the pueblo, with directions to 

 have it put on board the tender, when she should 

 arrive. We then began to beat round Semarara, 

 in order to pass over towards Panay. 



The southern part of Mindoro is much higher 

 than the northern, but appears to be equally rough. 

 It is, however, susceptible of cultivation, and there 

 are many villages along its shores. 



Semarara is moderately high, and about fifteen 

 miles in circumference; it is inhabited, and like 

 Mindoro, much wooded. According to the native 

 pilot, its shores are free from shoals. It was not 

 until the next day that we succeeded in reaching 

 Panay. I determined to pass the night off Point 

 Potol, the north end of Panay, as I believed the 

 sea in its neighbourhood to be free of shoals, and 

 wished to resume our running survey early in the 

 morning. 



At daylight on the 27th we continued the survey 

 down the coast of Panay, and succeeded in cor- 

 recting many errors in the existing charts (both 

 English and Spanish). The channel along this 



side is from twelve to twenty miles wide, and 

 suitable for beating in ; little current is believed to 

 exist ; and the tides, as far as our observations 

 went, seem to be regular and of little strength. 



The island of Panay is high and broken, particu- 

 larly on the south end; its shores are thickly set- 

 tled and well cultivated. Indigo and sugar-cane 

 claim much of the attention of the inhabitants. 

 The Indians are the principal cultivators. They 

 pay to government a capitation tax of seven rials. 

 Its population is estimated at three hundred thou- 

 sand, which I think is rather short of the actual 

 number. 



On all the hills there are telegraphs of rude con- 

 struction, to give information of the approach of 

 piratical prahus from Sooloo, which formerly were 

 in the habit of making attacks upon the defenceless 

 inhabitants, and carrying them off into slavery. Of 

 late years they have ceased these depredations, for 

 the Spaniards have resorted to a new mode of war- 

 fare. Instead of pursuing and punishing the offen- 

 ders, they now intercept all their supplies, both of 

 necessaries and luxuries; and the fear of this has 

 had the effect to deter pirates from their usual 

 attacks. 



We remained off San Pedro for the night, in 

 hopes of falling in with the Flying-Fish in the 

 morning. 



On the morning of the 28th, the Flying- Fish was 

 discovered plainly in sight. I immediately stood 

 for her, fired a gun and made signal. At seven 

 o'clock, another gun was fired, but the vessel still 

 stood off, and was seen to make sail to the westward 

 without paying any regard whatever to either, and 

 being favoured by a breeze while the Vincennes 

 was becalmed, she stole off and was soon out of 

 sight*. 



After breakfast we opened the bay of Antique, 

 on which is situated the town of San Jose. As this 

 bay apparently offered anchorage for vessels bound 

 up this coast, I determined to survey it; and for 

 this purpose the boats were hoisted out and pre- 

 pared for surveying. Lieutenant Budd was de- 

 spatched to visit the pueblo called San Jose". 



On reaching the bay, the boats were sent to 

 different points of it, and when they were in sta- 

 tion, the ship fired guns to furnish bases by the 

 sound, and angles were simultaneously measured. 

 The boats made soundings on their return to the 

 ship, and thus completed this duty, so that in an 

 hour or two afterwards the bay was correctly 

 represented on paper. It offers no more than a 

 temporary anchorage for vessels, and unless the 

 shore is closely approached, the water is almost too 

 deep for the purpose. 



At San Jose' a Spanish governor resides, who 

 presides over the two pueblos of San Pedro and 

 San Jose", and does the duty also of alcalde. 

 Lieutenant Budd did not see him, as he was 

 absent, but his lady did the honours. Lieutenant 

 Budd represented the pueblo as cleanly and 

 orderly. About fifteen soldiers were seen, who 

 compose the governor's guard, and more were 

 said to be stationed at San Pedro. A small fort of 

 eight guns commands the roadstead. The beach 

 On my arrival at Singapore, this circumstance was in- 

 vestigated by a court of inquiry. The result showed that 

 Mr. Knox had no knowledge of the Vincennes having been 

 seen ; for the officer of the watch had not reported to him 

 the fact. 



