1844.] FISHING BOATS. 197 



from their summits to the sea, without a trace of grass or 

 cleared spaces, and the coast receding into dark bays, gave 

 to the whole an aspect of solitude and stillness, which one 

 is frequently apt, in these regions, to associate with the 

 pirate haunt. Not a sail was to be seen, in vain we 

 sought the outline of a prahu or canoe, or even of any 

 human being. Monkeys innumerable were busily occu- 

 pied among the reefs searching for various marine objects, 

 and with such intentness, that we almost fancied they 

 were emulating us in our conchological pursuits. 



About nine o'clock, favoured by light breezes from 

 the southward, we weighed, or rather lost, our anchor 

 in the coral reef, and aided by light airs, gently stole 

 along the land, our glasses closely scanning every opening 

 in this deeply indented coast, in expectation of discovering 

 this reported pirate fleet. We at length observed a number 

 of fishing boats employed upon the reefs, which extend 

 several miles to seaward, but their shape, size, and num- 

 ber of persons belonging to them, clearly showed them 

 to be simply fishermen, or those employed in quest of 

 the Bec/te de mer, or Sea-slug, which, with the large 

 Pearl Oyster (Avicula margaritiferci], are articles of exten- 

 sive commerce in these countries. After obtaining ob- 

 servations on the near reef of Nassabutta, we passed 

 between it, and the small sandy Island Commiron, 

 entering the Mindoro and Sooloo Seas. At this season 

 strong north easterly winds are generally experienced, in 

 what is termed the Palawan channel, or that lying paral- 

 lel to the western coast line of Palawan, and at nearly 

 the same period, (in the month of November, 1840,) in 

 the ' Sulphur ', we escaped a heavy gale, reaching Manila, 



