1845.] ADVERSE CURRENTS. 253 



without being compelled to run ten miles to the south- 

 ward, to clear the outer group of Islands. We now 

 began to derive assistance from our Sooloo pilot, who, 

 in addition to much general information afforded, re- 

 garding this part of the coast, acquainted us with the 

 names of the islets which we had just surveyed, and 

 which proved to be the inner group belonging to Si- 

 Ameel. The position upon which our observations were 

 made, a small sand island within one mile of the Borneo 

 shore, was determined to be in Lat. 4 19' 6" N., Long. 

 11833'16"E., Var. 045'3"E. 



Being too unwell to endure the harassing duty of 

 working up in shore, we stood to the eastward, and on 

 our western tack did not reach more than two miles to 

 windward in three days. I therefore determined to 

 make a longer stretch easterly, and found that the cur- 

 rent was not only weaker, but slightly in our favour, 

 enabling us. to reach Si-misa, on the eastern side of 

 Sooloo, on the morning of the 8th. I would not advance 

 this, however, as any guide to navigation, for I am weh 1 

 aware that the currents among these islands are irregular, 

 and that the tides, when the sea breezes act in concert 

 with them, would lead a casual observer to anticipate a 

 northerly, instead of southerly, set, which latter would 

 invariably prevail during calms. We had a proof of the 

 uncertainty of these currents previous to reaching Si- 

 misa, having experienced a strong northerly current, 

 attended with heavy overfalls, instead of the southerly 

 set anticipated. On the night of the 8th we were, 

 however, forced by a strong southerly set on the shores 

 of Si-misa, and compelled to anchor in ten fathoms, 



