354 NAVIGATION. 



commences about fifteen or twenty days sooner near Cape 

 Comorin and on the southern coast of Malabar. During 

 the months of June and July the monsoon blows strong, 

 with frequent hard squalls and constant ram ; notwithstand- 

 ing which the company's ships every year make t^eir passage 

 down the coast inside of the Laccadives m the teeth of the 

 monsoon without difficulty. The whole coast from Bonibay 

 to Cape Comorin is well kno.%Ti and safe to approach in 

 the north-east monsoon. 



The Laccadives group of islands has not yet been very 

 accurately surveyed, and therefore great caution is necessary 

 if a ship should accidentally be forced among them. Ibe 

 Nine Decrees Channel, to the southward between them and 

 the island of Minicoy, is perfectly safe, but should not be 

 passed without paying great attention to the current, which 

 most commonly sets to the southward in both monsoons 

 amoncT the Laccadives. To the southward of Mmicoy is 

 the Efaht Degrees Channel, quite safe ; it is bounded on the 

 south by the northernmost of the Maldives, another exten- 

 sive chain of low islands, whose geographical position is 

 not very accurately determined. Captam Horsburgli has 

 taken great pains to collate information respectmg them 

 from the journals of the East India Company's ships. After 

 giving many extracts, he says, " Although the geographical 

 positions of the channels which divide the Northern AtoUs 

 of the Maldive chain ought not to be relied on as perfectly 

 ascertained, from a deficiency of correct observations yet 

 the Umits given for the One-and-a-half Degrees Channel, the 

 Equatorial Channel, and the South Channel may be con- 

 sidered a near approximation to the truth. Nevertheless 

 large ships ought always to approach these islands with 

 great caution, on account of strong currents, often uncertain 

 in their direction, although generally setting east and west 

 between the Atolls and in the channels." The shoals which 

 bound the north end of the Laccadives are very dangerous. 

 In 1837 the Byramgore was lost on a coral reef between 

 the northernmost Laccadive and Cherbaniani Reel. 1 his 

 shoal was unknown till she struck on it ; and the Competitor 

 in the same year also struck on a shoal among the islands, 

 whose geographical site is not yet determined. 



The north-east monsoon, which is the fine weather sea- 

 son, commences at Bombay in the middle of November ; and 



