THE CARIBBEAN SEA. 361 



was from the E.N.E., sometimes blowing a gale ; but, when sheltered by 

 the land, the water was tolerably smooth. 



" In December, 1836, the Echo, then on her passage from Sm-inam to 

 Cura9ao, with sharp breezes, found the Current sweeping through the 

 channel between Tobago and Grenada ; and, farther on, along the Leeward 

 Islands, with a velocity of more than 2 miles an hour to the W. by N. ; 

 but, in October, 1836, on the same route, with light wind and calms, the 

 water ran for days together to the Northward, at the rate of only half a 

 mile an hour. 



"In March, 1836, the same vessel, from Curasao to La Guayra, with 

 very strong winds, spent six days in beating up against a Current of 40 

 miles mean daily strength ; and on April 8th left La Guayra for Porto 

 Cabello, in the bight to the Westward, when, instead of making this passage 

 in some hours, she had, during three days, to contend with light, variable, 

 and even Westerly winds, and Currents to the N.E. 15 miles daily. 



" The Baron von Humboldt's remark about the increase of the Currents 

 near the Testigos proved true on our approach to the same islands, in 

 December, 1835.* In the morning of the 12th, the longitude observed was 

 62° 45' 15", and the difference West in twenty-four hours appeared to be 

 82' 15" ; shortly after, the cluster of rocks came in sight ; and at noon, at 

 the very moment that the sun passed the meridian, the S. W. island, placed 

 by Don J. F. Fidalgo in 63° 12', bore East, distance 1 mile, having run by 

 log 20 miles to the W. f N. ; so that, during these last four hours, the 

 Westerly difference amounted to 8 miles, whereas, in former watches, it 

 was only 5^ miles. 



"A similar circumstance, we have reason to believe, also takes place at 

 other groups of this range of sunken islands, and near such capes as are 

 low and reaching far out, so as to obstruct the motion of the water beneath, 

 and thereby redouble the force of the surface current, as denoted by the 

 many instances of shipwreck and carcases of vessels (sad admonishers of 

 precaution) spread among these flat, barren rocks, and produced solely by 

 the irregularity of currents, which baffle every calculation, even those of 

 the coast traders. 



" But this variety in the Westerly Currents here is not the only cause of 

 danger. The total change in the setting of the Currents from West to East 

 is of a nature which requires the utmost care and attention, as they not 

 only occasionally happen with calms, but also sometimes with fresh breezes 

 from the Eastward. One of the first mentioned instances, particularly 

 remarkable, we observed during our passage in October, from Surinam, 

 thi'ough the Channel of Grenada, toward Cura9ao. On the 7th and 8th, 

 between the Island of Tobago and Cape Malapasqua, the water flowed to 

 the N. by E. and N. by W., with a trifling force ; when suddenly, on the 

 9th, we had a difference of 17' 54" North, and 34' West; and, on the follow- 



* The remark is as follows. The Baron, on approaching the Testigos, July 14th, 1799, 

 says: — " During a calm, the Current drew us on rapidly toward the West. Its velocity 

 was 3 miles an hour, and increased as we approached the meridian of the Testigos, a 

 heap of rocks, which rise up amid the waters." 



N. A. 0. ■■ 47 



