THE CARIBBEAN SEA. 365 



miles off, according to the state of the atmosphere, it forms a splendid 

 landmark, and no allowance for the Easterly set is made by most of the 

 captains of mail steamers, as, should the current happen to be slight, or 

 no current at all be encountered, as sometimes happens, and allowance 

 were made for the Easterly current, a vessel would make the low land to 

 the Westward of Colon, where it is difficult to recognize. By making no 

 allowance, a vessel is sure to make the high land of Manzanillo or that 

 between Manzanillo and Colon. 



(338.) Captain Lima, of the Pacific Mail steamship Neioport, stated, in 

 1891, that in ninety voyages from New York to Aspinwall he always made 

 Farallon Sucio, off Cape Manzanilla, bearing S. by W. to S. by W. ^ W., 

 even in the rainy season, when no observations could be obtained. His 

 invariable rule is to change his course, so as to allow for the Easterly set 

 near this coast, as soon as he sights logs, trees, and driftwood. At his 

 speed of 12 knots he allows one-half to three-quarters of a point, according 

 to the quantity of driftwood encountered. If the quantity of driftwood is 

 very great, and the discolorization of the water very marked, he sometimes 

 allows as much as 1^ point. If he encounters no drift, he makes no allow- 

 ance, and assumes that there is no current. — United States Notice to 

 Mariners, No. 9 of 1891. 



Some remarks on this Easterly set will also be found on pages 148 — 149. 

 (339.) In the Bay of Honduras there is no permanent current, but out- 

 side its limits it generally sets to the N.W. With respect to this. Captain 

 W. J. Capes forwarded the following remarks to Mr. Purdy. He says : — 

 " Between Jamaica and Bonacca the Current generally sets to the North- 

 ward and Westward. Here, in May, 1816, 1 was set 60 miles to the West- 

 ward by the Current, and found that it set rather Northerly, from one- 

 quarter to half a mile an hour. Between Jamaica and Bonacca are the 

 islands called the Swan Islands. I would not advise any one bound to the 

 Bay of Honduras to make these islands, for it cannot be of service, and the 

 current is so very irregular about them ; and by falling in with them in a 

 dark night, a ship would be in danger of running on shore, as the land is 

 very low. About the Southern Four Kays the currents are very uncertain. 

 I have known three ships to be lost on these kays by lying-to for the 

 night, after they have made them ; for, at all times, the currents set 

 strongly on them. 



" If a ship be lying-to, under Battan, it will not be amiss to try the 

 Current. It is my opinion that the Current about Bonacca takes two 

 different directions; one part setting to the N.W., and the other part 

 branching to the S.S.W. I have found it so on several trials, which is the 

 reason that I prefer taking a departure (for the bay) from the middle or 

 East end of Eattan ; for, if a ship take her departure from the West end, 

 her course will be N.N.W. (1816) ; but it very frequently happens that 

 ships get down on the reefs of the Southern Four Kays when they take 

 their departure from the West end. The reason is this — a ship steering 

 N.W. from the West end has more of the Current on her beam, which 

 sweeps round the end of Rattan very strong at times ; consequently, ships 

 that take their departure from the East or middle part do not feel so much 

 of the Current." 



