THE AZORES ISLANDS. 575 



French consul announced that, on July 7th, 1722, its site could only be distinguished 

 by breakers. 



A much more complete account was given by Mr. T. Forster, in a Letter (dated May 

 12th^ 1722) to Mr. Machin, Secretary to the Royal Society, appearing in the Philo- 

 sophical Transactions, 1722, page 100. To this description are attached six views of 

 the island. He described the volcano as lying 17 leagues S.E. of Terceira and narrates 

 as follows : — " The fire broke out on November 20th, 1720, in the night, and caused an 

 earthquake, which shattered many houses in the town of Angra and places adjacent. 

 The governor went to the island a month afterwards, and in the afternoon we made 

 an island all fire and smoke ; the ashes fell on our deck like hail or snow all night, the 

 smoke and fire roaring like thunder or great guns. Prodigious quantities of pumice- 

 stone, and half-broiled fish, were found floating on the sea for many leagues round the 

 island, which is supposed to be about 2 leagues in diameter. By good observation, it 

 is in lat. 38° 29' N., long. 26° 33' W." 



In 1848, breakers were reported from 7 to 13 miles westward of this position. Capt. 

 B. Pratt, of the William, and Capt. Victorino Falcao, of the Tres Amigos, who both 

 saw it on December 31st, 1848, described the sea as breaking mast high, evidently caused 

 by a shoal and not by any floating object. The observations of the former placed it in 

 lat. 38° 16' N., long. 26° 41' W. ; those of the latter in 38° 18' N., 26° 50' \V. 



Notice was given, at the same time as the above, that Capbaiii Geo. Perkins, of the 

 Plymouth, made the following statement ; — "On December 25th, 1848, I saw the sea 

 breaking heavily at the distance of 2 J or 3 miles to N.N.W. ; the water broke 60 ft. 

 high in different places, at intervals of about 10 minutes, as if on an extended shoal 

 having several heads. It was certainly not a floating obstruction ; I consider it a narrow 

 reef, about a mile in length, N.N.E. and S.S.W., about 40 miles W.N.W. JW. by 

 compass (? true) from the N.W. point of St Michael's." In any case, the position does 

 not coincide with that of the breakers reported by Captains Pratt and Falcao. 



Mr. W. F. Walker, F.R.G.S., in his book on the Azores, 1886, remarks that this 

 shoal appears to have been observed in 1749, but it disappeared shortly afterwards until 

 1882-3, when it again rose. 



But notwithstanding all this evidence, no indication of any shoal or elevation was 

 found in a subsequent search all over this channel, no bottom being found with from 

 180 to 350 fathoms of line. This, however, can only prove that there may be no pres- 

 ent danger, but it is quite possible that the volcanic action hidden here is at any time 

 capable of raising the bottom to the elevation above described. 



In 1894, the authorities at St. Michael's informed us that if these dangers ever 

 existed, they have now completely disappeared. 



On December 18th, 1884, when about midway between Fayal and Flores, the 

 barque Isabel experienced a terrific earthquake, accompanied by appalling submarine 

 thunderous roarings, in lat. 38° 51' N., long. 29° 55' VV. This is very close to the 

 position of a white patch and breakers seen in 1863, by Capt. Gicquau of the French 

 ship Mayotte et Nossibe, in lat. 39° 42' N., long. 29° 43' 54" W. 



Keus or Europa Rock. — Captain D. Keus, of the Dutch ship Europa, reported 

 that at day-break, December 10th, 1853, he passed about 2 miles from a " black mass," 

 appearing like a rock or reef, 15 or 20 ft. high, and about 200 ells in length, in 

 lat. 38° 15' N., long. 22° 14' W. This would be about 130 miles eastward of St. 

 ;Michaers, but its existence is very doubtful. 



Whale Rock is another doubtful danger, which has been sought for in vain. In 

 1800, Capt. Gradun, of the Harmony, saw high breakers in lat. 38° 46' N., long. 

 24° 47' W., nearly the position given by M. Fleurieu, at about 87 miles northward of 

 the East end of St. Michael's. 



On November 25th, 1857, Captain W. Cook, of the Estremadura, bound for 

 Fayal, when in lat. 39° 57' N., long. 25° 50' W., saw abaft the beam what was 



