B98 SCATTEEED EOCKS, SHOALS, AND VIGIAS. 



possible that the reported Brasil Bock, whose existence in the assigned 

 position was disproved by the officers of H.M.S. Porcupine finding 2,350 

 fathoms there, may have some connexion with this. 



POECUPINE BANK, to the Westward of Ireland. 



During the examination of the sea-bed to the westward of Ireland, by 

 the officers of H.M.S. Porcupine, for the purpose of finding the best route 

 for laying the first Atlantic telegraph cable, the tail of a detached bank 

 was unexpectedly crossed, on August 8th, 1862. " Carrying out a line of 

 soundings on the parallel of Slyne Head, at the distance of 120 miles to 

 the westward of it, we crossed the tail of a bank of 82 fathoms, coarse 

 gravel. This being entirely new, it was named Porcupine Bank. It will 

 be of use to vessels bound to Galway from the westward, as a means of 

 ascertaining their position by the lead. The bottom, both to the north- 

 ward and southward, is deeper, being composed of fine dark sand, while 

 the bank is composed of gravel and coarse sand." This bank is about 40 

 miles in extent, East and West, with 150 to 180 fathoms to the eastward 

 of it, while to the westward it deepens rapidly to 300, 500, and 1,500 

 fathoms. 



DviNA Rock (?), off Cape Finisterre, lat. 44° 43' N., long. 9° 37^' W. {Bouhtful.) 



This announcement we received from Captain Grote, of the Russian Imperial 

 Navy, when in command of the Dvina, the vessel which was hardly chased by our 

 men-of-war in the Pacific during the last Russian war. 



" On Jan. 14 — 26, 1853, the foretop look-out descried breakers right ahead, and 

 we discovered it to be a rock, on a level with the water, in lat. 44° 43' 6" N., 

 long. 9° 37' 23" W. The sea was perfectly white with foam for about 200 

 fathoms." Captam Bessarabski made it to be in lat. 44° 48' N., long. 9° 43° W. 

 A depth of 1,320 fathoms has since been found very near this position, and con- 

 sidering that it lies so contiguous to one of the main routes of commerce, its 

 existence is very improbable. 



The charts of Van Keulen, of the last century, showed a rock in 44° 43' N., 

 long. 11° 22' W. ; but it has long been omitted as not authentic. 



MiDGLEY Shoal, in lat. 44° 9' 30" N., long. 22° 57' 45" W. {Doubtful.) 



Captain Thomas Midgley, in 1838, reported as follows : — " On June 14th, 1838, 

 at 2.40 p.m., on my passage from Africa to Liverpool, I suddenly feU in with a 

 large patch or belt of discoloured water, of a dirty gray appearance, much 

 resembling river water, and rijipliyig very much, as if upon a shoal bank. No rock 

 or danger could be seen from the mast-head, but the water appeared very much 

 discoloured for more than half a mile in breadth, as far as the eye could reach, in 

 & direction N.W. and S.E. by compass." Position as above. 



The late Captain Midgley was a man of perfect veracity, but the appearance 

 might have arisen from other causes. 



GouGH or Harrison Rocks, in lat. 40° 28' N., long. 30° 0' W. {Doubtful.) 



■ Particulars of these reported dangers, said to lie about 90 miles north-eastward 

 of Corvo, one of the Azores, are given previously, on page 753. We may here 

 draw attention however, to a remarkable report from the captain of tlie steamer 

 Zaracossa. He stated that in Septeuiber, 1879, one morning he and liis oflBcerB 



