Miscellanies. 3S7 



for so terrible an earthquake over so vast an extent of country ? The 

 coincidence of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes is not remarkable, 

 but that several hundred miles of territory, with all its mountains and 

 rivers should be thrust up and thrown into undulating motions at the 

 same moment of time, accompanied by sounds from the depths of the 

 earth, like the rolling of thunder, are phenomena which cannot be 

 accounted for on any other supposition than that of vast subterranean 

 lines of communication between volcanic mountains." 



14. Progress of the U. S. Exploring Expedition. — The following 

 letter from the Commander of the Expedition was received by the 

 Navy Department about the close of January, 1840. 



U. S. Ship Vincennes, Matavai Bay, Island of Tahiti, Sept. 15, 1839. 



Sir — I have the honor to report my arrival at this anchorage, after 

 a passage of sixty days from Callao ; having been employed in exam- 

 ining and surveying many of the islands to the northward and east- 

 ward ; and take leave to submit the following report of the operations 

 of the exploring squadron, under my command, since my report dated 

 at Callao on the first of July last. 



We sailed from Callao on the 13th of July, after completing our 

 supplies of stores and outfits, having been much expedited by the fa- 

 cilities and kind attentions of Capt. McKeever, in command of the 

 United States ship Falmouth. 



We steered a westerly course through the trade wind, with fine 

 weather. On our track we passed over the location assigned to an 

 island, as laid down in Arrowsmith's chart, but saw nothing of it, or 

 any appearance of land in the vicinity. 



On our route, daily observations were made of the deep sea tem- 

 perature and dip. We made the island Clermont de Tonnin on the 

 13th of Auffust, of which we completed a survey, and ascertained the 

 longitude of its southeast point to be 136° 21' 12" W. and latitude 16° 

 32' 49" S. 



From thence we proceeded to Serle Island, the distance from Cler- 

 mont de Tonnin being twenty seven miles. Here, again, we made a 

 careful survey of the island, finding its southeast point in longitude 

 137° 4' 10" W. and latitude 18° 21' 10" S. 



We saw nothing of Minerva Island. 



We then proceeded to the northward toward the Disappointment 

 group of Byron, and in our way fell in with Hondon Island, (which 

 was uninhabited,) and found its southeast point in longitude 138° 47' 

 36" W., latitude 14° 55' 40" S. 



From thence to Wyhite, one of the Disappointment group, the 

 northwest point of which we found in 141° 17' 24" W. longitude, and 



