Miscellanies. 209 



The exploring squadron sailed from the United States on the 18th of 

 Aug., 1838, and has been absent nearly four years ; during which time, 

 the different vessels have sailed about four hundred thousand miles. 

 The expedition has thoroughly executed every part of the duties con- 

 fided to it by the government. 



The ports, harbors, islands, reefs, and shoals named in the list annex- 

 ed, have been visited and examined or surveyed. 



The positions assigned on the charts to several vigias, reefs, shoals, 

 and islands, have been carefully looked for, run over, and found to have 

 no existence in or near the places assigned them. 



Several of the principal groups and islands in the Pacific ocean have 

 been visited, examined, and surveyed ; a friendly intercourse, and pro- 

 tective commercial regulations, established with the chiefs and natives ; 

 aggressions on our citizens and commerce redressed, and a justly mer- 

 ited punishment meted out in some flagrant cases of unprovoked and 

 cold-blooded murder. 



The discoveries in the Antarctic ocean (Antarctic continent-observa- 

 tions for fixing the southern magnetic pole, &c.) preceded those of the 

 French and English expeditions. 



The report which has been in circulation, that Capt. Ross had 

 run over some portion of the land discovered by this expedition, is un- 

 founded. No land to the eastward of 160° of E. longitude was discov- 

 ered, seen, or claimed, by the American expedition ; as appears by Capt. 

 Wilkes's report to the Navy Department, published in 1840, after the 

 return of the squadron to New Zealand. If this statement originated with 

 Capt. Ross, based upon the particular chart of the Antarctic ice, and 

 discoveries of land, with the full explanatoiy letter which was furnished 

 him by Capt. Wilkes, (previous to Capt. Ross's antarctic cruise,) he 

 (Capt. R.) must have taken that portion of land reported to have been 

 seen by Bellamy in 1839, which was represented on it, as being in 163° 

 to 165° east longitude or thereabouts, and which the American expedi- 

 tion had never seen or heard of until its return to Sydney, N. S. W. 

 after their discoveries in the Antarctic ocean. 



Capt. Ross, according to his report, has never passed over, or gone 

 so far west as 160° east, in latitude 67° south ; consequently he could 

 not have seen the land discovered and claimed by the American expe- 

 dition, but seems to have run over the position where land is reported 

 to have been seen by his own countryman, Bellamy. 



The expedition, during its absence, has also examined and surveyed 

 a large portion of the Oregon territory, as well as a part of Upper Cal- 

 ifornia, including the Columbia and Sacramento rivers, with their vari- 

 ous tributaries. Several exploring parties from the squadron have ex- 

 plored, examined, and fixed those portions of the Oregon territory least 



Vol. xLiii, No. 1.— April-June, 1842. 27 



