IN SIGHT OF SWAIN'S REEFS. 13 



a very heavy sea, compelling us to remain at our 

 anchors 



Jan. 21.— Captain Blackwood and Mr. Evans 

 being ashore to " take sights "' for the chronometers, 

 found on the island some traces of the wrecked 

 crew. On one tree was cut "The America, June, 

 1831 ;" on another " Mary Ann Broughton ;" on 

 another " Capt. E. David ;" and " Nelson, Novem- 

 ber, 1831." There were likewise the soles of a pair 

 of child's shoes, some bottles, some broken dishes, 

 and an old cask. I believe the wreck was that of a 

 whaler, and that the crew were taken off by another 

 whaler, as there were no signs either of graves or 

 bones. 



Jan. 22, 26. — Leaving the Capricorn Group, we 

 passed into a clear space, in which neither islands 

 nor reefs were visible ; and during these five days 

 we traversed a space of between 40 and 50 miles 

 wide, backwards and forwards, without finding any 

 shoals except a five fathom patch of coral within 

 sight of the Capricorn Group. On this patch we 

 lost a small anchor, and spent a day in trying to 

 recover it. 



Jan. 27. — Standing to N.W. in search of Swain's 

 Reefs, having already passed over part of the space 

 in which they were laid down in the charts, when 

 about 10 a. m., breakers ahead were reported from 

 the mast hea J, and we shortly rounded the southern 

 end of some reefs, and anchored in 30 fathoms on 

 their western side, with the Bramble about a quarter 



