NARRATIVE 



THE EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 



CHAPTER I. 



TONGATABOO. 

 184 0. 



Having completed such repairs as were necessary, the Vincennes, 

 with the Porpoise and Flying-Fish in company, sailed from the Bay 

 of Islands on the 6th April, for Tongataboo. I believe that no person 

 in the squadron felt any regret at leaving New Zealand, for there was 

 a want of all means of amusement, as well as of any objects in whose 

 observation we were interested. 



We had at first a light breeze from the northward and westward, 

 followed by a calm, after which the wind came round to the south- 

 ward. The weather was remarkably pleasant. 



Cape Brett, according to our observations, is erroneously placed in 

 the charts, which make it forty-two mintites too far to the eastward. 

 We experienced after sailing a current of eight miles to the north- 

 ward in twenty-four hours. On the 8th April, the current set north- 

 east-by-north, half a mile per hour. 



On the 9th, the sea was very smooth, and the day calm ; and we not 

 only tried the current, but the distance below the surface at which a 

 white object was visible. The sun's altitude was observed at the 

 same time. These observations are recorded in Appendix I., and it 

 will be seen that the rate of the current had increased considerably. 



