CURRENTS AND WHALING. 
491 
The whalers of the Atlantic next pass to the north coast of Brazil, 
in the months of October, November, and December, and thence to 
the Brazil Bank, and off the mouths of the Rio de la Plata, where 
they fish in January and February; after this they seek St. Helena 
and the Carrol Ground, which lies from fifty to two hundred miles 
southeast of that island, towards the Cape of Good Hope. On the 
latter ground they remain during the months of March, April, and 
May; and thence they pass to the westward, along the South Ameri¬ 
can coast, to the eastward of the Windward Islands; thence to the 
Bahama Banks, Cape Hatteras, and along the coast of the United 
States, home. 
The smaller class of whalers seldom extend their cruising to the 
south of the line ; but after they have visited the first two whaling- 
grounds, they usually pass to the westward, towards the islands of 
Fernando de Noronha, and thence along the South American coast, 
till they reach the Windward Islands. They frequent the Caribbean 
Sea in the months of January and February, and farther to the west¬ 
ward, off the peninsula of Yucatan, and Cuba, in April; after which 
time they proceed through the Gulf of Mexico, to cruise off the 
Bahama Banks, and Cape Hatteras, in May. Thence they pass 
northward, on either side of the Gulf Stream, to the eastern side of 
the Grand Banks. 
In the Indian Ocean, the south part of Madagascar, off Point Dau¬ 
phin, is visited in March and April; in May, June, and July, the 
ground off the southwest cape of Madagascar, in the Mozambique 
Channel, and upon both sides of that channel. The whalers usually 
recruit in St. Augustine’s Bay, where supplies are to be had in 
abundance, and both wood and water are easily procured. After this 
they usually spend some time off Cape Corrientes, with the Cape and 
headlands on either side, and visit the Comoro Isles. Sperm whales 
are frequently found in numbers among these islands, and ships usually 
do well in their vicinity. The African coast, from Mozambique to 
Zanzibar, is good ground, and the latter place is also a good port for 
repairing. 
Some ships extend their cruising during the northeast monsoon, from 
October to April, to the Arabian coast, but the African is generally 
preferred. The Chagos Archipelago at times affords some success, 
but it is very doubtful ground, and has not been often frequented. The 
proper season is during the southwest monsoon. 
The most profitable ground in the Indian Ocean is the west and 
northwest coast of New Holland, as far eastward as the islands of 
