SAN FRANCISCO TO MANILLA. 2G9 



The island of Grigan appears to be about eight miles in width, seen 

 from the north, and has the form of a dome. Its height, by a very 

 unsatisfactory observation, was two thousand three hundred feet. It 

 was my intention to stop and make it a magnetic station ; but the 

 weather appeared so thick as to threaten delay ; and this I could ill 

 afford, so I gave up the idea. 



There is said to be no other settlement than one small village, on the 

 southwest side of Grigan, where a few individuals dwell, and I under- 

 stood that they were headed by an American ; its shores are almost 

 perpendicular, and it has no coral reefs to form harbours ; so that in 

 this respect it is not so much favoured as the southern isles of the same 

 group. The passage between Grigan and Assumption is free from 

 dangers, and I am well satisfied that no shoal exists where Freycinet 

 has laid down the Mangs, for we passed directly over the locality, and 

 saw nothing of the kind. The Mangs were seen in their true position, 

 to the northward of Assumption. 



The wind was light and variable. On the 1st of January, 1842, it 

 changed to the southwest ; with this change of wind we experienced a 

 fall both of the thermometer and barometer, and excessive dampness; 

 we had some lightning, and at midnight a violent squall with rain burst 

 upon us, attended by a shift of wind to the northward and westward, 

 which afterwards hauled to the northward and eastward. A slight 

 current was felt setting to the eastward. 



We now steered for the most eastern position assigned to Copper's 

 Island, as it will no doubt be recollected that we ran over its supposed 

 position in west longitude, on the passage between San Francisco and 

 Oahu, mentioned in the first part of this chapter. On the 4th, we ran 

 over the position in longitude 131° 54' E., and latitude 20° 11' N. The 

 Abajos Shoal of Arrowsmith has no existence ; its position was passed 

 over in broad daylight. 



On the 5th, we felt a current to the west of fifteen miles. The 

 variations of the compass were now to the westward ; much phos- 

 phorescence in the water; its temperature was 75°. The slight 

 current continued until the 8th, when we made the islands of Sab- 

 tang and Batan on the starboard side, and the Richmond Rocks on the 

 larboard, steering a westerly course through the Balingtang Straits. 

 The weather being remarkably fine, we had excellent observations on 

 transit bearing. The longitude of the west point of Sabtang is 121° 

 50' 30" E., the latitude is in 20° 18' N., instead of 20° 11' N. In the 

 strait we had strong ripples, and occasionally felt the influence of the 

 current, as we passed through them. 



We had now left the Pacific Ocean, and I could not but rejoice that 



we had all the results of our cruise up to this time quite safe. 

 X-2 



