NARRATIVE 
OF 
THE EXPLORING EXPEDITION, 
CHAPTER I. 
TONGATABOO. 
1840. 
Havine 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 southward. 
The weather was remarkably pleasant. 
Cape Brett, according to our observations, is erroneously placed in 
the charts, which make it forty-two minutes too far to the eastward. 
We experienced after sailing a current of eight miles to the northward 
in twenty-four hours. On the 8th April, the current set northeast-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. 
(3) 
