376 - HONOLULU. 
anxiously expected for at least six months. It was to us most agree- 
able to see and meet so many of our countrymen, and feel ourselves so 
immediately identified and connected with the place and its inhabitants. 
I must, however, leave Oahu, and its chief town Honolulu, and return 
to the other vessels of the squadron. 
On the 30th of September, the Peacock reached Oahu, all well. On 
parting company with the Vincennes, Captain Hudson passed over the 
position assigned to a reef, by Captain Swain, in longitude 176° 56’ 
W., latitude 9° 55’ S., without seeing any thing of it, and continuing to 
the northward, crossed the line on the 27th of August. The winds, 
until the latitude of 3° S., were from the east, after which they became 
more variable, between northeast and southeast, accompanied with 
light squalls of rain and frequent lightning. The weather on the 25th 
being favourable, they tried the current every hour, and also the depth 
at which the white object could be seen. A table of these experiments 
is given in Appendix I. It was clear sunshine throughout the day. 
The table will show the difference with a high and low altitude of the 
sun. 
The winds, after crossing the line, were found still to be variable, 
though inclining more to the northeast. The weather was at times hot 
and sultry—the temperature throughout the twenty-four hours being 
from 81° to 84°. 
Between the latitudes of 5° and 8° N., the Peacock experienced a 
similar current with ourselves, setting northeast. On the 8th of Sep- 
tember, in latitude 14° N., the wind hauling to the northeast, they 
tacked to the southward, until the 17th, when, having reached the 
longitude of 160° 27' W., their head was again put to the north. They 
continued to have squalls and variable winds during the rest of the 
passage, with a current setting to the westward, and lost much time 
owing to the lightness of the winds. On the Peacock’s arrival at 
Oahu, she had no sick on board. 
I will now refer to the operations of the Porpoise, which vessel, it 
will be recollected, received orders the day we left the Feejee Group, 
to proceed to Turtle Island in search of the crew of the ship Shylock, 
which had been wrecked there. 
After parting company, on the 11th, they proceeded to complete the 
surveys pointed out. On the 12th they were employed in the survey 
of the island of Chicobea. From thence they went to Natavi Bay. In 
anchoring on a coral patch in the bay for the purpose of surveying it, 
the brig fouled her anchor: in heaving it up the chain cable parted, 
and Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold was obliged to leave it. 
The Porpoise was the first vessel that had anchored in this bay, and 
