PASSAGES. 



41 



of it, in order to save time, and by standing close along the southern 

 shore of the island, favored with a gentle breeze from the southwest, 

 we were wafted by sunset to our anchorage in the roadstead. Ordi- 

 narily this is not an advisable course to pursue, as a large vessel may 

 be sometimes becalmed, or meet with baffling and light airs, in passing 

 under the high land, and be unable to reach an anchorage. It is 

 better to approach from the eastward when the northeast winds pre- 

 vail. During June, July, and August, a day and upwards may be 

 saved in reaching the port. Captain Hudson, in the Peacock, took 

 the eastern route, anticipating a leading wind to the anchorage : on 

 the north side of the island he found the wind northwest, and as he 

 proceeded round the east end it became southwest, which caused him 

 to stand well over towards the Deserters, where the wind was baffling 

 and squally, with a current setting to the south and east. 



It may be as well here to notice that the best anchorage in the 

 roadstead is limited to the range of the Loo Rock with the Castle on 

 the Hill ; you then avoid the declivity of the bank to the eastward, 

 which deepens suddenly, .and have a good depth of water to anchor 

 in, from a half to one mile out. Not having been aware of this, I 

 anchored further to the eastward than this range, and was obliged to 

 change to a place of more safety the next morning. I mention this 

 circumstance in order that others, on their first visit to this port, may 

 not fall into a like error. 



The Peacock and Flying-Fish both came east about, and reached 

 the roadstead the next day. The current which prevailed in the 

 roadstead during our stay, was from east to southeast, varying from 

 half to one mile per hour ; the winds were light and variable, gene- 

 rally from the southward and westward. 



At Madeira it is scarcely requisite to inform the navigator that all 

 kinds of provisions may be had to recruit, but it is a bad place to 

 effect repairs in. 



From Madeira we steered to the southward, with the intention of 

 passing over the positions of several reported shoals. The winds, in 

 our passage from Madeira to the Cape de Verdes, were light, though 

 favorable. We did not obtain the trades until we had reached the 

 latitude of 26° north. They had previously been found to prevail in 

 veins, generally springing up fresh for a few hours, and then dying 

 away to nearly calm. There appears to me great necessity for 

 taking advantage of all these spirts or cat's-paws ; the greatest atten- 

 11 



