March.] 



FRUITLESS SEARCH FOR ISLANDS. 



195 



abatement in the rage of the vomiting volcano, the heat had increased 

 to such an alarming degree that we found it necessary again to get 

 under way, and abandon the bay entirely. At twelve meridian we 

 passed the south point of Albemarle Bay, called Christopher's Point, 

 at which time I found the mercury at 122° in the air, and at 98° in 

 the water. We now steered for Charles's Island, which lies about, 

 forty miles south-east of Albemarle, and came to anchor in. its north- 

 west harbour at eleven, P. M. Fifty miles and more to the leeward, 

 in the north-west, the crater of Narborough appeared like a colossal 

 beacon-light, shooting its vengeful flames high into the gloomy atmo- 

 sphere, with a rumbling noise like distant thunder. 



February 17th. — Having taken on board two hundred and ninety- 

 four terrapins, that would average about twenty-five pounds each, we 

 got under way on Friday, the 17th, at two o'clock, P. M., and com- 

 menced a cruise in search of the island of Gallego, said to lie in lat. 

 1° 42' N., 104° 5' W. After cutting the ground up in the above- 

 mentioned parallel, and from 100° to 110° west, I was convinced that 

 no such island existed within many leagues of the situation which had 

 been assigned to it. We therefore bore up, and steered for two clus- 

 ters of islands, which were said to lie in lat. 16° and 17° N., and in 

 long. 133° and 136° W., with a fine breeze from east-south-east, and 

 fair weather. Before we bore up, however, we tried the current, and 

 found it setting about west-north-west, at the rate of two and a half 

 miles an hour. The sea was here literally covered with pumice-stone, 

 some pieces of which were quite large, supposed to have been ejected 

 from the volcano of Narborough. 



March 8th: — We continued standing to the north-west, with steady 

 winds from east to east-south-east, and fair weather (experiencing a 

 strong westerly current, which set from one and a half to three knots 

 per hour), until Tuesday, the 8th of March, when we found ourselves, 

 by astronomical observations, in the location assigned to the first-men- 

 tioned island, said to lie in lat. 16° N., long. 133° W. ; but discovered 

 no appearance of land. We then shaped our course for that which 

 was said to be situated in lat. 17° N., long. 136° W., but saw no indica 

 tions of land whatever. We then took different angles between the 

 two locations, stretching from one parallel to the other, until we were 

 in long. 138° W., with no better success. 



March 14th. — On Monday, the 14th of March, we hauled in to the 

 north, for the coast of California, well satisfied that any farther search 

 for the islands in question would be as idle a waste of time as that 

 which we had spent in the previous voyage in looking for the Auroras. 

 I could not refrain, however, from recording my astonishment and re- 

 gret that ship-masters should ignorantly or wantonly make and publish 

 reports of discoveries which have no existence in reality. 



We continued standing to the north, with a fine breeze from east to 

 east-south-east, and fair weather, until Saturday, the 19th; when, in 

 lat. 24° 1' N., long. 130° 27' W., the wind suddenly shifted, in a 

 squall, from east to north-west. We then stood to the north-east, and 

 on Sunday, the 27th, we arrived at the island of Guadaloupe, in lat 

 28° 56' N., long. 117° 41' W. 



N2 



