Jan.] 



BAY OF FERROL. 



227 



By them every peril and difficulty is encountered and overcome with 

 the greatest ease, while officers and seamen of the first professional 

 character, who are not familiar with this coast, are liable to be foiled 

 in their attempts to land, and frequently lose, not only their boats, but 

 their lives. 



The port of St. Pedro has a bluff point of moderate elevation, to the 

 south of the anchorage, about a mile and a half, which breaks off a 

 part of the sea from the shipping. The town is small, and built much 

 in the same manner as Sechura ; its population does not exceed a thou- 

 sand souls, who are a mixture of the Spaniards with the Sana and 

 Truxillo tribes. They pay considerable attention to agriculture, and 

 the inland soil is said to be rich and productive. 



This place is of very little note, being deficient in the necessary and 

 essential conveniences of commerce — good roads. That which leads 

 to the city of Truxillo, it is true, is kept in order, anddeserves praise ; 

 but all the rest are wretchedly bad. The mode of transporting goods 

 from this place to the inland towns is on the backs of mules, which, for 

 want of roads, travel over cultivated fields, and thus retard the labours 

 of the agriculturist, and ruin his prospects. By this wretched policy 

 industry is discouraged, and the cultivation of the soil much neglected. 

 There is every facility for smuggling in this port, and no risk incurred 

 by the parties. 



January 2d, 1826. — On Monday, the 2d of January, we shaped our 

 course for Ferrol Bay, with the wind from the south-south-east, and 

 fair weather. On the following day, we examined the island of Mala- 

 brigo, which is a high rock, with bold water within a cable's length 

 from it. There is a good passage between this island and the main, 

 from which it is distant four miles, with from twenty to ten fathoms of 

 water. Hair-seals and sea-birds resort to this island in great numbers. 



January 4th. — On Wednesday, the 4th, we examined the islands of 

 Guanape, which lie in latitude 8° 35' south ; there are a group of 

 small rocky islands, between which and the shore there is a good pas- 

 sage of from fifteen to ten fathoms water. Point Guanape lies imme- 

 diately to the east of these islands, off which is a single rock near the 

 shore. There are some rocks under water to the north of this point, 

 lying nearly two miles off-shore, between this and the river Moche. 

 The coast here must have a good berth. 



January 7th. — On Saturday, the 7th, we anchored in Ferrol Bay, in 

 four fathoms of water, sandy bottom, about a quarter of a mile from 

 the Santa Islands, to the westward, and one mile from the mainland, 

 to the eastward, completely sheltered from all winds. The entrance 

 to this anchorage is between the two islands which are the most south- 

 ern of the Santa Islands. This passage is about half a mile wide, 

 with ten fathoms of water, and clear of dangers. Within the harbour 

 there is sufficient room for fifty sail of the line to moor in perfect 

 safety, sheltered from all winds, and perfectly smooth. 



Small vessels of two hundred tons may heave-down here alongside 

 of the rocks of the southern Santa Island. This is one of the finest 

 bays on the coast for catching fish with a seine, and a few hair-seal 

 may be taken in the pupping season. Numerous sea-birds resort to 



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