12a 



PGETER*S JOUllNAL, 



day-light, as a reef is said to exist about two leagues to the 

 W. N. W. of Hood's Island, and one is known to lie about 

 nine leagues to the west of it, both said to be very danger- 

 ous. What is calculated to render them the more so, is 

 the violent and irregular currents, that baffle all attempts 

 at calculation in this part of the world. In the morning I 

 gtood to the westward, with a pleasant breeze from the easty 

 which run us, by two P. M., as far as the harbour of 

 Charles' Island. On arriving opposite to it, we could per- 

 ceive no vessels ; but understanding that vessels which 

 stopped there for refreshments, such as turtle and land tor- 

 toise, and for wood, were in the practice of depositing let- 

 ters in a box placed for the purpose near the landing-place, 

 (which is a small beach sheltered by rocks, about the mid- 

 dle of the bay,) I despatched lieutenant Downes to ascertain 

 if any vessels had been lately there, and to bring off such 

 letters as might be of use to us, if he should find any. He 

 returned in about three hours, with several papers, taken 

 from a box which he found nailed to a post, over which 

 was a black sign, on which was painted Hathazvay^s Postof- 

 Jice» There were none of them of a late date, but they 

 were satisfactory, inasmuch as they confirmed the informa- 

 tion we had already received, both as respected the prac- 

 tice of vessels touching there, and cruising among the other 

 islands for whales. From those papers I obtained infor- 

 mation, that, in June last, the following British whale-ships 

 had put in there, on their way to the island of Albemarle, 

 where they generally cruise for a year at a time, and some 

 for even a longer period, to wit : 



Ship Governor Dodswellj Captain B. Gardner, with 170 



tons sperm oil. 

 Charlton, Ilaleran, 120 bbls. 



Nimrod, Parray, 250 bbls. 



Hector, Richards, 220 bbls. 



Atlantic, Wyer, 1000 bbls. 



Cyrus, West, 600 bbls. 



There were letters also from their commanders, giving 

 information that the American ships Perseveranda, Pad- 

 dock, and the Sukey, Macey, the first with two hundred, the 

 latter with one hundred and fifty barrels of sperm oil, had 

 touched there. Considering Captain Macey's letter as a 



