May 1861.] 



Notes on Zanguebar. 



11 



the land much to windward of the place he is steering for ; 

 and if he does not know the Coast, the Captain must be very cau- 

 tious. A ship bound to Zanguebar during the north monsoon, if 

 coming from the north should make the land at or near Mombana 

 and thence follow the channel between Pemba and the Coast of 

 Africa ; if coming from the south and she tack to windward of the 

 northern point of Zanguebar, she must port and pass to leeward, 

 rounding point Kizimkazi the southernmost end of Zanguebar, 

 and then luff and tack all the way to the town of Zanguebar. The 

 channel between the Island and the Continent of Africa, is safe and 

 deep, and there is no danger that cannot be seen from the foreyard. 



In no circumstances whatever should a ship which has fallen to 

 leeward of the windward end of the Island, try to beat against the 

 wind and current in the open sea. No sailing ship however swift 

 will succeed in making progress against a very heavy sea and a cur- 

 rent of four or five miles : it is not only better but indispensable 

 to make the passage to leeward, and as soon as a ship is in the 

 channel she will find very smooth water and regular changes of 

 currents with the change of tide twice in the twenty-four hours. 

 As soon as the breeze or current fails to favor the ship, she may 

 touch every where. It is not prudent to sail during the night. 



A ship coming from the south during the south monsoon, will 

 make the land Moussia, round the north point of that Island and 

 should then steer due west to reconnoitre the Coast of Africa. By 

 so doing she will leave the dangerous shoal of Latham^ about 20 



* Latham Latitude 6° 54' 2" Longitude 39° 55' 5". In Captain 

 W. F. W. Owen's Survey of 1824, the position of Latham is not given 

 correctly ; there is a difference in Longitude of nearly 12 miles ; Latham 

 is 12 minutes more to the Eastward. This is not a partial error, all 

 the Eastern Coast of Africa and the Western and Eastern Coast of Ma- 

 dagascar are put too much Westwards, of a quantity varying between 

 12 and 15 minutes in Captain Owen's Survey. Was this owing to an 

 incorrect point of departure when that distinguished Officer began his 

 Survey, or to some defects in his Chronometers ? It is difficult to say, 

 but the fact has been proved beyond doubt by the Surveys made by the 

 Officers of the Bourbon Squadron under orders of Captain now Admiral 

 Romain Desfosses, from 1844 to 1847, though, not having the Charts 

 of that new Survey, I can speak but approximately. 



