1832.] 
STRAITS OF CASPAR. 
325 
make this route necessary ; and though many prefer tTie inner 
passage between the Islands of Banca and Sumatra, the commo- 
dore determined to proceed through the Straits of Gaspar, and 
the middle of the China Sea. 
On Wednesday, the eleventh, the Potomac made but little 
headway ; the wind was light, varying from northwest to northeast : 
at seven in the evening she came to anchor in twenty-four 
fathoms water, and veered to fifty fathoms chain cable. The 
next morning she was under way at an early hour ; wind light, but 
fair, and at seven o'clock A.M., passed the South Watcher 
Island, about three miles distant. A short distance to the north- 
west of the South Watcher Island lie the Thousand Islands ; a 
group or chain of numerous small islands extending from north- 
west to southeast, that bound the west side of the passage be- 
tween the North and South Watcher Islands. There are many 
dangerous shoals around them, to which a good birth should be 
given. Pulo Etau is the most westerly, and is separated from the 
other islands. A squall, with heavy rain, occurred on Wednes- 
day night. 
On Thursday, the twelfth, two Chinese junks were seen stand- 
ing to the southvvard and eastward. The lead was now kept con- 
stantly going, finding scarcely any variation from thirteen to fifteen 
fathoms water. The northeast monsoon was now entirely gone, 
being succeeded by hght winds, with sultry and enervating weather. 
The current too, which had been put in motion by the wind blow- 
ing several months in the same direction, still continued its op- 
posing course at the rate of half a mile an hour. Even light 
showers, attended with thunder and hghtning, scarcely seemed to 
give any relief to the oppressive influence of the sultry atmo- 
sphere. . On this and the following day the frigate's drag was put 
in requisition, for the purpose of getting possession of such curi- 
ous shells as might be found on the bottom. The experiment 
was successful, and many beautiful specimens of conchology 
were added to the collections of the commodore and his ofiicers. 
The fourteenth and fifteenth passed heavily ; the frigate being 
most of the time anchored with a kedge, waiting to catch the first 
puff of air that could move her through the water. The sick-list 
had now swollen to the number of fifty-one, being every tenth 
