NARRATIVE OF THE CRUISE. 
655 
On the 27th, at 9.15 a.m., the ship passed between Silino Island and Point Tagolo, 
and then steered to pass inside Aliquay Island. At noon, whilst the position of the 
ship was being ascertained, a small coral patch of 6 fathoms was passed over between 
Aliquay Island and Point Sigayac, the bottom being distinctly seen. Only two casts of 
the lead were obtained on it, there being no bottom with 20 fathoms on either side. 
From it the extremities of Aliquay Island bore N. 13° W., and N. 27° W., and Point 
Tagolo N. 81° E. The ground in this vicinity would appear to be patchy, as H.M.S. 
“Nassau” got shoal soundings three miles north of Aliquay Island. After passing 
Aliquay Island the ship was steered to the W.S.W. along the shore of Mindanao Island. 
The islands of Silino and Aliquay are both low and flat. On the chart there is said 
to be an obelisk at Dauit Point ; this was not seen in passing. 
On the 28th, at 8 a.m., a sounding and serial temperatures were obtained in 2225 
fathoms, in lat. 8° O' N., long. 121° 42' E. (see Sheet 31), partly to see if any alteration had 
taken place in the temperatures since sounding in the Sulu Sea in October last, and partly 
to test a new instrument for obtaining temperatures, the invention of Messrs. Negretti 
& Zambra. A full account of this apparatus is given with the description of the other 
instruments and therefore need not be here repeated (see p. 88). At 11 a.m. the ship 
again proceeded towards Samboangan. The island of Mindanao was in sight all day, 
but there were no points visible by which the position of the ship could be fixed. 
Samboangan (Zamboanga). 
On the 29th, at 7 a.m., the vessel anchored off Samboangan in 10 fathoms, with 
the lighthouse N. 10° W., the right extremity of Tigtauan Island, in line with Mariqui 
Point, S. 71° E., and the left extremity of Santa Cruz Island S. 3° W. Lying here 
were four large Spanish gunboats employed in the blockade of the Sulu Archipelago. 
Having obtained equal altitudes, the ship left the anchorage at Samboangan the same 
day and proceeded for the anchorage off Malanipa Island, in order to be on the ground 
ready for swinging ship the next morning. The ship passed between the great bank off 
Malanipa, Tigtauan, and Sacol Islands, and anchored in 20 fathoms off Malanipa at 
6.20 p.m., with the extremities of that island bearing S.S.W. ^ W. and S.E. by S. 
On the 30th, at 4 a.m., the vessel left the anchorage off Malanipa and proceeded to 
the eastward, ready to commence swinging at sunrise. At 8 a.m., the errors of the 
compass having been ascertained, swinging was commenced for the dipping needle and 
was completed at 1 p.m., when, having obtained a few dredgings off Malanipa, the ship 
returned to Samboangan, anchoring off that town at 7 p.m. 
The object in coming to Samboangan again was to complete the stock of coal before 
standing to the eastward into the Pacific, as it was known that from the time of leaving 
Samboangan no more fuel could be procured until Japan was reached. The Spanish 
(narr. chall. exp. — vol. i.— 1885 .). 83 
