NAUTICAL REMARKS. 
641 
In the N. E. monsoon I would steer from here for the North Bashee Island, and thence 
pass northward of the Prata Shoal ; but with the S. W. monsoon a different route is necessary, 
for which see Captain Horshurgh’s India Directory. The Bashees, Vele Rete, and Botel 
Tobago Xima, are all very well laid down in Horsburgh’s chart ; but the Cumbrian Shoal has 
since been found to lie in the situation first assigned it, fifteen miles due S. of Little Tobago 
Xima, and in latitude 21° 42' 15" N. In its vicinity we found very strong ripplings, which, 
when the winds were light, sounded like breakers ; but they did not affect our reckoning 
much, for on the 10th of April, in the forenoon, we made Pedro Branco, as we expected. 
This rock is an excellent land-mark ; by our observation it lies 1° 33' 13" E. of the west 
end of the Typa. Shortly after noon we got sight of the Great Lemma, and that night 
anchored between Lantao and Chichow. 
FROM THE ARZOBISPO ISLANDS TO KAMSCHATKA. 
June \Qth to July 3d. 
At the commencement of this passage it w^as my endeavour to get nearly into the me- 
ridian of Petrapaulski before I shaped a course for that place, in order to escape the incon- 
venience likely to arise from the prevalence of easterly winds, which we unexpectedly en- 
countered the preceding year. 
Between the parallels of 30“ N. and 35o N. we had light and variable winds, as in our first 
passage ; and in 39° N. took a southerly wind, which continued with a very thick wetting 
fog, as before, until within a day’s sail of Petrapaulski, when it veered to the S.W., and soon 
after came fresh off the land, precisely as it had done the preceding year. In the summer 
I recommend making the land a little to the southward of Cape Gavarea, as the wind 
generally blows off shore, and to the eastward of the promontory veers to the northward ; 
and if a vessel is not well in with the Cape, she will find much difficulty in beating up. Until 
we were in latitude 34oN. longitude 1.53° E., the currents ran between N. W. and S. W. 
twelve miles per day; they then changed to S. five miles per day as far as 40 N., and off 
the Kurile Islands ran strong to the S. E. The weather throughout this passage, with the 
exception of the fog, was very fine. 
FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO SAN BLAS (mEXICO). 
December 3th to 2\st. 
We found no difficulty in getting to the southward, the prevailing wind at this season 
being from the N. W. It is advisable, however, to stand about forty or fifty leagues off 
the coast, to avoid interruptions from variable winds which occur near the land. These 
winds are in general taken advantage of by vessels bound in the opposite direction to that of 
our present course. 
The weather throughout this passage was remarkably fine. The wind was from 
W N- W. to N. N.E. until we made Cape San Lucas, when it veered to E. N. E., and 
obliged us to pass between the Tres Marias Islands. This route occasioned the loss of a 
day, and I should advise any vessel making the passage to close the land to the northward 
of Cape San Lucas, provided the wind were in the north-east quarter; as in addition to the 
