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ship,” homeward bound from Virginia. Again in August, 1792, it was 
seen by the officers, passengers, and ship’s company of the ship “ Nestor” of 
Greenock, on her return from New York, in lat. per observation 55° 19' 
N., and longitude per account 9° 53' W. It appeared about four feet below 
the surface of the water, not five fathoms from the weather-beam, in the 
form of a horse-shoe. The mate instantly threw an empty barrel overboard; 
the yawl was got out as soon as possible, and the mate, with four hands 
and two passengers, w^ere absent nearly two hours in search of the rock; 
but owing to the ship’s drift and a dark cloud which then obscured the 
atmosphere, they could find neither rock nor barrel. The Rev. Mr. Ste¬ 
wart, then a passenger in the“ Nestor,” saw the rock plainly, with the tangle 
growing on it. Then follow other accounts—one stating its position at 
55° 15' N., and 10° 40' W.; appearing three feet out of water, with sound¬ 
ings 30 to 40 feet at a short distance: 30 fathoms off, no soundings with 
150 fathoms. In 1804, a Captain Clarke, afterwards of the “ Harmony” 
of Ayr, described it as a half to a whole cable’s length long, and about 150 
feet wide. The tangle appeared about one foot below the surface, at dead 
low water, and the ship rubbed alongside- On 27th September, 1826, Jas. 
Reid, master of the “ True Briton,” states that he saw it as a little above the 
water,nearly flat, about 90 feet long and 40 wide ; observed lat. 55° 17' N., 
and by subsequent run, 56 miles from Tory Island. In 1820, lver MTver, 
rigger, of Greenock, stated that many years before, while seaman on board 
a vessel, they fell in with Aitkin’s Rock in fine weather. The captain got 
the boat out and MTver was in her. He said the rock was not much 
under water, had sea-weed on it, and about the size of a ship’s launch, 
bottom upward. 
In consequence of several other accounts of this rock, and apprehensions 
of its danger—no less than six vessels being missing from the port of Glas¬ 
gow—in 1821, the Chamber of Commerce then memorialized the Admiralty 
for a survey. In consequence, five government vessels were despatched in 
sundry cruises, generally two together, in 1824, 1827, and 1829, but the 
rock was not discovered. 
Again, in 1830, the “ Onyx” and “ Leveret,” two gun-brigs, under directions 
of Captain Vidal, were engaged in this service. They put to sea on 6th 
June, with a full moon, and commencing their examination at Tory Island, 
proceeded nearly along its parallel of latitude to the westward of all the 
given positions of the rock. The two vessels were always in company, 
distant from each other a mile to a mile and a half by day, and closing at 
night to half a mile, or as much less as the weather rendered necessary. 
During the few hours of darkness the vessels were hove to, and the leads 
