138 
PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
have clay-light, as a reef is said to exist about two leagues to the 
W.N.W. of Hood’s Island, and one is known to lie about nine 
leagues to the west of it, both said to be very dangerous; and, 
what is calculated to render them the more so, is the violent and 
irregular currents, that baffle all attempts at calculation in this 
part of the world. In the morning I stood to the westward, with 
a pleasant breeze from the east, which run us, by 2 P. M., as far 
as the harbour of Charles’ Island. On arriving opposite to it, we 
could perceive no vessels ; but understanding that vessels which 
stopped there for refreshments, such as turtle and land tortoise, 
and for wood, were in the practice of depositing letters in a box 
placed for the purpose near the landing-place (which is a small 
beach sheltered by rocks, about the middle of the bay), I dis¬ 
patched lieut. Downes to ascertain if any vessels had been lately 
there, and to bring off such letters as might be of use to us, if he 
should find any. He returned in about three hours, with several 
papers, taken from a box which he found nailed to a post, over 
which was a black sign, on which was painted Hathaway's Post- 
office. There were none of them of a late date, but they were 
satisfactory, inasmuch as they confirmed the information we had 
already received, both as respected the practice of vessels touch¬ 
ing there, and cruizing among the other islands for whales. From 
those papers I obtained information, that, in June last, the following 
British whale-ships had put in there, on their way to the island 
of Albemarle, where they generally cruize for a year at a time, 
and some for even a longer period, to wit: 
Ship Governor Dodswell, Captain B. Gardner, with 170 tons 
sperm oil. 
Charlton, Haleran, 120 bbls. 
Nimrod, Parray, 250 bbls. 
Hector, Richards, 220 bbls. 
Atlantic, Wyer, 1000 bbls. 
Cyrus, West, 600 bbls. 
There were letters also from their commanders, giving infor¬ 
mation that the American ships Perseveranda, Paddock, and the 
Sukey, Mary, the first with 200, the latter with 150 bbls. of sperm 
oil, had touched there. Considering captain Many’s letter as 
