NORTH CHANNEL. 
3S1 
was at 29.2, and at noon 29-8, being a rise of 1.8 
inches in sixteen hours. 
The day so improved, that before evening it 
became pleasant. We passed within sight of 
Barra Head before sun-set; and the next day, 
September 13th, having a slant of wind from the 
eastward, we fetched the coast of Ireland, near 
Inistrahull Island. This was the first day of sum¬ 
mer weather that we had had. The sky was 
clear,—the sea smooth, and the wind moderate: 
the thermometer, however, never rose above 58°. 
We were busily employed in getting the whale¬ 
lines suspended for drying, and then in packing 
them away in separate coils for future service. 
September 14 th .—Blowing fresh all day di¬ 
rectly against 11 s. The tides, which run strongly 
in the North Channel, were found to be unfavour¬ 
able to our progress, the ebb running longer out¬ 
ward than the flood sets in. Our progress, there¬ 
fore, to windward, under a pressure of canvas all 
day, was only about fifteen miles. 
In the afternoon I took a set of observations, 
for proving the rate of the chronometer. When 
compared with the longitude of Inishoen Head, 
as given by the charts, it appeared to be 2' 49" too 
slow, which was very satisfactory, differing only 
11 seconds from the error given by the observa¬ 
tions made off Faroe. 
