By mean of the observations and chronometers of 12 differ ent ships, the central Martin Vas Rock, is in lat. 20° 28′ 30′′ S. lon. 28° 42′ W. Variation 3° W. in 1797.

TRINIDAD, is about 6 miles in circumference, extending nearly southeast and northwest; it is high and uneven, and just discernible from a large ship's poop in clear weather, at 18 leagues distance. It is rocky and barren in general, but in some parts, there are trees about 12 or 18 inches diameter on the heights, particularly about the south part of the island. The shore is rocky and of difficult access, occasioned by the high surf that continually breaks out in every part. At the east and southwest sides of the island, good water runs down in two small streams, it may also be procured at times from the rock that forms the southwest extreme. Excepting the times when rain prevails, these runs are very small, and it seems probable, that they may in some seasons be nearly dried up, if not entirely so. Ships should not stop at this island for water, unless they are greatly in want of that article, for the difficulty of getting it from the the shore is great: the anchorage is also unsafe, as the winds are often variable, and should a gale happen from west or southwestward, they would be in danger of driving on the shore. Although Trinidad is within the southern tropic, the southeast trade-wind is not regular; northeast and northerly winds often happen, particularly the former, and sometimes hard squalls or southwest gales have been experienced, which render the anchorage at this island hazardous.

The Georgina packet anchored in October, 1799, at the northwest end of Trinidad, in 19 fathoms, fine black sand, and moored off shore about 3 cables' lengths; the extremes of the island from east to south, a large rock detached from it about a quarter of a mile, S. S. W. W. about three fourths of a mile; found 10, 11, and 12 fathoms, coral, between the rock and the shore. The surf being great, they landed at one place with difficulty, and shot some wild hogs; good water was found about half a mile inland, but it seemed almost impossible to get it from the shore on account of the surf, and must have been carried about half a mile in small kegs had they been in immediate want.

It is recommended for ships that may be obliged to stop at Trinidad, to endeavour to procure water, to anchor in 30 fathoms, about a mile from the west part of the island, that they may be able to clear it on either tack, should the wind blow from westward; for the Rattlesnake was wrecked in a westerly gale, and the Jupiter and Mercury narrowly escaped destruction. On this side, almost detached from the island, there is a rock about 850 feet high, with trees on it, called the Monument or Nine Pin; it is of a cylindrical form. There is also a stupen

dous arch, which perforates a bluff rock, about 800 feet high; this is about 40 feet in breadth, near 50 feet in height, and 420 in length; the sea breaks through the arch with great noise, and there are more than three fathoms water under it, and in the basin formed at its east side. At the southeast end of the island there is a rock of a conical form, about 1160 feet high, called the Sugar Loaf, with trees likewise on its summit, and whenever it rains hard, a beautiful waterfall of above 700 feet is projected from it.

Captain Charles Lesley, of the Orford man of war, in his Journal of 1773-4, mentions three bays at the south and southwest sides of Trinidad. He recommends the easternmost as the best, the western or middle bay being rocky, and the northernmost having shoal water in it. The easternmost bay must be situated at the southeast part of the island. Captain Lesley says, a church, with a cross on it, stands at the upper part of the bay, and that a ship may anchor in 6 fathoms, the church bearing W. S. W. and a point like the South Foreland S. W. by W. and may moor with one cable on shore.

The watering place, he describes to be near the church, and that a longboat may fill the water there with a spout or hose.

Notwithstanding this description of the bay at the south part of the island, it would certainly be imprudent for any ship to to anchor there with the southeast trade-wind, and it probably ought never to be done unless the weather is very settled, and the wind fixed at northward; at all events, no navigator would approach so near as to moor with a cable on shore, except this were a safe harbour, which it certainly is not. Perhaps there is, at present, no vestige of a church at this place.

Trinidad is often seen by ships passing to the southward, through the southeast trade, but is seldom visited by navigators, on account of its unsafe anchorage.

The Chesterfield rounded the north end of the island, very close, in March, 1800, and her boat went all round it, which appeared to be steep, and hold to approach, she anchored in 25 fathoms, with the Nine Pin bearing N. N. E. 1 mile: they could only land at one part about a mile from the wateringplace, on account of the surf, and although good water ran down within fifty fathoms of the shore, they could only get it to the longboat moored outside of the surf, by filling canvass bags, holding about ten gallons each, and hauling them off by a circular rope of communication, rove through a block in the boat. H. M. S. Bristol, anchored here about 30 years ago, and filled about 30 tons of water in one day, with a long hose, when there happened to be little surf. The Chesterfield got about 30 young hogs, which were very good; there are many wild goats on the island, but so shy, they cannot be caught,

By mean of the observations and chronometers of ten different ships, the centre of the island Trinidad, is in lat 20° 22' 30" S., and in lon. 29° 10' W. Captain P. Heywood, of the royal navy, made it 23° 38' west of St. Helena, by means of 4 chronometers, which would place it in lon. 29° 13' W; and some observers place it a little more westerly.* The Chesterfield made the variation 2° 18' west in 1800.

Ascension Island, placed formerly in the charts between Trinidad and the coast of Brazil, is now known not to exist.

ISLAND ASCENSION is about three leagues in length from N. to S. and 2 leagues broad E. and W. and may be been 15 leagues or more, in clear weather, there being several peaked hills on it; the highest, called Green Mountain, is situated near the S. E. part of the island, about 800 yards high, and appears a double peak in some views. Most of the hills are covered with red earth, like brick dust, being a decomposition of the volcanic rock, which forms this island. It has a most dreary aspect, the surface consisting of calcined rocks and pumice stones, dangerous and difficult in some places to walk over, as they have little solidity, and are often sharp-pointed and rough. There is no verdure except purslain, which grows mostly about the Green Mountain, and is found in April, May, June, and July. Captain Dampier (whose ship was lost on this island) is said to have discovered a spring of fresh water on the S. E. side of the High Mountain, about half a mile from its summit. At that time, 1700-1, he found plenty of goats and land crabs, near the spring of water: other navigators have not been so fortunate as to discover any spring on the island, but have found some rain water in the hollows at the base of the mountain, which is probably evaporated in the dry season. The wild goats are very lean; rats and mice abound, and there are a few insects. The summit of the mountain is frequently enveloped in clouds or vapour, but it seldom rains here.

This island is seldom visited, unless by a few ships homeward bound from India, or whalers, who stop here for a supply of turtle. These were formerly in plenty, particularly in February, March, and April; but of late, so many American and other vessels have touched at this island, that turtle often cannot be obtained.

There is a bay of considerable depth and extent, close on the north side of the S. W. point of Ascension, about two and a half or three miles distant from the two bays where ships anchor. Captain Heywood found the landing very safe in February at this bay, went to it in his gig, on the nights of the * Captain Flinders made the S E. point in long. 29 degrees 19 minutes W. by lunar observation, and 29 degrees 23 minutes W. by chronometers.

24th and 25th of February, and turned 36 large turtles, whilst very few could be obtained by the people stationed at the bays contiguous to the anchorage. A ship intending to stop at Ascension, should stop in the usual place, and send parties to the westward round the extreme point, which bears about S. S. W. from the road; two or three sandy beaches will then open, the farthest of which is S. W. bay, and as this bay is not frequented, nor much known, a large supply of turtle may reasonably be expected.

A ship intending to stop at Ascension, should steer round the N. point of the island, which is a low rocky point with deep water close to it, and may be passed within two cables' lengths with a commanding breeze: when abreast this point, Sandy Bay will soon be seen a little to the S. W., which is a small bay, with a white sandy beach, having a regular hill like a dome a little distance inland; this is called Cross Hill, from a cross placed there more than half a century back.*

From the W. point of Sandy Bay, a reef of rocks projects out about 1 and a half mile, on which the sea breaks when there is much swell; at other times, there are no breakers on it. When a ship has passed the N. point of the island, she should haul up into the Sandy Bay, and anchor abreast of the beach, in 16 or 16 fathoms sandy bottom, with Cross Hill S. by E. E. or S. S. E. off shore about three-fourths of a mile.f The best landing place is at the W. end of the bay, behind an isolated rock: this rock makes a sort of division between the Sandy Beach Bay, and another bay to the westward, which has also a sandy beach in some places, and may be considered a continuation of the easternmost bay. In this western part, there are some detached rocks; on one of which the Egmont struck in 1771, which was found to be a very small rock with less 3 fathoms on it, and 13 fathoms close to it on the outside; there was 13 fathoms between it and the shore, from which it was distant about two cables' lengths. The summit of the rock, where the depth on it was less 3 to 5 fathoms, was not of more extent than 4 or 5 feet square. The bearing of this rock from Cross Hill is not known; Captain Mears says it lies in the opening of the second sandy bay from the anchoring place under Cross Hill, the hill bearing from it, by compass, S. W. S., appearing over the low land. This be r ing does not agree with the description; probably it should

* Captain Heywood erected a flagstaff on the summit of this hill in 1811, as he found the cross gone.

Along the N. W, side of the island, the bank of soundings extends about 2 miles off shore, the bottom said to be rocky, where the depth exceeds 18 or 20 fathoms.

have been S. E, S. Although the anchorage is to leeward, at the N. W. part of the island, there is often a high surf on the shore; caution is therefore requisite, as many ships have had their boats stove by the surf in landing. The summit of the mountain, or centre of the island, is in lat. 7° 58' S. and the anchorage of the road in lat. 7° 55' S. lon. 14° 15′ W. measured by many ships' chronometers from James's Town St. Helena, allowing the latter to be in lon. 5° 36' W. Captain Heywood, made it also, in the above longitude, and in 14° 16' W. by chronometers, measured from St. Anthony, one of the Cape Verd islands. Variation 12° 30′ W. in 1806. There is very little rise or fall of tide.*

It has sometimes happened that outward bound East India ships, after crossing the equator, have found the S. E trade so far to the eastward, as enabled them to pass in sight of the Island Ascension; this can only happen to ships which cross the equator far eastward of the common track, when the sun is near the southern tropic. The trade-wind is then at times E. by S. or E.; and at such times, a south course may probably be made, by keeping close to the wind in crossing the trade, although ships bound to India, or the Cape of Good Hope, should not adopt this route with a view of shortening the distance; for their principal object is to get quickly through it, into the northerly and westerly winds, where they will soon run down the longitude.

Although Ascension is seldom seen by ships bound to India, it is directly in the route of those homeward bound, for they generally see it in passing, particularly in times of peace, when no danger is apprehended from cruizers.

ST. HELENA is situated in the southern Atlantic Ocean, in the strength of the S. E. trade; but it is not the island most distant from its nearest continent of any in the known world,

In places where the shores are lined with a sandy beach, and this bounded by a coral reef or range of breakers, turtle are generally plentiful; and moonlight nights are the times when the females come on shore in the greatest numbers, to deposit their eggs in the sand. If there is a reef facing the beach, and a rise and fall of tide, they wait for the rising tide to float them over it, and reach the beach an hour or two before high water, that they may have time sufficient to dig large holes in which they deposit their eggs, and return to sea about high water, or before it has fallen much on the reef. If the beach has a gentle acclivity, they dig the pits at a considerable distance from highwater mark, among bushes, small sand hillocks, or in the most convenient. secret places near the beach, and then deposit their eggs in them. Some of these holes or pits are of considerable dimensions, employing the mother turtle upwards of an hour digging them. By those in search of turtle, the beach should not be frequented till near highwater, or the time they are supposed to be mostly on shore. In walking along it, silence should be observed, for the smallest noise will alarm them, and those not already on shore, will in such

case return to sea.