the chart. A few minutes hefore this we had 9 fathoms, muddy bottom; there were now 17 feet at the starboard gangway. All fore and aft sails were at once taken in, and the yards laid flat aback. As soon as the ship felt the weight of the canvas she came off stern foremost. Wore round and stood to the southward. The West group of Pulo Papan consists of four islands, three only are laid down on the charts. The southernmost one bears nearly South from the one next to it, the remaining three are nearly in a line N.E.b.E. and S.W.b. W. The way the ship was heading she would have passed them at about equal distance. The shoal is two to two and a half miles N.W. from the middle one of the three. A current was setting S.E. about one mile per hour. The water was not discoloured, and when on the reef small round white patches were very indistinctly seen under the bottom. The water was quite smooth. A 281b. lead was over the side, and the sailmaker stationed at it to notice when the ship moved. Before she had gone a quarter of her own length astern, the lead dropped at once from 17 feet to 9 fathoms. After the ship was docked several planks high up on the port bilge in the way of the fore rigging, were found rubbed. I think there could not have been more than 12 feet under that part of her. As the ship drifted slightly to the S.E. before gathering sternway, it seems very probable that the shoal is altogether separate from the island. CHAS. E. WISE, Spirit of the North. There is no doubt that the Papan Islands are very wrongly shown on the chart; but it is right to observe that West of the group the chart shows no soundings for a space of eight or ten miles, and that Captain Wise was therefore really exploring unknown ground, finding, as he says, an island and reef entirely omitted. We have in a former volume alluded to this custom, which is risking the loss or at least injury to the ship. Where the lead has been, as shown by the soundings, a ship may go; but a blank space like that to which we have alluded is dangerous, being unknown ground. And this is really the part of the nautical surveyor to explore and report on. There are too many of these in the Carimata Passage, and the Spirit of the North has paid the panalty for exploring one. But although this Carimata Passage is so extensive, there are parts of it through which a ship finds it advantageous to pass, so as to keep to windward, which are comparatively more dangerous than others, from natural formation. Thus the Papan Islands belong evidently to a series of islands and dangers extending across in the N.E. part of the strait from Borneo to the S.W. towards Billiton. No doubt there are safe channels through them, and a service would be rendered to navigation if a fair channel on the Borneo side were explored and laid down in the chart, that all ships might then follow with safety. Thus a correct chart of the channels between Carimata Island and Borneo ould be a most important contribution to a general chart of the whole Passage," and would go far towards its safe navigation, although rming but a portion, and yet a principal one, of the whole channel. We have done the whole of Banca Strait. What are our friends the Dutch doing to whom so much of Borneo belongs? Cannot they go to work here, and run off this survey of an area some thirty or forty miles square, while we are at work East and West of them? Surely they have as much interest as we have in giving to the world an accurate representation of hydrography in these extensive waters, or are we to do it for them? DANGERS ON THE WEST COAST OF SUMATRA. From the Batavia Gazette. The following reef is one of the many unknown dangers of the coast of Sumatra, and leads to ask when we are to see a chart of this part of the Dutch possessions in the East that will have any pretensions to accuracy. Batavia, 7th November, 1861. The commission for improving the Indian Sea charts, give notice of a reef recently discovered by the Netherlands steam ship Padang, on the West coast of Sumatra. It appeared to be about four ships' length in extent, with a depth of 14 and 15 feet water. The following bearings were taken near the centre of the reef:-Pulo Muskets S.E.b.S.; Karang Laut W.N.W. W. President, G. VOGELPOOT. On the North coast of Brazil the following will be found a useful Caution to Mariners:-On making Paramaribo they must be on their guard when running down the coast during the night, as the fishermen all along the coast to leeward of the Marowga River have large fires, which have repeatedly been mistaken for the Lightship off the Surinam River. H. SAWYER, U.S. Consul. THE PRATAS,-China Sea. In the volume of this work for 1857 will be found an account of wrecks on the Pratas, with remarks on them by the late Mr. C. Biden while harbour master at Madras. The account was concluded with an interesting narrative of the wreck of H.M.S. Reynard, by Captain Cracroft. Since which we have also heard of a Dutch ship being lost on a reef to the northward of the shoal. And this event leads us to place confidence in the following account of a reef fifty miles N.N.E. of the reef, that has appeared in the Straits Times. Ships should be very careful how they approach these shoals, the danger of which is much increased by the uncertainty and strength of the currents which prevail about them. The British ship Cyclone has had a succession of light airs and calms the entire passage. For the last four days has been becalmed outside. Captain Hossack discovered a reef on the 9th inst. bearing N.N.E. from the Pratas Shoal, about fifty miles distant, when standing to the N.W., wind W.S.W. Tacked ship, having seen two patches; the easternmost one appeared to be very shoal with about two or three fathoms water on it, extending about 400 feet, and the water breaking on it. From good observations the true position is, lat. 21° 31′ N., and long. 117° 7′ E., Prata Island bearing S.S.W., distant fifty miles. DANGERS IN THE SOUTHERN APPROACHES TO THE MINCH,West Coast of Scotland. The southern approaches of the Little Minch, that channel which, with its greater namesake, the Great Minch, is the great thoroughfare between the Hebrides Islands and the western coast of Scotland, has not even yet fallen under the examination of our naval surveyors, notwithstanding its proximity to Tobermorey. To the S.W. of Cana Island there appears to be a series of dangers, among which is one alluded to in the following account, which we find in Mitchell's Register. Until these dangers are correctly laid down, vessels from the southward should keep outside or to the westward of them when S.W. of Cana, and give the island a berth of eight or ten miles, keeping midchannel between that island as they run northward or southward. The S.W. extreme of this ridge, at present marked by Mills Rock, is cleared when the South point of Rum and the North point of Egg are opening of each other Lerwick, December 9th, 1861. Sir,-Please publish the following Notice to Mariners passing through the Minch to or from the Sound of Mull. On the 23rd October, 1860, as I was on my way from Liverpool towards Lerwick, running with a gale from S.W., I was struck with a heavy sea, which knocked everything adrift about the decks. However, going about nine knots, the next one did not catch us, which broke more violently than the first. So I took no more notice, but thought it was the tide running against wind, as there was no sea to make it break in twelve fathoms, which is the least water laid down in the chart, and also in the direction book, with directions or corrections to 1858. And now, passing the same place on the 28th October last, at six p.m., civil time, with a light air of wind, and keeping the lead going on a regular bottom of thirteen to fourteen fathoms, it suddenly shoaled to 3 fathoms, which made everyone think she would be aground next minute. However, after a distance of ten yards, it slowly deepened to seven and ten, and so on to fourteen fathoms. It was dark at the time, so I could not take the proper bearings, but, as ar as I could conjecture, the Humela Rock bore S.b.W. distant 14 e, and the West end of Cana Island N.E. E., distant 1 mile. It is right in the fairway between Ardnamurchan Head and the entrance of the Minch, distant from the former twenty-two miles, and the latter eighteen miles; and as a vessel is very apt to strike upon it with any sea, I think it is worth taking notice of; and if I am required, I can find out the spot with very little trouble. Yours obediently. ROBERT NISBET, of the schooner Novice. CHARTS, &c., Published by the Hydrographic Office, Admiralty, to the end of January, 1862, and Sold by the Agent, J. D. Potter, 31, Poultry, and 11, King Street, Tower Hill. United States, Kennebec River, U.S. survey, 1858, (1s. 6d.) United States, Hatteras and Ocracoke Inlets, U.S. survey, 1857, (1s. 6d.) United States, Cape Fear to St. Catherine Island, U.S. survey, 1857, (2s. 6d.) United States, Wingah Bay and Georgetown Harbour, U.S. survey, 1855, (1s. 6d.) United States, Edisto River, U.S. survey, 1856, (6d.) United States, Port Royal Entrance and Beaufort Harbour, U.S. survey, 1855, (1s. 6d.) United States, Galveston Harbour and three plans, U.S. survey, 1858, (1s. 6d.) Red Sea, Jubal Strait, with views, Commander Mansell, R.N., 1861, (3s.) China, Pechili Gulf, Port Adams, with a plan of Hulu-shan Bay, Commander Ward, R.N., 1860, (2s. 6d.) Pacific Ocean, Tubuai Island Anchorage, Captain Bonard, French Imperial Navy, 1850, (6d.) Directions for South and S.E. coasts of Africa, Robben Island to Natal, by G. March, Esq., Master, R.N., 1861, (1s.) New Zealand, Hydrographic Notice, No. 2, West coast, North Island. African Lights, corrected to January, 1862, by Commander Dunsterville, R.N., (6d.) British North American Lights, corrected to January, 1862, by Commander Dunsterville, R.N., (6d.) West India Lights, corrected to January, 1862, by Commander Dunsterville, R.N., (18.) Hydrographic Office, 20th January, 1862. THE LOSS OF THE BARQUE "NORMA." [We preserve the following account of disaster in the dangerous Caroline Archipelago of the Pacific, as it may meet the eye hereafter of those who are not only concerned in it, but have had a share in the sufferings to which it refers.] Annexed is a copy of two communications forwarded to Lloyd's by the agents at Liverpool, relative to the loss of the English barque Norma, Wilson, from Newcastle (N.S.W.), for Hong Kong, on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean, known as St. Augustine; but as regards the fate of the crew nothing is known. H.M. sloop Pioneer, Hong Kong, October 19th, 1861. Gentlemen,-In compliance with the request which it contains, I have the honour to forward you, for your information, the enclosed papers, together with a copy of the record which it covered, and which was found by me on the island of St. Augustine on the 25th ult., when in search of the party of which the writer was one. I am, &c., H. H. REILLY, Commander. To Messrs. Carne, Newton, and Co., Liverpool. St. Augustine, or Meartlean Island and Road, North Pacific Ocean, 7° 11′ N., 155° 18′ E., August 19th, 1861. This is to be left in the S.E. end of this island, in a white glass bottle, under the ship's name, Norma, nailed to a tree. We leave this island about this date in a boat which was built on this island by twenty-two hands of the barque Norma, lost on the reef twenty-four miles E.S.E. from this, on Sunday night, the 31st of March, 1861. We arrived at this island, in all thirty-one hands, in one longboat and two smaller ones, on the 7th of April; and on the 17th of April Captain Wilson, wife and child, the chief officer (Mr. Robinson), one sailmaker, two quartermasters, and two lascars, left this in the longboat, taking all sextants, chronometers, and compasses, leaving nothing in case they were lost. They went away with the intention of going to Guam to get assistance for us, the other boats being too small to carry all. We have now been in this island better than four months, living on cocoanuts and wild fowl and turtle, which were to be had plentifully, but this last month there has not been any. We are going to try and reach the Pelew Islands if we can (God willing), having heard nor seen any person since the longboat left. So much for captain's promises and pride of English captains. A nice idea of the brave,-first to leave the ship and first to leave the crew! On the reef, about fourteen miles from where the Norma was lost, is the wreck of a large Belgian ship-the Constant, of Antwerplost about the 7th of July, 1858, from Sydney (N.S.W.) to Manila. The Norma was from Newcastle (N.S.W.) for Hong Kong. We left on the 4th of March, 1861. Her owners are Dent and Co., Hong Kong. If this record should be found, the finder (God willing), if he get on shore safe in a Christian country, forward it to Dent and Co. they would much oblige. We had to break up one of the small boats for nails. She was quite rotten. This is written by ROBERT NIXON TWEDDLE, late second officer of the barque Norma, on behalf of J. H. Foreland, carpenter, George Edwards and Isaac Ceffic, quartermasters, and eighteen Lascars. |