mind, the young officer especially; and farther, that a duty performed as a matter-of-course, and not from principle, will seldom be performed well; and negligence, in that respect, is scarcely separable from criminality. With reference to the "foremast men," some of the evils arising from their irregularities may be laid to the account of the State-their early culture has been neglected. It is remarkable that a country so dependent on her maritime supremacy, should not have, long ago, instituted national schools in all the principal sea-ports, for the moral and religious education of boys intended to be brought up in the sea-service. To the neglect of such a measure, and to the want of an established system of rotation of servitude in the Royal Navy, may be traced the deplorable necessity for the exercise of the consuetudo, constituting the lawfulness of impressment. The annual expenditure of the Navy, both in its matériel and personnel, is costly indeed; but the outlay is imperative; our safety, as an independent nation, principally depending upon the efficiency of that branch of our colossal power; but, however much we may deprecate war, as we cannot control altogether the fiery passions of the other maritime nations of the world, and a very trifling incident may unwillingly plunge us into it, it behoves us be every way provided for such an evil; and this is to be done principally in perfecting our navy and sea-defences, dealing honestly and justly by the seamen, providing for the officers in their old age, and encouraging the young. THE "CHARLES HEDDLE'S" HURRICANE. SIR, Your correspondent, Stormy Jack," adverts in your number for November last, in his letter on the contraction of the whirlwind, to the Charles Heddle's storm, and to my opinion as expressed in that memoir, that the diameter of that storm was a decreasing one. He farther says, that "there has been no established proof of the contraction of the hurricane meteor." Let me first express here my great satisfaction at finding this gentleman to agree mainly with me, in the long investigation of the Charles Heddle's storm, and say, that I hope to profit by his criticism on my new work on storms for all parts of the world, of which a copy will reach him through you, and then proceed to state upon what my views are founded. With respect to the decreasing size of the Charles Heddle's hurricane, I think this is fairly inferred from the diminished number of hours and miles required to make a complete turn on the different days, coupled with the remark in the log for three days, that the wind was always about the same strength, and her run also being marked nearly the same. Nevertheless there may be a large zone of wind of the same strength, no doubt, and I may be wrong in my inferences. But the fact of the decreasing size of hurricane storms, and that they augment in violence when they do decrease, has been very clearly shewn in India, for the Bay of Bengal, in my second memoir published in the "Journal of the Asiatic Society," Vol. IX., in which it is clearly shewn that the hurricane which desolated Coringa, on the 16th of November, 1839, which is traced across the Bay from the Andaman Islands, was of about 300 miles in diameter on the 13th, when it was a severe gale," and was certainly not more than 153 miles in diameter when it reached Coringa, on the 16th, as a furious hurricane. This storm is so clearly trace, that I think the evidence derived from it is quite conclusive as to the fact of their decreasing in size. To the Editor N.M. H. PIDDINGTON. MUNN'S REEF. March 22nd, 1848. SIR. Having been some years a subscriber to your valuable publication, I presume I shall not be intruding by making the following observation: In your number for March, 1847, I observe a report, taken from an American paper, of a rock seen in lat. 40° 20′ N., long. 63° 50′ W., that such rock does not exist I will not presume to say, but I am doubtful of it, and still more so, on seeing the report, and the track chart of Lieut. Fayrer, (in the September number,) whilst commanding the Liverpool; it appears morally impossible that, a rock, of the magnitude described, twenty-five to thirty feet high, and 300 feet in circumference, should exist, and be not more publicly known, since it is in an every-day track of ships passing between the United States and Europe. On finding the above report in the Nautical, it reminded me of an occurrence that took place with me in the year 1843, on my passage from New York, being in lat. 39° 45′ N., long. 64° 10′ W. I had been laying becalmed a few hours, when towards the meridian, the weather became hazy, with a light wind from the eastward, the report was given of a boat coming towards the ship; I was rather surprised at this, as no ship had been in sight during the day, although it had been very clear; for some time fancy pictured the oars dipping in the water, and the crew labouring hard at them, but on nearer approach, imagination would insist on its being a rock. On examining my chart, I found "Munn's Reef" to be in lat. 39° N., long. 64° 20′ W., therefore, I supposed it must be "Muun's Reef;" but not being satisfied with supposition, I got a boat out, and proceeded with lead and line to be assured by a survey. To my surprise, when along side the supposed reef, I found it to be a very large tree, the roots had evidently been cut No. 5.-VOL. XVII. 2 L off; it stood in a perpendicular position in the water, and the receding of the swell would leave it about eight feet above the surface; occasionally, the swell would completely cover its top or root, and I do not hesitate in stating, the root to be, at least, forty feet in circumference; I could trace the body of the tree for several feet, under water, but could not see the extreme end, for the shoal of fish that surrounded it; they were so numerous, that on either side of the tree, for several fathoms, I could not see far below the surface water. Had I passed this tree without examining it, I should, without a doubt, on my arrival in port, have reported seeing the "Munn's Reef," which would naturally have caused additional anxiety to ship-masters crossing its track. If you consider the above worth noting in the Nautical, you have my permission for doing so, and I hope the supposed rock, seen by our American friend, or the "Munn's Reef," are, neither of them, more nor less than an old tree. To the Editor N.M. Master of the "Martha Shalla," of Liverpool. [We very willingly give the above letter publicity. Mr. Lock deserves high commendation for the means he adopted to satisfy himself. It will serve as a caution to seamen, not to draw hasty conclusions respecting these apparent dangers, and we would urge on them to follow this very laudible example, in putting such questions beyond all doubt, by a similar investigation.] GARIA OR GARCAS SHOAL.-Official communication made to Major General of the Fleet, by Lieut. P. V. C. Louveiro, commanding the Portuguese brig, "Villa Flor." (Translation.) On the 17th and 18th of January, 1848, on board H.M.F.M. brig, Villa Flor, on her way from Loanda to Lisbon, wind N.N. E., NE., fresh and steady. At 3h. 30m. P.M., on the 17th, the men on watch reported that, a breaking of the sea was seen to leeward on the bow, and I, and other officers having got up to the foremast crosstrees, saw, beyond all doubt, that it was a shoal, which we marked W. N. W. magnetic at 6' distance; the ship being then to the eastward of it, and having taken the ship's reckoning to that hour, it was found that her position, at 3 o'clock, was lat. 12° 30' N., and long. 28° 56′ W. of Greenwich, the longitude being determined by a very correct chronometer, and the latitude by observation, deducting the ship's course up to 3h. 30m. P.M., when the shoal was seen. From the observations taken at noon, on the 18th, and from the course 66 followed, the ship ought to have passed over the shoal, called the "Garia" or Garças," as she was then in its latitude, and 11° 45' west of it. I did not, however, see it, which shews that, the real "Garia" or "Garças Shoal" is that which was seen at 3h. 30m. P.M., on the 17th. (Signed), P. V. DU COSTA LOUVEIRO, E PINHO, LA BRILLIANTE SHOAL. Colonial Secretary's Office, Sydney, October 14th, 1847. The accompanying notice received from Captain, the Count du Bouzet, of the French corvette, La Brilliante.-His Excellency the Governor, desires to acknowledge to Captain, the Count du Bouzet, his attention in furnishing the government with this information. (Translation.) By His Excellency's Command, E. DEAS THOMPSON. On the 28th of August, 1847, the French corvette, La Brilliante, having left Anatam on the 26th, with a gale of wind from the east, which changed on the next day to the south, after having veered round to the N.E. and N. W., was, at half-past 5 in the morning, by reckoning, in lat. 23° 9' 30" south, and long. 167° 51' east, (from Paris); the day was just dawning, the weather thick, with a fresh breeze from the S.S.W., but the sea still very high; the vessel was on the port tack, under plain sail, and making three knots; the look-out signalled a shoal ahead, very near the ship. The helm having been put up, she fell off immediately, and cleared the shoal to the E.N.E., at the distance of little more than a cable's length; the commander gave orders to wear, and to heave to on the other tack; it was then only that bottom could be found. Two soundings were obtained, of 20 and 23 fathoms, on a rocky bottom, no other indication being visible on the sounding lead, than the removal of the arming. Immediately after, soundings could not be obtained with 50 fathoms, the corvette being then about three cable's length to the E. S. E. of the shoal. The sea still running high, the commander did not send a boat to examine it; but having passed so near, it could be perceived, from the colour of the sea, which was quite yellow, that there was very little water upon it, at most, two or three metres, (from 6.5 to 9.75 feet.) The shoal appears to be a mass of coral, its form is round, and it is about forty metres wide. It is the more dangerous, as the sea did not break upon it, although there was a heavy swell. The weather cleared in the forenoon, so that good observations for time could be taken, and an excellent latitude at noon. With the aid of these observations, the position of the danger was fixed (approximately) to be in lat. 23° 13′ 52" of south, and 167° 35' 18" east of the meridian of Paris, and consequently, a considerable distance from the Durand reef, as marked in the charts. The commander of the corvette, believing it to be unknown, thought himself justified in calling it "La Brilliante's Shoal." If, instead of coming upon it at day-break, the vessel had encountered it during the night, especially as the weather was so dark, it would have been almost impossible to avoid it. It is to be regretted that, the weather did not admit of this danger being examined more minutely. JURY RUDDEr. 3, Madeira Place, Leith, April 8th, 1847. SIR. Having observed that several vessels have lost their rudders during the last severe winter, and, I believe, in several cases, if not in all, the loss of the vessel followed, I have thought the following statement might, perhaps, be hereafter of service to some that might be placed in the same trying position. I may remark as to the proving of the plan, that it was, perhaps, more severely tested than any plan previously tried. First, the distance was great, from the Cape of Good Hope to England; and, also, the vessel was deeply laden, her cargo being nearly all copper ore; and during the time she was without a rudder, she was quite unmanageable. The usual ways of trimming with sails, steering with a spar, &c., had little or no power upon her; it was often with difficulty she could be wore round, with after sails all furled, fore-yards braced hard aback, head-sheets hauled to windward, and with several water casks towing from the lee bow, with one head out. On our passage with the Royal Archer, from Australia to Swansea, April 21st, 1847, while lying to the wind, under close reefed main-top-sail, off Cape Recife, with a heavy N.W. and W.N.W. gale, and a very high cross sea, the rudder gudgeons gave way, and the rudder soon broke off below the case. We constructed a new one, by taking a spare top-mast for a main-piece, a lower yard for the next two pieces, and a small spar abaft all; building a proper rudder, and bolting the parts as well as possible. To prevent reducing the main-piece, we nailed a batten on the front part, so that in bevelling the fore part of it to the proper angle, it did not much injure the main-piece. The difficulty, of course, was to secure it below to the stern-post. We did this by taking a thick iron bar, the standard of spanker-boom crutch, or the stock of a kedge anchor might also answer. This was let into the fore edge of the rudder, with two large thimbles on it, with washers between the eye-bolts and thimbles, to prevent their jambing. Several eye-bolts were rove over the bar and driven into the main-piece, to keep it firm to the edge of the rudder; it was farther secured by two lashings of small chain, round the bar and the three main-pieces of the rudder, thus securing both the rudder and the bar. A short chain was put round each thimble, crossing on the fore-part, with a seizing on it; thus the thimble was turned into the bight of the guy, and revolved on the iron bar; the bar was let into the fore edge, so that the cross lashing on the guy, was on a line with the fore edge of the rudder. In the way of the two thimbles there was sufficient wood hollowed out to permit the thimbles, with the guys round them, to revolve freely, to prevent cutting the corner of the post, but more particularly, to make the guy keep firm in its place. The guy was well encased with canvas, &c., and afterwards covered over with pump leather |