nerally hazy, but much more so as the coast of Barbary is approached, which renders precaution doubly necessary. In this instance, we ran the ship between the island of Fuertaventura and the main, without seeing either, and hauled up to the westward when to the southward of the south end of the former, to avoid Cape Bajadore. If celestial observations had not been used to ascertain the longitude, the probability is, that the ship would have been in great danger of being wrecked on the coast of Barbary; because, having had so late a departure, an error of such magnitude in the dead reckoning as three degrees would not have been apprehended, and not seeing any land when in the latitude of the islands, the conclusion might reasonably have been, that the ship was to the westward of Palma, and not the eastward of Fuertaventura.

This current varies in velocity at different periods of the year. Sometimes it is scarcely perceptible, at other times running at the rate of thirty or forty miles in twenty-four hours, but always increasing in velocity in approximating the Barbary shore, until Cape Bajadore is passed to the southward.

Norris's chart of the coast of Africa, extending from Cape Palmas to Cape Lopez, and published by Laurie and Whittle in 1792, is sufficiently correct for the purposes of traders navigating that part of the coast, as the latitudes of the principal capes,

or head lands, are correctly laid down, as well also as the places of trade generally. There is an error in the longitude, of thirty miles of a degree too far to the eastward, the meridian of Greenwich being made to pass over Tantumquerry point, instead of that of Barracoo point. I found Annamaboo, by a mean of ten lunar observations, to be fifty-four miles west of Greenwich, and Cape Coast in 1°3′ west of that meridian. The distance measured on Norris's chart, between the high land of Drewin and Cape Coast, I found by lunar observations to be very correct.

The ground from Bereby to Drewin is foul ; therefore, in anchoring over these places, some precaution is necessary.

Picaninny Bassam lies at the bottom of a deep bay, called the bottomless pit, where there is not any anchorage until within half a cable's length of the shore; and many masters of vessels have found themselves very uncomfortable, when they have imprudently taken their vessels too far into this bay, and the wind has proved light and far southerly, from the difficulty they have experienced in getting them out of it, and their ground-tackle being rendered unavailable in case of emergency, in consequence of the extreme depth of the water. This bay had better therefore be avoided by vessels of burthen.

The line of coast from Appolonia to Cape St.

Paul's is well defined, the shore bold, and anchorage good; the reef off Tacarara is the only obstacle, and it lies much nearer the shore than is laid down in the chart. From Cape St. Paul's to Little Popo, the land is low; at the latter place there are three or four small hummocks, but from thence to Benin river it is extremely flat, no inequality presenting itself along the whole line of coast, which renders the intermediate places of trade very difficult to find. In running along the coast to the eastward and from Popo, in eight fathoms water, Grewhe town may be seen from the deck of a vessel, by using a good telescope, at about three miles from the beach, as there is scarcely any wood to intercept the view, and which will point out the proper anchorage of Wydah. Porto Nova road is twelve leagues to leeward of Wydah, and when I was there, the mark for anchorage was an isolated clump of large trees, in number probably twenty or thirty, bearing north, and growing very near the beach. The road to Ardrah winds close past them.

The road of Badagry is nearly equi-distant from Porto Nova and Lagos, and has no particularly marked object to be known by. The town is three miles from the beach and situated on the north bank of the lake, or river, that descends from Ardrah into Lagos river, and is at Badagry about two hundred yards broad. A shrubbery intercepts the

view of the town until the river is very nearly approached.

Between Badagry and Lagos river, numerous villages are scattered along the beach, reposing in pretty groves of cocoa-nut trees. The mouth of Lagos river is so contracted, that it might easily be passed unobserved, and often probably would be, were it not for the breakers off its entrance.

The course from Lagos to Benin is south-east by compass, and, in approaching the latter place from the north-west, with an intention to run into that river, there are, on the eastern shore, extending from its mouth to the southward, two clumps of trees, very near each other, and which are higher than the line of shrubbery in which they are growing (they are called the cock-up bubbies, from their imperfect resemblance to mammoe); these bearing ESE. run directly for them, until you open the river, then run in, keeping the western shore on board until past Jo creek; keep afterwards the centre of the river up to New Town, where vessels generally anchor in three and a half fathoms water. The bar is a flat of mud of considerable extent, having only twelve feet water in it at spring-tides. After leaving Benin road, and rounding Cape Formosa, the seventh river to the eastward of that Cape is the embouchure of Bonny and New Calabar rivers. The distance, estimated from Foche Point, its western extremity, to Rough corner, its eastern

extremity, is seven miles. A ship may run with great safety from Cape Formosa to Bonny river in seven fathoms, and if of a moderate size, may pass the bar of that river at low water, there being on it at such times, three fathoms. The marks for entering it are two high trees at Peter-side*, a handspike's length open, with Rough corner. The sea breaks at half-ebb on the sand called the Baleur Head, lying on the starboard hand going in, and which is very steep too; as it does also on the western breakers on the larboard hand, so that the channel, which is broad, is itself also very distinctly marked. The passage out of the river is both shallow and intricate, and requires considerable caution in taking a ship through it; for, however frequently a man may have been at Bonny, it will be prudent for him to examine the channel well, and buoy it, if necessary, before proceeding through it to sea.

Old Calabar and Camaroons rivers have both of them broad and deep entrances, the latter particularly; and very little experience is requisite to find the way both in and out of these rivers. The high lands of Romby and Backasy Gap are good marks for finding the entrance of the former, and preventing the masters of vessels from mistaking the river Del Rey for it.

* Peter-side is the name of a town on the right bank of the river Bonny, about five or six miles from its mouth.