shaped, soft hand, with tapering fingers, good nails, and a handsome shaped leg, though rather bony at the ankle; feet small, yet clumsy over the instep; her head was without covering or ornament, having coarse jet black hair, and her ears carried appendages similar to those worn by the males; the queen had a very pleasing expression of countenance, and on our captain placing a Paisley tartan shawl upon her shoulders, she seemed very much gratified, and blushed a bright pink colour through the ugly yellow with which, to ward off the effects of the sun's rays, they invariably (females and males) daub themselves. These women are by no means well looking; their noses are flat, foreheads and cheeks badly shaped, and they are rather short of stature than otherwise. The men are muscular; some halfdozen very tall, and average a good height, but from their habit (both men and women) of squatting upon their buttocks, their feet become turned in, and they acquire an awkward shambling gait. They were all very well-conducted on board, and though curious and inquisitive, gave no offence, and did not attempt to pilfer. Several females were permitted on board to see the ship, the chief, undertaking that they should not remain on board longer than was convenient. They were very much pleased, and the men often repeated "Good man of war," and, in their own way, they took the dimensions of the ship. The people of these islands are a dissolute and depraved race, possibly from ignorance. They profess a sort of marriage engagement, which, however, they do not regard; but wives are taken and discarded at pleasure, or caprice, in consequence of all which the population is rapidly decreasing, notwithstanding Mr. Ellis does not admit it; about one birth occurs for three deaths; and during the last month Mr. Rogerson knew of four deaths, but no birth: the women are fond of their children, and take motherly care of them. A writer on these islands, "Lieutenant Paulding," U.S. navy, (see Partington's Cyclopædia,) is made to say that, "plurality of wives is not admitted;" the fact is, that the marriage state is altogether disregarded, and King Jotiti has (besides his wife or queen, whom he had taken from another man,) five wives who live in the same hut with the above-mentioned queen. They are an indolent people, living principally upon the bread-fruit, plaintains, cocoa-nuts, and sweet potatoes-the spontaneous productions of the islands; sometimes they get fish, which they devour in its raw state, tearing it with the fingers; Jotiti, however, showed that he knew perfectly how to use a knife and fork, and to mix wine and water in a tumbler, and drink it, rum being forbidden them. The King rejoiced in the opportunity to have "Jones," the ship's barber and fiddler, to shave him. Pigs are plentiful, but are only used by the natives in sacrifice; the young ones, which have been fed upon bread-fruit, are very good and delicate food; poultry is scarce, nothing but the comENLARGED SERIES.-No. 9.-VOL. FOR 1838. 4 E mon fowl; and the only cows are a very few belonging to the English, and transported here. Arrow-root grows spontaneously; it is used by the missionaries, but the natives will not be at the trouble to cultivate it. Fire-wood can be procured if wanted; it is not kept cut, the weather being so mild and fine that fires are never required, and the natives only using it in a very small quantity for occasionally cooking the bread-fruit. The population of Santa Christina is 1,500, the three windward isles, of which it is one, (St. Pedro and Hood's being barren uninhabited rocks,) are computed to have 9,000 souls; and the four leeward 9,000 also. Infanticide is not among their faults. The English population consists of Mr. Rogerson and Mr. Stolworthy, (missionaries,) Mrs. R. and three children, and two Irishmen, by name Collins and Robinson, both natives of Dublin, who support themselves in the bay next to windward of "Resolution;" Collins has a native wife, the best looking young woman I observed, and seems a respectable man; the other I should be sorry to trust, he does not look like an acquisition to any society; he is tattooed across the face, and will therefore probably never return to England. Mr. Stolworthy was pursuing his avocations at Dominica at the time of our visit, and not being to return for a week, we could not delay so long. This group of islands proves an unfruitful field to the labours of the missionaries, who are unable (after three years residence) to make any religious impression upon the people; they still retain their idolatrous practices, and have a vicarious mode of worship, through a sort of priest, to their idols. They entertain great respect for the missionaries, treat them well, and seem much gratified by having such civilized and clever people among them; but on Captain Bruce advising Jotiti to attend to the instructions of Mr. Rogerson, his answer was, that the piccaninnies (meaning the women and children) had his encouragement to do so, but that for himself he declined. Mr. Rogerson has no congregation, he goes among the natives in their houses, besides having a place for them to assemble at to attend his ministrations, if they would; but I cannot wonder at the want of improvement in their morality, when it is evident from the fact of women swimming off to the ships, that they must be encouraged to do so (both on shore and afloat;) and the crews of American whalers, as well as our own countrymen, have much to answer for in this respect. If ships of war were in the habit of making more frequent visits to Santa Christina, every three months for instance, with officers disposed and determined to support the missionaries in their arduous duties, it would go far towards improving the moral conduct of the natives, who are delighted to see our ships of war, and are impressed with the greatest possible respect for them; and if we acted consistently with the doctrines which the missionaries hold forth, their efforts for the establishment of the Christian religion among these More Englishmen people would probably be attended with success. might then be induced to settle, and profit by the easy and ample means of livelihood which the islands offer; and they, forming a nucleus, round which, the labours of these active and estimable missionaries might spread religious instruction in every direction throughout the native community, would thus be the means of accomplishing an important philanthropic object, though perhaps without any political advantage. Santa Christina once known to encourage these views, the other islands would soon take their tone from it, and vice and profligacy would meet a decided check. But the ships appointed for the service of these islands, ought to receive a caution respecting their religious and moral state. Two English seamen, who had left a Portuguese whaler here two months previously, on account of her ill-luck, begged to be allowed to join the ship, and were received: from the account of these men, as well as from other sources, no doubt can be entertained but that the Marquesians are cannibals, though they seem ashamed of, and deny it. Two men (natives) had been baked and eaten a few months before our arrival, subsequently to a battle which had been fought on Santa Christina, between two refractory tribes "Aputoni," and " Anotaia," and five who remained loyal to their king-our friend Jotiti. He was victorious, and having banished some of the disaffected to the adjacent island of Dominica, is now apprehensive of a fresh attack from thence. The S.E. trade blows among these remarkable islands, which possess every advantage of climate; and we found such fine weather and smooth water during all the voyage from Valparaiso to them, that the jolly boat might have achieved it, so far as the elements were concerned. The relative position of these islands to each other is correctly laid down in Arrowsmith's chart, but the group is placed further to the westward than the reality by 13' 30". The mean of the Imogene's three chronometers places "Resolution Bay" Mr. Rogerson's house Dr. Inman's book Arrowsmith's chart The mean of the Imogene" and "Acteon" would probably be correct. MIDGLEY SHOAL, IN THE ATLANTIC. SIR, By a letter which I have received from Captain Thomas Midgley, of Liverpool, it appears that there is a shoal, probably dangerous, near the parallel of 44° 10' N. and meridian of 23° W. which, of course, should be made generally known. The particulars annexed are given as described by Captain M. * "The experience of my last voyage to Africa (in the Challenger,) has tended to confirm what I have previously written with respect to Africa, and I now proceed to give you the particulars of what I consider to be a very dangerous shoal; regretting sincerely my inability to examine it closely, owing to my crew being on short allowance of provisions and water, in consequence of a long prevalence of light and adverse winds. "On the 14th of the present month, (June, 1838,) at 2h. 40m. P.M., on my passage from Africa to this port, I suddenly fell in with a large patch or belt of discoloured water, of a dirty grey appearance, much resembling river water, and rippling very much, as if upon a shoal bank. No rock nor danger could be seen from the masthead; but the water appeared very much discoloured for more than half a mile in breadth, as far as the eye could reach, in a direction N.W. and S.E. by compass. "The vessel passed at a quarter to half a mile from the S.E. point or extremity of it, which lies in lat. 44° 9' 30" N., long. by an excellent chronometer, 22° 57′ 45" W. from Greenwich, and by account from Flores, 23° 5′ W. The latitude, reduced from the sun's meridian altitude, taken on the same day with two excellent sextants; and the chronometer ascertained to be correct off Flores, four days previously, and subsequently, when off Holyhead, in St. George's Channel. The altitudes for the time were taken a few minutes after passing the danger, and when it was still within one mile of the vessel. "In appearance, this water very much reminded me of the shoal grounds near Nantucket and on George's Bank: had it been caused by ice, some would have been seen upon the surface; if by fish, there would doubtless have been many birds hovering about, which was not the case. "At the time I saw this danger, I was running with a favourable breeze and clear weather, and the contrast between the deep blue colour of the water in which the vessel was sailing and that of the danger I allude to, was noticed by every one on board. "This is, perhaps, the "Greeves Ledge," of the charts said to have been seen by Captain Greeve, of the Dutch ship Anna Catharine, 7th July, 1745, and since, by Captain Currie, of Port Glasgow, and laid down in lat. 44° 15', and long. 25°5′; the latter probably by dead reckoning." *New Sailing Directory for the Ethiopic or Southern Atlantic Ocean, pages 284 to 290.-J. P. P. S.-In the month of June, 1833, Captain C. W. Nockells, an intelligent mercantile commander, from Jamaica for London, passed through a very extensive and continuous tract of water, of a dirty dark green colour, between the meridians of 28° and 22° W. and the parallels of 44° and 46° N.; which, it may be observed, according to the charts, is the tract between "Greeve's Ledge," and the "Isle Vertè;" but it does not appear that there was seen, in this tract, any indication of danger. See, upon this subject, the article entitled "Soundings in the North Atlantic," by an advocate for the use of the Deep Sea Lead: Nautical Magazine, October, 1833, pp. 599, 601. J. P. [We regret to perceive that in both these instances, the lead has not been used. -ED. N. M.] CURRENTS OF THE OCEAN. H.M. Brig Hope. Noon, 31st March, 1838. Lat. 50° 10' N.; Long. 9° 43' W. per Chronometer. SAILED from Havana on 28th February, and have 1,772,642 dollars on board, in freight. Up to this time, all well. The wind has been strong to the eastward for three days. Should this ever be taken up, I request it may be made public in some of the prints of England, (the Nautical Magazine.) The intention of this is to ascertain the direction and velocity of the current. D. PENDER, Master, R.N. We have received the paper from which the foregoing was copied, from the French Consul in London, who states that it was found in a bottle, "le 1re Juin dernier sur la cote de la Veigue quartier de St. Gilles, arondissement de Rochefort," and we have much satisfaction in thus completing the intentions of the writer. The course and distance which it has travelled appears to be about S. 56°, E. 390 miles, about six miles per day, agreeing with several others which we have previously published. THE SISAL BANK, AND MADAGASCAR SHOAL. In the commencement of our last number, our readers will find an excellent paper on the navigation of the gulf of Mexico, in which these dangers are alluded to. We have, at length the satisfaction of saying, that by the exertions of Lieutenant (now Commander) Edward Barnet, the positions of both are conclusively determined by triangulation from the shore. The former being found laid down in the charts a mile and a half too far to the northward, and three minutes and a half to the westward of its real position; and the latter not laid down at all. In fact, the latter has been discovered by the Madagascar grounding upon it, and it is a matter of astonish |