Page:Narrative of a Voyage around the World - 1843.djvu/239

1838.] and on the eastern side I met with shells enclosed in a solid rock formed by a concretion of magnetic iron-sand. Timber of great variety abounded.

In the bay where the Starling was at anchor there was a large village, where the natives were anxious to dispose of their productions, consisting of fruit, stock, cattle, &c.

On the 27th of March, quitting Culebra, we rounded Point Catalina, which from the disjointed portions, or islands, might have caused that of Murciellagos to be mistaken for it. We passed close to Cape Velas, so called from the rock being sometimes mistaken for a sail, and looked into Catalina bay. Here we lost the Papagayos. Therefore the limits may be considered to be included in a line drawn from Cape Desolado to Point Velas, and it is rather a curious phenomenon that the strength of this breeze seldom ranges so far as this chord, but seems to prefer a curve at a distance of fifteen to twenty miles from the land.

We now regretted the absence of these breezes, and made but slow progress to the southward, the currents pressing us to the eastward, and on the 30th even to the northward of the preceding" day. Vancouver notices this current also.

Our destination was now Cocos Island and Callao. Bottles were thrown overboard daily to determine the course of these currents. One was picked up and forwarded to the consul at Panama, which exhibited a course from latitude 6° 16', longitude