Account of a Voyage of Discovery Part 20

ABSTRACT OF THE VOYAGES OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP LYRA, In 1816 and 1817.

The Lyra, in the short s.p.a.ce of twenty months, viz. from the 9th of February 1816, to the 14th of October 1817, visited Madeira, the Cape, Java, Macao, the Yellow Sea, the West Coast of Corea, the Great Loo-choo Island, Canton, Manilla, Prince of Wales's Island, Calcutta, Madras, the Mauritius, and St. Helena; having run, in direct courses, a distance of 11,940 nautic leagues, or 41,490 statute miles.

An abstract of the various pa.s.sages, from place to place, during this voyage, ill.u.s.trated by brief remarks on the particular circ.u.mstances of each, will probably be considered interesting.

[Sidenote: England to Madeira and Cape, 2520 leagues.]

1.

Sailed through the Needles pa.s.sage on the 9th of February, 1816.

Arrived at Madeira, 18th of February 9 days Crossed the equator in longitude 25 20' west, 4th March 15 Reached the Cape of Good Hope, 14th April 41 --- From England to the Cape, in 9 weeks, 2 days, or 65 days.

This is not a very good pa.s.sage, considering that we carried the north-east trade wind to the lat.i.tude of 4 north, and longitude 23 west, where we got the south-east trade, without any interval of calms.

2.

[Sidenote: Cape to Java, 1800 leagues.]

Sailed from the Cape on the 26th April 1816.

Arrived at Anjier Point, Java, 7th June. 42 days.

--- Six weeks.

After leaving the Cape we had strong westerly winds, with which we ran the longitude down, in the parallel of 38 and 39 south, till in longitude 57 east, where the weather being very stormy, we hauled to the north-east till in 35 south lat.i.tude, and then ran east till in 90 east, when we steered to the east-north-east, and crossed the tropic in 102 east, which was probably too far west. The south-east trade hung far to the eastward, and made it difficult to fetch Java Head, which had we not succeeded in doing at first, might have caused considerable delay, as the wind still blew out of the Straits of Sunda.

3.

[Sidenote: Java to China, 600 leagues.]

Sailed from Anjier Point, Java, on the 12th June, 1816.

Reached Gaspar Straits on the 17th June 1816 5 days.

Arrived off Macao, 8th July 21 --- From Java to Macao in 3 weeks 5 days, or 26 days.

This pa.s.sage was unusually bad, it being nearly a week before we reached Gaspar Straits, an ordinary run of one day: in the south part of the China sea the south-west monsoon was very light. An American brig, which sailed only one day before us from Anjier Point, carried the breeze along with her, and reached Macao twelve days before us.

4.

[Sidenote: Ladrone Islands to the Yellow Sea, 520 leagues.]

Sailed from the Ladrone Islands off Macao, on the 13th July 1816.

Rounded the promontory of Shantung and entered the Yellow Sea, 25th July 12 days.

From thence to the anchorage off the Pei-ho or Pekin River, 27th July 2 --- Macao to Pekin River, in 2 weeks, or 14 days.

This voyage can be compared only with that of the Lion on the occasion of the former emba.s.sy. The Lion was nearly three weeks, exclusive of the time at anchor at Chusan. We had fine weather and steady south-west winds, with very heavy dews at night. When nearly abreast of the south point of Corea, the wind became variable from the south-east and southward. In the Yellow Sea we had easterly winds and no fogs.

5.

[Sidenote: Pei-ho to Oei-hai-oei in the Yellow Sea, 90 leagues.]

Sailed from the anchorage off the Pei-ho on the 11th August, 1816.

Arrived at Cheatow Bay, after having coasted from the anchorage along the south side of the Gulf of Pe-che-lee, 22d August 11 days.

From thence to the harbour of Oei-hai-oei, 23d August 1 --- From Pekin River to harbour of Oei-hai-oei, 1 week 5 days, or 12 days.

In this cruise round the Gulf of Pe-che-lee we had constant easterly winds, which obliged us to tide the whole way. It blew a gale of wind on the 19th from the north-east, with a high short sea. With this exception, and a fresh breeze on the 3d and 6th, the weather was uniformly fine during our stay in the Yellow Sea, and we never experienced any fogs.

6.

[Sidenote: Yellow Sea to Corea, 40 leagues.]

Sailed from Oei-hai-oei, in China, on the 29th August, 1816.

Made the islands off the coast of Corea, 1st September 3 days.

Running along the coast of Corea till the 10th September 9 ---- 12 days.

On the coast of Corea the winds were mostly from the northward, and the weather uniformly fine, with heavy dews at night.

7.

[Sidenote: Corea to Loo-choo, 240 leagues.]

From the south-west end of Corea to the Great Loo-choo Island, on the 14th September, 1816, 4 days.

From Corea to the Great Loo-choo Island we had northeasterly and northerly winds, with one gale from the northward.

8.

[Sidenote: Loo-choo to China, 320 leagues.]