12th, 1840. The ship was running with a fresh wind right aft, with studding-sails set on both sides. When off the Bahia de Sol, (River Para,) a heavy thunder squall took the ship aback, carrying away all the topmast studding-sail booms, and while all hands were employed getting sail off the ship, the fore-topgallant-mast was shivered, and the main slightly wounded by lightning. The electric fluid struck the copper spindle at the fore-royal masthead passed right through the centre of the mast, and came out about two-thirds down the topgallant mast, it then passed, conducted probably, by the topsail sheets down the forecastle, fused the copper on the bitheads, took a piece out of a beam under the forecastle, and passed down to the lower deck where it tore the tin off in the galley. There can be little doubt, from the known power of copper to conduct electricity, that the spindle at the masthead, attracted the lightning, and was in a great measure the cause of the injury sustained, and there is also little doubt that had not the rain fell in torrents at the time, the ship would have been on fire in many places: after the explosion a cloud of smoke was seen to rise from the larboard fore chains. Three men were wounded, two only very slightly, and one at the fore-topmast-crosstrees had his clothes literally torn from his body. Metal spindles look very neat I allow, but when the lives of men, and the safety of H.M. Ships are liable to suffer, it would be more prudent in the officers having the arrangement of our men-of-war to pay a little more attention to reason, and after an accident of this sort to substitute something that would answer the purpose equally as well, and not subject the ships and subjects of Her Majesty to the serious injury that must occur sooner or later. I have seen accounts from the Racehorse in which it is stated that but for the torrents of rain that fell at the time, the effects of the lightning might have been even more disastrous than that which occurred to H.M.S. Thisbe, in 1786. To the Editor of the Nautical Magazine. I remain, &c. VERITAS. [We recommend VERITAS to peruse the articles on Lightning in our present volume, as he does not appear to have seen Mr. Harris's numerous papers on this subject in our former ones. He will then find that his idea of the vane spindle attracting the lightning is quite unfounded.-ED.] 66 GRAHAM SHOAL. By the following extract of a letter from the Mediterranean it would appear that Graham Shoal has subsided, and lost all pretensions to a place in our charts." We were enabled to ascertain our position with perfect accuracy by intersecting the bearing of Cape Granitola, Maritimo, and the town of Mazzara. This was at 10h. 50m. A.M., and at 12 we had a good meridian observation for the latitude, and two bearings of the land, so that our position was perfectly ascertained and we were then only nine miles from the shoal. We ran that distance by a quarter past 1 P.M. No appearance of smoke was visible, nor any breakers other than the tops of very heavy cross sea, which was then running. The land of Sicily was not clearly visible, and we could not obtain a sight of Pantellaria.-We, however, commenced sounding, and found the bank that surrounds Graham Shoal, but being unable from the heavy sea and strong winds, to lower our boats, we never obtained less water than 32 fathoms; and though we watched most attentively in the neighbourhood of the spot when we had got these soundings, nothing like a breaker was visible. Four hours were spent in most careful sounding. We found the banks small and steep, coming immediately from 40 to 60, and 90 fathoms. During these four hours we could not have been at any time further from the place laid down as Graham Shoal than one mile, and had there been any smoke issuing from any spot within five miles of us, it must have been observed. At 5, we ran back to the coast of Sicily, and obtained cross bearings of Cape St. Marco and Bianco to verify our position." ICEBERGS IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN.-Extract from the Sydney Herald, dated 29th Nov., 1839.-"We have been favoured by Capt. Smith, of the ship Orestes, with an extract from his log containing particulars of having passed several icebergs a few weeks' sail from Sydney. Saturday, November 9th, 1839. At 2 P.M. saw two icebergs bearing northeast ten or thirteen miles; the largest and westernmost appeared a mile in length, of a square form, and perfectly level on the top, it being 60 or 80 yards above the surface of the sea; the other appeared about a mile in circumference, and due east from the former, four or five miles. We have run seven and a half miles in a due east course, placing the dangerous icebergs at this time (2 P M.) in latitude 44° 30' S., longitude 87° 34' E. At 5 P.M. the largest iceberg bearing N.N.W. appeared like an island: at 3 A.M. saw an iceberg bearing S.W.: at 8 A.M. an iceberg 10 or 12 miles ahead: at half-past 1 P.M. passed within half a mile of an iceberg from 300 to 400 feet high: at 4 P.M. four other icebergs in sight bearing S S.E. to S.S.W., 12 to 15 miles distant at 6 P.M. six more icebergs seen, bearing E. by N. to S.E.: at 7 P.M. two icebergs seen ahead from off the fore-topsail yard, having now passed seventeen icebergs since 3 A.M. yesterday. At 3 A.M. passed within half a mile of a long iceberg on the weather bow: at 8 F.M. four other icebergs in sight to the westward; passed very near a sunken piece to leeward of us in latitude 44° 44' S., longitude 94° 48′ E.— November 11th, at 4 A.M. passed another iceberg to the southward of us. This was the last in latitude 44° 44′ S., longitude 100° E.; thermometer at 46.' "The Orestes arrived Yesterday from Bristol, with 239 government emigrants, under the superintendence of Peter Leonard, Esq. The whole of these emigrants have arrived in a healthy state; and we have to report only the death of five infants, and one female adult, named Sarah Derrett, who died from consumption: certainly great credit is due to the captain, surgeon, and officers of this vessel for her cleanliness; and every person on board speaks very highly of their conduct during the whole voyage." LIVERPOOL. In a former number, (p. 717, vol. 1838,) we expressed our approval of a plan invented by Mr. Tait, for deepening the beds of rivers and harbours, which has been tried at Liverpool with the desired success. Some correspondence between Mr. Tait and the parties at Liverpool has been referred to us, arising from the Dock Committee not having in his opinion done justice to Mr. Tait,-withholding from him the merits and advantages of his invention. We have not room for the correspondence, but may briefly observe that as it is admitted that the method by which the Victoria channel at Liverpool has been deepened, is identical with Mr. Tait's, which he communicated by letter, dated 24th May, 1838; it appears to be an act of gross injustice to him not to allow him the credit of his invention, but to return him his plan in the middle of October following, because they had had under their consideration for some time, an apparatus prepared by their Marine Surveyor, which Mr. Tait naturally enough complains of as being the same in principle as his own. Is this fair play? It does not look much like it; and that is all Mr. Tait requires. TABLE AND SIMON'S BAY.-Cape Colony, April 21th 1840. SIR,-Your last September Number contains an introduction to Lieut. Bance's R.N. letters, which compels me to review them. The paper Proposed light for False Bay" was a private memorial to Captain Beaufort. An anticipation (not disappointed,) that the patriotic zeal of that officer would elicit the sentiments of competent persons on the expediency of its object, caused me to throw out some crude suggestions to a gentleman whose unlimited means of information and experience rebut all "insinuations" of unworthy motives; when, however, you inadvertantly published what was not intended for the public eye, it gave a harmless action, an invidious aspect. In the general sense of the term Port, the qualities of its immediate approaches are evidently identical; and by "Table Bay " I understand, the beaches which bound and shelter the anchorage and its access. Mr. Bance adopts more restricted limits, hence contradictions in "words," which I shall illustrate by one example. He asserts that in 1834, 1835, 1836, no vessels were "driven on shore 66 or materially injured by "stress of weather" in "Table Bay." I saw the brig Gondolier high and dry 1836, on the side of Robben Island facing the anchorage, having parted from her anchors in a gale, doubtless from "want of timely and proper precaution, or defective ground tackle." Now as Mr. Bance asserts that, "it is a very unusual circumstance which prevents my boarding a vessel any day in the year!!" perhaps he and his colleague are included in the "sweeping charge," against the management or equipment of all the vessels which have suffered in Table Bay. "Stress of weather" does not kill people in this parallel, accidents are equally effectual in putting them "hors de combat." Mr. Bance's Criterion is a mis-statement, there is a partial error of about thirty on both sides of the account for 1838; when four hundred and thirty-two vessels entered Table Bay, ninety-six entered Simons Bay, shewing a measuring ratio greatly in favour of the latter. The discussion of this subject, beyond what is due to myself, and to the interests of others, is better avoided, and, I therefore submit for your private perusal, the "facts" on which my paper was based, hoping that it will ensure some further notice of the insinuations conveyed by your introduction. Matters of opinion are, of course, free on all sides as the "chartered winds." Beyond those, which others will decide on, my paper to Capt. Beaufort contains no "errors" of the least consequence to the merits of the question. Mr. Bance's letter is " unique" in the faculty of instilling erroneous impressions, by a strict adherence to "words." I expressed my regret to that gentleman for the untoward publication, and therefore the mischievous interpretation he has placed on "tyrannical masters of merchant vessels" is less excusable, where he has forgotten that the great body of gentlemen equally above his delicate praises or my censure, who command the India and China Trade. are alluded to in a few preceding lines as commanders, and it is well known that the best find ill-disposed men troublesome near H.M. Ships. Is he prepared to state that he has never heard unkindly expressions towards the British Pennant," when the well known signal of a discontented crew has been flying in its presence? Is he ignorant that "dislike" and "afraid," are not synonymous? Does his term "masters," apply to all grades? It is doubtless zeal for the " oppressed, like La Mancha's Knight, which causes Mr. Bance to rescue these helpless victims. I am, &c. T. P. BARROW. [We quite agree with Lieut. Barrow that the discussion of the subject beyond what is due to him, and the interests of others is better avoided. It is for the interests of others, and for promoting the general good that discussions in this journal take place; it was with this view alone that his paper was handed to us for publication, not "inadvertantly," and it is well known that much good is effected by such discussions in eliciting facts and placing them in a prominent view before our readers. Much yet, perhaps, remains to be told, of the comparative merits of Table and Simons Bays, what nature affords and denies to each, what the hand of art has already bestowed, or might supply to each; and we shall be always found at our post ready to assist in telling it.-ED. N.M.] - DANTZIC. The papers have informed us of late that the Vistula has overflowed its banks and forced a way through the barrier which separated it from the sea, where it ran parallel to the beach for some considerable distance before it arrived at its embochure, due north of Dantzic. The effect of this overflowing has been to force a channel through this barrier, forming a mouth about a mile to the eastward of the old one. So uncommon an event has naturally excited considerable interest at Dantzic, and has occasioned various proposals to turn this freak of nature to account in forming a harbour for that place. The project which appears to have attracted most attention, is that of Mr. Pickering, an English resident, who proposes to lock up the old mouth of the river by gates, and thus convert the former channel into a harbour. It is said that a meeting of scientific men will take place shortly to take the subject into their consideration. ROCK. We record the following from an American paper: "We learn from Capt. Crocker, of the General Jackson, that Capt. Halsey, of the whale ship Xenophon, of Sagharbor, reports a rock in lat. 31° 12′ S., long. 178° 8′ W., from London-bearing E.N.E. N. from the French rock, which was just in sight from the masthead-the weather being very clear and sea smooth. The rock is about the size of a six-barrel cask at the top, and even with the water's edge. The ship was within fifteen feet of it when discovered. Capt. H. is of opinion that it cannot be seen sixty yards distant."-Newport Republican. LAZARUS SHOAL.-Mozambique Channel.-The existence of this shoal in lat. 12° 23′ S., and long. 41° 20′ W. in the northern part of the Mozambique channel, has been confirmed by Capt Cockle, of the ship Reliance, which ship grounded on it in 1833. Capt. Cockle describes it as being from 15 to 18 miles across, in a north and south direction; but both its position and extent are described as very uncertain by Horsburgh, (vol. 1, 4th Ed. p. 219,) and so much so that although in the old charts, and stated to be considered dangerous by the Portuguese, it appears to have been doubted and omitted in Capt. Owen's chart, to which Capt. Cockle has restored it. NASSAU LIGHT.-New Providence. The lamps and lantern of the Lighthouse on Hog Island, Nassau, have been recently replaced by others, similar in construction to those at Abaco; the light being 72 feet above the level of the sea, it may now be visible in clear weather, at the distance of Custom House, Cay West, Collector's Office, November 1st, 1839. CAY WEST FLOATING LIGHT.-The Light-Vessel for the north-west bar of this harbour, has been placed at her moorings. She lies about eight miles from Cay West, at the junction of the north and north-west channels, so as to serve as a guide to vessels entering either. Vessels from the westward, coming in by the north channel, will bring the Light-Vessel to bear due south, and run directly for her; and, on reaching her station, will then run for the light-house on Cay West. Unless the tide should be extraordinarily low, there is ten feet in this channel at low water, and twelve feet at high water. Vessels coming in by the north-west channel, will bring the Light-Vessel to bear south east half east, run for her, and then steer for the light-house as before. This channel is considered the best, having from one to two feet more water than the other. Masters of vessels going out from Cay West, will merely reverse the above directions. The Light-Vessel shows one light at an elevation of about fifty feet, which may be seen in clear weather nine or ten miles. From a Local Paper. A. GORDON. CAY SAL LIGHT-We extract the following from the Nassau Gazette, having yet seen no official announcement of this light. ENLARGED SERIES.-NO. 7.-VOL. FOR 1840 3 U |