Discoveries in Australia, Volume 1. / With an Account of the Coasts and Rivers Explored and Surveyed During / The Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, in the Years 1837-38-39-40-41-42-43. / By Command of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Also a Narrative / Of Captain Owen Stanley's Visits to the Islands in the Arafura Sea.

by John Lort Stokes

TRADE WITH MOGADORE.

The chief port for this trade is Mogadore, from whence ships not unfrequently sail direct to Liverpool.

A singular circumstance was mentioned to me by our first Lieutenant Mr. Emery, as tending to prove the existence of commercial intercourse between the various tribes in the interior, and the inhabitants of the coast at Mogadore on the north-west coast of Africa, and Mombas on the south-east. In the year 1830, certain English goods were recognized in the hands of the Moors at Mogadore which had been sold two years previously to the natives at Mombas. The great extent of territory passed over within these dates, renders this fact somewhat extraordinary; and it affords a reason for regretting that we did not keep possession of Mombas, which would ere this have enabled us to penetrate into the interior of Africa: we abandoned it, at the very time when the tribes in the interior were beginning to find out the value of our manufactures, especially calicoes and cottons.

From the best information that Lieutenant Emery had obtained among the natives, it seems certain that a very large lake exists in the interior, its banks thickly studded with buildings, and lying nearly due west from Mombas.

It was Lieutenant Emery's intention to have visited this lake had he remained longer at Mombas; the Sultan's son was to have accompanied him, an advantage which, coupled with his own knowledge of the country and its customs, together with his great popularity among the natives, must have ensured him success. It is to be feared, that so favourable an opportunity for clearing up the doubts and darkness which at present beset geographers in attempting to delineate this unknown land, will not soon again present itself.

SAIL FROM TENERIFE.

Having completed the necessary magnetic observations, and rated the chronometers, we sailed from Tenerife, on the evening of the 23rd. It should be noticed that the results obtained from our observations for the dip of the needle, differed very materially from those given by former observers: the experiments made by Lieutenant Grey in different parts of the island, satisfied us that the variation could not be imputed to merely local causes.

As in obedience to our instructions we had to examine and determine the hitherto doubtful position of certain rocks near the Equator, about the meridian of 20 degrees West longitude, we were obliged to take a course that carried us far to the eastward of the Cape de Verd Islands; for this reason we had the North-East trade wind very light; we finally lost it on the 30th, in latitude 13 degrees 0 minutes North, and longitude 14 degrees 40 minutes West; it had been for the two previous days scarcely perceptible.

The South-East trade reached us on the 8th of August, latitude 3 degrees 30 minutes North longitude 17 degrees 40 minutes West, and on the morning of the 10th we crossed the Equator in longitude 22 degrees 0 minutes West: when sundry of our crew and passengers underwent the usual ceremonies in honour of old Father Neptune. A close and careful search within the limits specified in our instructions justified us in certifying the non-existence of the rocks therein alluded to: but before we presume to pass any censure upon those who preceded us in the honours of maritime discovery, and the labours of maritime survey, it will be proper to bear in mind the ceaseless changes to which the earth's surface is subject, and that, though our knowledge is but limited of the phenomena connected with subterranean and volcanic agency, still, in the sudden upheaval and subsidence of Sabrina and Graham Islands, we have sufficient evidence of their vast disturbing power, to warrant the supposition that such might have been the case with the rocks for which our search proved fruitless. Nor are these the only causes that may be assigned to reconcile the conflicting testimonies of various Navigators upon the existence of such dangers; the origin of which may be ascribed to drift timber--reflected light discolouring the sea, and causing the appearance of broken water--or to the floating carcass of a whale, by which I have myself been more than once deceived.

ARRIVAL AT SAN SALVADOR.