Five Fathom Bank.

THE Five Fathom Bank, as it is called, stretches N. E. and S. W. about 10 miles in length. Nearly on the middle of the bank there is only 12 feet at low water, which deepens gradually towards each end, to about 5 fathoms. The shoalest part is about one mile in circumference, and bears from the pitch of Cape May about E. by S. & S. by compass, distant 15 miles. The rise and fall of tide on this bank is 18 inches. It bears from Cape Henlopen Light House about E. by N. 4 N. per compass, distant 10 leagues. About the above place, the lead ought to be hove, standing off shore as well as on; for the want of this precaution, the ship China, of Philadelphia, was lost on that bank. She was standing off shore when she grounded. She was above one thousand tons burden, and was from Batavia bound to Philadelphia. She drew 22 feet, and grounded in 18 feet water. The ship Pegu, drawing 16 feet, lost her rudder on this bank. The brig Isabella had her false keel knocked off on it, and many others have struck on it. This shoal breaks in a rough sea. The above description is from the testimony of more than thirty of the first rate Delaware pilots; and my reason for giving it a place in this work is, that I have not seen less than 18 feet water mentioned on that bank, in any publication, whereas I myself passed over it, in a fog, in 14 feet water, in the ship Orion, in 1803. The Orion was of a light draught of water, otherwise she would have struck. She drew at that time but 12 feet 2 inches, and the water was very smooth.

New South Iceland.*

THE Express, at Stonington, left at New South Iceland, February 26th, ship Esther, Low, of Boston, 7000 skins; ship O'Cain, Winship, do. 7000; ship Huron, Davis, New Haven, 5000; brig Catherine, Henfield, Stonington, 9000; brig Jane Maria, Johnson, New-York, 8000; brig Aurora, Macy, 1000; brig Charity, Barnard, 3000; brig Emerald, Boston, none; brig Nancy, Upton, Salem, none; schooner Henry, Brunn, New York, 3000; schooner Huntress, Burdick, Nantucket, 8000; schooner Harmony, do. 3000.

The Russian frigate Wostock, Captain Hellenhausen, and a sloop of war, were at New South Iceland, in February last,

on a survey.

• From the New-York Mercantile Advertiser, May 4, 1822.

Captain Henfield of the Catherine, writes from New Shetland, February 11.-"We have been much mistaken about sealing in this country, as there is but little ground that the seals come upon; and a greater number of vessels after them than we supposed there would be. The country is a wild, cold, disagreeable mass of snow and ice; and its shores are very dangerous. In entering this harhour the ship Clothier struck on a reef of rocks, and was totally lost. The following persons belonging to the Catherine were drowned by the upsetting of the boat, at Falkland Islands :-Henry Perry, Thomas Pomroy, Nahum Haynes, and Cory Manchester."

A letter from Mr. Daniel W. Clark, mate of the brig Hersilia, of Stonington to the editor of the New Haven Journal, dated at Port Williams, New South Shetland Islands, Febru ary 18, furnishes the following information:

"We arrived at these islands on the 31st of October, after a pleasant passage of 85 days.

"We are now loaded with fur skins, having taken upwards of 18,000 of superior quality; but being anxious to obtain a second voyage before I return to the United States, we have agreed to send our voyage home by the schooner Express and brig Frederick, Pendleton, both of Stonington, then to proceed round Cape Horn into the Pacific Ocean, in search of a second cargo, which I doubt not will be obtained soon. As for getting another cargo in these islands it is utterly impossible, for there is scarcely a seal left alive. The country is full of vessels from most quarters of the globe, and I am certain that one half of them will not obtain half a voyage. Our being the first vessel in the country, and getting possession of the best ground, is the reason why we succeeded in a valuable cargo.

"There are now lying in this port twelve sail of American vessels: among the number is the ship Huron, Davis, of New Haven, who has made out rather indifferently. Where they are next bound I am not able to ascertain; but they, as well as ourselves, must push off soon, on account of the severity of the approaching season. There is scarcely a day passes without snow, hail, or rain, although midsummer with us; and ice makes every night. In truth it is a climate I am glad to leave. We have already had accounts of nine sail of English vessels being lost in these islands, and one American ship called the Clothier, from Stonington, Connecticut How many others are lost that we have no accounts of, God only knows.

"The brig Aurora, of New York, has lately arrived here. I understand she has been looking for these islands nearly two months.

"Perhaps the American dealers in fur skins have an idea that this country will be overstocked with skins, and that they wil

be bought for little or nothing; but I can assure them they will be mistaken; for I am certain that at least six sail of American vessels will be obliged to seek for a cargo in some other parts.

"This harbour is in about 62° 30′ S. latitude, and 63° 5' W. longitude. We have been as far south as 66°, and found land. How much farther the land extends I know not. It is entirely covered (except the low land and beaches where the seals come up) with snow and ice, at this season of the year, which is the middle of summer.

"DANIEL W. CLARK.

"On board the brig Hersilia, South Seas."

CONTINENT OF NEW SOUTH ICELAND.*-We have been favoured with interesting particulars respecting a southern continent by Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer, of the sloop James Monroe, lately arrived at Stonington from the South Shetlands.

Captain Palmer proceeded in the James Monroe from the Shetland isles to the continent, and coasted it from abreast of the isles to the eastward, as far as 44° west long., keeping as near to the shore as the edge of the firm ice would admit. At some places he could coast along shore; at other parts he could not approach nearer the shore than from one to five or six leagues, owing to the firm and fast ice; although it was midsummer there at the time, being in November, December, and January.

In 61° 41′ S. lat., 45° 27′ W. long. from Greenwich, the coast was clear of firm ice, and here they discovered a fine harbour lying about one mile within the entrance of Washington Strait, which harbour was named Palmer's Harbour, where he came to anchor. He found not the least appearance of vegetation on the land, except the winter moss. Neither did he discover any animals only a few sea leopards, beautifully spotted. Of birds there were penguins, Port Egmont, or sea hens, white pigeons and gulls.

There is now no doubt that there exists a southern continent, and that Captain Cook's "Southern Thule" belongs to it. Captain Palmer could discern the mountains covered with snow in the interior as he sailed along the coast.

THE REEF Of MANOEL LUIZ,† near Maranham, is one of the most dangerous and difficult to avoid. By official records it appears that 35 vessels have been lost on this dangerous shoal since the year 1814. This reef has lately been completely exaned by Captain Roussin of the French navy, who has dicovered an error of five leagues in the chart of Arrowsmith. This reef is composed of a bank of pointed rocks, nearly of a conical

From the New London Gazette, April 1822.

Extract from the United States' Gazette, Philadelphia, Oct. 31, 1821.

shape, intermixed with sand, three miles long from E. by S. to W. by N., and half a mile from N. to S. These rocks are separated by greater or less intervals, in which there is from 8 to 12 fathoms water, whilst the points of the cones reach the water's edge. No breakers appear, and the vessel which runs upon them must sink almost instantly. The true situation of this dangerous spot, by repeated observations, is determined to be 0° 52' 20" N. lat. and 0° 1′ 30′′ to the E. of the meridian of the fort of San Antonio de Maranham. Very nearly 26 leagues to the north from the point of departure all vessels take on leaving Maranham, and three leagues to the E. from the hill Itacolumi. The variation of the compass was found to be 57 minutes easterly.

Maranham, according to Bowditch, is in lat. 2° 25′ S. and long. 43° 40′ W., so that the reef of Manoel Luiz must lie in 0° 52′ 20′′ N. lat. and 43 38′ 30′′ W. long.*

George's Shoals.†

A Report, relative to the survey of George's Shoals, made in the United States' Schooner Science, and the Sloop Orbit, by direction of the Board of Navy Commissioners, and under the orders of Capt. Isaac Hull, in 1821.

There are properly four shoals on George's Bank; the whole of them included between lat. 41° 34' N. and 41° 53′ 30′′ N. and long. 67° 18′ W. and 67° 59' W. Between them there is from 15 to 35 fathoms water.

The largest, and on which is the chief danger, is the most southerly and westerly. It is somewhat triangular, with a long and narrow spit making out from the S. E. angle. The S. E. point is in lat. 41° 34' N. and long. 67° 40′ W. The west point is in lat. 41° 42′ N. and long. 67° 59′ W. The N. E. point is in lat. 41° 48' N. and long. 67° 47′ W. The eastern side of this shoal, although somewhat irregular, runs nearly S. S. E. and N. N. W. having on it from three feet to nine fathoms at common low water. It is composed of a great number of sand spits, very narrow, so that the width of a narrow vessel will make several fathoms difference in the depth of waThe general range of the spits is from S. E. to N. W. As there are no rocks, they are consequently liable to change, in some measure, their positions and ranges. On the eastern edge, even in calm weather, unless it be high or low water, the tides run with great rapidity, and form considerable breakers when setting to the westward, and a large waterfall when set

ter.

* Maranham is on the Brazil coast.

† Extracted from the Boston Evening Gazette.

ting to the eastward. This is accounted for, by a knowledge of the fact, that directly on the edge of this shoal there are from twelve to sixteen fathoms of water, so that the edge forms a species of dam, stopping the force of the flood tide, and over which the ebb falls.

For

When there was considerable wind, we observed that the breakers were higher within the edge, to the westward, than on the edge; and I have no doubt that the water there was still shoaler, and that we would have seen the sand, had it not been for the heavy sea. The breakers, were such, unless it were entirely calm, that it was impossible to go among them with boats; nor was it considered safe to attempt it with the vessels. besides the danger of striking on the hard sand spits, the vessels would have been liable to be filled by the breakers. Even on the eastern edge, and at nearly slack water, the vessels were at times nearly covered with them. And it was not thought necessary to attempt it, as the objects of the survey, to ascertain if there was danger on the shoals, and the situation and extent of them, could be accomplished without risk.

Had not the sea been very smooth, and at high water, we should not have been able to have gotten on where we found three feet, reducing it to low water. The prevailing wind was to the eastward; and I have no doubt but that this place would have been bare with any continuance of an off shore wind.

I think there are no rocks about the shoals. We had one cast on the S. W. side, which indicated rocky bottom, in fifteen fathoms, but I believe it to have been some sharp stone that the lead struck on, although I have marked it according to the appearance, on the chart.

The centre of the northern shoal is in lat. 41° 53′ 30′′ N. and long. 67° 43′ W. It extends east and west four miles. The shoalest part having six fathoms, is very narrow and composed of hard sand. But there is not more than twelve fathoms of water for three miles south of the above latitude. On the north side, at two cable's length from the shoal, the sloop dropped into 33 fathoms. The breakers on this shoal are very heavy, and when there should be a sufficient sea to endanger a vessel, they might be seen some miles, and heard at a very considerable distance; and as the shoalest part is not more than a cable's length inside, and no danger near it, a vessel might avoid it.

To the eastward of the last mentioned shoal, in lat. 41° 51′ N. and long. 67° 26' W. is another small shoal, with eight fathoms water, having however considerable breakers. There are but 17 fathoms for three miles north of it. But very near to the east of it, are 31 fathoms, and from 20 to 30 fathoms to the south and west.

The centre of the east shoal is in lat. 41° 47′ N. and long. 67°