personally by Lady Franklin. It will consist of a 300-ton ship, purchased at Aberdeen, and named the Lady Franklin; and Mr. Penny will also have under his orders a smaller vessel, as a tender. Dr. McCormick, R.N., who was in one of Parry's expeditions, and served in the last Antartic voyage, it is said, will accompany Mr. Penny, and, with a party of five men, will be landed, and search the coast of Wellington Channel. 3. An expedition started by Sir John Ross, proposed to be got up by public subscription, and to which Sir John Pelly, Bart., the Deputy-Master of the Trinity Corporation, has subscribed £500.-United Service Gazette. THE MERCHANT SERVICE.-The Goverment have before the House of Commons three bills for improving the condition of masters, mates, and seamen in the merchant service, the regulation of the merchant seamen's fund, and the admeasurement of the tonnage of merchant vessels. The details of those measures we shall give hereafter. Their principal features are:-First, the appointment of a Board of Examiners, under the Board of Trade, who are to grant certificates to candidates for the command of merchant vessels upon proof of their possessing the proper qualifications. No captain who has not previously served to receive an appointment unless he has obtained such a certificate. Secondly, to arm captains and mates with greater powers to enforce discipline among their crews. Thirdly, to supersede the existing shipping agents and crimps by the establishment of offices in the ports under the supervision of government, where, for moderate fees, the contracts may be prepared for the scaman when he ships for the voyage and his pay handed to him on his return. Fourthly, to improve the present system of registration of seamen, and to prevent the frauds practised on sailors upon their advance notes by making those documents legally recoverable; and, Fifthtly, to provide that marine courts, under the presidency of some naval officer, may be constituted in distinct ports, and armed with very summary powers for the settlement of all grave questions between merchant seamen and their commanders. Mr. Labouchere concluded by deprecating the objection that this bill would endow the government with any excessive powers over private interests.-Daily News. NAUTICAL NOTICES. VEGAS SHOAL. Liverpool, Feb. 7th, 1850. SIR. So many of your correspondents have commenced their communica tions by justly praising your Magazine, that I think it would be superfluous in me following in their steps. My remarks are on the Vegas Shoal which I was unfortunate enough to get on, on my passage home this last voyage. This shoal is laid down in about 1° 7' S., long. 106° 34′ E. On October 18th, 1849, at noon, calm with rainy weather, the latitude by reduction to the meridian 1° 8' S., longitude per chronometer 106° 48′ E. Supposing myself fourteen miles to the eastward of the Vegas Shoal, sounding from 20 to 22 fathoms, no perceptible current by the lead; 4h. P.M. still calm, soundings 22 fathoms. Knowing the current sets to the south-eastward at this season, (I have experienced as much as thirty-two miles in the twenty-four hours), I was not uneasy about the shoal. Notwithstanding there had been a look-out at the mast-head all day who reported no signs of shoal water at sundown, I of course looked round NO. 3.-VOL. XIX. 2 B myself, but could not see anything although we must have been very close to it: soundings at 6h. P.M. same as before; 6h. 30m. P.M. a light air from the northward, ship's head, to the southward: 6h. 45m. the ship struck. Having very little wind at the time sounded immediately in the waist both sides, ahead and astern; found 5 and 6 fathoms on the starboard side and forward, and 3 fathoms on the port side, put the helm aport. A little breeze springing up enabled us to bring her head to the westward; steered W.S.W. and S W. for one hour, deepened the water quickly to 18 fathoms, falling calm again came to anchor. At daylight in the morning I took the boat with a compass lead, &c., and examined this shoal, it then bore E.N.E. one mile from the ship (at anchor). I have no doubt it is the Vegas but laid down 10 miles too far west; I had afternoon sights for the chronometers agreeing with the morning, and corrected the chronometers two days afterwards, which were four miles to the eastward by Gaspar Island, Tree Island and the adjacent Banca shore, also in Gaspar Strait, the error I have allowed for. May not the discoverer have given the position of this shoal by the run from Gaspar Island, and not allowed for the strong easterly current, as I see it was discovered in September. At all events there is a shoal in lat. 1° 09' S., long. 106° 44′ E. It extends N.E. and S. W. about half a mile, large rocks within thirteen feet and 2 fathoms of the surface, with 3 and 4 fathoms between them; soundings about the shoal the same as described in the account of the Vegas Shoal. I should have measured the shoal, but a heavy squall rising to the westward, made me anxious to get on board again. The boat was right over the shoal before we found it in the morning, although when directly over the shoal, the water being so clear you could see the rocks and the sand between them, as plain as if you were walking on them. It is a very dangerous shoal. Trusting this may be substantiated by some better authority ere long. I am, &c., W. H. HAWKINS. On Saturday morning October 13th, only five days prior to my getting on this shoal, I passed between Pulo Jarrang and the White Rock, (Tambelan Islands), and took observations for my chronometers when just clear of Pulo Jarrang, which I send you thinking it may be more satisfactory: Mean of times by chronometer 1h. 12m. 48s., mean of altitudes 38° 30', at the same time the southern extreme of Pulo Jarrang bore W. by S., north eastern extreme of the Great Tambelan N. by E., and the White Rock E. by S. I think you will find those sights will make the chronometer time eleven seconds slow of Greenwich mean time, the error of chronometer September 18th, was Om. 27s. fast, losing one second per day, therefore it was thirteen seconds out at the Tambelans in twenty-five days. The only reason I have for being so prolix, is to let you see it is not from any neglect this occurred, also that my statement is correct as regards the position of this shoal to the best of my knowledge. W. H. H. U. S. Ship, John Adams, Rio Janeirio, MY DEAR SIR.-The bank which we sounded, on our passage from the United States, I have laid down on the Admiralty chart of the Southern Ocean, (from 19° to 36° S., 26° to 56° West long.) and have assigned it the following position:-North-east point of bank 20° 28' S., long. 37° 25′ W. South-west edge 20° 56′ S., long. 37° 56′ W. I ran forty-three miles on a south-west course nearly on it, taking soundings from time to time. The water thermometer induced me to try for soundings. The following is extracted from the log. Date. P.M. K. Course. Wind Weather Air. Water Remarks. "At 10h. 20m. sounded in 45 fathoms water, bottom soft rock. At 11h. 25m. sounded in 36 fathoms, gravel and rocky bottom. At 12h. sounded în 37 fathoms water, bottom coral rocks. From midnight to 4h. sounded in 37 fathoms every hour, the bottom uniform, coral rock. From 4h. to 8h. pleasant; at 5h. got soundings in 46 fathoms water, coral rock; at 6h. got soundings in 64 fathoms water, coral rock; at 7h. with 140 fathoms of line got no soundings; at 8h. with 150 fathoms of line got no soundings." On my arrival! carried back the slight error of the chronometer. Longitude by T.K. 36 32 W. Chronometer five miles west of the truth. This may perhaps prove interesting to the chief of your Hydrographic Office, to which the maritime world is so much indebted. If so it will have afforded me satisfaction to have contributed my mite of information. Wishing you a very pleasant passage to England. To Capt. Leslie, R. N., H.M.S. Penguin. I am, &c., L. M. POWELL, Commandér. MAURY'S PILOT, and Wind and CURRENT CHARTS OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.Whether it be from the abundance of literary productions of the day, or from our intercourse with the Chinese, symbol writing is beginning to establish itself among us. And why should it not? it has the charm of novelty to say the least of it, so attractive to some persons; but it has more than that: it has the recommendation of utility, by compressing into a very limited space a great amount of information. Mr. Raper has shewn us this in his excellent Tables of Maritime Positions. But it will have besides another very important effect, viz, that of inducing well digested ideas, and their expression freed from that redundance of language so common, conveyed in the most simple and the least to be mistaken form. It is also specially applicable to charts; for what are they but representations or symbols of land and sea, and their concomitants. It is not long since we noticed Lieut. Maury's chart of the trades, and we have now before us his Pilot Chart, and Wind and Current Chart of the Atlantic Ocean. The intention of the pilot chart, is to inform the navigator of the probable direction of the wind in any part of the Atlantic, and is the result of a reference to multitudes of ships' logs, expressed in the space of two sheets. The latter, of which four sheets are published, is intended to express the strength of the wind as well as its direction in the different parts of the Atlantic Ocean; and colour is employed to distinguish the information applying to the different seasons of the year. This is also obtained from journals of ships, being in fact information supplementary to the former. Currents and their direction are also intended to be shewn by arrows. We shall not pretend to go into any detail as to how the symbolic information in these two charts is to be read; that is a lesson which will be best learnt from them, by him who has to use them; and for which ample instructions are contained on each sheet, developing the scheme on which Lieut. Maury has proceeded. And although we do not expect that seamen will readily fall into their use, still we consider this essay of Lieut. Maury an important step in the right direction, and one with which a familiarity once gained will improve with practice. The hurricane theory has forced itself on the attention of seamen. The best method of making quick passages under sail, by obtaining a knowledge of prevailing winds, and currents, will at no distant period do so likewise. EXAMINATION OF MASTERS AND MATES. A List of the Masters and Mates in the Merchant Service, who have voluntarily passed an Examination, and obtained Certificates of Qualification for the Class against each assigned, under the Regulations issued by the Board of Trade, to the 31st December last. MASTERS. Those having an Asterisk (*) prefixed to their Names served last as Mates. J. Webb 1817 Earl Durham, 383 tn 1816 Marshall Bennett, 253 1820 Aurora, 536 tons*.. 2nd 1817 Cleopatra, 368 tons*... 1st 1820 Jessie,. 29976 66 6th 6th 12358 66 6th 435141 66 6th 1st D. Bell C. Kelly H. Morwick F. Halpin H. Graham A. Miller J. Middleton W. C. Hylton W. Ashton J. M'Kerlie T. Scotland 3rd 1821 Huntcliffe, 281 tons* 2nd 1812 Eliza Caroline, 831 tn* 2nd 1819 Sultana, 170 tons*...... Hull 20817 Loudon 415222 S. Shields 32812 Leith 417532 66 19th 66 19th 2nd 1817 Marion, 358 tons J. Richards 3rd 1825 Calypso, 306 tons* R C. Hall 2nd 1817 Sea Queen, 414 tons... G. T. Hopkins 1st 1827 Persian, 347 tons*. 2nd 1827 Nithsdale, 295 tons*... 163103 Hull 20th |