(b.) The light-vessel has one mast, surmounted by a ball; both bull and ball are painted red. The vessel lies in 4 fathoms at low water, with Point Cook bearing S. W. W., 8 miles; the old lighthouse on Gellibrand Point, N.b. W. W., 5} cables' lengths; Sandridge sugar works, N.N.E., 2 miles and 1 cables; and the white buoy off St. Kilda Bank, N.E.b.N., 1 mile and 2 cables.

This light-vessel will be replaced on or about the 1st day of January, 1860, by a new vessel, which will exhibit a white revolving light. Full particulars will hereafter be given.

(c.)-On and after the 1st day of January, 1860, a small fixed red leading harbour light will be exhibited from a tower, to guide vessels in clear of the outer reefs; it will be visible from a vessel seaward when bearing between N.W. and North. The tower stands a little above high-water mark, in line with two stone obelisks, which kept in one, bearing North, will lead into the anchorage.

(d.) In order to distinguish this light from the light exhibited from the stone lighthouse on Cape Sourop, the latter will be called the upper (higher) light, and the former the lower light of Cape Sourop. The two lights in line, bearing E.b.N. N., mark the middle of the channel into Revel Road, between the South end of the reef extending off the S.E. end of Nargen and the North extreme of the middle Ground.

For the guidance of vessels navigating the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, a wooden tower has been erected upon the central hill on the island of Stenskär, in the form of a quadrangular pyramid. It is 83 feet in height from its base, 97 feet above the mean level of the sea, and should be visible in clear weather from a distance of 11 miles. Its position is lat. 59° 49′ 10′′ N., long. 26° 21' E. of Greenwich.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE COASTS OF SIND, ETC., AND APPROACH TO KURRACHEE HARBOUR.

General Remarks.-Masters of ships leaving England, or any port, bound for Kurrachee, will do well to bear in mind that during the months of June, July, and August, and part of September, no ship should arrive off Kurrachee with a greater draught than seventeen feet, as ships more deeply laden than that are apt to bump on crossing the bar, and do serious injury to themselves.

June, July, and August at Kurrachee are the S. W. monsoon months, when there is often bad weather, and always a troublesome sea. Ships arriving, or expecting to arrive, off Kurrachee during the above months, should not anchor in the Outer Roads, if it can possibly be avoided,* by keeping off and on until the high water time permits their crossing the bar.

The depth of water on the tail of the bar is always signalled to every ship, on arrival, from a small flagstaff on Manora Point, a little to the right of the high flagstaff: and, if practicable, a pilot is always sent off to pilot ships over the bar to the anchorage.

Many ships have lost their anchors by anchoring in the Outer Roads during the S. W. monsoon.

Ships arriving off Kurrachee from the middle of September to the end of May may draw as much as nineteen to twenty feet, but not

more.

There are two channels over the bar into the inner anchorage; the Eastern or deep water channel, and the Western or inner channel: the latter can be used with safety throughout the S.W. monsoon by vessels not drawing more than sixteen feet, the least water in it being ten feet at low water spring tides.

Vessels from London, or from the westward of Kurrachee, bound to the latter port, should not care to make the coast of Sind and Kutch, or any of the contiguous land whatever, previous to sighting Kurrachee Lighthouse; but should they do so, and find they have to beat up to Kurrachee, they will find the entire coast, with one or two exceptions, which are hereafter specified, a perfectly safe one to approach. From Diu Head to Kurrachee the coast is divided into three parts: Diu Head to Dwarka is the West coast of Katty war.

From Dwarka to Juckoo we have the entrance to the gulf of Kutch; and any vessel bound to Kurrachee, or even out of Kurrachee (unless bound into the gulf of Kutch), has no right, on any account whatever, to go inside of a line drawn from Dwarka to Juckoo.

To the southward of the Lukput River the coast is within the territory of Kutch, and all to the northward of that river is the coast of Sind.

As correct charts of all these coasts have been published, and are now to be had in London, it is not considered necessary to give the latitudes and longitudes of the different ports on the coasts, as it is very seldom they are visited by ships other than the native craft of the country.

The West coast of Kattywar runs about N.W. and S.E., with bold soundings off its entire length, except a small patch of 2 to 3 fathoms a few miles West of Diu Head (vide chart.)

No vessel should approach this shoal under 12 fathoms, which is about one mile from its southern edge.

The general character of the West coast of Katty war is low, with a sandy ridge fronting the sea. There are a few hills visible along the coast. The Barda range lies N.E. twelve miles from Porebunder, and may be scen twenty-five to thirty miles off. Junaghur Hill is in 21° 31' 48" N., and 72° 32′ E., of a conical form, 3,837 feet high, with three small peaks on it, and may be seen all along the coast from Diu Head to Porebunder.

As a general rule, no sailing vessel should come nearer this coast than 20 fathoms by night or in rough weather; or under 12 fathoms by day in fine weather.

Off the entrance of the gulf of Kutch is a small patch called the Lushington Shoal, having only 3 fathoms on it; and during the S.W. monsoon the sea breaks on it. Great care should be taken in approaching this danger.

From above Juckoo, the coast is pretty safe, and may be approached to within 7 fathoms, until you reach the Muneja Bank.

The Muneja Bank extends six to seven miles off shore, from lat. 23° 55′ N., long. 67° 27′ E., to lat. 24° 11' N., long. 67° 15′ E. It is formed by the alluvial deposits of the River Indus, which, in 1854, was navigated by the Hujamree Channel, but the waters have since forced their way to the southward, through the Kookiwari Mouth.

The western edge of the bank is very steep, having 5 fathoms at one mile, 8 at two, and 10 at three miles' distance. The flood tide rushes out strong, causing a high ripple, which would very probably be mistaken at night for shoal water, particularly as the muddy particles give the water a whitish and sometimes a luminous appearance.

During the inundation the water is frequently fresh at the mouth of the river at half ebb. The flood tides are not strong.

The coast above the Muneja Bank up to Kurrachee is very safe to approach during the fine weather, and vessels may go safely into 5 fathoms by day, and 8 at night; but during the S.W. monsoon months, it would be prudent to avoid getting in too close, partly because there is a set te the S.E., and partly because the wind is liable to lull occasionally, and thus a vessel might get into difficulty.

The deep-sea or outer soundings along the entire coast from Diu Head to Kurrachee are very accurately laid down, and in cloudy foggy weather, when observations for latitude and longitude are not procurable, a little attention to the soundings will enable the navigator to fix the position of his ship with great nicety. The most remarkable feature in the soundings is the Swatch, in lat. 23° to 23° 45′ N., and long. 67° to 67° 35′ E.

(To be concluded in our next.)

DIRECTIONS FOR APAIANG: Gilbert Islands: Pacific.

In approaching the island either from the N.E. or South, every ef fort should be made to pass through the channel between Apaiang and Tarawa, (Knox Island,) about eight miles in width, from the East, keeping close to the S.E. extremity or bend of Apaiang, as a strong current generally sets to the West.

Here the cocoa-nut trees, which have been in sight on the eastern side, terminate, and a reef commences which extends for four or five miles to the N.W., when it is interrupted by an islet covered with cocoa-nut trees. On this reef, two-thirds of the distance from the termination of the main land, to this islet, stands a lone tree. Midway between this tree and the main land lies the windward channel or passage to the lagoon, distinctly marked by a cluster of rocks, generally above water, lying on the starboard or S.E. side of the channel as you enter. Directly opposite this channel, or rather in its mouth, is an excellent anchorage, in from 5 to 8 fathoms. Its width an eighth of a mile. Just within the channel is a bar with 3 fathoms water at high tide. The lagoon then speedily deepens into 10 and 15 fathoms. The di

rection for entering is N.N.E. by compass.

From this anchorage

ready communication can be held with the main land, distant one mile S.E. The mission premises are near Koinaua, one-half mile S. E. from the village (pronounced Ko-ee-now-ah). This is the capital of the island, and bears due North from the channel, distant about eight miles directly across the lagoon.

Still

There is also another good anchorage half a mile to the N.W. of the islet to which I have referred, opposite the leeward channel. This channel is obstructed occasionally with sunken rocks, while the windward one is quite free. The depth of the two is the same. quicker and more easy communication would be held from the windward channel, from the fact that generally a boat might make the run in both directions with a sail. Water can be obtained at the island. The lagoon also furnishes an excellent place for coopering.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.-The port of Iloilo, in the centre of the southern group of the smaller Philippine Islands has been opened to foreign trade by the Spanish government, and is probably destined before long to become well known in commercial enterprise, although at present there are scarcely half a dozen merchants or ship owners here who ever heard of the place. Iliolo (or Iloylo) is the chief port of the small but fertile island of Panay), which contains a population of about 700,000 inhabitants, and, together with the neighbouring islands, of which it is expected to become the commercial depot, the population may be estimated at 2,000,000. Besides varieties of eastern produce, of lesser importance, with which we are familiar from our connection with Singapore, Iloilo is expected eventually to export largely sugar and hemp to a considerable extent, and thus open a direct trade not only for shipment of raw produce to England, but for importing and distributing among the neighbouring islands a proportionate amount of British manufactures.

VARIATION OF THE COMPASS.

RESULTS OF MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS-at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, in the year 1858.

Mean monthly westerly declination, deduced from four observations on each day, corrected for ordinary diurnal inequality.

Mean for the year...

December.. 21 28 40

21° 29′ 26′′.

Mean dip for the year, deduced from 105 observations. 68° 25'.

G. B. AIRY,
Astronomer Royal.

INDEX TO VOLUME FOR 1859.

ENLARGED SERIES.