396 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 22ND SEPTEMBER, 1866.
VERNON SHOAL, is a large coral bank off the island of Labuan, having a dangerous group of rocks upon one part, and a patch of 24 fathoms upon another part of it. The bank lies between the parallels of 5° 39'-5° 50' N., and the meridians of 114° 57′4—115° 07′ E., and is in the form of an irregular triangle, having its base-6 miles in length-to the South. westward and its apex to the North-eastward, extending in those directions about 12 iniles.
H.M.S. Fury, in 1858, crossed the Western edge of the bank when breakers, about 14 miles in extent, are reported to have been seen, and which were no doubt over the group of rocks above mentioned. This formidable danger is nearly miles in extent, and consists of coral patches with 2 to 3 fathoms water over them, and several detached rocks, one or two of which nearly uncover at low water.* These rocks are pinnacle shaped, with 4 to 6 fathoms around them, so that in fin weather there is seldom much break of the Sea over them, and sometimes none at all probably. The centre of the group is in lat. 5° 43′ N., long. 115° E., and, with the eye about 18 feet above the water, the highest part of Labuan (303 feet) is just visible, bearing S.S.E. † E.
The soundings on the other parts of the bank are very irregular, with several patches of but 4 and 5 fathoms; and on the Western and North-western sides of the bank is a sort of curved coral wall, convex to seaward, having from 4 to fathoms on it, 14 to 19 fathoms inside of it, and 20 to 30 fathoms close to, outside of it. The rocks being situated from 2 to 3 miles inside the edge of the Bank, the lead, if carefully attended to, will give warning in sufficient time to avoid them. But large vessels should on no account make free with this dangerous Bank, and small vessels will do well to give it a wide berth, for the currents in the vicinity are very uncertain.
The 2 fathoms patch is near the North-eastern extreme of the shoal, in lat. 5° 49′ 20′′ N., long. 115° 5' 20" E. It is a small coral knoll, surrounded to some little distance by soundings of 4 and 5 fathoms. This part of the bank should also be avoided by vessels.
SAMARANG BANK,-Its centre in lat. 5° 35' N., long. 114° 53 E., is an oval shaped coral bank 63 miles long and 44 miles wide, its length being in an E. by N. and opposite direction; the general depths upon it are from 1 to 6 fathons, and the least water found was 34 fathoms. From the centre of the bank the highest part of Labuan (303 feet) bears S.E. by E. Į E. NORTH FURY BANK.--II.M.S. Fury, in 1858, passed over two coral banks on her passage to and from the island of Moaro, on the North-west coast of Borneo. One of them seems to have been the Western part of the Vernon shoal-as mentioned in the description of that danger given above; of the other the following account has been published ;-
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"The second, in lat. 5° 56' N., long. 114° 50′ E., was also about the same length, 4 or 5 miles East and West, "and, as far as could be judged from the discoloured water, 3 miles in breadth. No breakers were seen; the bank appears to be steep to, and was first struck on one side with a depth of 11 fathoms, and on the other with 7 "fathoms. The vessel was then steered West 13 miles, when the soundings shoaled, then North, when they shouled to 4 fathoms, and then suddenly deepened to no bottom with the hand lead. The soundings on this bank were very regular."
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Some mistake must, however, have been made in reporting or publishing the position of this shoal, for after a most careful search, the Rifleman being employed 5 days steaming over and round about the locality, it could not be found, and it is certain that no such shoal exists there. The description given of it would apply exactly to the Samamang bank, and it is very possible that the error may consist in the figure 5 having been substituted for the figure 3 in giving the latitude, which instead of being 5° 56′ N., as it now stands, should be 5° 36′,-the latitude of the Samarang bank.
CAVA SHOAL,-A doubtful patch of 3 fathoms, in lat. 5° 51′ N., long, 115° 30′ E.--brought on the Admiralty charts from the old charts of Horsburgh-was searched for in vain: on the spot bottom (inud) was obtained with 415 fathoms of line.
EUPHRATES REEF; KIRTON SHOAL.-These very doubtful dangers-also from the old charts of Horsburgh, but of which we possess no account--are placed between Barrain point and the South Luconia shouls, right in the way of vessels proceeding to and from the Palawan by the inner route along the coast of Borneo, which promises to become during the North-east monsoon the principal route to China, at least for steamers. It was therefore very important that the existence or otherwise of these doubtful dangers should be determined, and the Rifleman was steaming for 3 days over and about their reputed positions. The weather and other circumstances were extremely favorable for seeing shoal patches, but nothing of the sort was seen, nor could bottom be obtained on the position ascribed to the Euphrates reef with 600 fathoms of line.
The Rifleman had, 3 years before, passed over the spots without any sign of danger being discovered; and H.M. Gun- boat Forester was cruising in the vicinity for 3 days with the same result; I shall therefore recommend that the charts be cleared of these dangers.
Labuan, 11th September, 1866.
JNO. WM. REED, Master in Command, and in Charge of China Sea Survey.
* Two of these rocks were found in H.M. Schooner Sarucen, Tender to Rifleman, a Hydrographic Notice of which was recently published. The longitude of the rocks then given has since been proved, by numerous observations in the Rifleman, to have been 5 miles to the Westward of their true position as given above; the discrepancy arose from the Saracen (a very small vessel) having been a long time at Sea in heavy weather, and her chronometers going badly.
No. 141.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.
Tenders will be received at this Office until Noon of the 30th November, 1866, for the privilege of farming all granite quarries in Hongkong and Kowloon during the Year 1867.
Persons desirous of tendering are directed to call at the Surveyor General's Office to obtain a
form of tender.
proper
By Order,
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 22nd September, 1866.
W. T. MERCER, Colonial Secretary.