Directory_and_Chronicle_1841 — Page 277

1841.

Chusan Archipelago.

265

southeast extreme of the island. The town is situated at the water's edge, and is a miserable assemblage of huts. The principal occupa- tion of the inhabitants is fishing. About 35 junks, of 100 tons bur- den, and carrying from 30 to 35 men, with 250 smaller boats, each containing 5 men, are employed for this purpose. The harbor is form- ed by the island of Lookeä (which is divided into six islands at high water), and is 1 cable wide, with 4 to 5 fathoms abreast the town. The southwest extreme lies between Lookeä and Takan, and has not more than 14 fathom at low water. A reef and mud spit extend easterly from Takan one cable, and the mud extends westerly from Lookeä 4 cables.

H. M. ship Pylades laid between Takan (†) and Chusan in 5 fathoms, the width here being 24 cables. The high land (600 feet) on the Chusan shore, occasioned the squalls to be sometimes very vio- lent. H. M. ship Conway laid to the westward of Lookeä, with the small flat island (with two rocks off it), at the entrance to the Sarah Galley passage, bearing west 0.7 miles in 5 fathoms. The distance from Shinkeä mun to Tinghae is 11 miles. The channel along the Chusan shore has deep water. It is not, however, advisable for ships, owing to a number of small islands 3 miles to the east of the suburbs, which render the passage narrow and crooked.

Sheih-luh mun +✯, or sixteen passages, is the name given

to this narrow and crooked passage by the Chinese.

Several islands with extensive mud banks confine the channel be- yond this to half a cable, occasionally it is 1 cable wide. Vessels, therefore, bound from Tinghae to Shinkeä mun must use one of the passages already described, or must pass to the northward of Deer island and the island east of it: this passage is not above 1 cable wide. It has deep water, except at the southeast entrance, where there are only 3 fathoms.

i

Between Takan and Aou shan there is shoal water; to avoid which vessels should not stand so far to the northward as to bring the reef off the southern end of Aou shan in line with the crag on Ele- phant island. The channel between the east end of Chusan and Pooto has only 1 fathom at low water, and off the southeast end of Chusan it is only 2 cables wide, owing to a reef with a stone pillar on it, near the centre of the passage.

After rounding the flat island with two rocks, this Beacon' will be seen bearing N. 35° E, A course should be steered to pass between it and Chusan. Shoal water extends 34 cables from Lookeä, and 6

34

VOL. X. NO, V,