THE CROZETS.

Evening Star, Issue 4126, 18 May 1876, Page 3

THE CROZETS.

To the Editor, Sib, —In “ A Boy’s voyage round the World, London, 1872,” edited by Samuel Smiles, I came across the following passage, which is interesting when read in connection with the wreck of the Strathmore:—“We are now in latitude 45deg. 16min. south, and the captain tells us that during the night we may probably sight the Crozet Islands. It seems that these islands are inaccurately marked on the charts, some of even the best authorities putting them from one and ahalf to two degrees out both in latitude and longitude, as the captain showed ns by a late edition of a standard work on navigation. Once he came pretty well south on purpose to sight them ; but when he reached the precise latitude in which, according to his authority, they were situated, they were not to be seen.”

I may just add that on this particular voyage the Crozets were sighted as anticipated, on the evening referred to in the above extract; and that the ship was one of Money Wigram’s ships, named the Yorkshire, which on this occasion sailed from Plymouth to Melbourne in February, 1869. I might, perhaps, farther add that on myself making the voyage out some time since we expected to sight Kerguelen’s Land on a certain morning, and we did sight it on that morning, but found ourselves steering point blank on a reef of black rocks that stretched a long way out from the mainland, and had at once to change our course to avoid it. Of course it could not but occur to some of us that had our intention been to pass the island during the night it would have shared the fate of many another good intention. The captain and mate strongly averred that the position of the island was wrongly laid down on their chart, and we had no reason to doubt them because their calculations were tested by sighting land on various other occasions daring the voyage, and by comparison with passing ships. On the whole I think it would be safer if ships gave these ocean places a very wide berth.—lam, &c., A Citizen. Dunedin,, May 18.