The China Sea directory - Sabrizain.org

GHAT. IT.] (iENEEAL aSMAEES.-—arjaEiS.-rrHIUEEENTS. 231
afcretigthy the ebb S tours to the south-west, and the-floodltthe same .length
of time to the north-east; but this flood stream seems to .be of rare
ocourrenceji'as,—observations ilakeniat anchor 6 miles west ofrTyringen,
ako between Button island and St. MchoJaS's point, during the i westerly
monsoon period (March) gave a current from 2 to 4 miles an hour, ivarying
in directions from S.S.E. to S.W; There was no northerly set for the four
-days during which these observations were made. The master of the
English barque Bow/ell, October 1884, also states, "that from Fourth
^*^point'to St. 'Nicholas 'the current- both <
inshore and in the fairway runs
'* to the south-west,' -and accorddiig to his pilot's account there is ao
"' north-east-stream. At dsregular timesi it slacks, and, then- starts again
" 'about-W.NvW.i turnipg to S.Wv and S.S.Wi at times as much, as 2^ or
i«-3 knots an hour, and off St. Nicholas pointifrom 3^ to:4 knots»"f
Elood and ebb streams run on the Sumatra side' of the strait when the
monsoon in strong, s(DecemlDer to February), principally northward of, the
Zutphen islands-; but the flood apparently has never much strength. From
-and westward of those islands a current sets off towards the middle of the
strait, and to the south-westward, at the rate of 2 to 3 mUes an hour.f
SOUTH SHOEE,
PRINCES ISLAND, or PulO Panaitan, separated fromthe
west end of Java by Princes - channel, is the largest island in Sunda
strsfit. ' Its greatest length, between the west' ,and north-east points, is
'12" mUeSj and its breadth about 8 miles. . It is of an irregular form, prci-
jeeting to a point on the north-east side, and having a large bay on the
south-west side, the boras of .which form the, westand south points of the
island. The • middle and• eastern parts of the. island are hilly, the
highest peak, 1,450- feet' above the level of the ,sea, being on the eastern
shore ; but in- some parts, particularly at the west end, the land is level and
low fronting the sea ; all parts of the island, abound in wood.
The west point of '.PriBces island is. fronted, by a reef to. the distance of
about 1^ milesj several rocks of which are seen above water; on the north-
west, and north sides, the island is steep-to close to the fringe of reef which
edges those shores.
A fringe of reef extends from the north-east point of the island, and
along the shore on each side. A similar fringe extends about a third of a
mile off the south-east point of the island ; nearly 2 miles W.S.W. of
* Some observations' by the Netherlands surveying vessel Mlommendal, 1886, appear
to confirm the statement that the set of the stream is mainly south-westward, during
the greater part of the year.
+ Id February and March a current of 4 to 4^ miles an hour sets sometimes in among
Zutphen islands to the W.S.W., or round them towards Bog point, which requires great
caution in vessels passing those islands. Horsburgh.