ht of the bay. On the 29th, at noon,
we had been wafted by it far enough in the offing to obtain the
easterly breeze, which soon became strong, with an overcast sky,
and carried us rapidly on our course; my time would not permit my
heaving-to. We kept on our course for Mindanao during the whole night,
and were constantly engaged in sounding, with our patent lead, with
from thirty to forty fathoms cast, to prevent our passing over this
part of the sea entirely unexamined.

[Mindanao.] At daylight on the 31st, we had the island of Mindanao
before us, but did not reach its western cape until 5 p.m. This island
is high and broken, like those to the north of it, but, unlike them,
its mountains are covered with forests to their very tops, and there
were no distinct cones of minor dimensions, as we had observed on
the others. If they do exist, they were hidden by the dense forest.

I had determined to anchor at Caldera, a small port on the south-west
side of Mindanao, about ten miles distant from Zamboanga, where the
governor resides. The latter is a considerable place, but the anchorage
in its roadstead is said to be bad, and the currents that run through
the Straits of Basilan are represented to be strong. Caldera, on the
other hand, has a good, though small anchorage, which is free from the
currents of the straits. It is therefore an excellent stopping-place,
in case of the tide proving unfavorable. On one of its points stands
a small fort, which, on our arrival, hoisted Spanish colors.

At six o'clock we came to anchor at Caldera, in seven fathoms
water. There were few indications of inhabitants, except at and
near the fort. An officer was despatched to the fort, to report the
ship. It was found to be occupied by a few soldiers under the command
of a lieutenant.

[Caldera fort.] The fort is about seventy feet square, and is built
of large blocks of red coral, which evidently have not been taken from
the vicinity of the place, as was stated by the officers of the fort;
for although our parties wandered along the alluvial beach for two or
three miles in each direction, no signs of coral were observed. Many
fragments of red, gray, and purple basalt and porphyry were met with
along the beach; talcose rock and slate, syenite, hornblend, quartz,
both compact and slaty, with chalcedony, were found in pieces and
large pebbles. Those who were engaged in dredging reported the bottom
as being of coral, in from four to six or eigh