ABSTRACT
The survey of the eastern coast of the island we were now visiting was an essential objective of our present tasks, particularly because until now it had been very little frequented by modern shipping although it was subject, like all other parts of the island, to a great number of commercial or military projects. This survey implied, unavoidably, in the eyes of the government the kind of scepticism necessarily linked to a lack of preliminary information. The most suitable season for work of this nature was, without doubt, the period from the middle of May until the end of July, during which the NE gales give way either to favourable calm seas or to SW breezes, already established on the coast opposite, which blow offshore with only moderate strength on this side, leaving the sea on the lee of the island smooth and easy for rowing. This tranquility of the sea, however, has its disadvantages, as it also encourages the dangerous presence of a considerable number of pirate vessels, which annually infest these waters and imperil not only shipping in general but also any vessel standing anywhere along this coast.
