The Sun.
London, England, 1824-08-07 00:00:00

INDIA.

SHIP BUILDING.

BODIBAT.—At midnight, on Saturday the 17th January
last, was floated out of dock the new ship Asia, of 84 guns,
built for his Majesty's Navy.
The Asia is the seventh line of battle ship that has been
built in the Hon. Company's Dock-yard at Bombay, and is
not only the largest ship that has been built in India, but also
that has ever been on this side the Cape of Good Hope. Her
dimensions are— -Feet.
Extreme length upon deck . 196 4
Ditto breadth . 51 5'
Length of keel for tonnage . - 162 51
Pierced for 86 guns.
Burthen in tons - - 2289 44-94ths.
The Asia on passing out of dock received her name from his
Excellency Commodore Charles Grant, C. B. the Naval Com-
mander in Chief.

The best—and most faithful account that can be given of the
Asia is, that she stands as high in the opinion of professional
judges as any ship that has been floated out of the Bombay.
docks before her, and is an incontrovertible proof that the skill,
talent, and zeal of the late highly respected head builder,
Jamsetjee Boinanjee, have descended to his son Nowa)*
Jamsevee, with all their primitive force and excellence; and
it is with much regret we contemplate, that the powers of this
deserving architect are likely to be suspended for some time,
there being no other ship of war in progress of building.
The following statement of ships built for his Majesty's
Navy may not be uninteresting, viz.

Guns.

Burthen in
Tone.

Floated out of
Dock.

A 36 Gun Frigate named Pitt
36 Gun do. do: Salsette
• 74 Gun Ship Minden -
74 Gun do. Cornwallis
74 Gun do. Wellesley
38 Gun Frigate Amphitrite
12 Gun Brigantine Sphymt
Brigantine Camelion
18 Gun Brig Victor
10 Gun Brig Zebra -
74 Gun Ship Melville -
31 Gun Ship Trinconuiley
74 Gun Ship Malabar -
38 Gun Frig. Seringapatarn
84 Gun Ship Ganges
46 Gun Frigate Madagascar
84 Gun Ship Asia - -
( Bombay Gairtte.

872 88-94thsi
885 38.94th5,

117th Jan. 1803
,24th March, 1807

:19th June

1767 119-94ths1 2d Nay 1813
1745 75-94th8;241h Feb. 1815
1064 4-94ths114th April 1816
239 66-94ths'25th Jan. 1013
239 49.94th5116th Jan. 1616
384 1694ths 29th Oct. 1814
385 15-94ths118th Nov. 1815
1767 75-94ths,11th Feb. 1817
1063 119 th_ Oct. 1817
0-

1715 128th Dec. 1818
1162 2.94thal sth Sept. 1.819
2284 110th Nov. 1821
11166 84-94ths3lit Oct., 1822
2289 44.94th5;17th ihin. 1824

NOTICE TO MARINERS.
[From the llfadras Gazette.l
" In giving the Longitudes of the different Shoals, our Cor.
respondent has adopted a very proper method of stating the
Longitude he takes his departure tram—hereby affording the
information necessary for correcting his Longitudes, if at any
future time, that of the place departed from, should be found
not to be correct,•and how few Longitudes of places are per-
fectly correct.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE MADRAS GOVERNSZENT
GAZETTE.
Sett—l-raving in my notice to you in January last, promised
to give the public an account of several Shoals, seen by me in
mY Passage to PORT Jacksos (and not laid down in any
Paper,chari Katiefutill
,i
s ,nreni,illic,bseg now through the medium of your
that is if you think the following
worthy of a place in your valuable columns:—
Extract of the Leg Book Vila! Brig John Shore.
Thursday, Sept. 11, MS.—Sailed from Port Jackman, with
two detachments of 11. M. Royals and 89th regiment on board,
steering towards Torres Straits, keeping as near as possible hi
the tract of Captain M. Flinders, having on board three excel.
lent chronometers—well regulated.
September 23d, at 2, 40 a.m. Saw Cato's Bank bearing; per
compass N. %V. half N. disc. 3i to four mites, sounded with 95
fathoms of line, no ground, hauled to the Eastward until day-
light, 10 a.m.—The Bank bettring•about E.N.E. distance 5 or
0 miles, it being calm ; left the bri4 kn the jolly boat, and at
noon succeeded in landing on the N.W. side of the Bank, in a
small shoal bay formed by the surrounding reef.—Found the
Bank to extend from N.E. to S.W. about half a mile in length,
and from N.W. to S.E. about 100 fathoms, surrounded by a
steep and dangerous reef.—The Island or Molt inform an oval,
and is about 3-quarters to one mile in circumference, extremes
of the bank and reef from E. to W. 8i to 4 miles and from N.
to S. two miles, on the .N.W. side, the reef forma a small shoal
bay, and is the only part in which a boat can approach
the Island to land. It is covered With a thick hairy: graas or
weed about knee deep, and is on the South East side from fif.
teen to eighteen feet above the level. of the sea at high wa-
ter ; the reef on this side forming a steep wall, with very
heavy breakers—the N. W. side 10 to 12 feet above the level
of the sea, it is frequented by astonishing numbers of the
feathered tribe so thick that it was impossible to walk without
treading on their nests and, young ; our people killed as many of
the Old ones as handed the boat in 10 minutes with sticks ; on the
S. E. side was part of the wreck of a vessel, as also the remains
of huts or tents which had been erected by the unfortunate
crew, with aniniaber of casks sunk in the sand. as I suppose
to obtain water, there were no traces by.which could discover
the name of the vessel, on one of the colts was the following
mark (A) (A) No. 78-111 Gallons; from the freshness of the
rigging it would appear that the utifortunate vessel had not
been lost many mouths ; in returning to the brig, steering a
W. by S. course, carried soundings from 1.0 to 15 fathoms,
wand and coral regular soundings for about 3 miles. then had
10 fathoms, sharp pointed rocks, the bottom visible under water,
all the way from the 'bank ; after crossing this rocky bank
deepened gradually to no ground at 20 fathoms line, and on
reaching the brig had 63 fathoms sand and shellS; centre of
the Island N. 73 deg. E. per compass.—Latitude of the bank
by obiervation 23 de 13m. 211 a, South, and longitude from
Port Jackson per 3 Chro. 155 deg. 311 u. 495. East, allowing
11 the latter to be 161 deg. Ilm. 495. L. of Greenwich--from Cato's
bank steered to pass to the eastward of Wreck Reef, and on
September 25th at noon the observed latitude was 21 deg, 43m.
28s. S. Long. per Chro. 15i deg. 42m. 49a. E. steered on a N.
N. W. course per compass 18 miles, when an extensive shoal
was seen a head, with two dry sand banks,--immediately
shortened sail, and hauled our wind to the eastward, running
along the southern side of this new discovered and dangerous
shoal, at the distance of five or six miles. At 1.35. P.M. ex.
trainee of the reefs, and sand banks from N.W. N'lr. to N.
by E. distance from the S.W. extreme about six miles, and the
western and highest bank seven Miles, which appeared to be
about a-mile in length, and Bto 10 feet above water, at sp.m.
The extremes of the reefs from S.W. by W. to N.W. N. per
cooipass, the westernmost sandbank W.S.W. a smaller one V.
by S. S. rocks above water W. by N. The S,W. extreme
distance about seven miles, and the northern extreme 6 miles,
the courses from 3 p.m. was East 3 miles, N.E. 3 miles, and
North 3 miles. At 5.30. saw more breakers as far as N.W. by
N. with rocks above water—ti. 30. hauled our wind to the east-.
ward ; the northern extreme of the reefs, consisting of sharp
conical rocks above water, bore S.W. per compass, about throe
miles, having steered from 6 p.m. between N. and N.W. nine
miles. The whole of this extensive shoal appeared to be con-
nected by a line of breakers, and as there is no account of such
a shoal in either Flinders', liorsburgh's Arrewsinith's or
Node's Charts, or books of directions, I havei great reason to
believe it is a new discovery, and directly in the track of ships
from Port Jackson to Torres Straits, passing to the eastward of
Wreck Reef ; when passing the reefs had sights for the chron.
ometers, and make its position and extent as follow :
S.W. extreme in list. 21 deg. 18m. South, and long. 166 deg.
40m. East, or 4 deg. 28m. 11s. East of Port Jackson.
N.E. =acme in lat. 21 deg. 07m. South and long. 16. deg.
41 m. East, or 4 deg. 29 m. 11 s. East of Port Jackson, ex.
tending from South to North 11 or 12 miles, extent to the
westward not ascertained, but saw breakers from the mast
head as far as the eye could discern. In correcting the lati-
titude, one mile per hour was allowetl for a northerly current
as found on the following day, and the longitude is measured
from Cato's Bank in a run of two days, allowing the latter as
above ; two days after passing them had loners, and the above
positions will be by lunar the means of 6 sets, sun and moon,
by two observers worked back by chronometers 2 miles more
easterly than above, viz.
S.W. extreme 155 deg. 42 m. East) Differing. two miles from
of Greenwich. the above per Chiorio.
N.E. extreme 106 deg. 43 m. ditto.) from Cato's Bank.
As 1 believe the above to be a new discovery, have named
dims extensive shoals, the John Shore's nee fs.--keorinKfrom
Torres Straits, saw no other shuale, until we made the Lastern