After enduring several days of rainy and squally weather, we weighed anchor, and proceeded towards Turan bay, on the northern coast of Cochin-China, being the nearest and best point to hold communication with the capital, called Hué, from which it is distant about fifty miles; it being impossible to anchor off the bar of Hué during the northeast monsoon. The weather during the passage, with the exception of one day, was misty or rainy; and on the first day of January, 1833, we found ourselves off the bay of Turan: but the weather was very thick, with a heavy sea running, and the wind shifting nearly every half hour, from northwest to northeast. [Sidenote: VUNG-LAM HARBOUR.] Finding it unsafe to run nearer to the land, we endeavoured to hold our station, as well as we could, till the weather cleared up sufficiently to see our way in; but it continued nearly the same till the fifth, the wind remaining most of the time in the northwest quarter: daily we lost ground, by contrary winds, and a strong current setting to the southward and eastward along the coast. The very mountainous land about the bay, was first lost sight of; in two or three days following, the group of islands called Champella, or Cham Callao; afterward the island of False Champella. Finding ourselves at length drifted down to Pulo Cambir, and losing ground on every tack, we were under the unpleasant necessity of bearing away for the most suitable and nearest harbour, which was done at sunset on the fifth, calculating the distance to the united harbours of Shundai, Vung-chao, and Vung-lam, (represented by Horsburg to be very safe, and having sufficient depth of water,) at one hundred and twenty miles. The wind, during most of the night, was light from the northeast; and we had run, by the log accurately kept, at seven the next morning, a distance not exceeding seventy to seventy-five miles. At daybreak, the ship’s head was directed towards the coast, but not seeing any very conspicuous landmarks, we kept along shore till eight; having, within an hour, passed an island, and a group of small jagged rocks, standing so near the coast that we at first supposed the island to be part of the main land; it was, however, Pulo Cambir, lying to the north of our port of destination. Seeing, to the southward of us, a large fleet of fishing boats; a very high conical mountain, which we supposed must be mount Epervier; and the land, extending far to the eastward, which we were satisfied must be cape Averella, or Pagoda cape; and, at the same time, discovering the island of Maignia, a short distance to the southward of the harbour, we stood boldly in, and, at twelve, came to anchor, in six and a half fathoms water, in the fine harbour of Vung-lam; the village of that name, bearing to the southwest, distant a mile and a half, and within three quarters of a mile of a small, uninhabited, and unnamed island, bearing south, called, by us, Peacock island. The beautiful harbour