'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎395] (414/622)

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
395
Banks.* On the 4th of November, 1850, Lieutenant Selby was
appointed to the command of the old ' Palinnrus,' Lieutenant
C Y. Ward being Assistant-Surveyor, with Mates Stroyan, and
Swenv, and Midshipman An experienced sailor, but not a commissioned officer. E. R. May, accompanied by the cutter
'Nerbudda,' commanded by Midshipman An experienced sailor, but not a commissioned officer. C. Forster, and trigono-
metrically surveyed the coast from Cape Comorin to Beypore,
also portions of "the Laccadive Islands, and the Sesostris Bank.
He constructed a map of a constant circular current prevailing
between the Malabar coast and the Laccadives, the non-
publication of which, as appears in a letter from him to the
Commander-in-chief of the Indian Na:vy, dated the 13th of
October, 1855, caused the loss of one of the steamers of the
Peninsular and Oriental Company.
The peculiar dangers to which marine surveyors are liable
may be gathered from the following incident, which occurred
early in the year 1850. Mr. Midshipman An experienced sailor, but not a commissioned officer. Shairp, of the ' Tap-
tee,' then commanded by Lieutenant Selby, was absent, on a
fine calm day, in the jolly-boat, which was moored as a point
for the triangulation, within sight of the brig, when suddenly
she disappeared. The 'Taptee was off the Malabar coast,
and, although every search was made for the jolly-boat by the
other boats of the brig and by about a hundred canoes which
were despatched in all directions, no vestige of boat, crew or
officer was ever found. The only hypothesis that appears pro
bable is that they were attacked by some of the " black fish,"
a species of whale, which have been known to chase boats, but
the mystery was never unravelled. On the 1st of October,
1850, Lieutenant Taylor was appointed Surveyor, in command
of the pattamar, 'Pownah,' with Lieutenant Whish as Assistant-
Surveyor, and Messrs. Barker, Stiffe, and Macaulay, Midship
men ; "and in that vessel, with the ' Maldiva,' cutter, as tender,
he surveyed the Gulf of Cutch and coast of Kattywar.f Tay
lor's survey, which was admirable, like all that officer's work,
was on four sheets, of the scale of one inch to a mile, which
was reduced to one sheet by Whish and Stiffe. In 1851, Lieu
tenant Rennie was engaged in the 'Euphrates,' with Lieutenant
Constable as his assistant, surveying on the North Concan
coast.
Some idea of the frequent changes in the officering of ships,
which formed one of the chief obstacles to their efficiency, may
be gathered from the following postings of Lieutenant Con
stable, who during his career was chiefly employed in surveying
duties, where changes necessarily were not so frequent. In
August, 1851, he was in temporary charge of the new steam-
* See Markhnm's "Indian Surveys," and Yol. XII. of the "Journal of the
Bombay Greographical Society," where the results of the Survey are given.
t See Taylor's u General Description and sailing Directions for the Coast of
Kattywar," published at Bombay in 1855.