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this place and the Island of King-kasan when it comes in contact with the Japan stream, it appears to be turned towards the westward, and to set in towards the shore. I found this to be particularly the case while going close along the land on one occasion. The course of the vessel had then to be continually altered towards the east so as to enable her to clear the different dangers. I am informed that in 1865 the wrecks of no fewer than six foreign built ships were to be seen on the sandy beach which lies a few miles to the north of Inaboye-saki, and it is very probable that it was this current which led to the loss of the Pacific Mail Company’s S. S. Ariel. A ship steering a course so as to pass inside a line from King-kasan to Inaboye-saki, will probably be set towards the shore and find herself much closer in than was anticipated; but on the other hand if she passes 6 or 7 miles outside the King-kasan and steers so as to pass at the same distance from Inaboye, she will then catch the Kino-siwo on her starboard bow, and will consequently be set to the eastward or away from the shore. The lead, however, is a sure guide on this part of the coast, and the temperature of the water will also invariably show which current a ship is in. The difference is sometimes as much as 20°, but it is generally not more than about 12°. In April, 1873, during a voyage from Yokohama to Hakodate, I found the temperature of the water of the Japan Stream to be 62°, and after passing Inaboye-saki the temperature dropped to 44°, the vessel being then in the Oya-siwo. On the 26th of May off the Coast of Yezo, I found the waters as low as 42°.
The winds on the Coast of Japan are very variable and it is difficult to designate any particular direction as that which is prevalent during any season. Along the southern Coast the prevailing winds throughout the year may be said to be from the north east; but during the summer months light breezes from south-east and south-west are not unfrequent. Off the Boungo Channel northerly winds often blow with great violence. With a fresh breeze from the north-east a very ugly sea quickly gets
