266 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



A. M., the water at surface was at 66, air 54; at 9, 73 and 53; 

 at 10, 76 and 55 : at 11, 77 and 56. Entering the Gulf Stream at 

 37 22' N. lat., 71 26' W. long., and leuving it in 36 16' N. lat. 

 and 70 57' W. long., they found a breadth of 71 miles for the Gulf 

 Stream between those points of latitude and longitude. On May 29, 

 in 33 58' N. lat., 72 W. long., " the current was tried at the depth 

 to which the kettle was lowered, 80 fathoms I found it tended in 

 the same direction as that at 126 fathoms (counter to the surface-cur- 

 rent) , but at so small a rate that it could hardly be measured ; not 

 more than one tenth of a knot per hour, the float moving at only this 

 small rate, being but one tenth of the velocity at which it had moved 

 just before when trying at 126 fathoms. This indicates that the kettle 

 had just penetrated the under-current ; and thus, by this means, it 

 would appear practicable to measure the depth of the surface-current, 

 or its point of contact with the counter under-current. In crossing 

 the Gulf Stream a second time the water at surface at 8 A. M. was 

 71.8; at 50 fathoms, 71.8; at 100 do., 67 q ; the air 70. At 9 

 A. M., at surface, 73; 10 A. M., at surface, 77.5; 11 A. M., at 

 surface, 78.5; 12 A. M., at surface, 78.5; 50 fathoms, 77.5; 100 

 do., 72.5 ; the air, 76. 79 was the highest temperature found, when 

 at the same time it was 77 at 50 fathoms, and 74 at 100 fathoms. 

 Its velocity, as felt by us in crossing this time, was 2.5 knots per hour, 

 setting N. 77 E. We got out of it in lat. 36 42' N., long. 72 3 10' 

 W., bearing from the point of entrance N. 16 E. distant 78 miles; 

 78 miles, therefore, appears the breadth between these points of lati- 

 tude and longitude. After leaving the Gulf Stream the water main- 

 tained an average temperature of 53 until we reached New York." 



As to the extent of the Gulf Stream the writer says : " We dis- 

 covered the hot waters of the Gulf Stream extending as far east as 

 72 10' in a latitude so far south as 33 30'. You will notice that 

 whenever we reached that longitude in our various tracks between the 

 latitudes of 33 D 30' and 34 north, we experienced a sudden change of 

 as much as 5 D and 6 in the surface temperature, 70 to 76. This 

 must be a branch or offset from the Gulf Stream, being so far to the 

 eastward of the limits hitherto given to it in those latitudes. The 

 current was found to be one knot per hour setting W. N. W., and the 

 under-current at 126 fathoms, one knot setting to the east. 



" Our measurements by the hydrometer show that in some parts, if 

 not in most parts of the ocean, the water is specifically lighter at depths 

 than at the surface, when reduced to like temperature, the correction 

 for this difference being applied. I found on one occasion the follow- 

 ing large difference: On December 8, at surface, 1,028.6 (distilled 

 water as standard, held at 1,000); at 200 fathoms, 1,028.4; at 500 

 fathoms, 1,027.2 ; all at 60 temperature. This was in latitude 31 42' 

 north, longitude 38 12' west. The specific gravity generally found 

 at surface appears about 1,028.4 at 60 temperature ; and this specific 

 gravity at surface appears, according to our record, more variable than 

 that at depths. The greatest transparency of the water observed was 

 seventeen fathoms, being able to see a large lead, painted white, at 

 that depth. This was in latitude 21 4' N., longitude 66 36' W. 



