159 

 LUMINOUS APPEARANCE OF THE SEA. 



" O'er the glad waters of the dark blue sea, 

 Our thoughts as boundless, as our souls are free, 

 Far as the bree/e can bear the billows foam, 

 Survey our empire and behold our home ! " 



BYRON. 



THE scorching heat of the day, within the Tropics, is generally 

 succeeded by delightful evenings and pleasing nights, no sooner 

 has the sun reached within a few degrees of the western horizon, 

 than groups of the most fantastic clouds accumulate in the west 

 whose sides are tinged with the most beautiful colours. It is now 

 that the awnings are furled and all hands assemble on deck to inhale 

 the cool evening breeze and behold the glories of the setting sun. 

 On one of these delightful evenings our " gallant ship" was wending 

 her way towards the equator, the sun was set and we still lingered 

 on deck, enjoying the cool breeze and the magnificent spectacle 

 which the heavens presented, as each succeeding shade of darkness 

 unfolded now Constellations to our view. Our attention was soon 

 directed to the sea around us which began to assume a most brilliant 

 appearance : the agitation of the waves by the wind gave out a thou- 

 sand glow-worm like particles whose light illuminated the ocean, 

 and whenever a wave was dashed aside by our ship, a glare of light 

 shone on her tops and sails, sufficient to render the countenances 

 of the topmen visible. The tracks of Flying fishes and their pur- 

 suers were seen in the water darting in every possible direction, while 

 ever and anon a porpoise would shoot like an arrow across our track, 

 leaving a train of fire behind him. This pleasing spectacle around 

 us, gave rise to many ingenious theories, as to the cause of the above 

 phenomenon. One imagined the light to be emanations of rays from 

 the moon : Another thought it arose from putrid animal matter 

 held in suspension in the fluid, &c. A bucket full of water was 

 taken up from the sea, which when agitated by the hand, or in any 

 other way whatever, light was given out, which would disappear in 

 5 or 6 seconds, but would again be given out on reagitating the water. 

 It is reasonable to conclude from this experiment that whatever par- 

 ticles gave out the light, it was necessary that some particular part 

 of their surface should meet the eye of the observer. About half a 

 pint of the water was taken from the bucket and put into a glass for 

 examination. On the following day the water in question was sub- 

 mitted to the scrutiny of a powerful microscope, and some very 

 minute semitransparent globules were with some difficulty seen; 

 these, from the ships motion, were continually shifting their position ; 

 it was ascertained, however, that they sank in the portion of fluid 



