CURRENTS OF THE OCEAN. 343 



Arctic sea with those upon the " Bottle-track 

 Chart' of Commander Becher, it seems that 

 the southeasterly current sets from Davis' Strait 

 down the coast of Labrador; and, turning east- 

 ward, is met by the drain of the Gulf-stream 

 and diverted to the north-east, towards Iceland, 

 the Feroe islands, and the shores of Britain. Nay, 

 there is an indication of this effect of the Gulf- 

 stream being felt still further to the northward, 

 and even beyond the North Cape, both by our 

 own observations and those of Mr. Scoresby, as 

 well as by the track of bottles,* and also by 

 the unusually high temperature of the sea, which 

 we carried as far as^ the 75th degree of latitude. 

 This warm stratum appears to have been passed 

 through by Sir Edward Parry during his passage 

 from Soroe to Spitzbergen, in about the 73rd 

 degree of latitude, and to have extended to the 

 longitude of 8° E., where the temperature, as 

 with Captain Buchan, fell from 39° to 32°, and 

 continued at or below this degree during the 

 remainder of the passage. 



* The following results have been kindly furnished me by 



Commander Becher, R.N. 



Lat. Long. " Drift of Bottle. 



Bottles /60°N. 7° 5'W. N.54° E. 1106 miles, 



thrown over- J 60 25 4 N.48°E. 274 



board ) 56 16 5 N. 8° E. 217 



in (50 27 N. 21° E. 843 



