itYDROGRAPHICAL SURVEY. — CURRENTS. 209 



which is as remote from Cape Farewell, as some 

 parts of Orkney or the Western Islands ; but it 

 would seem to be owing to the circumstance, of these 

 bodies of ice floating so deep in the sea, as to be 

 within the influence of an under current of cold 

 water setting out of Davis' Strait towards the south, 

 while the upper current takes an easterly direction, 

 and carries all light bodies along with it. If this 

 be the fact, the heaviest or deepest icebergs should 

 be found pursuing a southerly direction, and the 

 lightest or shallowest should be found more to the 

 eastward. 



From the coast of Britain, the northern branch 

 of the Gulf Stream probably extends, superficially, 

 along the shore of Norway, towards the north-east. 

 About the North Cape, its direction appears to be 

 changed, by the influence of a westerly current from 

 Nova Zembla ; so that it afterwards sets towards the 

 north-west, as high as the borders of the ice, and thus 

 operating against the polar current setting to the 

 south- wcstv^ard, may be the means of preventing the 

 polar ice from spreading across the North Sea. From 

 the fact of the sea near Spitzbergen being usually 

 six or seven degrees warmer at the depth of 100 to 

 200 fatlioms, than it is at the surface, it seems not 

 improbable that the water below is a still farther 

 extension of the Gulf Stream, which, on meeting 

 with water near the ice lighter than itself, sinks be- 

 low the surface, and becomes a counter under-cur^ 

 rent. 



VOL. I. o 



