98 ALEXANDER JOHNSON ON TIDAL' 



Admiral Baytield as far back as 1827-1834. Corrections have been introduced into 

 them since by other naral surveyors, but the basis is still a survey which is now 

 fifty years old, — in other words, which was made about fifteen years antecedent to the 

 surveys of the English and Irish channels that led to such valuable results. That very 

 much more information than at present exists should be wanted, is a reasonable conclu- 

 sion ; and that the cousec|ueuces of ignorance should be seen in the annual wreck register, 

 might be expected. 



A very cursory inspection of the "Wreck Lists, published in the Annual Report 

 of the Minister of Marine and Fisheries, at once shews the truth of the conclusion. 

 These lists have been published only since the year of Confederation, 1861 ; but the 

 interval is c^uite sufficient for the present purpose. The losses recorded, under the 

 headings of " tide " and " unknown currents," are too numerous to permit any mistake. 

 In fact, the lists seem to me, in this case, to have attained the object for which, it is ex- 

 pressly said, they were originally published ; namely, to indicate the causes of wrecks, 

 and thus to suggest remedies. Such entries as, " current and fog," " snow-squall and 

 current," "tide swept vessel out of her course," "strong currents," "force of tide," 

 " strong tide and foggy weather," " hazy weather and strong current," speak for them- 

 selves. The vessels lost are of every class, from the small coasting schooner to the 

 large ocean steamer. The aggregate loss from these causes, as recorded, is serious, and it 

 may be even greater than appears. In luost of the instances referred to, the vessel is 

 said to have been " stranded." But as there are other cases of stranding, the causes of 

 which were not discovered, it is possible that some of them may have been due to the 

 tidal currents ; thus, in the report for the year ending June, 18*70, it is stated that there 

 were thirty cases of vessels stranded during the year, " cause not known." 



The lists usvially give only the bare facts under a few headings, but occasionally 

 a remark is added that is interesting ; e. g., in t>he report for 1875, with respect to the 

 loss of the S. S. " Virgo," at St. Pierre, Mic[uelon, on her passage from Sydney to St. 

 John's, Newfoiindland, it is said that the course steered was exactly the same as usual, but 

 a fog came on, and a strong current appears to have carried her on shore. The loss here 

 was $70,000. Again, the loss of the S.S. "Cybele," from Glasgow for Montreal, on Hare 

 Island reef, in the river St. Lawrence, on April 30th, 1879, is said to haA^e been caused by 

 a haze, and a current setting the ship on the reef. The amount in this case was $95,000. 

 Referring to the loss of the S. S. " Lartington " (the vessel alone being A-alued at $165,- 

 000), from Quebec to. London, wrecked on Anticosti, near 'S. W. Point Lighthouse, on 

 November 4th, 1880, there is the following remark :— " The keeper of the S. W. Point 

 lighthouse, Mr. E. Pope, is of opinion that the vessel was taken out of her course by 

 a current which often occurs at spring tides, and strong south winds; and which, to 

 his knowledge, has stranded several vessels in the vicinity of S. W. Point. This set of 

 the current does not appear to be generally known." We have an instance of the loss of 

 vessels of the largest class in the case of the R. M. S. "Moravian," which was stranded 

 by " an unknown current," December 30th, 1880, on Mud Island, north of Seal Island, 

 Nova Scotia. 



The method followed by Admiral Beechey, in making his very successful surveys 

 of the tidal currents, is given in his paper in the Philosophical Transactions for 1851. 

 It is unnecessary to describe it here. 



