“MARITIME OBSERVATIONS, 87 
‘officers: what encouraged this opinion, was the difagree- 
-ment between the foundings by the lead, and thofe marked 
onthe chart in the places where, by the common reckon- 
ing, the fhip was fuppofed to be; while upon the other 
-fuppofition they both agreed. When we made the land 
this latter reckoning turned out accurate, and’ I won a 
‘{mall bett of the Captain who' candidly acknowledged the © 
ufefulnefs of the thermometer, and declared that he would 
in fature always have one on board. 
Finding the coaft of America to grow fuddenly deep as: 
it approaches the gulph ftream, and finding continued’ 
-foundings from Cape Sable’'to New-York, Iam induced 
to believe that it has its fhape according to the courfe of 
that current, and that it 1s connected ina: fweep from the 
banks of Newfoundland to Florida, the various banks be- 
tween being only eminences of the coaft. If my appre- 
henfion of the accuracy of thermometrical obfervation is 
well founded, it would bean eafy thing to make a gene- 
ral furvey of the coaft under water, more particularly than. 
has hitherto been, or could be done by founding. 
On-the chart annexed the tracks-of my feéveral paflages 
‘are marked with the daily heat of the water in degrees ac-- 
cording to Fahrenheit, by which the variations on the ap- 
proach to land may be feen at one view. The edge of the: 
gulph ftream is alf traced according to the: experiments 
as far as the hanks of Newfoundland? how far it runs to 
the eaftward Ido not pretend to fay;. but | having found a 
current inthe natural direction of its {weepamong the weft- 
ern iflands, I am inclined-tothink it extends fo far, before 
it turns off to the fouthward. It may be obferved, howe- 
ver, that as this ftream, like all other currents, muft be af 
‘fected by tempetts on either fide; it may, as thefe prevail, run 
fomewhat nearer or fomewhat farther diftant: from the 
coaft. 
