MARITIME OBSERVATIONS. 93 
Obfervations on a paffage from Falmouth to Halifax by Fonathan Williams. 
The very gradual increafe in the heat of the water as we leave England indicates a fmall de= 
fcent of the coaft, which, 2s farasfoundings go, is known to be the cafe. 
Here we find a fudden change of 7 degrees in the heat of the water, which indicates our ap- 
t. 44.43. N. proach to the Banks of Newfoundland, though not in fuch foundings aswe could obtain. 
lon. 46. 07. W. We tried with r6ofathoms but the lead was only about 12 pounds, and the line was a very 
Tat. 45. oo. N: 
thick one: perhaps the line floated the lead. At 5 .P. M. the water was ftill colder 4degrces; 
but at 8 A. M. it grew warmer again 6 degrees, this feems to indicate a paflage, over a bank, 
into water as deepas when we difcovered the firlt change. 
We are now in cold wateragain (49) 13 degrees colder than the ocean water had regular- 
ly been during 12 days previous to the firft change, exceptionly the {mall variations of a more 
lon. 47. 57 W. northern or more fouthern courfe, thefe changes feem to indicate our entrance onanother bank. 
Jat. 44. 49. N. 
lon. 56. 16. W. 
lat. 44. 30. N. 
jon. 58.28. W. 
t. 44. 33. N. 
Jon. 59. 54. W. 
lat. 44. 50. N. 
jon. 61. 20. W. 
There isa bank laid down in the charts, by fome called Jaquet’s bank, but by the older charts 
called falfe bank, over which we have probably paffed. In this longitude, but farther fouth, 
‘both by Dr. Franklin’s and my own obfervations, the water grew fuddenly cool, This feems 
to confirm the fuppofition of this outer bank, the fouthermoft point of which { fuppofe to ex- 
tend as far as lat. 4o. 00. N. We hove too in order to try the foundings but the torce of the 
back fail carried away the main top maft head, and brought the top gallant fail, maf and rig- 
ging down, thisconfufion interrupted the founding; and we had only 80 fathonvof line out, 
when it was hauled in. 
At 6 P.M. the water was only 2 degreescolder (47°) than when.we were interrupted in 
founding, and we got bottom in 40 fathoms. , 
‘From the laft found to thistime the thermometer has varied, ,regularly as.the founding 
varied, the water being warmer when deeper, and cooler when fhoaler. It is now at 55, 
which is 8 degrees warmer than when we had wo fathoms. We now founded and could not 
reach bottom with 110 fathoms ofline. ‘This indicates that we are off the grand bank, and 
within it. By taking our diftance from the time the thermometer firft fell to 54, to the laft 
time it ftood at that degree, we may give an account of the width of the foundings on this 
‘grand bank, though it probably extends much farther, but in deeper water. This is noted 
on the chart. ‘Fhe variations|in the thermometer between laft night and this morning, indi- 
cate our paflage over an eminence of the bank, called the Whale)Bank, fituated on its inner 
edge. 
Therese at-8 A. M. wasat 53. two degrees colder than when we could not reach 
bottom with r10 fathoms of line: and we founded in 42 fathoms. ‘This indicates our entrance 
on another bank, which is calledin the charts Banquereau... It is ebfervable that the water of 
fmall banks is not fo cold as'that of large banks, and this feems natural, ifitis fuppofed that 
the conducting power of the land, taking away part of the heat of the water, is the caufe of the 
changes in the thermometer; for that pewer muift have lefs effe&, 2s the quantity of the ground 
under water is lefs: and this mui be itill more remarkable when the bank is immediately con- 
nected with land above water, for fueh land conduéting heat away from the atmofphere, and 
receiving much from the fun, mutt require lefsfrem the water. Thisremark has been uni- 
formly confirmed in all my experiments within capes, where the water is much warmer than 
in foundings without them. ‘Andit is further obfervable, that the water on the coait of Ame- 
rica on the edge of foundings,|is not above |6 or 8 degrees colder than deep water; but on the 
‘banks of Newfoundland it is frum.12 to.15 degrees colder, nf 
‘Here we have the water §7/ which is2° warmer than when we coald not get bottom be- 
tween the banks, yet we have 65 fathoms, at noon it was up to 61, and we had the fame found- 
ings; but asit-was calm weather, and as we had ahot fun, allowance mutt be made for its in- 
fluence, and therefore no certain concluficn can be drawn. ‘The depth of the water however in- 
dicates our going off Banquereau, and the white fand of the bettom indicates that we are on the 
edge of the bank which is connected with the Ifle of Sable. ‘Thisalfo accounts, from the above 
mentioned principle, | for the unexpected warmthiof the water: ‘ 
We faw the land at 2 P. M. and now we.are in 13 fathoms of water thermometer 53. This 
land agrees with the defeription of that about St..Mary’s river, and tracing owrcourfe back, 
fhews us to have been laft night, and the preceding days, in. the very places indicated by our 
reckoning, thermometer, and foundings. We tacked and ftood off. 
‘The thermometer, when we ftood off the land, rofe upto 57. and when we came on and 
made the high lands of Jeddore it indicated Jeddore banks by falling to 52. when being becalm- 
ed-we caught fifth, leaving the bank it rofe to 57, and now weare in fight of our port it Rands 
at 53. 
D, A 
