196 THERMOMETRICAL. JOURNAL. 
of that chain of banks which extends from the longitude 
45 W. along the American coaft, as the Reprifal was when 
fo much farther to the eaftward. In November 1789, I. 
found the fame difference in lat. 40. N. long. 49. W. after, 
failing in a dire&tion.about N. E. and a line being drawn. 
from the place where Captain Billings’s change happened, 
to that where Doétor Franklin’s thermometer fell! (in a di- 
rection about E. N E.) would nearly interfe&. the place 
where I obferved the fame alteration; this.is about the 
{weep of the banks, known by frequent founding, as will. 
be found by confulting the beft charts——By the coincidence 
of thefe three journals, at fo great-a: diftance of time, and 
without any knowledge of, confequently without any 
connection with each other, this important fact feems to. 
be eftablithed. A navigator may difcover his approach 
towards objects of danger, when he is at fuch a diftance 
as to be able eafily to avoid. them, by attentively examining 
the temperature of the fea. 
After having paffed the banks, Captain Billings found 
but little difference during 18 days fail, till he came near 
the European coaft. The fame uniformity appears in my 
journal on a voyage to England, Page 85 of this volume. 
Captain Billings found the water to grow cooler three 
days before he made the land, and the mercury fell gradu- 
ally from 65 to 60° when the land appeared: this was in 
June. In November I found on approaching the Englith 
coaft a gradual fall from 53 to 48° and then we ftruck 
foundings. Here the difference between the fea and coaft 
water was in both cafes. the fame, though the heat of both. 
varied with the feafon. 
Returning from Oporto, Captain Billings marked his. 
approach to, and departure from the weltern Iflands by 
the changes of his thermometer, but inthis cafe the dif- 
ference was fmall; becaufe, owing to the climate and fize 
ta 
