of Refuge on the East Coast of Scotland. 315 



in the tide-table, the time of high water being 10'' 30™ and 

 then, strange to observe, " Cairston'' and " Stromness" in the 

 "Orkneys'' have each their time of tide set down at 9^^. 



The time of high water of the " Pentland Frith" is stated 

 at lO*" 30'", while " Duncansby Head," the prominent easter- 

 ly shoulder of the Frith, has its time of high water set down 

 at 8»^ 15™. 



Passing southwards we find " Peterhead" inserted for the 

 first time in the Almanack in 1839, having its time of high 

 water O*" 45"\ while " Buehanness'' is recorded, as of old, at 

 12'". A difference of 45™ in the time of tide between two 

 places not a couple of miles apart, and the one situate farthest 

 to the north, whence the flood-tide proceeds, receiving it later, 

 may well excite some degree of surprise. 



The port of Aberdeen has evidently attracted considerable 

 notice. In 1839 the time of high water was changed from 

 its ancient period of 0'' 45™ to 1'' 12™, and in 1841 reduced 

 by 1", and now appears as V^ 11™. 



Proceeding southwards along the coast, we find by the 

 table the time of high water stated as the same for '' Mon- 

 trose'' and " Tay Bar,'"" viz. 1'' 45™. The distance between 

 the two places, in the direction of the flood-tide, being about 

 eighteen miles, and the latter being, in time, behind^ the for- 

 mer less than one minute, we should have here, on the sup- 

 position that the entries in the table are correct, a velocity of 

 tidal wave at this part of the coast, greater than any known 

 tidal velocity on the globe, and about thu'ty-six times greater 

 than its ordinary velocity in the German Ocean in the neigh- 

 bourhood, which is stated by good authority to be about thirty 

 miles an hour, although there is an authority which fi^es its 

 rate at sixty miles. 



High water at " Dundee" is stated at 2^ 22™, or 37™ later 

 than " Tay Bar," Taking into account the westerly position 

 of Dundee, the difference will be nearly 38™. If we consider 

 the distance between the two places as little more than a 

 dozen of miles, we shall here have an example of retardation, 

 compared with the former acceleration of the tidal-wave, of 

 truly unlooked for extent, even keeping in view the influence 

 of depth of bottom. 



High water at " Leith" is likewise stated as 37°^ later than 



