314 MARITIME OBSERVATIONS. 
ration, and more eafily manageable than the firft, and 
perhaps may be as effectual.* 
Veffels are fometimes retarded, and fometimes forward- 
ed in their voyages, by currents at fea, which are often 
not perceived. About the year 1769 or 70, there was 
an application made by the board of cuftoms at Bofton, to 
the lords of the treafury in London, complaining that the 
packets between Falmouth and New-York, were general- 
ly a fortnight longer in their paflages, than merchant 
thips from London to Rhode-Ifland, and propofing that for 
the future they fhould be ordered to Rhode-Ifland inftead 
of New-York. Being then concerned in the manage- 
ment of the American poft-office, I happened to be con- 
fulted on the occafion; and it appearing ftrange to me 
that there fhould be fuch a difference between two places, 
fcarce a day’s run afunder, efpecially when the merchant 
fhips are generally deeper laden, and more weakly man- 
ned than the packets, and had from London the whole 
length of the river and channel to run before they left 
the land of England, while the packets had only to go 
from Falmouth, I could not but think the fa&t mifunder- 
ftood or mifreprefented. ‘There happened then to be in 
London, a Nantucket fea-captain of my acquaintance, to 
whom I communicated the affair. He told me he believ- 
ed the fa& might be true; but the difference was owing 
to this, that the Rhode-Ifland captains were acquaint- 
ed with the gulf ftream, which thofe of the Englifh 
packets were not. We are well acquainted with that 
ftream, fays be, becaufe in our purfuit of whales, which 
keep near the fides of it, but are not to be met with in it, 
we run down along the fides, and frequently crofs it to 
change our fide: and in crofling it have fometimes met 
and {poke with thofe packets, who were in the middle of 
it, and ftemming it. We have informed them that they 
were 
* Captain Truxton, on board whofe fhip this was written, has executed this propofed 
machine; he has given fix arms to the umbrella, they are joined to the ftem by iron hinges, 
and the canvas is double. He has taken it with him to China, February 1786. 
