MARITIME OBSERVATIONS. 329° 
OBSERVATIONS. 
July 31. At one P. M. the Start bore W N W. diftant fix leagues. 
Auguft 1. The water appears luminous in the fhip’s wake. 
—2. The temperature of the water is taken at eight in the morning and at eight in the 
evening. 
—6. The water appears lefs luminous. 
—7. Formegas S W. dift. 325 deg. St. Mary’s SWS 33 leagues. 
—8. From this date the temperature of the water is taken at eight in the morning and at 
fix in the evening. A 
—10. Moonlight, which prevents the luminous appearance of the water. 
—iIt. A {trong foutherly current. 
—12. Ditto. From this date the temperature of the air and water was taken at noon,. 
as well as morning and evening. 
—16. Northerly current. 
—iI9. Firft faw gulph weed. 
—21. Southerly current. 
—22. Again faw gulph weed. 
—24. The water appeared luminous in a fmall degree before the moon rofe. 
—29. No moon, yet very little light in the water. 
—30. Much gulph weed to-day, 
—3I. Ditto. 
Sept. x. Ditto. 
—2. A little more light in the water. 
—4. No gulph weed to-day. Moore light in the water. 
—5. Some gulph weed again. ‘ 
—6. Little light in the water. A very hard thunder-guft in the night. 
—7. Little gulph weed. 
—8. More light in the water. Little gulph weed. 
—y. Little gulph weed. Little light in the water laft evening. 
—tio. Saw fome beds of rock-weed; and we were furprifed to obferve the water fix de- 
grees colder by the thermometer than the preceding noon. 
This day (10th) the thermometer {till kept defcending, and at five in the morning of the 
Zith, it wasin water as low as 70, when we ftruck foundings. ‘The fame evening the pilot 
came on board, and we found our fhip about five degrees of longitude a-head of the reckon- 
ing, which our captain accounted for by fuppofing our courfe to have been near the edge of the 
gulph ftream, and thus an eddy-current always in our favour. By the diftance we ran from 
Sept. 9, in the evening, till we {truck foundings, we muft have then been at the weftern edge 
of the gulph ftream, and the change in the temperature of the water was probably owing to 
our fuddenly paffing from that current, into the waters of our own climate. 
On the r4th of Auguft the following experiment was made. ‘The weather being perfectly 
calm, an empty bottle, corked very tight, was fent down 20 fathoms, and it was drawn up 
ftill empty. It was then fent down again 35 fathoms, when the weight of the water having 
forced in the cork, it was drawn up full; the water it contained was immediately tried by 
the thermometer, and found to be 70, which was fix degrees colder than at the furface : The 
lead and bottle were vifible, but not very diftinctly fo, at the depth of 12 fathoms, but when 
only 7 fathoms deep, they were perfectly feen from the fhip. ‘This experiment was thus re- 
peated Sept. 11, when we were in foundings of 18 fathoms. A keg was previoufly prepared 
_ With a valve at each end, one opening inward the other outward; this was fent to the bottom. 
in expectation that by the valves being both open when going down, and both fhut when com- 
ing up, it would keep within it the water received at bottom. The upper valve performed 
its office well, but the under one did not fhut quite clofe, fo that-much of the water was loft 
in hauling it up the fhip’s fide. As the water in the keg’s paflage upwards could not enter at 
the top, it was concluded that what -water remained in it was of that near the.ground, and on 
trying this by the thermometer, it was found to be at 58, which was.12 degrees colder than 
at the furface. “ 
This laft Fournal was obligingly kept for me by Mr. F. Williams, my fellow-paffenger-in the Lon= 
don Packet, who made all the experiments with great exadine/s. 
Two: 
