§0 On the use of the 



No. XIII. 



On the Ufe of the Thermometer in Navigation. Bv 

 William Strickland. 



e York, April 1 798. 



Read May A SHORT time before I failed from Eng- 

 r6, 1800. Ji\_ land in 1 794, the third volume of the 

 Tranfadlions of the American Philolbphical Society fell 

 in my way. Being at that time attentive to maritime af- 

 fairs, I could not but be much flruck with your maritime 

 obfervations, and on fliewing them to a nautical friend, 

 he recommended me to purliie the fame courlc ot obfer- 

 vations. This advice I followed ; and being well fatisfied 

 in having tnade the experiments in my outward bound 

 voyage, I purfued the fame courfe in my homeward 

 bound voyage ; and am about to report the refult of both 

 to you, though the laft appears likely to be of no farther 

 ufe than confirming what has already been faid on the 

 fubjedl by yourfelf. 



The obfervations at large I do not fend you, being too 

 prolix, the thermometer having been recurred to, much 

 more frequently than here ftated ; 1 have noted here only 

 the changes which occurred in the temperature of the 

 water, and thereby the table is confiderably abbreviated. 



In the outward bound voyage the fubjedl appearing 

 molt worthy of attention is the probability of a branch 

 Itriking off from the gulf-ftream in a northerly or north- 

 eafterly direftion, flowing to the e;irt of and fomevvhat 

 parallel to the banks of Newfoundland. 'I his we ap- 

 pear to have ftruck on the i8th of Aug. P. M. and con- 

 tinued in it till the 23d A. M. except that on the 20th 

 we crofl'ed a cold current probably here running in upon 



the 



