TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 27 
contribution, as I have said, to this interesting branch of natural phenomena, but 
I offer them to the Section the more readily from the circumstance of their entire 
independency and speciality ; and because of the testing which they may derive from 
Mr. Scott Russell, now present, whose laborious and valuable researches on WAVES 
have contributed so much to our information. 
On my outward passage from Liverpool to Boston, United States, in October 
1847, we had a rather hard gale a-head, or nearly a-head, against which, however, 
notwithstanding the high sea, we were always enabled to make a surprising degree 
of progress. On this occasion we had a somewhat heavy sea. In the most elevated 
position which I attained, the height of the eye being about 22 feet above the line 
of flotation of the ship (the Cambria), the greater proportion of the waves did not 
rise so high as to intercept the horizon; the average height, consequently, (reckon- 
ing from the hollow to the ridge,) was not so much as the elevation of my position, 
A minor proportion, however, of the waves, comprising about one in four or five, 
rose so high, in an extended range, as completely to conceal the horizon. These I 
estimated at 4 or 6 feet above the horizon, giving 26 or 28 feet for their elevation. 
And this, I apprehend, except in the case of incidental elevations in “ topping”’ or 
crossing waves, was the highest. But the mean elevation, during this really turbu- 
lent sea, must have been very much less; I should suppose scarcely reaching 18 or 
20 feet. 
It was on our return voyage from America, however, that the highest seas occurred, 
when the circumstances adapted for interesting observations were singularly favour- 
able; for, whilst the magnitude and the peculiar construction of the upper works of 
the ship, the Hibernia, afforded various platforms of determinate elevation above the 
line of flotation for observations on the HEIGHT OF THE WAVES, the direction of the 
ship’s course, with respect to that of waves, was generally so nearly similar as to 
yield the most advantageous agreement or accordance for observations on their width 
and velocity. These observations I shall extract, in their order, from my journal kept 
during the homeward passage. ji 
My first observation, worth recording, is under the date of March 5, 1848, when 
the ship was in latitude about 51°, and longitude (at noon) 38° 50’ W.; the wind 
then being about W.S.W., and the ship’s course, true N. 52°E. At sunset of the 
4th the wind blew a hard gale, which, with heavy squalls, had continued during the 
night, so that all sail was taken in but storm-stay-sail forward. The barometer 
stood at 29°50 at 8 p.m.; but fell so rapidly as to be at 28°30 by 10 the next 
~ morning. 
In the afternoon of this day I stood some time on the saloon deck or cuddy roof, 
a height, with the addition of that of the eye, of 23 ft. 3 in. above the line of flota- 
tion of the ship, watching the sublime spectacle presented by the turbulent waters. 
I am not aware that I ever saw the sea more terribly magnificent. I was anxious 
to ascertain the height of these mighty waves; but found almost every wave rising 
so much above the level of the eye, as indicated by the intercepting of the horizon 
of the sea in the direction in which they approached us, as to yield only the mini- 
mum elevation, and to show that the great majority of these rolling masses of water 
possessed a height of considerably more than 24 feet (including depression as well as 
altitude), or, reckoning from the mean level of the sea, of more than 12 feet. 
Exposed as the situation was, I then adventured to the port paddle-box, which 
was about 7 feet higher, where the level (as ascertained afterwards at Liverpool, 
allowance being made for the alteration in the draught of water of the ship) was 
24 feet 9 inches above the sea. This position, with 5 feet 6 inches, the height of 
my eye, gave an elevation altogether of 30 feet 3 inches for the level of the view then 
obtained; a level, it should be remarked, which was very satisfactorily maintained 
_ during the instants of observation, because of the whole of the ship’s length being 
occupied within the clear “ ¢rowgh of the sea,” and in an even and upright position, 
whilst the nearest approaching wave had its maximum altitude. 
Here, also, I found at least one-half of the waves which overtook and passed the 
ship were far above the level of my eye. Frequently I observed long ranges (not 
acuminated peaks) extending 100 yards, perhaps, on one or both sides of the ship ; 
the sea then coming nearly right aft, which rose-so high above the visible horizon 
_as to form an angle estimated at 2 to 3 degrees (say 23°), when the distance of the 
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