TIDES IN THE NORTH SEA—-THE MAELSTROM. 41 
Sea where no periodical rise and fall of the waters whatsoever 
takes place. 
Thus we see that the relations of the tides in the North Sea, 
with regard to height and time, are of a somewhat complicated 
nature, which could only be explained after the numerous 
observations (amounting to more than 40,000) made by order 
of the British Government in all parts of the world, under 
the direction of Professor Whewell, had proved that all the 
floods of the seas chiefly proceed from the great tide-wave of 
the Southern Ocean, which, by its numerous ramifications ia 
narrow seas or through groups of islands and by the unequal 
rapidity of its progress, according to the depth or shallowness 
of the waters it traverses, occasions all the seeming anomalies 
which were quite inexplicable by the simple Newtonian theory. 
As every twelve hours a new tidal-wave originates in the 
Southern Ocean which regularly follows in the same track as 
its predecessor, the tides everywhere succeed each other in 
regular and equal periods, and can thus everywhere be cal- 
culated beforehand. 
In narrow straits or in the intricate channels which wind 
through clusters of islands, different tidal-waves meeting from 
opposite directions give rise to more or less dangerous whirl- 
pools. One of the most famous of these vortices, though incon- 
siderable in itself, is the renowned Charybdis, which gave so 
much trouble to Ulysses on his passing through the strait 
which separates Sicily from Italy, but is at present an object 
of fear scazcely even to the poor fisherman’s boat. 
A much grander whirlpool, owing its celebrity, not to the 
fictions of poetry, but to the magnificent scale on which it has 
been constructed by nature, is the renowned Maelstrom, situated 
on the Norwegian coast in 68° N. lat., and near the island of 
Moskoe, from whence it also takes the name of Moskoestrom. 
It is four geographical miles in diameter, and in tempestuous 
weather its roar, like that of Niagara, is said to be heard several 
miles off. John Ramus gives us a terrible description of its 
fury, and mentions that in the year 1645 it raged with such 
noise and impetuosity, that on the island of Moskoe, the very 
stones of the houses fell to the ground. He tells us also that 
whales frequently come too near the stream, and, notwith- 
standing their giant strength, are overpowered by its violence, 
