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JOURNAL. 



proved to me the utility of thofe inflruments at fea. In September. 

 one of thefe gales, the hardeft, I thuik, I ever was in, and 

 with the greatefl: fea, we loft three of our boats, and were 

 obliged to heave two of our guns overboard, and bear 

 away for fome time, though near a lee fhore, to clear the 

 lliip of water. I cannot omit this opportunity of re- 

 peating, that I had the greateft reafon on this, as well 

 as every other critical occafion, to be fatisfied wich the 

 behaviour both of the officers and feamen. In one of 

 thefe gales on the 12th of September, Dr. Irving tried the 

 temperature of the fea in that ftate of agitation, and found 

 it confiderably warmer than that of the atmofphere. This 

 obfervation is the more interefting, as it agrees with a 

 paffage in Plutarch's Natural Queftions, not (I believe) 

 before taken notice of, or confirmed by experiment, in 

 which he remarks, " that the fea becomes warmer 

 " by being agitated in waves." 



The frequent and very heavy gales at the latter end of 

 the year, confirmed me in the opinion, that the time of 

 our failing from England was the properefi: that could 

 have been chofen. Thefe gales are as common in the 

 Spring as in the Autumn : there is every reafon to fuppofe 

 therefore, that at an early feafon we fliould have met 

 with the fame bad weather in going out as we did on our 

 return. The unavoidable necefhty of carrying a quantity 

 of additional ftores and provifions, rendered the fliips fo 

 deep in the water, that in heavy gales the boats, with 

 many of the ftores, muff probably have been thrown 



L 2 overboard ; 



