Prevailing Currents of the Pacific Ocean. 301 
been found in various parts of the Pacific, below the latitude of 
30°, moving in direct opposition to the influence of the strongest 
portion of the trade winds.* Thus the system of currents, as 
we shall find of the winds, becomes more complex and irregular 
in this vast ocean than in the Atlantic; which, at least so far as 
relates to winds, is contrary to” representations which have been 
often erroneously made by scientific” writers; representations 
which doubtless were ess in nen — on the wie 
tific theory of winds. ! 
‘Good observations on the aiceasioniy atrexigthy, pie vetigipates 
of the currents, in all parts of the Pacific, will prove of great im- 
‘portance, and should be made: and pene nie carefully, by 
the expedition. - 
_ The obstacles which eb nic the naturél syotem of cur- 
rents are least numerous in the North: Pacific, where the trending 
of its continental coasts, except in high latitudes, is highly favor- 
able to a strong development of the regular geographical currents, 
— to these coasts. - ne se NAN of China and Japan 
‘atlantic, This current, . fitid; was OE noticed, ineldod 
tally, by the officers of Coo k’s last exploring expedition, and i its 
velocity stated, in some instances, at five miles an hour. 
observations, to which I have had access, have confirmed the 
existence of this current, and have shown the elevated tempera- 
ture which this stream carries from the lower latitudes; so that 
near one thousand. miles east of the coast of Japan, in’ 
north, the temperature of the surface water has been found at 
794° of Fahrenheit.t In the South Pacific, near the coast of 
New Holland there is found, also, a like warm current, pursuing 
its southern ainenin® through t cc ete — of that hemis- 
phere 
But oni as ss eipebend to the sian width of the Pacific, 
and to the consequent absence of a defined ocean boundary near 
its. central ak mecca thete is here less of apparent regularity and 
 * "This counter ont, rt r to th sustwaids ‘is 's sometimes found in the equa- 
torial regions of the adie and oilier seas, _ beats some analogy to the wester- 
ly monsoons of the Indian and Pacific ocean 
+ Voyage of Capt. Dupetit Thouars. Other and earlier ob tions had attract- 
ed ‘my attention, particularly i jn the cruising voyages of our American whalers, 
but I now refer to this. as a more recent and convenient authority. 
