■ refpcSting the Caufe of the Tides. 271 



fouth pole, reftores the Indian ocean to its natural motion 

 weft ; crofles, in its turn, the equinoctial line, penetrates into 

 our Atlantic ocean, directs its motion north by the pofition 

 of America, and produces various changes in our tides. All 

 the bays, creeks, and mediterraneans of fouthem A Ma, fuch 

 as the gulphs of Siam and Bengal, the Perfian gulph, the 

 Red fca, 8cc. are directed relatively to thefe currents north 

 and fouth lo as not to be ftemmed bv them ; as all the bays 

 and- mediterraneans of Europe, as the Baltic, the Engliih 

 channel, the bay of Bifcav, the Mediterranean fea, Baffin's 

 bay, Hudfon's bay, the gulph of Mexico, and many other?, 

 are directed relatively to thefe currents eaft and weft ; or, to 

 fpeak with more precifion, the axes of all the openings of the 

 J and in the old and new world are perpendicular to the axes 

 of thefe general currents, fo that their mouth only is crofted 

 by them, and their depth is not expofed to the impulsions of 

 the general movements of the ocean. 



That thefe currents are not the offspring of my own ima- 

 gination, but actually fuch as I have defcribed them, will 

 appear from various teftimonies. Froger fays that in Brazil 

 the currents follow the fun, running fouthward when he is 

 fouth, and northward when he is north. In the fummer of 

 the fouthem hemifphere, the tides fet in northward (Schoulen, 

 Jan. 1 66 1 ), but in winter run fouthward and come from the 

 north [Frafer, May 17 r 2). C. Columbus fet fail from the 

 Canaries the beginning of September, and fteered to the weft; 

 he found, during the firft days of his vovage, that the cur- 

 rents carried him to the north-eaft; when he had advanced 

 200 or 300 leagues from land, he perceived their direction 

 was fouthward : finally, as he approached the Lucayo iflands, 

 he again found the current fetting in north. 



The nautical observations of Cook demonftrate that the 

 currents of the Atlantic ocean are alternate and half-yearly 

 like thofc of the Indian ocean. The beans called Oxeyes, 

 which grow only in the VV^eft Indies, are every year thrown 

 up on the coaft of Ireland, 1200 leagues diftant. Seeds and 

 turtles are brought to the Hebrides from the Weft Indies 

 and America; and the maft of the Tilburv man of war, 

 burnt at Jamaica, was found on thefe coafts : the current 



which 



