158 Association of American Geologists and Naturalsts. 
meridional line, passing through the centre of the grand Bank of ‘New- 
foundland. It was the only case within his knowledge, of an iceberg 
being seen so near our continent in this parallel. He shewed by refer- 
ence to a chart of the Atlantic, that in all probability this one entered 
the Gulf Stream atleast as fa tward as the 48th deg. of west longitude, 
and in the 42d or 43d parallel of north latitude. It was his opinion that 
this occurred in the spring of the year, when the prevalent strong north- 
east winds would drive it southerly across the stream with nearly as 
much rapidity as the latter would carry it forward in an easterly 
direction. To exemplify this, said Mr. C., we should work out the drift, 
and true course of this berg, precisely as a seaman would do that of a 
ship hove to the wind for the same length of time, and*under like cir- 
cumstances. Assuming then that the berg in question, had impinged 
upon the Gulf Stream in the latitude and longitude above given, and 
there encountered one of the northeast gales, so frequent, and of such 
long continuance on our coast in the spring ;—half a mile per hour 
would be a moderate allowance for its set southwestward by the wind 
and heave of the sea. In forty days, (and it is well known that easterly 
gales often prevail over this part of the Atlantic during the spring 
months, for even a longer period ;) in forty days, it would, were there n° 
opposing agency at work, be propelled three hundred and forty miles 
west, and the same distance south of its point of entrance into the Gulf 
Stream. Butas in this parallel, there is a current setting in an east by 
south direction, with a mean velocity of three quarters of a mile per 
hour, this would during the assumed period, not only counteract the 
wasting caused by the swell, but carry the berg three hundred and 
sixty-eight miles east, and one hundred and twenty miles farther south, 
making its true line of drift up to the close of the forty days, to be south 
38° east, and the distance traversed four hundred and seventy miles. 
This would place it in latitude 34° 50’ north, longitude 38° 30’ west, oF 
about across the Stream, here not far from four hundred and fifty miles 
wide. From this point to the locality in which the fragments were seen, 
its course would be about south 84° west, and the distance one thousan 
four hundred and seventy miles. Assuming that the eddy current and 
heave of the sea combined, were equal to impelling it westward at the 
rate of three quarters of a mile an hour, it would require about eighty 
days to transport it to the locality in question. Butas the wind although 
acting upon it generally from the eastward, cannot be supposed to have 
1€ 80 constantly, it might be a considerably longer time in performing 
- Mr. Coutho ae | tee . te roe, ele ee at a a ae are 
of the iceberg met by him, marked upon it, and pointed out that its 
drift westward must have been at least as great as he had there repre- 
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