52 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF 



placing the newly gathered matter above water ; and if the old were 

 at the bottom previously to the overturn, mixing together the rocks 

 from both localities. Loaded with this additional material, it might 

 float olfand resume its southerly course, be accidentally forced into 

 the Gulf Stream and carried eastAvard at the rate of 24' a day, (the 

 mean velocity of the Stream in the meridian referred to,) till it was 

 melted away. To effect this dissolution would require three or four 

 months, during which time, the berg would be carried six or seven 

 hundred miles in a direction nearly at right angles with its primary 

 di'ift, depositing a greater or less quantity of transported material 

 along its entire track. Mr. Couthouy remarked that the instance 

 just cited, was one of peculiar interest, from its illustrating the man- 

 ner in which rocky materials imbedded in icebergs, may, through the 

 devious course of these latter, be deposited along a wide range of 

 longitude as well as latitude. He called attention to the fact that 

 this berg was to the southward of the Gulf Stream, and about lb" or 

 seven hundred and fifty miles west of a meridional line, passing 

 through the centre of the grand Bank of Newfoundland. It was the 

 only case within his knowledge, of an iceberg being seen so near 

 our continent in this parallel. He showed, by reference to a chart 

 of the Atlantic, that in all probability this one entered the Gulf Stream 

 at least as far eastward as the 4«th 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 di- 

 rection. 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 

 circumstances. Assuming then, that the berg in question had im- 

 pinged 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 contiruiance on our coast in the spring, half a 

 mile per hour would be a moderate allowance for its set southwest- 

 ward by the wind and heave of the sea. In forty days, (and it is 

 well kuoAvn that easterly gales often prevail over this part of the 

 Atlantic during tlie spring months, for even a longer period.) in forty 

 days, it would, were there no 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. But as, irt 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 further 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, or about across the 



