ROUTES. 269 



The Flying Fish beat : she made the passage in 92 days and 4 

 hours from port to anchor ; the Gilpin in 93 days and 20 hours 

 from port to pilot ;* the Wild Pigeon had 118. The Trade Wind 

 followed, with 102 days, having taken fire, and burned for eight 

 hours on the way. 



The result of this race may be taken as an illustration as to 

 how well navigators are now- brought to understand the winds and 

 the currents of the sea. 



581. Here are three ships sailing on different days, bound over 

 a trackless waste of ocean for some fifteen thousand miles or more, 

 and depending alone on the fickle winds of heaven, as they are 

 called, to waft them along ; yet, like travelers on the land, bound 

 upon the same journey, they pass and repass, fall in with and 

 recognize each other by the way ; and what, perhaps, is still more 

 remarkable, is the fact that these ships should each, throughout 

 that great distance, and under the wonderful vicissitudes of cli- 

 mates, winds, and currents which they encountered, have been so 

 skillfully navigated, that, in looking back at their management, 

 now that w^hat is past is before me, I do not find a single occa- 

 sion, except the one already mentioned, on which they could have 

 been better handled. 



There is another circumstance which is worthy of notice in this 

 connection, as illustrative of the accuracy of the knowledge which 

 these investigations afford concerning the force, set, and direction 

 both of winds and currents, and it is this : 



582. I had computed the detour which these vessels would have 

 to make, on account of adverse winds, betw^een New York and 

 their place of crossing the equator. The whole distance, includ- 

 ing detour to be sailed to reach this crossing at that season of the 

 year, was, according to calculation, 4115 miles. The "Gilpin" 

 and the " Hazard" only kept an account of the distance actually 

 sailed ; the former reaching the equator after sailing 4099 miles, 

 the latter, 4077 ; thus accomplishing that part of the voyage by 

 sailing, the one within thirty-eight, the other within sixteen miles 

 of the detour which calculation showed they would be compelled 

 to make on account of head-w4nds. With his way blazed through 

 the forest, the most experienced backwoodsman would have to 

 make a detour greater than this on account of floods in the rivers. 



* The abstract log of the Gilpin is silent after the pilot came on board. 



