70 PHYSICAL GEOaEAPHY OF THE SEA, AND ITS BIETEOEOLOGY. 



amounted in value to two millions and a half; from Pennsylvania, 

 to 53,820,000; and from Charleston alone, to ,s'3,834,00d. But 

 in 1795 — by which time the Gulf Stream began to be as well un- 

 derstood by navigators as it now is, and the average passages from 

 Europe to the north v>^ere shortened nearly one half, while those to 

 the south remained about the same — the customs at Philadelphia 

 alone amomited to 52,941,000,* or more than one half of those 

 collected in all the states together. 



190. Nor did the effect of the doctor's discovery end here. 

 The shortening of Boforc it was made, the Gulf Stream was altogether 

 voyages. insidious in its effects. By it, vessels w^ere often 



drifted many miles out of their com'se without knowing it ; and in 

 bad and cloudy weather, when many days would intervene from one 

 observation to another, the set of the current, though really felt 

 but for a few hours during the interval, could only be proportioned 

 out equally among the whole number of days. Therefore naviga- 

 tors could have only very vague ideas either as to the strength or 

 the actual limits of the Gulf Stream, until they were marked out to 

 the Nantucket fishermen by the whales, or made known by Captain 

 Foiger to Dr. Franklin. The discovery, therefore, of its high tem- 

 perature assured the navigator of the presence of a current of sui'- 

 prising velocity, and which, novv^ turned to certain account, would 

 hasten, as it had retarded his voyage in a w^onderful degree. Such, 

 at the present day, is the degree of perfection to which nautical 

 tables and instruments Iiave been brought, that, the navigator may 

 now detect, and with great certainty, every cmTent that thwarts his 

 way. He makes great use of them. General Sabine, in his 



Duties on Imports in Dollars. 



MasFachusetts 

 New York . 

 Pennsylvania 

 South Carolina 



1791. 



1,0(6,000 



1,334,000 



],1(;6,000 



523,000 



1792. 



723,000 

 1,173.000 

 1,100,000 



359,000 



1793. I 1794. 



1,044,000 



1,204,(100 



1,.S23,000 



360,000 



1,121,000 



1,878,000 



1,498,000 



661,000 



1795. 



1,520,000 



2,02-<.000 



2,.'',00,000 



722,000 



1796. 



1833. 



1,4 60,000 



2.187.000 



2,0.j(l,000 



60,000 



3 ('55,000 



10,713,000 



2,207,000 



389,000 



1 Doc. No. 330, H. R., 2nd Sf^ssiun, 25th Congress. Some of its statements do not agree with thos 

 -taken fi-om M'Pherson, and previously quoted. 



