336 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SEA, AND ITS METEOROLOGY. 



computed within an hour, for it has been computed witliin 

 an hour's sail — six miles (§ 623). 



625. How passages have been shortened. — By the knowledge thus 

 elaborated from old and new log-books and placed before the 

 nautical world, the average passage from Europe or the United 

 States to all ports in the southern hemisphere has been shortened 

 ten days, and to California a month and a half.* Between 

 England and her golden colony in the South Seas the time 

 required for the round voyage has been lessened fifty days or 

 more, and from Europe to India and China the outward passago 

 has been reduced ten days. Such are some of the achievements 

 that commend this beautiful system of research to the utili- 

 tarian spirit of the age. 



626. Fast sailing. — The route that affords the bravest winds, 

 the fairest sweep, and the fastest running for ships, is the route 

 to and from Australia. But the route which most tries a ship's 

 prowess is the outward-bound voyage to California. The voyage 

 to Australia and back carries the clipper ship along a route which 

 for more than 300° of longitude runs with the " brave west winds " 

 of the southern hemisphere. With these winds alone, and with 

 the bounding seas which follow them, the modem clipper, with- 

 out auxiliaiy power, has accomplished a greater distance in a day 

 than any sea steamer has ever been known to reach. Eunning 

 before these fine winds and heaving seas those ships have per- 

 formed their voyages of circumnavigation in 60 da}'s. 



627. Tlie longest voyage. — The sea voyage to California, Colum- 

 "bia, and Oregon is the longest voyage in the world — longest both 

 as to time and distance. Before these researches were extended 



* " During the last year [1859] the 8th edition of IMaury's Sailing Directions, 

 in two quarto volumes, has been published at the Observatory in Washington. 

 It aftbrds abundant evidence of the activity, to which allusion has already been 

 made, in tliis field of research, and with regard to which all geographers feel 

 the most lively interest. 



" Official tiibles have been received from San Francisco, showing tlie vessels 

 that have arrived at that port during the year, with the length of passage. Of 

 tliose arriving direct via Cape Horn, 124 were from the Atlantic ports of the 

 United States, and 31 from Europe. Of these 124, 70 are known to have had 

 the Wind and Current Charts on board; their average passage was 135 days, 

 which is 11 days less than the average of those from the United States, and 24 

 days less than the average of those from Europe without the Charts. When 

 these researches commenced, the general average was ISO days from the 

 United States, and 183 from Europe to California." — Journal American Geo- 

 graphical Sociefi/. 



