378 rnYSICAL GEOGRArHY OF THE SEA, AND ITS METEOROLOGY. 



yards, nor thicker than 50 j^ards. In October, in the Archipe- 

 lago of Eio, they travel from north-west to south-east. They 

 seldom last longer than five minutes ; generally they are dissi- 

 pated in less time. As they are going away, the bulbous tube, 

 which is as palpable as that of a thermometer, becomes broader 

 at the base, and little clouds, like steam from the pipe of a loco- 

 motive, are continually thrown off from the circumference of the 

 spout, and gradually the water is released, and the clouds whence 

 the spout came again closes its mouth.* 



706. Tlie east monsoon in the Java Sea. — " During the changing 

 of the monsoons, it is mostly calm or cool, with gentle breezes, 

 varied with rain-storms and light gales from all points of the 

 compass. They are harassing to the crew, who, with burning 



* Miniature water-spouts may be produced artificially by means of electri- 

 city, and those in nature are supposed to be caused by the display of electrical 

 phenomena. " From the conductor of an electrical machine," says Dr. Bon- 

 zano, of New Orleans, " suspend by a wire or chain a small metallic ball (one 

 of wood covered with tinfoil), and under the ball place a rather wide metallic 

 basin containing some oil of turpentine, at the distance of about three-quarters 

 of an inch. If the handle of the machine be now turned slowly, the liquid 

 in the basin will begin to move in different directions, and form whirlpools. 

 As the electricity on the conductor accumulates, the troubled liquid will ele- 

 vate itself in the centre, and at last become attached to the ball. Draw off 

 the electricity from the conductor to let the liquid resume its position : a por- 

 tion of the turpentine remains attached to the ball. Turn the handle again 

 very slowly, and observe now the few drops adhering to the ball assume a 

 conical shape, with the apex downward, while the liquid under it assumes also 

 a conical shape, the apex upward, until both meet. As the liquid does not 

 accumulate on the ball, there must necessarily be as great a current downward 

 as upward, giving the column of liquid a rapid circular motion, which con- 

 tinues untU the electricity from the conductor is nearly all discharged, silently, 

 or until it is discharged by a spark descending into the liquid. The same 

 phenomena take place with oil or water. Using the latter liquid, the ball 

 must be brought much nearer, or a much greater quantity of electricity is 

 necessary to raise it. 



•' If, in this experiment, we let the ball swiug to and fro, the little water- 

 spout will travel over its miniature sea, carrying its whirlpools along with it. 

 When it breaks up, a portion of the liquid, and with it anything it may con- 

 tain, remains attached to the ball. The fish, seeds, leaves, etc., etc., that have 

 fallen to the earth in rain-squalls, may have owed their elevation to the clouds 

 to the same cause that attaches a few drops of the liquid, with its particles of 

 impurities, to the ball." 



" By reference to Plate XIII., we see that the phenomenon of thunder and 

 lightning is of much more frequent occun-ence in the North than in the South 

 Atlantic ; and I infer that we have more electrical phenomena in the northern 

 than in the southern hemisphere. Do water-sjiouts occur on one side of the 



