584 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



that the current flows southeast from the neutral point near the 

 mouth of the La Plata, and that it afterwards turns east and then 

 northeast. But the truth is that we have only vague and contra- 

 dictory accounts of the currents in the southern parts of the South 

 Atlantic ; and our actual knowledge of the corresponding parts of 

 the South Pacific is equally limited. I have a strong suspicion that 

 the regular elliptical currents are greatly interfered with in each 

 of the southern oceans by powerful local currents, which flow 

 northwest from the unexplored Antarctic regions. 



In the Indian ocean ellipse, the west neutral point, where the 

 current turns to flow southeast, must be near the Cape of Good 

 Hope, and perhaps it is within the limits of the Atlantic ocean. 

 The current of warm water tliat flows south along the east coast of 

 Africa, carries so much westing with it that it turns at least half 

 round the Cape of Good Hope, into the Atlantic, before its west- 

 insr is exhausted. Then it turns and flows southeast toward the 

 Antarctic coast. 



2. The due east ijoint, in the southern hemisphere, is where the 

 current takes an eastern direction, analogous to the current from 

 Newfoundland in the North Atlantic. It is admitted, by all navi- 

 gators, that all the currents that arrive near the Antarctic coast 

 flow directly eastward. 



3. The northeast turning point. — We know positively that there 

 are three currents of warm water, one in each southern ocean, 

 which flow toward the Antarctic coast. We know that along that 

 coast the currents all flow eastward, and we also know that from 

 the Antarctic region tiiree currents of cold water flow northeast — 

 one to the west coast of South America, another to the west coast 

 Australia, and a third to the west coast of Africa. 



4. The west neutral point. — It is well known that a current flows- 

 northwest from the west coast of Australia, another northwest from 

 the west coast of South Africa, and a third northwest from the 

 west coast of South America. All three of these currents approach 

 very near or quite to the equator. 



5. The due v:est, or equatorial point, is where the current has a 

 maximum amount of westing, which it expends by moving rela- 

 tively due westward. 



6. The soutMcest turning point is where the current in each of 

 the three southern oceans, turns from the equator, and flows south- 

 west until it reaches the neutral point. One runs along the east 

 coost of South America, another along the eaet coast of Australia, 

 and a third along the east coast of Africa. 



