COURSE OF THE GULF-STREAM. 75 



Grulf- stream is a submarine sheet ; to the south of Iceland it is the 

 waters from the Pole which flow below. Not far from the Fiiroe islands 

 the sounding-lead can even indicate the direction followed hj the icy 

 counter- current, owing to the layer of volcanic remains, which have 

 been brought from the coasts of Iceland, and spread over a space 

 of 25 degrees of longitude between the 47th and 52nd degree north 

 latitude. This hidden river must flow, at least in certain places, on 

 the very bottom of the sea, for various soundings taken by McClintock 

 to the south-east of Iceland, show that all the light detritus has been 

 swept away by its waters.* 



If the Gulf- stream throws out various branches towards the north, 

 which contribute to form the vast circumpolar whirlpool in the 

 same way, another branch flowing towards the south goes to swell 

 the equatorial current. This off'shoot of the Gulf-stream, of which 

 one branch penetrates into the Bay of Biscay and forms the coast- 

 current called IlennelPs,t flows along the coasts of the Iberian penin- 

 sula, follows the outline of Africa to the south of the Canaries and Cape 

 de Yerde islands, where lateral counter- currents occur, and enters 

 the great marine river which moves the waters from east to west, 

 " following the course of the heavens.'' 



Thus is completed the immense circuit of the Atlantic, in the 

 centre of which the sea meadows of wrack f extends in clusters 

 like an archipelago. It is owing to this perpetual circuit that 

 navigators in sailing vessels have been able to reach the JSTew 

 World from western Europe. If Columbus had not made use 

 of the semi-circular current which flows from the coasts of Spain to 

 the Antilles, he certainly would not have discovered America. If the 

 pilot Alaminos, and, since his first voyage, the greater part of the 

 navigators returning from the Antilles and United States, had not, 

 either without knowing it, or else well understanding the cause, 

 followed the course of the Gulf- stream, the coasts of America would 

 have remained practically far more distant from Europe than they 

 really are. The colonies, now become so prosperous as independent 

 republics, would be still in deplorable isolation ; and civilization 

 would have been greatly retarded, or even completely arrested, for 

 want of new impetus. As to commerce, properly so called, one can 

 judge of the influence exercised upon it by the movement of the 

 waters of the Atlantic, when one examines on a map the position 

 of the great centres of trade. Havannah and New Orleans, two 



* Wallich, North Atlantic Sea-bed, 

 t See below, chapter entitled, Earth and its Flora. 



