CHAPTER III. 



MOVEMENTS OF THE WATERS. 



THE restlessness of the ocean is a fact so fami- 

 liar to us as to have passed almost into a pro- 

 verb. The " troubled sea " is an expression, 

 the frequency of the use of which sufficiently 

 indicates that the movements of the waters are 

 phenomena of the most familiar observation. 

 As the tide continues flowing in, and threatens 

 soon to cover the spot where we stand, it 

 is impossible not' to feel strongly impressed 

 with the fact, that ceaseless motion appears 

 to be a very law of the constitution of the mag- 

 nificent element we behold. Yet, in reality, 

 just as its particles are more dense, and less 

 elastic than those of the air, the movements 

 taking place in the waters are not nearly so 

 extensive or so various as those which inces- 

 santly agitate the air around and above us, 

 even when it appears in the most quiescent 

 condition. The fact that every ripple which 

 agitates the surface of the water is visible to 



