< THE CURRENTS C-F THE ATLANTIC. 385 



St. Eoque, where it first encounters the American shore. The 

 smaller portion descends along the eastern shore of South America, 

 under the name of the "Brazil current," until it arrives at the 

 latitude of 30 south. It then turns eastward, and, under the 

 name of the " southern connecting current," it crosses the South 

 Atlantic much like the Gulf-Stream in the North Atlantic 

 until it reaches the western coast of Africa. It finally returns 

 along that coast to the northward, under the name of the 

 " Southern Atlantic current," and rejoins the Equatorial current 

 from which it originally broke off. 



And the same phenomena are repeated in the Pacific Ocean. 

 In it, also, there is an Equatorial current, which travels in a 

 westerly direction between the Tropics, until it meets the land at 

 Australia, and the barrier of islands which lies to the eastward of 

 the Continent of Asia. A portion is then deflected northward, 

 and recrosses the Pacific from west to east at a higher latitude, 

 to bathe the shores of California and Oregon. Finally, another 

 current detaches itself from the Equatorial current, on the western 

 side of the great basin of the Pacific, and, after travelling for 

 some distance southward, returns eastward to meet the western 

 shore of South America, and finally rejoins its source. 



The generally received explanation of these phenomena is that 

 given by Franklin. The Trade-winds, acting on the waters of 

 the ocean on both sides of the Equator, produce a drift of the 

 surface water between the Tropics, the waters north of the 

 Equator being impelled in a south-westerly direction, and those 

 south of it in a north-westerly. At the Equator, or near it, these 

 two drifts combine, and form one great westerly stream, which is 

 the Equatorial current. This current is deflected when it meets 

 with a barrier of land ; and the effect is magnified, when that 

 barrier takes the form of a gulf, and so prevents the lateral escape 

 of the waters. These conditions are satisfied in the Mexican 

 gulf. The waters of the Equatorial current, which enter it along 

 its southern shore, are pent up into narrower limits within it, and 

 increase in depth and speed, until they finally escape along the 

 northern shore through the Straits of Florida. And a similar 

 explanation will apply to the other great oceanic currents which 

 I have briefly described, bearing in mind, of course, the differences 

 due to the different configuration of the land. 



I have spoken of these ocean streams generally, in order that 

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