OCEANIC CIRCULATION. 221 



tucket the breadth of the current is about 410 miles, 

 its winter surface temperature only 10 below that 

 which it had in the Florida Channel, and its rate of 

 flow still nearly one mile per hour. It has at this part 

 of its course acquired a good deal of easting, a circum- 

 stance which must (unquestionably, we conceive) be 

 ascribed to the fact that it brings from low latitudes 

 the more rapid easterly rotation movement of the earth. 

 The same would, of course, apply to the less character- 

 istic but larger current which has arrived at the same 

 latitudes without circuiting the Grulf of Mexico. 



Now here we approach a critical part of our subject. 

 It is admitted by all that off Newfoundland the Gulf 

 Stream loses its special characteristics. As Dr. Hayes 

 remarks, ' its strength diminishes ; the air of a higher 

 latitude brings its temperature down to that of the 

 North Atlantic generally* (not, however, without 

 raising the temperature of the North Atlantic to some 

 extent) ; ' the water loses all its Grulf Stream character 

 as to course, warmth, and flow ' (and as to colour also) ; 

 ' and it dies away into the sluggish Atlantic drift which 

 sets from a westerly to an easterly direction.' It is not 

 so generally noticed, but will scarcely, I suppose, be 

 disputed, that the Grulf Stream water strengthens, and 

 that appreciably, this sluggish Atlantic drift. Then it 

 is reinforced by the portion which has travelled outside 

 the West Indian Islands ; and we may assume (without 

 giving rise to objections) that the general prevalence of 

 south-westerly winds will further strengthen the east- 

 ward motion of the combined mass. At any rate, let 



