3IAGNIFICENT SCENE. 37 



out any disturbance of the water, its surface 

 remaining smooth, unruffled even by a passing 

 zephjo"; whilst on other occasions no light is 

 emitted unless the water is agitated by the winds, 

 or by the passage of sonje heavy body through 

 it. Perhaps the beauty of this luminous effect 

 is seen to the greatest advantage when the ship, 

 lying in a bay or harbour in tropical climates, 

 the water around has the resemblance- of a sea 

 of milk. An opportunity was afforded me when 

 at Cavite, near Manilla, in 1830, of witnessing 

 for the first time this beautiful scene : as far as 

 the eye could reach over the extensive bay of 

 Manilla, the surface of the tranquil water was 

 one sheet of this dull, pale, phosphorescence ; 

 and brilliant Hashes were emitted instantly on 

 any heavy body being cast into the w^ater, or 

 when fish sprang from it or swam about ; the 

 ship seemed, on looking over its side, to be 

 anchored in a sea of liquid phosphorus, whilst 

 in the distance the resemblance was that of an 

 ocean of milk. 



The night to which I allude, when this magni- 

 ficent appearance presented itself to my observa- 

 tion, was exceedingly dark, which, by the con- 

 trast, gave an increased sublimity to the scene ; 

 the canopy of the heavens was dark and gloomy; 

 not even the glimmering of a star was to be 



