94 On Similarities in the Physical Geography of Oceans 



may be due to the fact that, until near Accra, the route lay 

 within the bight where there was little easterly current, but 

 an occasional westerly eddy. To the westward of Cape Palmas 

 the easterly current was very strong, especially inshore, where 

 the water was comparatively fresh. It seemed then to strike 

 across the bight, and was again found running very strong 

 inshore between Cape Three Points and Cape St Paul; but 

 the density of the water was comparatively high, 1-0253. 

 After rounding Cape St Paul, the density of the water fell 

 very much, and more markedly after leaving Porto Novo 

 for S. Thome. 



The line of density at 50 fathoms is almost horizontal. The 

 water at this depth is quite independent of surface influences. 

 All through the Gulf of Guinea the water is found to have a 

 maximum density at from 30 to 50 fathoms from the surface. 

 Both at greater and at less depths the water is fresher. 

 When the surface water is moving rapidly eastwards, at 

 50 fathoms it is either motionless or is moving in another 

 direction. 



For over 100 miles from Porto Novo, the surface water 

 is that characteristic of the Guinea current, density about 

 1-024; at I 5 m il es > the density of the water rapidly falls, 

 and for 200 miles the ship's course was through water of 

 density below 1-022, indicating plainly the great influence 

 of the neighbouring river Niger. The ship's course here was 

 almost exactly parallel to the western coast-line of the Niger 

 delta, and the very fresh water ceased when the coast-line 

 took an easterly trend at the Nun entrance of the river. 

 This belt of fresh water, 200 miles broad, teemed with 

 diatoms. 



The density of the surface water as far as the island of 

 S. Thome remained moderately uniform at about 1-023. About 

 100 miles south of S. Thome the surface density rose rapidly 

 to over 1-025 off Cape Lopez, and TOO miles further south it 

 fell below 1-022 oft the mouth of the river Ogowe. Between 

 this and the mouth of the Congo the surface water rises in 

 density to above 1-026. Off the mouth of the Congo the fresh 

 water was again met with, a stretch of over 200 miles, on our 



