210 PHYSICAL GEOGKAPHY OF THE SEA : 



this dividing line never changes its position in longitude as 

 much as mariners then erred in their reckoning. He gives 

 us also a very curious account of the relation of the Grulf- 

 stream to the storms and hurricanes of this ocean, to which 

 is due their frequent character of rotatory storms or cyclones ; 

 a name well adapted to the remarkable phenomenon so 

 described. One passage here we will transcribe from our 

 author. 



I am not prepared to maintain that the Gulf-stream is really the 

 * Storm King ' of the Atlantic, which has power to control the march 

 of every gale that is raised there ; but the course of many gales has 

 been traced from the place of their origin directly to this stream. 

 Gales that take their rise on the coast of Africa, and even as far down 

 on that side as the parallel of 10 or 15 north latitude, have, it is 

 shown by an examination of log-books, made straight for the Gulf- 

 stream : joining it, they have then been known to turn about, 

 and travelling with this stream, to recross the Atlantic, and so reach 

 the shores of Europe. In this way the tracks of storms have been 

 traced out and followed for a week or ten days. Their path is marked 

 by wreck and disasters. 



One such storm commenced more than a thousand miles 

 from the Gulf-stream, made a straight course for it, and 

 travelled with it for many successive days under the condi- 

 tions of a whirlwind or cyclone. A fearful disaster, due to 

 one of these hurricanes, occurred in 1853,. to the steam-ship 

 ' San Francisco,' carrying a regiment of United States troops 

 from New York to California. Overtaken by the storm in 

 crossing the Grulf-stream, 179 souls, officers and men, were 

 swept overboard and perished. In this case, the knowledge 

 possessed of the stream, its limits, direction, velocity, &c. 5 

 greatly aided what was done for the discovery and relief of 

 those who survived. The import of these and similar facts 

 to the future guidance of Atlantic navigation will readily be 

 understood. It may be hard to account for them in theory, 

 but their practical value cannot be doubtful or mistaken. 



