336 OF TIDES. 



Sea. At Waigat's Straits these north tides run at the rate of eight 

 or ten leagues an hour. He compares them to tire sluice of a mill- 

 Voyage to Hudson 9 s Bay, 1746. 



Linscatten, in 1594, made nearly the same remarks, and observes 

 that in Waigat's Straits the water was only brackish. lie says the 

 tides come from the east with great velocity, bringing with them 

 large islands of ice. 



W. Barents (1595) confirms this account. 



All these effects can be produced by nothing else than the effu- 

 sion of ices surrounding the pole. These ices, which melt and 

 How with'such rapidity in the northern parts of America and Europe 

 about the month of July and August, greatly contribute to our 

 high equinoctial tides ; and when these effusions cease in October, 

 our tides begin to diminish. 



If the tides depend on the action of the sun and moon on the 

 equator, they ought to be much more considerable towards the 

 focus of their movements than any where else. But this is contrary 

 to fact, (Dampier says). From Cape Blanc, from the third to 

 3(y south lat. the flux and reflux of the sea does not exceed two 

 feet. The tides in the East Indies rise not above a foot ; near the 

 poles they rise 20 to 25 feet. 



In the road of the island Massafuero (33 46' south lat. 80 22" 

 west long.) the sea runs twelve hours north, and then flows back 

 twelve hours south : its tides, therefore, run towards the line. 

 Byron, April 1760. 



At English Creek, on the coast of New Britain (5 south laL 

 152 west long.) the tide has a flux and reflux once m twenty four 

 hours. Carteret, August 1767. 



At the Bay of Isles, in New Zeland (35 south lat.), the tides 

 set in from tbe south. Coo/c, Dec. 1769. 



At Endeavour river, in New Holland, neither the flood or ebb 

 tides were considerable, excepting once in twenty-four hours. 



June, 1770' 



At Christmas Harbour, in Kerguelen's Land, the flood came 

 from the south-east, running two knots an hour. Cooky Dec. 

 J/66. It appears to have been regular and diurnal, i.e. a tide 

 of twelve hours. The tide rises and falls about four feet. 



At Otaheite the tides seldom rise more than twelve or fourteen 

 inchesj and it is high water nearly at -noon, as well at the qnar- 



