CANADIAN FISHERIES EXPEDITION, WL'i-U 225 



hand, the current passing cape Eay commences towards the left, and in this direction, 

 owing to its inertia, it still continues, although the substratum is under rotatory move- 

 ment. Consequently, the current is seen to curve round the southwestern point of 

 Newfoundland. This point is, however, so sharp, that the current cannot turn there, 

 to enter St. George's bay, but does not become perceptible until reaching the Bay of 

 Islands, and is then very distinctly apparent along the coast as far as Rich point. 

 Owing to the same cause, the Labrador current turns up into the fjords along the 

 whole of the east and southeast coasts of Newfoundland; hence the numerous ship- 

 wrecks in those waters. " Seamen should be on their guard against an indraught 

 among the Fago and Wadham islands into Sir Charles Hamilton's sound, Bonavista, 



Trinity and Conception bays On the southeast coast, so many wrecks have occurred, 



especially near cape Pine and St. Shot's cove, that the compass has been considered 

 to be subject here to local disturbance, but special examination has shown that this is 

 not the case, and that these disasters were mainly attributable to the effect of the 

 currents". (Sailing directions of the North American coast). 



The rotation of the earth about its axis, then, gives to the ocean currents an 

 apparent tendency to turn off towards the right. As a matter of fact, the actual 

 tendency of the water is owing to its inertia most emphatically towards direct forward 

 progress, but the continual rotation of the ocean basins and the coasts towards the left 

 (Fig. 3) makes the currents appear as persistently veering off to the rig'ht. 



The reader should, throughout the following pages, continually bear in mind the 

 three points which have been emphasized above, viz., the insignificance of the vertical 

 dimension in the sea when compared with the horizontal, the continual rotary move- 

 ment of the basins towards the left (in the northern hemisphere) due to the earth's 

 rotation, and the obstinacy with which sea water opposes the action of external forces. 



2. THE HYDROGRAPHICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Plate I shows the position of the hydrographical stations. Sections I-IX, carried 

 out during the time between May 29 and June 26, 1915, give the hydrographical con- 

 ditions in spring, and sections X-XX, July 21 to August 12, 1915, the same for sum- 

 mer. In addition, the separate stations, 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the gulf of St. Lawrence 

 belong to the spring cituise, and stations 27, 28, 54, 58, and 59 in the same water to the 

 summer cruise. 



Plate I shows likewise the bathymetrical conditions in the area investigated. With 

 regard to those, the remarks about Fig. 1 should be borne in mind, i.e., that the depths 

 are extremely slight in proportion to the horizontal distances. The chart presents a 

 fairly detailed picture of the bottom contour. The position of the banks, and their 

 extent, should particularly bo noted, as also the regular contour of the Laurentian 

 channel leading in from the Atlantic deep to the gulf of St. Lawrence, and the chan- 

 nels between the banks and the coast. 



The following plates are based on the hydrographical material placed at my dis- 

 posal by Dr. Hjort. 



Plates II and III show the distribution of salinity as noted on spring and summer 

 cruises, respectively. A water layer of less than 30 per cent salinity flows out at the 

 surface between the Gaspe coast and Anticosti, filling the southern portion of the gulf 

 of St. Lawrence, rounding cape North, Breton island, and proceeding thence south 

 and southwest along the coast of Nova Scotia. Throughout its course, this layer is 

 continually absorbing water from the subjacent strata, whereby its salinity is increased, 

 until it ceases to exist as a coastal water. A surface layer of like character is also 

 found during spring in the northern portion of the gulf of St. Lawrence. With 

 increasing depth, and farther out to sea, the salinity is augmented in the manner indi- 



