THE INDIAN OCEAN. oOO 



soft subdued yellowish light, which immediately 

 under the eye resembles milk, or looks as though the 

 keel stirred up a sediment of chalk which diffuses 

 itself in opaque clouds through tlie neighbouring 

 water, only that it is light and not whiteness. 

 Scattered about this cloudiness, and particularly 

 where the water whirls and eddies with the motion 

 of the rudder, are seen innumerable sparks of light 

 distinctly traced above the mass by their brilliancy, 

 some of which vanish and others appear, while others 

 seem to remain visible for some time. Generally 

 speaking, both these phenomena are excited by the 

 action of the vessel through the waves, though a few 

 sparks may be observed on the surface of the waves 

 around. ]>ut now and then, when a short sea is run- 

 ning without breaking waves, there are seen broad 

 flashes of light from tlie surface of a wave, coming 

 and going like sudden fitful flashes of lightning 

 These may be traced as far as the sight can reach, 

 and in their intermittent gleams are very beautiful : 

 they have no connexion with the motion of the ship. 

 In a voyage to the Gulf of jMexico I saw the water 

 in those seas more splendidly luminous than I had 

 ever observed before. It was indeed a magnificent 

 sight to stand in the fore-part of the vessel and 

 watch her breasting the waves. The mass of water 

 rolled from her bows as white as milk, studded witli 

 those innumerable sparkles of blue light. The 

 nebulosity instantly separated into small mas.scs, 

 curdled like the clouds of marble, leaving the water 

 between of its own clear blackness ; the clouds soon 

 subsided, but the sparks remained. Sometimes, one 



