BY N. DE MIKLOUHO-MACLAY. 



889 



On my return voyage from Hongkong to Sydney in June 1883, 

 I had the opportunity to verify the correctness of these observa- 

 tions, and found that the list of temperatures obtained, agreed very 

 closely with the former, taking into consideration the slight 

 difference in the time of the year, and that the observations have 

 not been made in both cases in exactly the same place. 



The steamers on the Eastern Coast of Australia follow a track 

 from 5 to 10 miles (seldom more) distant from the shore, and the 

 average depth of the sea in this track vai-ies from 12 to 60 

 fathoms. (See Admiralty Charts.) 



The current which runs from the northward (with a velocity of 

 1 to 3 knots) (3) on the Eastern Coast of Australia, from about 

 the latitude of Brisbane, is, as we know, a part of the current 

 which having followed the tropic of the Capricorn divides in two 

 branches on the south end of New Caledonia ; one in the direction 

 towards Torres Straits, the other along the coast of New South 

 Wales, turns near Cape Howe towards New Zealand. This 

 current is a warm one and explain the reason why the sea water 

 at the Heads of Sydney Harbour is about 7° C warmer than the 



(1). An hour before anchoring at Moreton Bay, I found bhe temperature 

 of the sea water to be 23° 3, and leaving the bay and passing Stadbroke 

 Island outside the temperature of the sea water was 22° 5. 



(2). The place of observation was passing Camp Cove. 



(3J Wellbank's Australian Nautical Almanac, 1884, p. 280. 



