314 THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SEA. 



tapered at the ends. By bringing one end within about one 

 fourth of an inch of a lighted lamp, the flame was attracted to- 

 ward it, and burned with a red light ; the substance crisped in 

 burning something like a hair, or appeared of a red heat before 

 being consumed. In a glass of the water there were several small, 

 round substances (say -j^th of an inch in diameter), which had the 

 power of expanding to more than twice their ordinary size, and 

 then contracting again; when expanded, the outer rim appeared 

 like a circular saw, only that the teeth pointed toward the centre. 



" This patch of white water was about 23 miles in length, north 

 and south, divided near its centre by an irregular strip of dark wa- 

 ter half a mile wide ; its east and west extent I can say nothing 

 about. 



" I have seen what is called white water in about all the known 

 oceans and seas in the world, but nothing that would compare 

 with this in extent or whiteness. Although we were going at the 

 rate of nine knots, the ship made no noise either at the bow or 

 stern. The whole appearance of the ocean was like a plain cov- 

 ered with snow. There was scarce a cloud in the heavens, yet the 

 sky, for about ten degrees above the horizon, appeared as black 

 as if a storm was raging ; the stars of the first magnitude shone 

 with a feeble light, and the ' Milky Way' of the heavens was almost 

 entirely eclipsed by that through which we were sailing. The 

 scene was one of awful grandeur ; the sea having turned to phos- 

 phorus, and the heavens being hung in blackness, and the stars 

 going out, seemed to indicate that all Nature was preparing for 

 that last grand conflagration which we are taught to believe is to 

 annihilate this material world. 



" After passing through the patch, we noticed that the sky, for 

 four or five degrees above the horizon, was considerably illumin- 

 ated, something like a faint aurora borealis. We soon passed out 

 of sight of the whole concern, and had a fine night, without any 

 conflagration (except of midnight oil in trying to find out what 

 was in the water). I send you this, because I believe you request 

 your corps of 'one thousand assistants' to furnish you with all such 

 items, and I trust it wiU be acceptable. But as to its furnishing 

 you with much, if any, information relative to the insects or ani- 



