140 THE OCEAN. [Book V. 



equator, has, as already explained, a tendency to turn 

 more and more northwards as it proceeds on its 

 course ; and the current A b c meets it in mid-ocean, 

 south of lat. 40° N. From the meeting -point (x) the 

 offset northwards is carried eastwards ; which is the 

 course which the current o R would itself, sooner 

 or later, have taken, even if not interfered with by 

 the current abc: and the offset southwards (e), 

 being under that influence of change of latitude which 

 tends to carry it westwards, runs as a counter-current 

 along the right-hand side of the stream abc until 

 the course of the latter forces it eastwards, forming 

 the eastward current h from the point Y to z, so that 

 the streams e and h form a continuous counter-current, 

 running from the point x, at which the stream o r 

 meets the stream abc, first westwards and then 

 eastwards, along the right-hand side of the stream 

 A B c to the point z, at which the stream o R diverges 

 from the equator. The connected course of this 

 counter- current appears to be interfered with by the 

 upheaval of an under-current, forced to the surface 

 by some peculiarity in the configuration of the ocean 

 in the neighbourhood of the Bermudas ; but it has 

 been recorded running westwards counter to the Gulf 

 Stream from about mid-ocean south of lat. 40° N.: 

 then setting south-eastwards, from the Gulf Stream, 

 between the Bermuda and the Bahama Islands : and 

 ao'ain runnino; south-eastwards, from the direction 

 of the West Indies towards the equator in mid- 



