300 OBSERVATIONS ON THE CURRENTS. 



and force, runs from West to East on this division, or from 2^ or 3'' to 

 8^ N., across the whole breadth of the Ocean, and along the African coast ; 

 while, to the South of it, the Westerly Current of the South Atlantic runs 

 across the Ocean and along the Northern face of the South American 

 continent, a portion thus entering the Northern circulatory system. 



There is then some difficulty in assigning a separate designation for each 

 part of what is almost a continuous stream, and in former times when the 

 subject was much less understood, some inappropriate terras were applied 

 to various portions, and have become recognized and followed throughout. 

 For the present, therefore, we are compelled to use a somewhat confused 

 nomenclature, but it will be sufficiently explanatory till a general revision 

 of the science may impose a new terminology. 



As before stated, the charts drawn up by Mr. R. Strachan, for the 

 Meteorological Office, will be considered as the ground-work of this section, 

 but with some modifications of the nomenclature used. 



(252.) Of the Current regions of the North Atlantic Ocean, the first in 

 order, from the Land's End of England, is RenneU's Current, a temporary 

 but extensive stream, which sets at times from the Bay of Biscay to the 

 Westward and N.W., athwart the entrance of the English and St. Georga's 

 Channels, and to the Westward of Cape Clear. 



Second. — The Easterly and S.E. Currents to the coasts of Europe and 

 Africa, and Southerly to the coast of Guinea, where it may be termed the 

 North African Current, flowing to the Westward of South, and merging 

 into the Westerly Drift.* 



Third. — The Guinea Ctirrent, an Easterly stream across the Atlantic, 

 between 5° and 8'^ N., and continuing along the coast of Africa, into the 

 Bights of Benin and Biafra.f 



Fourth. — The Sargasso Sea, or central area between the Azores, Canaries, 

 and Bermudas, Sec, in which it seems that there is no particular drift or 

 vwy various and slight currents, and it is covered with the well-known 

 Sargasso or Gulf -Weed. 



Fifth. — The North and South Equatorial Currents, the vast streams 

 caused by the Trade Winds. That of the N.E. Trade, running from 

 between the Tropic and Cape Verde, on the Eastern side, towards the 

 Caribbee Islands, having a general Westward tendency ; and that from 

 the S.E. Trade, which is usually found to the North of the Equator, pass- 

 ing strongly to the Westward, South of the counter or Easterly Guinea 



* This Southern set along the coast of Portugal and N.W. Africa is a faint convarsa 

 of the Gulf Stream on the opposite side of the circulatory system. The Northern portioa 

 of it was termed by Rennell the North Atlantic Vurrent, as trending from the termina- 

 tion of the Gulf Stream to the coasts of Europe, &c. (Investigation, &c., page 53). In 

 the IMeteorological Office Work, 1872, it is called the North African Current. For the 

 present, the name which has been applied in former editions of this work is provisionally 

 retained. 



t Since it has been established that this Guinea Current has a diflerent origin and 

 oharacter to that assigned it by Rennell and others, who argued tbat it was a continua- 

 tion of the North African Current, the term in some degree is a misnomer. It is an 

 Equatorial Coufifer-Gnrrent, which is found in some seasons to run across all Ooeaoa. 

 This origin was first intimated by the author in 1853. 



