320 



OBSEBVATIONS OM THE CUKKENTS. 



The Eliza, commanded by John Searchwell, sailed from Cork for Rio Janeiro 

 with settlers, on the 12th of August, 1827, and ran ashore on the coast of Africa, 

 during a fog, on the 25th of the same month. "WhUst making signals of distress, 

 three fishing boats from Canary came to her assistance, and succeeded in saving 

 all the lives on board, consisting of 18 mariners, 244 men, 46 women, and 42 

 children ; in all, 350 persons, who arrived at Canary on the 3rd of September. 



About the end of October, in the same year, the Olymphe, from Havre foi 

 Buenos Ayres, with colonists, was cast away on the same part of the African 

 coast. The passengers, about 300 in number, consisting of French, English, 

 Germans, and Swiss, were taken from the shore, saved from captivity by Canarian 

 fishing-boats, and conveyed to the Grand Canary, where they were landed on the 

 7th of November. Such have been the effects of the Current 1 



(269.) The ship Montezuma, of Liverpool, Knubly, master, sailed on the 26th of 

 October, 1810, from BrazU, but was wrecked on the 23rd of the next month, at 

 3 a.m., on the African coast, somewhere between Capes Noon and Bojador. 

 Among the crew, who were taken and sold by the Arabs, was Alexander Scott, an 

 apprentice. This person was detained in the country for nearly six years ; and a 

 very interesting account of his captivity, drawn up by Dr. Traill, with geogra- 

 phical observations on his routes, and remarks on the Currents which produced 

 the catastrophe, by Major Rennell, were given in the fourth volume of the "Edin- 

 burgh Philosophical Journal." As these remarks give a very clear notion of the 

 movement of the Avaters, derived from observation, we repeat them as heretofore. 



(270). Major Eennell, in 1819, remarks on the Currents between Cape 

 Finisterre and the Canary Islands : — " I should consider myself highly 

 culpable if I neglected to state, by way of caution to navigators, the result 

 of my inquiries respecting the Currents which appear to have caused the 

 shipwreck of the Montezuma, and of a great number of other ships of our 

 own and other nations, on the Western coast of Barbary, having examined 

 a multitude of journals of ships that have sailed in that track, with time- 

 keepers on board, and which have also, when opportunities presented 

 themselves, had their rate checked by celestial observations. 



" The general result is, that navigators who depart from the parallel of 

 the Southern part of the Bay of Biscay (or say 45°), and sail in the usual 

 track Southward, will be assailed first by a S.E. current, and then by an 

 Easterly one, until they have passed the parallel of Cape Finisterre, when 

 the Current will again turn to the South of East, and gradually become a 

 S.E. Current, till, having passed Cape St. Vincent, it becomes Easterly 

 again, owing, no doubt, to the indraught of the Strait of Gibraltar ; and 

 this Easterly Current is pretty general across the mouth of the bay between 

 Cape St. Vincent and Cape Cantin. 



" Beyond this bay (which may be termed the funnel, of which the Strait 

 itself is the spout) the Current again becomes S.E., or rather more 

 Southerly (as it is more Easterly toward Cape Finisterre), and continues 

 as far as the parallel of 25°, and is, moreover, far beyond Madeira West- 

 ward ; that is, at least 390 miles from the coast of Africa, beyond which a 

 S.W. Current takes place, owing to the operation of theN.E. Trade Wind. 



" The rate of motion of this Current varies very considerably at different 

 times; that is, from 12 to 20 or more miles in 24 hours. -I consider 16 miles 

 as rather below the mean rate. I have one example of 140 miles in eight 

 days, in one of His Majesty's ships, equal to 17^ miles per day ; and, i*'. 



