THE GUINEA CUERENT. 327 



6th, ]at. 5" 36' N., long. 23<^ 59' W., 18 miles E. by S. 7th, la,t. 4° 48' N., long. 

 28" 29' W., 18 miles E. by S. 



Schooner Thomas A. Ward, Captain J. D. Hoff, October 30, 1855, lat. 6" 5' N., 

 long. 27" 40' W., the last twenty-four hours have been the most calm that I ever 

 saw, not a breath from any quarter, and a terrible rolling sea. We drifted S.E. 

 85 miles. 



Ship Colorado, Captain Ricker, November 1, 1855, lat. 6" 51 \., long. 21° 54' AV.. 

 Ciirrent 20 miles S.E. 2nd, lat. 5° 22' N., long. 20" 55' W., 20 miles S.E. 



Barque Clara, Captain E. Cook, December 9, 1854, lat. 6' 48' N., long. 26^ 5G' \V., 

 1-3 knot per hour N. 35"^ £. 10th, lat. 6' 9' N., long. 27" 57' W., 1 knot N, 62° K. 

 11th, lat. 6° 10' N., long. 26° 46' W .. 0-8 knot N. 37° E. 



The foregoing are the principal notices of the Easterly Current as re- 

 corded in Captain Maury's Sailing Directions, vol. ii., 1859, and, in fact, 

 is nearly all that is mentioned on Currents, as but very few, if any, of the 

 abstract logs quoted in that work mentioned any Westerly or other Currents, 

 the only exception being that in some very few cases a Northerly set is 

 noticed. Besides this, there is frequent mention of current or tide-rips, 

 often of a very formidable character, denoting great activity and change 

 in the Currents of this troublesome region. 



■^o' 



(276.) Some records of more recent Bottles are given below : — 



A Bottle from the ship Jjuuro, in long. 31° 5 W., on the Equator, June 23rd, 

 1880, was picked up on the beach near the entrance of the Kiver Niger, in lat. 

 4* 43' N., long. 6° 35' K., in April, 1881. The least distance traversed was about 

 2,300 miles, in 10 months. (See Drift diagram, page 297). 



A Bottle from the ship Painarch, in lat. 2= 46 N., long. 22° 3' W., December 

 11th, 1884, was picked up on the beach near Grand Popo, in May, 1885, having 

 drifted about 1,200 miles in five months. (See Drift diagram). 



Four Bottles from the steamer Buccaneer : — One, in lat. 6° 40 N., long. 12° 32' W., 

 January 6th. 1886, was washed ashore, March 5th, 1886, 10 miles from Addah, 

 in lat. 5° 47 N., long. 0' 35' E., having drifted 862 miles in 58 days, or 15 miles 

 a day. 



Another, in lat. 4° 49' N., long. 9° 38' W., January 8th, 1886, was found on the 

 beach at New Sierra Leone, lat. 6° 8' N., long. 1° 17' E., March 2nd, 1886, having 

 drifted 690 miles in 53 days, averaging 13 miles a day. 



Another, in lat. 6° 25' N., long. 14° 31' W., March 14th, 1886, was washed 

 ashore on the beach, in lat. 4° 45 N., long. 8° 31' W., May 12th, 1886, having 

 drifted 372 miles in 59 days, at the rate of 6'3 miles a day. (See diagram). 



Another, in lat. 0' 21' N., long. 7 36' E., January 29th, 1886, was picked up on 

 June 25th, 1886, in lat. 3° 14 N., long. 9^ 57' E., having drifted 230 miles in 147 

 days, or only 1*6 mile a day. (See Drift diagram). 



The first two were thrown overboard to the West of Cape Palnaas, and were 

 carried very rapidly to the Eastward. The third was also thrown over to tht. 

 Westward of Cape Palmas, but much farther off shore, and in the month of 

 March. It was drifted right across the routes of the first two, and was cast up 

 on the Kroo coast. Had the same current prevailed in March as did in January, 

 on arriving in the track of these it ought to have been carried, like them, into 

 the Bight ; instead of this, it never even passed Cape Palmas. The fourth was 

 thrown over between the Gaboon River and St. Thom^, and drifted very slowly in 

 a North-Easterly direction, and stranded near Cameroon River, having required 

 147 days to make good a distance of 230 miles. No doubt it covered a great deal 

 more ground, being diifted backwards and forwards by the very conflicting 

 currents of this region. 



