THE GULF OF MEXICO. 371 



of the Blake, between the Mississippi Delta and Yucatan Bank, show a 

 predominating direction to the Southward and Westward in the Northern 

 half of the Gulf and close to Yucatan Bank, while between the two the 

 flow is to the Eastward. The passage of water into the Straits of Florida 

 IB sometimes from the Gulf and sometimes from the Yucatan Passage ; at 

 high declination of the moon it is from the latter, and at low declination 

 it is from the former. 



(348.) In Captain Maury '8 " SaiUng Directions," 8th edition, vol. ii., 

 p. 17, it is stated : — 



There is a constant set from the Caribbean Sea into the Mexican Gulf 

 to form the Gulf Stream, and vessels passing up to the Northward may- 

 take advantage of it. It is bifurcated just after entering the Gulf. The 

 Bottle-paper of the Hermes followed this Yucatan Current to the " fork," 

 and then took the Western branch. 



" H.M.S. Hermes, April 15th, 1856, lat. 17^ 59' N., long. 78<^ 50' W., 

 H. Congton, commander, J. E. Solfleet, master. This Bottle, thrown over 

 at the West end of Jamaica, was found on the South side of Padre Island, 

 kt. 26° 5' N., long. 97° 10' W., August 23rd, 1857, and forwarded by Mr. 

 J. R. Butler, who says, ' The drift shown by the course of this Bottle 

 confirms my own observations since I have been here, viz., that the 

 Current divides between Cape Antonio and Cape Catoche, the Eastern 

 part rounding Cape Antonio, and passing out by the Gulf Stream, while 

 the Western part keeps a Westerly course until it reaches the coast 

 between San Fernandino on the coast of Mexico, and Corpus Christi on 

 Texas, where it meets the South-Westerly Current fr®m the coast of 

 FLorida and Louisiana. And it is strange to remark the mixture of 

 floating objects thrown on the beach of this coast by the meeting of the 

 Currents. Flat-boats, oars, saw-logs, clap-boards, old skiffs, &c,, from the 

 Mississippi, mixed up with branches of mangrove, mahogany, bay-cedar, 

 young cocoa-nuts, canoe paddles of mahogany, &c., from the Caribbean 

 Sea and Coast of Honduras.' 



" It may be remarked on this that the Easterly winds may have some- 

 to do with the Westerly drift from the Mississippi of objects which float 

 high out of the water. 



" Another Bottle, from the shi^ Admiral, S. Picken, commander, thrown 

 over on the Equator, long. 30° 45' W., February 17th, 1856, came ashore 

 at Aransas Pass, Texas, October 24th, 1856, 250 days afterwards, having 

 drifted 4,300 miles, or 16 miles per day." 



(349.) It is difficult to define the separation between the Currents which 

 pass Eastward and Westward to the Northward of the Yucatan Channel. 

 It is certain that they set with considerable velocity to the Southward 

 and South-Eastward over the Tortugas Bank, and also to the S.E. from 

 the Mississippi. Perhaps a line might be drawn from the centre of the 

 strait to the mouth of the Mississippi, to the West of which it may be 

 found that the streams have westing in them, and to the East of it that 

 they set towards the Gulf of Florida. 



(350.) Mr. R. Strachan, in his remarks upon the Meteorological Office 

 Current Charts, 1872, says : — The waters of the Equatorial Current find a 

 passage Westward and Northward round the Gulf of Mexico, and they 



