528 ^^ THt AUT OP SWIMMINGi 



Instance of an ing myself by alternately swimming in a deep fresh- wafer 



could noUje stream, and in the sea, at the Island of Joanna, where both 



seen by the waters are remarkably clear, and are separated by a shingle 



m ve*i-v cl^a?^ bank, over which the fresh water runs iti a shallow stream. 



water. The ground on the sea side consisted of large rolled stones : and 



as the ship's boat was then on shore taking in water, I assisted 



in getting the casks out of the fresh water into the sea ; fof 



•which purpose I had buckled my shoes on my feet. Oiie of 



my buckjes happening to get loose, fell between the stones in 



about five feet water, where I saw it very clearly. Nothing 



seemed more easy than to dive and bring it up j and this I did 



repeatedly, with my eyes open. But t could never see it while 



my head was under the surface : and though I continued my 



eftbrts, and remained obstinately under the water, feeling about 



for an object, apparently so well within my reach, I wa& 



obliged at last to abandon it. 



Another in> Numberless proofs, that vision cannot be performed by 



staace m ^ ^|jg i^ur^an eye under water, would have prevented my thinking 



where the eye, more on the subject, if the assertions before mentioned had 



under water, ^^^ solicited my attention, and led me to make a direct 



sould not diJ- •' 



tinguishthe experiment. Many years after the event at Joanna, I was 



aetting sun, nor swimmins in the Harlem lake. The sun was almost setting ; the 

 the fingers of ® ® 



the hand held water clear ; and the bottom a firm sand, gradually deepening 

 sear the face, ^j-^j^ ^j^g shore. I walked onwards till the depth exceeded 

 three feet, and then sat down on the sand, where, consequently, 

 I was completely submerged, my face being opposite the 

 setting sun. My eyes were open; the water appeared strongly 

 illuminated, but no image of the sun was to be distinguished. 

 On holding up my hand and spreading the fingers, the , hand 

 itself became discernible as an indistinct object, as soon as it 

 was brought within a foot of my face. The fingers could not 

 be counted at half that distance, in any other manner than by- 

 reckoning the successive obscurations as the hand was passed' 

 across the eyes. All other objects were too confused to be 

 The stories of discerned or known. Whence it appears, that all the stories 

 divers, &c. not ^f wonderful divers, who could descend intoL;^the sea and bring 

 up small objects, such as jewels and trinkets, must be con- 

 sidered as fabulous. 

 Dr, Franklin's Dr. Frankhn's method of learning to swim, by struggling to 

 method of descend to the bottom, is better calculated to give courage than 



Jearning to , .„ 



skill; 



