206 CURRENTS OF THE SEA. 



along the coasts of Chili and Peru, and, about 

 the equator, begins to spread itself out in a west- 

 ward direction. It everywhere has a temperature 

 strikingly low for the latitude ; and this affords an 

 explanation of the generally uniform and tem- 

 perate climate of the coasts of Chili and Peru. 

 Thus the mean temperature at Callao, the harbour 

 of Lima, under 12° south latitude, is only 20° C. 

 (68° P.), while, on the other hand, at Rio Janeiro, 

 on the east coast of South America, nearly in 

 23° south latitude, it is 23°'2 C. (73°-76 P.) 

 Humboldt found at Callao, in the beginning of 

 November, when the temperature of the air was 

 22°-7 C. (72°-86 P.), that the temperature of the 

 sea within the current was only 15 0, 5 C. 

 (59 0, 9 P.), while outside of the current it 

 amounted to from 26° to 28°'5 C. (78°*8 to 

 83 0, 3 P.) Even near the equator, after the direc- 

 tion of the stream has become due westward, its 

 mean temperature does not rise above 20 o, 5 C. 

 (68°'9 P.) However, during its westward pro- 

 gress, it gradually mounts up to 27° or 28° C. 

 (80°-6 or 82°-4 P.) 



At the western side of the Pacific its equatorial 

 stream separates into several branches. Part of 

 its waters seem to run southwards along the east 

 coast of New Holland, a greater part pours itself 

 through the channels of the Asiatic Archipelago 

 into the Indian Ocean; the rest takes a north- 



