446 CAPE OP GOOD HOPE. 



At 5 p. m. the temperature of the surface was . 



73° 

 C9 

 68 

 66 



At the time of the last observation the temperature of the air 

 was 68°. 



On the morning of the 8th we had soundings in sixty-nine fathoms 

 water ; the direction and velocity of the current was tried by anchor- 

 ing a boat. The direction was found to be S. 56° W. (true), and 

 the velocity to amount to three-quarters of a mile per hour. Daring 

 the last twenty-four hours the current had set us thirty-three miles, 

 and in the same direction as that shown by our experiment. A trial 

 of the temperature at the bottom was made with the deep-sea ther- 

 mometer, and was found to be 56^° ; while at the surface it was 69°. 

 The land to the westward of Algoa Bay was now in sight, and it was 

 not a little remarkable as we came on soundings how soon we passed 

 into a smooth and quiet sea, from a rough and tossing one, exhibiting 

 all the turbulent characteristics that are caused by the meeting of 

 powerful currents. 



On the 9th, the wind being contrary, we continued standing in 

 towards the land, and in the afternoon were not more than ten miles 

 from the coast. The temperature of the air and water was 68°. 



The next day the wind blew from the same direction, and as the 

 weather was fine, I determined to stand off to the edge of the bank 

 previously spoken of, in order to obtain the assistance of the current 

 running there, to carry us to the westward. At 4 p. M. we tried the 

 set and velocity of the current, on soundings in eighty-five fathoms 

 water, and found its direction to be east-northeast; its rate, a quarter 

 of a knot per hour. During the last twenty -four hours, while on 

 soundings, the set of the current was thirty-three miles N. 62° E. 

 At 6 p. M. the temperature of the water changed from 67° to 75°, and 

 with this variation of temperature, we found we were again entering 

 the turbulent sea. In the tacks we made, off and on, the temperature 

 rose and fell during each of them, several degrees, and the turbulent 

 and smooth water formed a well-defined line. 



On the 11th, we still continued in the rough water; the temperature 

 at the surface being 75°, but that at one hundred fathoms depth was 

 only 65° ; with two hundred and fifty fathoms of line, there were no 

 soundings. In the evening the water became remarkably phospho- 

 rescent ; in fact, to a greater degree than I had ever previously 



