26 ANmTEESART ADDRESS. 



and which they, as well as myself, believed to he a true " Gulf 

 stream," in temperature, range, depth probably, and its habit of 

 spreading over the surface, as well as being affected at its edges 

 by powerful winds. 



There ought to be some data already available towards its 

 history ; and I do not doubt that others have done what I have 

 frequently done during coasting passages along our east coast, 

 viz., have taken the temperature of the surface water of the ocean, 

 comparing it with that of the air. Our Treasurer, the Colonial 

 Astronomer, who is absent in Europe, must have many records 

 of changes of temperature and other phenomena connected with 

 gales of wind, earthquake ivaves, rollers, fyc. ; and it would be 

 possible to obtain other data as to direction and breadth and 

 velocity of the current from the logs of vessels constantly navi- 

 gating up and down the coast, if such incidents are recorded in 

 the log-books, which, when collected and arranged, would form 

 the basis of a very useful communication to this Society. 



Lieu Island. 



Incidentally I may here mention, that a series of seven earth- 

 quake shocks, accompanied by destructive leaves has been reported 

 to have occurred at Lifu (or Lafu), one of the Loyalty Islands, 

 on 28th of March last. Whether any effect of elevation has 

 been noticed I do not know ; but Lifu has no doubt often suffered 

 elevation, as I endeavoured to prove in the paper "On the Geology 

 of the Island of Lafu," contributed to the " Proceedings of the 

 Geological Society of London," in the year 1846. In that paper 

 I suggested that there have been several elevations not con- 

 nected with visible volcanic force, but probably due to some 

 elevation of New Caledonia. The recent earthquakes, however, 

 may be considered as a local cause of disturbance, and they are 

 far from infrequent. Admiral Erskine, when in command of 

 H. M. S. " Havannah," experienced a strong shock on 17th Sep- 

 tember, 1817. The advices from residents in the island last 

 March give reason to suppose that the agitation of the sea was 

 occasioned by a shock outside the island, and that the shakings 



