CURRENTS AND WHALING. 
477 
tropical climate must extend thus far, which is the most remote point 
at which any such stream has been positively known to exist. It 
may, however, be connected w T ith the strong easterly current that is 
constantly setting through the Icy Sea, as has been noted in all 
the voyages in search of a Northwest Passage. At the Aleutian 
Islands the stream appears to divide, and a branch continues on, at 
first in a northeast direction, but, gradually changing its course, takes 
a sweep along the line of the coast of America, and merges in the 
northeast stream of which we have spoken above. This stream, 
w r hich passes the Aleutian Islands, is doubtless an equatorial one; its 
low temperature may be accounted for by the fact of its being mixed 
with water coming through Behring’s Straits by an under-current 
from a polar region; this latter being obstructed by the Aleutian 
Islands, would cause it to be mixed with the surface water, and be 
carried therewith to the coast of America. It is clear, from the 
narrow space at Behring’s Straits, that no great quantity of water 
can pass as a submarine current from the Arctic Ocean, to produce 
any remote effects. 
On our return, in passing from the Hawaiian Group to the Ma- 
rianes, w T e experienced a slight current setting to the westward, which 
may be ascribed to the trade-winds. After passing the latter islands, 
we found a current setting to the northward, being in all probability 
connected w 7 ith the stream that flows along the coast of Japan. This 
direction prevailed until we reached the straits by which we entered 
the China seas. 
I need not speak of the currents in the China seas, as they are well 
known to be influenced by the monsoons, and, therefore, far from 
constant. Now, as the southwest monsoon has a tendency to increase 
the Equatorial Stream, and give the waters a direction to the north¬ 
east, we may find in this remote region the cause by which the 
velocity of the southeast current on the northwest coast of America 
is accelerated at the very season in which such influence might be 
expected to reach those shores. 
On our track from the China seas towards the Cape of Good Hope, 
we met with but little current until we approached the east coast of 
Africa. We had, during this part of our voyage, an opportunity of 
trying the deep-sea temperature daily, having received several self¬ 
registering thermometers, which I had sent for to replace those we had 
lost. These observations confirmed the impression that this portion of 
the ocean is but little liable to submarine streams. 
On approaching the east coast of Africa, we found ourselves at first 
influenced, as mentioned in the Narrative, by the Polar Stream, then, 
