CURRENT PAPERS. 249 



ward from the mainland-* towards New Zealand, and it may have 

 been carried with that current and then made its way northwards 

 until it got into the great equatorial current setting westward 

 past New Caledonia on to the Australian coast, about Brisbane 

 and the Tweed River district, where the paper was found. Such 

 a journey would measure considerably over 2,000 miles and repre- 

 sent a daily progress of about seven m;iles, or the paper may have 

 made its way northwards in the northerly current, which Lieut. 

 C. Jeffreys observed (Sailing Directions, Vol. n., p. 204) and which 

 runs outside the southerly current, until it reached the westerly 

 current just referred to, and with it travelled on to the coast. 



I am not prepared upon the few data to hand to say which is 

 the more probable course. There is however another feature 

 which has been observed by many, and was studied by Lieut. C. 

 Jeffreys, who came to the conclusion that the coast current had a 

 southerly set in summer only, and a northerly set in winter. 

 Certain it is, that in all the notices of the set of the current which 

 I have been able to collect, the strong current is found in summer 

 •only, and with one or two exceptions, setting south. No, 39 was put 

 into the water on 15th July, 1893, just outside Sydney Heads, and 

 in March 1894 it was found near Port Stephens, having travelled 

 one hundred and eight miles northward along the coast. No. 41 

 was put into the water on July 26th, 1894, and sixteen days after 

 was found on the coast at Little Coogee Bay, one hundred and 

 eighty-eight miles north of the starting point. No. 16 was put 

 into the water on April 24th 1890 just off Newcastle, and on 

 May 5, 1891, it was found at Byron Bay, two hundred and ninety 

 miles north of the starting point. It thus appears that all these 

 began their passages in winter, and the one that made the most 

 rapid rate northwards performed its journey wholly in winter. 

 On the other hand No. 5 which travelled south-west at the rate 

 of eleven miles per day, made its passage in March and first five 

 days of April ; and No. 24, which made six miles a day south, 

 started on May 16th and finished on June 1 1th. So that it would 

 appear that a current paper may go north or south in winter for 

 Treasons which are so far not apparent. 



