254 H. C. KUSSELL. 



cleared. The current from east to west, dead inshore for one mile 

 or so, lasted to within fifty yards of the sandy beach. The facts 

 mentioned prove an inshore current on the north side of Long 

 Reef at times. It would be well to rember this when coupled 

 with the wrecking of the steamer Collaroy, and later on the 

 Duckenfield at about the same spot." 



On October 10, 1894, The Gleaner schooner, from New Zealand 

 arrived in sight of the Heads at 5 a.m. She was then about fifteen 

 miles to the east. Had the light breeze that brought her in sight 

 of the heads held for a couple of hours longer she would have 

 concluded the voyage, but it fell light, and the strongly southerly 

 set of the current carried her helplessly to leeward down the coast. 

 At dark she was eighteen miles south of Sydney Heads, the wind 

 then fresh from the N.E. Another instance cropped up off New- 

 castle. On March 23rd, a three-masted schooner, evidently beat- 

 ing to the northward, was off Nobbys. She was well handled, 

 making every inch to windward possible, but, with a current 

 variously reckoned at from two to three knots against her, was 

 badly handicapped. Standing off shore at dusk nothing was seen 

 of her until next morning at 9 o'clock, when the signalman at 

 Newcastle caught sight of her, twelve miles south of the port. 



I cannot let this opportunity pass without expressing very 

 warmly my thanks to all who hve taken part in this work and 

 distributed the current papers, what they have done as shown by 

 this record is a very valuable beginning, small though it is. My 

 part in the matter has been a very small one, simply putting the 

 facts together as they come to me as the result of the labour of 

 others ; but I must claim a great interest in the work and a con- 

 fidence that by continuing the distribution of current papers we 

 shall learn a great deal more about important ocean currents than 

 we know now, and find it most useful. I hope therefore that all 

 the ocean going vessels trading between here and other parts of 

 the world will take the matter up systematically and we shall soon 

 see a considerable accession to our knowledge of ocean currents 

 on the coast of Australia and in neighbouring seas. 



