223 H. C, RUSSELL. 
Table shewing number of ships reporting ice in each month of 
past six years :— 
lYears| Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | April. May June| July Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dee. 
is9}——| 1| 3) 5| 5/10) 2] 4] 3] 9| 2] 2 
1893,12| 5| 6] 2| 2 |———i——| Lim} 1) 2] 2 
18944 1| 2|—j—!| 1 —|_— —F xl ie 
1895] 1/ 3| 5/10|/ 1|/ 6 10/—-/—-|——_-2| 5 
1896 ——-|——- | —— — 3|— +3] 5 1/11 ~=17) 38 
1897, 20. [12 | 7 | ——|—— | ei 
The black bar represents no ice, and the figures give the number 
of ships that reported ice. Thus in January twenty ships reported 
ice, February twelve ships, and March seven ships; then April, 
May, June, July, and August without a single report of ice. 
This motion of the icebergs into and out of the track of vessels 
coming here seemed to me so remarkable, that I at once looked 
for a cause which might produce it ; and in doing so 1 remembered 
that in the latter half of 1895, the number of current papers 
received had been very small, and that, when I examined the 
weather charts, it became evident that the most marked feature 
of weather in Australasia was the prevalence of strong north-west 
winds ; and it seemed extremely probable, that these winds had 
forced the bottles southwards, so that they could’not reach the 
south coast of Australia—where many of the bottles put into the 
sea, find a resting place—and they were in this way passed on to 
the eastward never to be seen again. 
It seemed very probable that icebergs might also be affected by 
the prevalent winds. Looking again at the weather charts, I 
found that southerly winds had reasserted themselves in November 
and December 1895, and concurrently a few icebergs were seen. 
Referring to the tabular statement of the number of ships in each 
month reporting ice, it will be seen that not a single iceberg was 
reported during the first four months of 1896, and the weather 
charts shew strong and persistent north-west winds. 
_ In July 1896 icebergs were again reported each month to the 
end of the year. A reference to the weather charts shewed that — | 
