436 



Anniversary Meeting, 



[Nov. 30, 



Mean annual Mean annual Minimum 

 pressure. temperature. temperature. 



o 



m. 



' Alert,' Floeberg Beach. . . . 29-869 -3-467 -73-75 

 'Discovery/ Discovery Bay. 29-887 -3-932 -70-8 



Polaris Bay 29-970 +4196 -45-5 



Minimum temperature of earth 20 inches beneath surface, — 13°*0. 



The warmer temperature at Floeberg Beach was due to its exposure to 

 the warm winter gales, from which Discovery Bay was cut off. The still 

 warmer temperature of Polaris Bay is partly attributable to there being 

 some uncovered water in the neighbourhood. 



The barometer indicated and foretold changes in the weather as in tem- 

 perate regions. 



Making due allowance for unavoidable sources of error, the temperatures 

 of the sea observed on the west shores of Smith's Sound prove the existence 

 of a stratum of cold outer water (temperature about 29°) lying between the 

 locally heated surface-water and a depth of twenty to thirty fathoms, flow- 

 ing southward in summer, as also of an underlying stratum with a tem- 

 perature of about 30°. This latter was not found near Floeberg Beach ; 

 but, coupled with the 1872 observations of the ' Polaris,' which showed a 

 temperature of 32°*8 at 203 fathoms in lat. 80° 4-4' 1ST. (midway between 

 Franklin and Hals Islands, in Bobison Channel), and 32°*1 at 17 fathoms 

 in Polaris Bay, it would appear that the warm underlying water forces 

 itself to the northward on the east side of Eobison Channel. Its entrance 

 into the polar sea or not will depend on the depth of water at the north 

 end of the channel. They also prove the non-existence of a lower tem- 

 perature of the water than 28°-8 at a depth below 275 fathoms in Smith's 

 Sound or Baffin's Bay. The coldest portion of the arctic water appears 

 not to affect Hayes Sound or Discovery Bay to so great an extent as that 

 of the direct channel. 



The Rev. Dr. Haughton, to whom the tidal observations of the 

 'Discovery' and 'Alert' were entrusted, informs me that he has com- 

 pleted the preliminary discussion of the whole, and hopes to present the 

 final results of those of the ' Discovery ' to this Society before June next. 

 He remarks that the ' Discovery ' was better provided for observations 

 than the ' Alert,' and, fortunately, her position was better also, as she lay 

 nearer the head of the tide at Cape Payer. The officer charged with the 

 observations, Lieut. Archer, made them hourly for seven months, with only 

 six days of interpolation. The officers of the ' Alert ' were able to make 

 hourly observations for two months only, with fifteen days of interpo- 

 lation. 



Dr. Haughton has already arrived at the following general conclu- 

 sions : — 1. The tide which comes down Smith's Sound from the north is 

 generically distinct from, the Behring's Straits tide and from the Baffin's 

 Bay tide. 2. It must therefore be the East-Greenland Atlantic tide ; 



