38 
On the Temperature of the Sea, and its Lrfluence 
II. — Oil the Temperature of the Sea, and its Ivfluence on the 
Climate and Af/ricidtnre of the British Isles. By Nicholas 
Whitley, F.a'i.S. 
The object of this paper is to determine the surface-temperature 
of the sea around the British Isles, and of parts of the North 
Atlantic ocean ; as a means of tracing its effects on the climate 
and agriculture of this country. 
In an essay on this subject, published in Vol. XI. of the First 
Series of this Journal, I chalked out in broad outline the 
direction and temperature of the currents of the Atlantic Ocean, 
describing that life-giving river in the ocean — the Gulf Stream, 
conveying the heat of the equatorial sea far up into the North 
Atlantic, and distributing its vvarmth along our western coasts ; 
and the Arctic current sweeping the loose ice of the frigid north 
to the shores of Greenland and Labrador, and thus screening us 
from its withering influence. But while the course of each of 
these currents was then tolerably well known, the temperature 
of the sea-water around the British Isles was very imperfectly 
understood, and but few thermometrical observations could be 
obtained of that part of the North Atlantic from whence our 
warm south-west wind derived its heat and humidity. 
Feeling that this subject demanded a more searching inves- 
tigation, I have, since the appearance of that essay in 1850, applied 
myself to obtain further information respecting it, by engaging 
careful persons to take daily observations on sea temperature 
at different parts of the coast line ; several gentlemen also 
kindly undertook to register for me the indications of the ther- 
mometer at other places. The Ro3al Irish Academy has pub- 
lished the results of observations on sea temperature at several 
points of the Irish coast; and the Meteorological Society of Scot- 
land have for some years investigated the same subject on the 
Scottish shores. These observations, however, were wholly 
taken at stations on land, where the surface water of the sea must 
to some extent be influenced by its contiguity; and it appeared to 
me that the effects of the sea on our climate could not be 
thoroughly comprehended, without an inquiry into the tempera- 
ture of that portion of the broad Atlantic over which the westerly 
winds sweep in their passage to our shores, I therefore applied, 
and was kindly permitted, to make extracts from the Log-books 
of Canard's steamships of voyages, extending over several years, 
between Liverpool and New \ ork, showing the temperatures of 
the sea and air every four hours. 
The materials thus obtained have supplied information of 
which my former essay was deficient, and I am therefore now 
