[ 4+8 ] 
pointed it out to our captain, and afked him the 
meaning of it ? “ The cooks, fays he, have, I fuppofe, 
been juft emptying their greafy water through the 
lcuppers, which has greafed the fides of thofe (hips 
a little j” and this anfwer he gave me with an air of 
fome little contempt, as to a perfon ignorant of what 
every body elfe knew. In my own mind I at firft 
flighted his folution, tho’ I was not able to think of 
another. But recollecting what I had formerly read 
in pliny, I refolved to make fome experiment of 
the effedf of oil on water, when I thould have op- 
portunity. 
Afterwards being again at fea in 1762, I firft ob- 
ferved the wonderful quietnefs of oil on agitated 
water, in the fwinging glafs lamp I made to hang up 
in the cabin, as deferibed in my printed papers, page 
43 8 of the fourth edition. — This I was continually 
looking at and confidering, as an appearance to me 
inexplicable. An old fea captain, then a paffenger 
with me, thought little of it, fuppofing it an efteCt 
of the fame kind with that of oil put on water to 
fmooth it, which he faid was a practice of the Ber- 
mudians when they would ftrike fifh, which they 
could not fee, if the furface of the water was ruffled 
by the wind. This practice I had never before heard 
of, and was obliged to him for the information ; tho’ 
I thought him miftaken as to the famenels of the 
experiment, the operations being different ; as well 
as the effects. In one cafe, the water is fmooth till 
the oil is put on, and then becomes agitated. In 
the other it is agitated before the oil is applied, and 
then becomes fmooth. — The fame gentleman told 
me, he had heard it was a practice with the fflher- 
1 , , men 
