20 
AMERICAN GEOLOGY. 
Mozambique channel, and before doubling the cape of Good 
Hope is joined by the other stream, when it flows outside the 
Aguillas bank. It there takes the name of the South-Atlantic 
current. It now flows up the west coast of Africa to the paral¬ 
lel of St. Helena, where it is deflected by the coast of Guinea. 
It now forms the great Atlantic equatorial current, and flowing 
westward, it splits upon cape St. Roque. One stream flowing 
along the eastern coast of South America, its force is finally 
spent in southern latitudes before it reaches the straits of 
Magellan, except a single branch, which is deflected to the cape 
of Good Hope. The other branch, or the great equatorial cur¬ 
rent, flows northerly along the coast of Brazil with great force. 
It encounters the river currents of the Orinoco and Amazon, 
and yet it speeds its way to the Carribean sea and gulf of 
Mexico. It here gets great accessions of heat, its temperature 
rising to 88° 52'. It now flows up the coast of North America 
under the name of the Gulf stream. It is deflected to the east 
by Newfoundland. It is again divided into several streams: 
one stream flows towards Britain and Norway, and being still 
farther divided, a branch flows onward to Spitzbergen, where 
it mitigates the severity of its climate. From Newfoundland a 
branch strikes off for Baffin’s bay. Another branch also takes 
a sweep southwards to the Azores, and being aided in its march 
by the north trade winds, it rejoins the great equatorial current. 
In consequence of this great bend, a vast expanse of w r ater is 
left nearly motionless and stagnant, in which sea weed, trees, 
bodies of drowned animals, float for a time, when they are 
finally cast upon the shores of the Azores. The greatest velo¬ 
city which the Gulf stream acquires, that of seventy-eight miles 
in twenty-four hours, is when it leaves the Florida straits. 
The rapidity of its current is variable. 
Currents also flow from the antarctic and arctic circles. These 
bring with them icebergs. The arctic brings down icebergs to 
the latitude of Newfoundland, and even to the Azores. In these 
latitudes they are melted in the Gulf stream. In consequence 
of the meeting of the floating masses of ice with the warm 
