15 
“ The North Pacific presents a peculiar striking analogy to 
the North Atlantic, in the existence of a great warm current 
which sweeps along the eastern coast of Asia to the north-east¬ 
ward across the Pacific, washes the north-west coast of America, 
affects the climate of the whole coast, and gives a much higher 
temperature along the sea-board than would exist under normal 
circumstances. The Japanese have long been well aware of this 
great current which washes the south-eastern shores of their 
empire, and have given to it the name of 4 Kuro Siwo, or Black 
Stream/ from its deep blue color when compared with the 
neighboring waters of the Pacific. It has been noticed by 
nearly all the old navigators and explorers, and a systematic 
series of observations was undertaken by the United States 
expeditions to Japan under Commodore Perry. This singular 
current, with the water at an average maximum temperature of 
86°, being that of the equatorial waters, affords a solution of 
the fact of the Bonin islands, in the lat. of 272°, having an ex¬ 
clusively tropical vegetation, the cause of which was long a 
mystery to naturalists. It also accounts for the productiveness 
of the southern islands of the Japan group, in sugar and other 
products usually confined to inter-tropical regions, and to the 
successful development of the silk worm as high as lat. 45 °. 
The results of observations, corroborated by the facts of the 
high temperature above stated, shows very satisfactorily that 
the Japan stream has its origin in the great northern equatorial 
current. This great current, leaving the coast of Lower Cali¬ 
fornia and the Gulf of California, between the latitudes of 15° 
and 25°, sweeps across the whole Pacific, with its axis two or 
three degrees south of the Sandwich islands, and thence on the 
parallel of 15°, and coming gradually northward until it passes 
the position of the Ladrone islands in lat. 17°, long. 214° west, 
is gradually deflected north-east along the Asiatic coast, but 
apparently with decreased velocity. . . . At 120 leagues 
eastward of Formosa the monsoon current of the Caroline 
islands runs northward, and thence north-east, adding its waters 
to those of the great Japan current. The combined waters of 
the Caroline and equatorial streams are thrown against the 
island of Formosa in lat. 22°, long. 239° west, thence deflected 
to the northward and north-eastward, and on the parallel of 31° 
strikes the southern extremity of Japan and pass close along 
the north-eastern coast of Niphon. Of the south and east 
