bound from Philadelphia to France, in October and November, 1776. mometer; with other Remarks made on board the Reprisal, Captain Wickes, LATITUDE LONGITUDE N. W. WATER. 89 68 12 141 Do. 65 23 7 Observations July 31. At one P.M. the Start bore W. N. W. distant six leagues. 2. The temperature of the water is taken at eight in the morning and at eight in the evening. 7. Formegas S. W. distant 32 degrees. St. Mary's S. W. S. 33 leagues. 8. From this date the temperature of the water is taken at eight in the morning and at six in the evening. 10. Moonlight, which prevents the luminous appearance of the water. II. A strong southerly current. 12. Ditto. From this date the temperature of the air and water was taken at noon, as well as morning and evening. rose. - 24. The water appeared luminous in a small degree before the moon - 6. Little light in the water. A very hard thunder-gust in the night. -7. Little gulf weed. 9. Little gulf weed. Little light in the water last evening. 10. Saw some beds of rock-weed; and we were surprised to observe the water six degrees colder by the thermometer than the preceding noon. This day (10th) the thermometer still kept descending, and at five in the morning of the 11th, it was in water as low as 70, when we struck soundings. The same evening the pilot came on board, and we found our ship about five degrees of longitude a-head of the reckoning, which our captain accounted for by supposing our course to have been near the edge of the Gulf Stream, and thus an eddy-current always in our favour. By the distance we ran from September 9th, in the evening, till we struck soundings, we must have then been at the western edge of the Gulf Stream, and the change in the temperature of the water was probably owing to our suddenly passing from that current into the waters of our own climate. |