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squalls, and a large cross sea: lat. 21° 28' S., long. 66° 10' E.; barometer 30 19, thermometer 72°, current N. 56° W., 21 miles.

12th. Strong S. E. gales at commencement of this day, and squalls less violent; 6 P.M. sea and wind subsiding, weather clearing up, out all reefs, set light sails; 6 A.M. shut over thick and rainy, wind veering from E. to S.E.; noon, thick and passing squalls of rain, moderate breezes from E.S.E., and a regular sea running; saw three Cape pigeons. I think this is far north of their usual limits; three of our crew down sick, and others complaining; made them wear cloth clothing; I cannot account for their illness, unless it is the cold damp moist weather we have had of late following the intense heat we experienced before noon, lat. 22° 16' S., long. 63° 54' E.; barometer 30-18, thermometer 73°. Roderique N. 11° W., 159 miles: distance this last week 1138 miles.

13th. First part squalls passing frequently and rainy; latter part a brisk trade and clear weather; wind S. E., and steady: lat. 23° 16' S., long. 61° 15′ E.; barometer 30.15, thermometer 74°. A sail astern steering west; noon, Port Louis N. 50° W., 290 miles distant.

14th. Brisk trades and clear weather, with little swell on all day; noon, island of Bourbon bearing N. 40° W., 238 miles distant; isle of France N. 15° W., 234 miles : lat. 24° 35′ S., long. 58° 35′ E.; variation observed 16° 28′ westerly; barometer 30-17, thermometer 73°.

15th. Remarkably open and clear weather, and a smooth sea, being the only clear day since leaving Java Head: noon, wind light and baffling from north to south-west lat. 25° 22′ S., long, 56° 40′ E.; barometer 30-05, thermometer 76°; current south-west, 16 miles.

17th. Fine clear weather, light baffling airs from N.N. W. to W.S.W.; noon, wind south and freshening; nearest part of Madagascar N. 78° W., 390 miles distant: lat. 26° 3′ S., long. 54° 17′ E.; barometer 30-12, thermometer 72°.

18th. Strong breezes all day from E.S. E., and very pleasant, with passing clouds; noon shut over thick clouds, coming rapidly from west : lat. 26° 28′ S., long. 51° 40′ E.; barometer 30-10, thermometer 70°: variation observed 20° 38′ W.; current N. 45° E., 16 miles.

25th. Light variable airs, mostly from E.S.E., and very clear warm weather, with a smooth sea; the weather has been very pleasant for the last week; winds from N. to E.S.E., and a confused swell from W.S.W.; have experienced no westerly current as yet; noon, Cape Natal bears W.b.N. N., distant 320 miles: lat. 31° 11′ S., long. 37° 28' E.; barometer 30-08, thermometer 75°; current N. 33° E., 21 miles.

28th. Light variable winds from S.W. to W.N.W., and remarkable clear weather; a very large swell from W.S.W.; noon, Cape Natal bears N.W. § N., 220 miles distant; current 27 miles due west: lat. 32° 44′ S., long. 33° 14′ E.; barometer 30.12; air 70°.

29th. Light winds from S.S.W. to E., and pleasant, with a large swell from S.W.; 2h. 30m. P.M. water of a milk white appearance; hove to and sounded; no bottom, with 120 fathoms straight line; water contiuued of that appearance for one hour; ship heading west by compass, and going three knots; tried the thermometer; air 60°, water 69°, barometer 30.15. Had I not sounded and tried the temperature of the water I should certainly have thought I passed over a bank of shoal water; 8 A.M. air 60°, water 69°; noon, air 66°, water 68°; barometer 30-5; lat. 32° 50' south, long. 32 6' east; current these twentyfour hours N. 40° W. 38 miles. Middle point of Natal, nearest part of Africa, bears N. 56° W., 140 miles distant.

30th. First part, light air, increasing breeze from E.S. E., and cloudy weather; 2 AM. a sudden shift of wind to N.E., increasing to a gale, with dark gloomy weather, brought us down to close reefs; noon, a gale from north, with a large confused sea; clear weather; barometer at 2 A.M. 29.90, noon, 29.80; air 74°, water 70°; current N. 67° 30' E., 37 miles: lat, 33° 52'S., long. 30° 44′ E. Cape Recif bears W. S., 265 miles.

FROM BOSTON TO MANILA.

Oct. 1st. Comes in light N.N.W. winds, veering to west, with a smooth sea; 7 P.M. calm; 8 P.M. a breeze sprung up from E.N.E., and freshened until 8 A.M., when it changed to north; 10 P.M. barometer fell to 29.35; sent down royal and top-gallant yards, and prepared for a gale; noon, thick dark gloomy weather, a light N.N.W. wind; barometer 29.35; noon, lat. 34° 50' south, long. 30° 6' east; current S.S.W., 28 miles.

2nd. An increasing breeze from W.N.W., until 5 P.M., when it set in a tremendous gale from W.N.W., with violent squalls, and a mountainous sea; hove to under close reef main-top-sail, and continued so all day; noon, wind veered to W.S.W., blowing strong; barometer 29.80; lat. 35° south, long. 29° 33′ east; current S. W. W., 70 miles.

3rd. Strong breezes, and a large sea from S. W. to W., with fiery hard squalls, with dark squally appearance in westward; hard squalls passing over incessantly; very cold weather; noon, barometer 30-10; lat. 35° 05' south, long. 28° 40' east; current W.S.W., 40 miles.

4th. Strong S.W. gales and hard squalls; 8 P.M. again hove to; 5 A.M. moderate wind, baffling from W. to S.W., at times violent squalls, and then calm; very squally appearance to westward; ship under close reefs; barometer up to 30-40, still the weather is very dark and squally. I think this weather cannot last long, as the barometer is so high, and has continued so during the day, but at present no appearances of a change; noon, dark squally weather; baffling winds from W. to S.S. W.; no current to day: lat. 34° 51' S., long 28° 10′ E.; barometer 30.40.

5th. Comes in moderate breezes, veering from W. to S.S.W.., with severe squalls; after the squall passes over, dying away calm; wild dark heavy appearance in S. W., continuing until 10 P.M., when it cleared up very pleasant; wind S.S.W.; pleasant during the night; set sails again; noon, clear and pleasant; wind S.S.W.; barometer all day 30-40; noon, 5th Oct., Cape Recif bears north, 69° west, distant 176 miles; Cape of Good Hope N. 86° W., disant 520 miles; current this day due west, 27 miles: lat. 35° 8' S., long. 27°, 7' E.; air 63°, water 68°.

6th. Beautiful weather; first part of the day wind south, latter part strong east gales; Cape Lagulhas bears at noon W.N.W. W., 286 miles; Cape of Good Hope N.W.b.W., 380 miles: lat. 36° 1′ S., long. 24° 33′ E.; air, 68°, water 68°; barometer 30.15.

7th. Strong N.E. gales all day, and a large sea; 8 A.M. sounded, no bottom, 190 fathoms line; current 39 miles, S. W. W.: lat. 36° 24' S., long. 22° 15' E.; air 71°, water 66°; barometer 29.90.

8th. Light winds from N. E. to W, and S.S.W., and hazy; 4 P.M. sounded on Laghulhas bank, in lat. 36° 21' S., long. 228 9' E., 118 fathoms, coral and yellow sand; 8 P.M. sounded, in lat. 36° 16′ S., long. 20° 51′ E., 80 fathoms, yellow sand and shells; current W.N.W., 27 miles: noon, lat. 36° 7' south, long. 20° 40' east; air 66°, water 64°; barometer 29.85.

9th. Light N.N.W. winds first part; 11 P.M. a gale from W.N.W.; hove to under close reef main-top-sail; 8 P.M. sounded, in lat. 36° 7' S., long. 20° 30′ E., 90 fathoms, green sand and mud; 7h. 30m. A.м. sounded, lat. 36° 12′ S., long. 20° 28′ E., 85 fathoms, green sand and mud; 8 A.M. more moderate, made sail, wind veered to S. W; noon sounded, 90 fathoms, green sand and mud lat. 36° 15' S., long. 20° 27' E.; current S. W.b. W. W., 23 miles; air 62°, water 64°; barometer 30-18.

10th. Fine S.S.W. wind, clear weather all day; 4 P.M. sounded; lat. 36° 13' S., long. 20° 17'E., 90 fathoms, green sand; 8 P.M. sounded, lat. 36° 12' S., long. 20° 10° E., 100 fathoms, green sand and mud; 7h. 30m. A.M. sounded, got no ground, 170 fathoms, lines in; lat. 35° 59' S., long. 19° 2' E., having gone off Passed a French the bank to the westward; current N.W. N., 23 miles; noon, lat. 35° 50' S., long. 18° 30′ E.; air 62°, water 59°; barometer 30.20.

barque, bound eastward.

3 U 11th. Strong breezes from S.S.W., veering at noon to S.S.E.; clear weather. ENLARGED SERIES.-No. 8.-VOL. FOR 1843.

Saw a Cape pigeon, with a pine tally attached to its leg; noon, lat. 35° 5' S., long. 15° 17' E.; barometer 30-25; current N.W.b.W. W., twenty miles.

12th Strong S.S.E. gales, and clear weather, first part; latter part dark cloudy weather; current west, ten miles; noon, lat. 33° 46′ south, long. 12, 30' east; barometer 30.25.

14th. Moderate S.S.E. winds, dark cloudy weather a smooth sea winds, baffling at noon from S.S. E. to S. W.: lat. 31° 7' south, long. 8° 2′ east; barometer 30.5.

15th to 16th. Light baffling winds from north-west to south-west, and dark cloudy weather; all the Cape birds have left us: noon, 16th, lat. 21° 40′ south, long. 5° 30' east: barometer 30-10; current W.S. W., twenty-four miles.

18th. Took the trades quite strong from S.E.b.S., after three days' adverse winds from western quarter: lat. 25° 29' south, long. 1° 59′ east; current south-west half south, twenty-six miles; barometer 30.19.

19th. Brisk trades veering from S.S.E. to S.E.b.E., and passing rain squalls; crossed the Tropic of Capricorn this day:

20th to 23rd. Brisk trades; passing rain squalls.

24th. Saw the island of St. Helena, and passed close to the shipping at James Town.

C. F. WILLIAMS.

The Milky Sea spoken of in the journal has already been a subject of remark in this work. In our volume for 1839 are some papers upon it, in which it is considered to be produced by the infinite quantity of animalculæ in salt water, in an irritated state. But it is a subject which will always be interesting to seamen, some of whom may have occasion to remember the alarm which the phenomenon has produced in their minds while passing through a sea affected by it. And as all information respecting it, cannot be otherwise than acceptable, we transfer the following experiments from the transactions of the Royal Society, in which it will be seen that, the same effect has been produced by fish in a state of putrescence. We need have no recourse to the nature of the bottom, submarine volcanic eruptions, or other conditions, but simply consider a mass of dead matter in a certain stage of putrefaction, and the milky sea is at once accounted for.

Experiments to prove that the luminousness of the Sea arises from the Putrefaction of its Animal Substances.-By John Canton, M.A., F.R.S. Exper. 1.-Into a gallon of sea-water, in a pan about 14 inches in diameter, Mr. C. put a small fresh whiting, June 14, 1768, in the evening; and took notice that neither the whiting, nor the water when agitated, gave any light. A Fahrenheit's thermometer in the cellar, where the pan was placed, stood at 54 degrees. The 15th, at night, that part of the fish which was even with the surface of the water was luminous, but the water itself was dark. Mr. C. drew the end of a stick through the water, from one side of the pan to the other, and the water appeared luminous behind the stick all the way, but gave light only where it was disturbed. When all the water was stirred, the whole became luminous, and appeared like milk; giving a consider. able degree of light to the sides of the pan that contained it; and continued to do so for some time after it was at rest. The water was most luminous when the fish had been in it about twenty-eight hours, but would not give any light by being stirred, after it had been in it three days.

Exper. 2.-Mr. C. put a gallon of fresh water in one pan, and a gallon of sea-water into another, and also into each a fresh herring of about three ounces. The next night the whole surface of the sea-water was luminous without being stirred, but much more so when put in motion; and the upper part of the herring, which lay considerably below the surface of the water was very bright. The fresh water was quite dark, as was also the fish that was in it. There were several very bright luminous spots on different parts of the surface of the seawater; and the whole, when viewed by the light of a candle, seemed covered with a greasy scum. The third night, the light of the seawater while at rest was very little, if at all, less than before; and when stirred, its light was so great, as to discover the time by a watch; and the fish in it appeared as a dark substance. After this, its light was evidently decreasing, but was not quite gone before the seventh night. The fresh water, and fish in it, were perfectly dark during the whole time. The thermometer was generally above 60°.

Exper. 3.-Into a gallon of fresh water Mr. C. put common or sea-salt, till he found by an hydrometer it was of the same specific gravity with the sea-water. In another gallon of fresh water he dissolved 2lbs. of salt: and into each of these waters he put a small fresh herring. The next evening the whole surface of the artificial sea-water was luminous without being stirred, but gave much more light when it was disturbed. It appeared exactly like the real sea-water in the preceding experiment, and its light lasted about the same time, and went off in the same manner. The other water, which was almost as salt as it could be made, never gave any light. The herring, which was taken out of it the seventh night, and washed from its salt, was found firm and sweet; but the other herring was very soft and putrid; much more so than that which had been kept as long in the fresh water of the last experiment. If a herring, in warm weather, be put into ten gallons of artificial seawater, instead of one, the water will still become luminous, but its light will not be so strong.*

The artificial sea-water may be made without the use of an hydrometer, by the proportion of 4 oz. avoirdupois of salt, to seven pints of water, wine-measure.

From the second and third experiments it is evident, that the quantity of salt contained in sea-water hastens putrefaction; as the fish that had been kept in water of that degree of saltness was found to be much more putrid than that which had been kept the same time in fresh water. This unexpected property of sea-salt was discovered by Sir John Pringle, in the year 1750, and published in the 46th vol. of the Phil. Trans., with many curious and useful experiments on substances resisting putrefaction; but the greatest quantity of salt there mentioned, is less than what is found in sea-water: it is probable, therefore, that if the sea were less salt, it would be more luminous. And here it may be worth remarking, that though the greatest summer heat is well known to promote putrefaction, yet 20 degrees more than that of the

Several river fish, as the bleak, the dace, the carp, the tench, and the eel, were kept in artificial sea-water to putrefy, without producing any light that could be perceived, but a piece of a carp made the water very luminous, though the outside, or scaly part of it, did not shine at all.-Orig.

human blood seem to hinder it: for, putting a very small piece of a luminous fish into a thin glass ball, the water of the heat of 118 degrees destroyed its luminousness in less than half a minute; which, on taking it out of the water, it would begin to recover in about 10 seconds, but was never after so bright as before.

Mr. C. then adds to these experiments the two most circumstantial accounts he could find of the sea's luminous appearance. Mr. Boyle, in the third volume and 91st page, of Birch's edition of his work, says, "When I remember how many questions I have asked navigators about the luminousness of the sea; and how in some places the sea is wont to shine in the night as far as the eye can reach; at other times and places, only when the waves dash against the vessel, or the oars strike and cleave the water; how some seas shine often, and others have not been observed to shine; how in some places the sea has been taken notice of, to shine when such and such winds blow, whereas in other seas the observation holds not; and in the same tract of sea, within a narrow compass, one part of the water will be luminous, whilst the other shines not at all: when, I say, I remember how many of these odd phenomena, belonging to those great masses of liquor, I have been told of by very creditable eye-witnesses, I am tempted to suspect that some cosmical law or custom of the terrestial globe, or, at least, of the planetary vortex, may have a considerable agency in the production of these effects."

ON THE MARINERS' COMPASS.-By Mr. W. Walker, Master R.N. Ir our knowledge of the properties of the loadstone had still been confined to its power of attracting iron, we must have remained ignorant of the form and magnitude of the earth; of its proportions of land and water, and of the various races of men and other animals that inhabit it. The mariner must still have continued to row or sail slowly along the land, during fine weather, with a fair wind, and a clear sky; and if he ventured beyond the ordinary limits of his knowledge, it would have behoved him to look out for a place where he might "beach his boat," or, secure her in some sheltered creek, before darkness or foggy weather should overtake him! But the magnetic properties of the loadstone were ordained for an useful purpose; for although the discoveries of these properties were made but slowly, and even although they yet remain covered as it were, by a semi-transparent veil, their practical utility has been very great.

The introduction of the mariners' compass, even in its primitive and rude state brought about a complete revolution in the theory and practice of naval architecture and seamanship. It extended our geographical knowledge, opened a social and commercial intercourse between different nations of the earth. By it, countries previously unknown to Europeans were discovered, and colonized; and the ends of the earth were actually joined together by circumnavigation.

Practical magnetism has already done much for the increase, as well as comfort of mankind. It has stimulated scientific research, and done

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