New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-01-13
SKETCH OF A LECTURE.
The Sea, and the Circulation Of its Waters.
BY LIEUT.. NJ. y MAuRy

The Fifth Lecture of The Peoples Course
was delivered at the Tabernacle Tuesday evening
by Lieut. NJ F. Maury of the National Observatory
Washington The subject Of his lecture was The Sea
and the Circulation of its Waters wherein he argued
among other points, that the great Currents Of the
Ocean are as perfectly in accordance with Law and
Order as the Harmony OF the Spheres !" that the Gulf
Stream and other Oceanic Currents could not have
existed had the Sea water not been salt that system
of oceanic circulation where the all fresh
would be very feeble that shells and marine insects
constitute important agents in vegetstng and modifying
climates and that they prevent the Sea from becoming
more and more salinous.
In commencing he remarked that in treating OF the
Sea- and the Circulation of ts Waters, he did not ex
meet 10 have time 10 embrace the whole subject that
would be too great demand upon the patience OF his
audience And furthermore he to attempt Il, he
should find hins eli in the rivers and the clouds, with
which the sea intimately connected We know,
said be- that the great Rivers, such as the Amazon the
Mississippi and the 81 Lawrence run through channels
in the clouds as palpably as through channels on the
earth We have the highest scientific authority for
THE have always found in my scientific studies, that
when could get the Bible to say anything upon the
subject always afforded me firm platform to stand
upon and another round in the ladder by which could
safely ascend. Applause And the Bible informs us
that "a rivers run into the sea-" &c Bat, he (the
lecture did propose to into the Rivers or treat
especay of the Gulf Streams Of those very large
Cult Currents which exercise such controlling In.
fuencc upon Navigation. But he proposed to go nto
another subject which they the Rivers and the Gulf
stream) influence nevertheless like the of heaven
silently, but whoiesomely and beneheently.
lie said that he had to believe that there
= II i 4. Il Il. r
the sea as there b In the circulation Of the blood the
movements Of the planets in the heavens. II we take
drop of water from the Sea and another drop from the
River and anayze them, shall find that they are
nearly ske and this proves that weter in part Of
the ocean to-day will be found In another and FAR distant
part tomorrow Tbsmast be csrriedby these Currents
They maintain the order and preserve the harmony
which characterzes every department Of Gods hand.
work Every drop Of watern the Is obedient to
Law and Order as are the stars in the heavens; for
when the morning stars sang together the waves ofhe
seasso lifted up their voice therefore the voice Of the
ocean is in harmony with the music of the spheres.
Applause We cannot doubt this for upon the Red
Sea there is any rain while upon the Mediter
ranean there and many rivers empsed into it,
Yet when to lnalyze the waters OF each, they
are found to be almost identical Upon this evidence
lation BY hich from part Of the Ii con,
veyed into mOst remote part The chief motive
power concerned in Marine Currents has been gene
rally ascribed to hea But il has been found TO DO
through the fundamentally ofhe ninds and plants and
ases and the force OF the These agents give tbs
great dynamic force.
From this point, the lecturer went on TO argue that
the same secret causes which produce an undercur-
rent from the Mediterranean and from the Red Sea into
the Ocean, should also produce under current from
the North Sea into the Polar regions and IN corrobora
ton of this idea he cited the experience OF Lieutenant
Haven, of the Grinneil expedition, who when he
was frozen up in the ice, going toward the
South, large iceberg came drifting up toward
the North, ard was cut Of sight In q day And he
said that IL was the mild and gentle influence of the
salts OF the brought through By an undercurren
that Franklin and his companions owe their lives II
trey have been able fad the OF subsistence In
that cold and barren region. Here then he said, u the
Office which the sea performs in the economy OF the
Universe Tie dews the rains and the rivers are CON
tinualy 6issoling certain minerals of the earth and
carrying them Cd 10 the sea