Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-01-25

or southwark to the Azores. In the
whole world, there is not so majestic
flow OF water as this ocean-river.
Its current is more rapid than the
Amazon, or the Mississippi. la the
severest droughts, 1t never fails IN
the greatest floods it never oycraows
Though its banks and bed consist Of
cold water yet the river itself is
warm; aud so great is the want of
affinity between these waters, SO re-
luctput are they to minglc with each
other, that their line Of junction is Of
ten distinctly visible to the eve; one
half Of a ship may frequently bc per-
ccyed floating ia the cold ocean-wa-
ter the other haf in this warm cur
rent, known to mariners aud gcogra-
raphers as the Gulf stream
Long before the discovery of Amer
lca the Gulf stream, 10y carrying nuts,
bamboos, aud arliiically carved PIE
ces OF wood to the shores of Europe,
indicated the existence Of "A western
continent Columbus himself was
told 10y settler IN the Azores, that
even strange boats had been seen.
constructed so that they could not
sink, and managed 10y broad-laced
men of foreign appearance. With
out doubt, these men were Esqui-
maux Indians. Wallace IN his Ac-
count Of the Islands of Orkney, tells
Us that 10 1852, an Esqmmaux was
seen in hls canoe off the south side
Of the island ol Edda by many per
sons, who could not succeed in reach
ing him and another was seen in
/ 1851, of the island of Weslram -
Moreover, he says, be the seas et-
er 50 bolsterous, these boats, hcing
made of 6sh-sklus, are so conlfived
that they can never sink, but arc like
seagulls swimming ON the top of the
water" Two more of these current
drlted canoes were subsequently found
on the shores of the Orkueys; one
was sent to Edinburgh, the other
hung up in the church of Burra.
As if determined to make its course
and existence known to the most un-
obscrvant, the Cult stream carried
the mainmast of the English ship Til
bury, that was destroyed by fire of
the coast of ST. Domingo, during the
Seven Years War, to the coast of
Scotland. But, again, II carried TO
Scotland number OF casks OF palm
oil that were recognized, by their
marks and brands, 10 be part OF the
cargo of ship that had been wreck
ed near Cape Lopez, in Africa. How
could tins last remarkable drift come
to pass Simply thus: the Gulf
stream, which we have compared TO
Il river, is in reality part of great
system of oceanic circulation. The
branch that, as we have SAID, turns
off from the British islands, south
ward TO the Azores, joIns the great
equatorial current Which, flowing TO
the westward from the coas, of Alri-
ca, enters the Caribbean sea, and
emerges from the Straits Of Florida
r as The Gull stream rnc cusks 81
palm-oil then, had twice traversed
the Atlaulic-6rst from east to west,
in the equatorial current, and second
", from west to east, in the Gulf
stream, before they found resting
place on the coast of Scotland.
To compare small things with
great; if we were to place litte PEE
ces ol cork, chat, or other light bod
les, in a basi of water, and give the
water circular motion, the hight sub
Stances would crowd together 10 the
center, where there is the least mo-
ton. So it is in the great basin Of
the Atlantic, where the Sargasso sea
forms the center of the whirl caused
by the circular motion oi the equuto-
rial current and the Gulf stream. TINS
sea, situated about midway IN the
Atlantic, in the triangular spaco be-
twe-n the Azores, Canaues, aud
Cape de Verd islands, covering
space equal IN extent to the valley of
the Mississippi, Is SO thickly matted
over with peculiar weed [ FucuS
aatdnS,) that the speed of vessels
passing through Il Is often great ly re-
larded. To the eye, at a short dis
lance, IT seems substantial enough 10
walk upon, aud countless hosts of
small cruslacea dwell on this curious
carpet of The ocean. Columbus sail
ed through il on his FIRST voyage of
discovery, IN spite Ol lhe terrors OF
his less adventurous cOnpanlons,w who
believed that 1t marked the limits of
navigation aud It's position has not
altered since that time This Sar-
gasso, or Sea Of l.enGIes, as the Span
lards first termed II ,hns historical IN
lerest. In the celebrated bull Of Pope
Alexander vi, in 1893, when he dl-
vided the world between the Span
lards and Portuguese, he decreed that
the SaFgasso sea was to be their mu-
lual boundary 10 all eternity
The waters Of the Cult stream do
not, in any part of their course, touch
the bottom OF The sea. They are ev-
erywhere defended from so conpar-
ali,ely good conductor OF heat 10y
cushion Of cold water Que ol the
best of fnon-conduclors Consequent
ly but hllle heat is lost, and the ge-
nal warmth is carried thousands of
miles to fulfil its destined purposes.
On winter day, the temperature
of the stream, as lar north as Cape
Hatteras. is from twenty to thirty de